Thomas Padula founded his company when he was only 17, and today, seven years later, it has grown into a nationally recognized business known for proficiency in search engine optimization and website design and development. Padula serves as president of the company, Padula Media LLC, a full-service digital marketing agency based in West Chester.
Last year, Padula focused on mentoring and guiding his team, resulting in nearly doubled revenue for the company. As a marketer, Padula teaches people how to position themselves for growth, and he is always looking for ways to expand his efforts through webinars, e-books and informative content, his team said.
Padula measures his impact through the results of those he mentors, focusing on young professionals and entrepreneurs between the ages of 16 and 22. As someone who started his business at a young age, he shares his experiences and knowledge to help upcoming generations navigate the professional world and improve the way things are done. By giving back and inspiring others, Padula hopes to create a network of Titans within industries and communities.
“When I started Padula Media, I knew that hiring the right people was key to our success — even when those employees were out of my budget,” Padula said. “To provide top-notch service to our clients and reach the goals I had set for us, investing in those roles was crucial. At the time, I wasn’t sure how it would work out. These really qualified and hard-working employees took a leap of faith to join our team when we were still just starting out, and I was definitely feeling the pressure to deliver revenue to support those hires.
“Every CEO understands that when you have the right people on your team, the possibilities are endless. Thanks to the long nights, laser focus, and financial sacrifices, I can safely say hiring the team we have has paid off. They have been through those early days with me and are sold on our vision and goals more than ever. As a leader, sacrificing my own financial comfort and building our team was worth it to ensure the right people were with us from the very beginning. Even when the short- term decisions seemed risky, I knew I had to make choices that would bring success to my long-term vision.”
Padula is a believer in this Steve Jobs motto: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
