Q1: Please introduce your company and describe your role within the organization.
TheBestReputation is one of the fastest-growing and highest-rated online reputation management firms in the country. As Director of Growth, my role centers on expanding our brand presence and making sure the right people see the right message at the right time. That means I oversee everything from blog content and social media to paid placements and content production. My day-to-day is all about driving new business and building the kind of visibility that reflects how well we actually perform for our clients. The growth we’ve experienced over the past few years speaks for itself, and a lot of that comes down to consistently delivering results that clients talk about.
Q2: What is your company’s core business model – do you use an in-house team, third-party vendors, or a hybrid outsourcing approach?
We operate on a hybrid model. Our core services are handled in-house, and we’re always working to expand that internal capability because we believe in-house execution delivers better quality and efficiency. That said, we’ve also built strong partnerships with experienced vendors and professionals across the industry. Those relationships allow us to tackle even the most complex challenges our clients bring to us. It’s not about outsourcing for the sake of it. It’s about knowing when to bring in the right expertise to get the best possible outcome for the client.
Q3: How does your company differentiate itself from competitors in a crowded market?
In a crowded market, your service model is what separates you. Ours is built on transparency and flexibility. Every client gets custom pricing based on their specific deliverables, and every contract is cancel-anytime. That’s not a gimmick. It means we’re motivated to deliver 110% every single month because our clients stay because they want to, not because they’re locked in. We back that up with dedicated client dashboards, weekly progress check-ins, and a wide variety of deliverables tailored to each situation. We’ve also built partnerships with some of the most respected press outlets in the country, Forbes being one of them, and we have an extensive toolkit to handle just about any reputational challenge that comes our way. Our success is tied directly to our clients’ success, and that alignment is what makes the difference.
Q4: What are the primary industries or sectors you serve, and how has that focus evolved over time?
We serve a wide range of industries and clients. There’s no single sector we’re limited to. That said, businesses tend to benefit the most from our services because the reputational challenges they face are typically more complex and layered than what an individual might encounter. We work with both, and we have advanced strategies in place for each. For individuals, it’s usually a more targeted approach. For companies, it often requires a broader, multi-channel effort. Over time, our focus has naturally evolved to meet demand, and what we’ve found is that regardless of the industry, the fundamentals of protecting and restoring a brand’s online presence remain the same. We just tailor the execution to fit.
Q5: What are the most in-demand services or solutions that clients approach your company for?
Reputation management and crisis management are our bread and butter. It’s what we’re known for and it’s where we consistently deliver the strongest results. We’re also highly regarded for our content and review removal strategies. When removal is possible, you can count on us to get it done. And when it’s not, we’ll tell you that honestly, because if we can’t remove it, chances are nobody else can either. Where we really separate ourselves is in our suppression tactics for longer-term campaigns. The goal doesn’t always have to be removing negative content. Sometimes the smarter play is burying it under all the great reasons people should want to work with you. We’re very good at promoting and highlighting the best of what our clients have to offer and pushing that to the top of search results. That shift in strategy is something a lot of firms overlook, and it’s one of our biggest strengths.
Q6: How do you personally stay ahead of industry shifts when most data is already yesterday’s news?
Things change fast in this industry. What worked last month might not work today, and you have to be comfortable going back to the drawing board on a regular basis. But here’s what I’ve learned: you don’t need to chase every new tactic or every headline about what’s trending in marketing this week. That’s a waste of energy. You’re never going to outrun the algorithms. What you can do is master the fundamentals. Writing great content, building keyword relevance, fostering real partnerships. Those core principles have always worked and they always will because they’re the foundation that everything else is built on, including the AI-driven tools reshaping our industry right now. Once your fundamentals are strong, then absolutely go experiment. Try new approaches, A/B test everything, see what sticks. But don’t skip the foundation chasing shortcuts. That’s how you stay ahead without burning out trying to keep up.
Q7: Do you have a significant percentage of repeat clients? If so, what strategies contribute to that loyalty?
Absolutely. We have a strong base of repeat clients, and many of them choose to stay on even after their primary campaign wraps up, transitioning into smaller maintenance plans to protect what we’ve built together. That kind of loyalty doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because the work makes a real, measurable difference in their business. When you combine reputation management, SEO, and public relations under one roof with a team that’s reliable, talented, and genuinely invested in your success, clients don’t want to walk away from that. We become an extension of their team, always in their corner, always working the problem. That’s what keeps people coming back.
Q8: How do you measure and ensure high customer satisfaction in your operations?
It’s pretty straightforward honestly. You have to get feedback, and you have to welcome all of it, especially the negative stuff. Every mistake is a learning opportunity, and that applies to me personally and to the company as a whole. TheBestReputation is a living, breathing business full of intelligent, hardworking people who genuinely care about results. That’s how we measure satisfaction. By the actual results. From day one, we benchmark where a client stands and track progress daily. Whether it’s pushing a negative link to page two by month six, removing a damaging review, or suppressing a sensationalized article or post that’s been haunting your brand, we document every step forward. When we sit down with a client and show them how far they’ve come since day one, that’s what builds trust. That’s what proves we’re reliable. Not promises. Progress.
Q9: What kind of post-project support do you provide to address client queries or ongoing needs?
As I mentioned, many of our clients transition into maintenance campaigns after their primary engagement wraps up. That’s really the backbone of our post-project support. Once we’ve done the heavy lifting, we don’t just disappear. We offer ongoing plans designed to protect and maintain the progress we’ve made together. Reputation management isn’t a one-and-done thing. Search results shift, new content surfaces, and you need someone keeping an eye on it. Beyond that, our team remains accessible for any questions or concerns that come up along the way. The relationship doesn’t end when the campaign does.
Q10: Describe your pricing and billing structure – is it fixed cost, pay-per-milestone, or another model?
Custom pricing, custom solutions. That’s the model. No two clients are the same. Different issues, different goals, different timelines. Every person and every business deserves to be treated as unique because they are, and we respect that by building pricing around their specific needs rather than forcing them into a cookie-cutter package. And every contract is cancel-anytime. We don’t lock anyone in. We earn your business every single month. With that said, we rarely hear from clients looking to leave because the results speak for themselves.
Q11: What is the typical price range for projects you’ve handled in the past year, and how do you balance affordability with value?
The range varies significantly because the scope of work varies significantly. For targeted services like individual review or link removals, pricing can start in the hundreds per removal. For broader reputation management campaigns that address systemic issues with multiple variables, you’re typically looking at the lower thousands per month. It really comes down to the severity and complexity of what you’re dealing with. We’re transparent about that. As for balancing affordability with value, here’s how I look at it: if the problem you’re facing stays online, will it cost you more in lost business than what our services would run? If you even hesitated answering that question, it’s probably time to have a conversation with us. You can reach out anytime at thebestreputation.com/contact
Q12: Have you turned down projects based on budget or scope? If so, what are your minimum requirements?
Yes, we’ve turned down projects, and it’s never an easy conversation. We understand that reputation management is not a small investment, and we respect that. But the reality is you can’t cut corners with this kind of work. There’s an enormous amount of SEO, content strategy, and public relations effort that goes into every single client campaign. It may look simple from the outside, but behind the scenes it’s a serious operation. When we do part ways with a potential client, it’s usually not about budget alone. It’s often because expectations don’t align with reality. Some people come in expecting overnight results, that negative content will just vanish the next day. I wish it worked like that, but it doesn’t. Removing or suppressing negative content on page one is genuinely difficult work. We’re upfront about that from the start. But when it comes to getting it done, we’re THE BEST in the business at it.
Q13: What key challenges has your company faced in the last few years, and how did you overcome them?
Honestly, our biggest challenge has been keeping up with our own growth. As demand for our services increased, clients started coming to us with requests that pushed beyond what we had initially built our offerings around. That’s a good problem to have, but it’s still a problem if you don’t adapt quickly. So we did our homework. We went back to the drawing board, studied the evolving landscape of ORM, and expanded our service capabilities to meet those new demands head on. That’s really been the pattern for us. Demand grows, we learn, we adapt, and then we accelerate. It’s that cycle of constant improvement that’s fueled our growth and landed us on the Inc. 5000 list. We don’t shy away from challenges. We use them as a reason to get better.
Q14: How do you foster innovation and adapt to emerging trends in your industry?
Creativity breeds innovation. That’s something I genuinely believe. When I’m facing a challenge, whether it’s a client issue, a brand problem, or just a day-to-day operational hurdle, I always try to find the most creative, smartest, and fastest solution. More often than not, that process leads us to develop entirely new strategies and tactics that we then roll into our broader service offerings. I’m a big believer in trying things out and building without always knowing where it’s going to land, because today’s mistake can easily become tomorrow’s gold mine. A perfect example is how we’ve adapted to AI becoming such an integral part of reputation management. We had to rethink our approach and innovate on our tactics to work alongside AI tools. That means optimizing our content and using the right back-end strategies to present client information properly to large language models when they’re analyzing and surfacing data about a brand. That’s the new frontier of ORM, and we’re already there.
Q15: What role does company culture play in your success, and how do you build and maintain it?
Company culture is huge for us. One of the things I’m proudest of is that our team actually speaks up. Opinions are encouraged, not just tolerated, and that’s a big win because opinions lead to testing, and testing leads to great results. Even when something doesn’t pan out, you learn a ton from the process. We have a team of intelligent, hardworking people who are genuinely passionate about what they do here. Nobody is treating this like a chore. That energy shows up in the work we deliver. We also prioritize mental wellness because we believe it’s the core of sustained success. You can’t perform at a high level if you’re running on empty. At the end of the day, we’re a team of professionals who get the job done, but we’re also real people with real personalities and lives outside of work. We’re not some corporate operation stuck in black and white. We’re energetic, we’re young, and we’re passionate about what we’re building.
Q16: Where do you envision your company in the next 5-10 years? What are your boldest long-term goals?
With the team we have in place, especially under the leadership of our CEO Chris Hinman, I see us mastering this industry and leading it outright. But beyond that, I want TBR to be at the forefront of AI integration and innovative SEO. Those are the areas that will define the next era of reputation management, and we plan to be the ones setting the standard. On a bigger level, I’d love to see the ORM industry as a whole grow because TBR helped show the world how important it is. If my growth and marketing efforts can reach people outside of this bubble and make them understand that online reputation is something they need to be aware of and proactive about, and they learned that through TBR, then I’ve done my job. That’s the mission.
Q17: How has your leadership style evolved throughout your career, and what influences it?
Early in my career, I was focused on building my own credibility and proving myself. And honestly, there is nothing wrong with that. When you’re starting out, you need to put yourself out there, show what you can do, and make a name for yourself. That’s part of the process. But over time, what I learned is that real leadership isn’t about hogging the glory. It’s about helping others get to where you are. Because at the end of the day, you’re going to need your team behind you when things get tough, and if you’ve only ever invested in yourself, you’re going to be standing alone when it matters most. The biggest shift for me has been learning to share what I know and trust my team. I know it might sound counterintuitive, but I feel like I’m doing my job well when my colleagues can operate confidently without me in the room. That’s the sign of a good leader. Your presence is valuable, your work is crucial, but you’ve built something that doesn’t fall apart the moment you step away. That’s what I strive for. A collective effort where everyone is equipped to lead in their own way.
Q18: What emerging technologies or market shifts are you most excited about for your company?
That’s the simple answer and the honest one. AI-based marketing is reshaping everything we do, from how content is created and optimized to how search engines and large language models evaluate and surface brand information. The companies that figure out how to work with AI rather than against it are going to dominate the next decade. We’re already deep into integrating AI tools across our strategies, and I’m excited about where that takes us. The intersection of AI and reputation management is still wide open territory, and TBR plans to own that space.
Q19: What advice would you give to aspiring leaders? Can you share one lesson from your journey that resonates with the business community?
A few things I’ve learned along the way that I think any aspiring leader can take with them. First, be open to criticism. I know that’s easier said than done, especially when it’s about something you’ve poured yourself into. But honest feedback is one of the fastest ways to grow, and if you shut it out, you’re only slowing yourself down. Second, find a way to be passionate about what you do. And look, I get it, it’s a job, and not every day is going to feel inspiring. But if you can tap into that part of your brain that loves solving puzzles, that feeling you get when you finally crack something that’s been bugging you, that’s the energy you want to bring to your work. Chase that feeling. Third, learn to delegate and share what you know. People are smart. They know what they’re doing, and they can help you if you let them. Holding onto everything yourself doesn’t make you a stronger leader. It just makes you a bottleneck. And finally, be approachable. Yes, you have a role in the hierarchy, and yes, there are deadlines and deliverables to manage. But don’t let that turn you into someone your team is afraid to talk to. When a team member has an idea, they should be excited to bring it to you, not nervous. That kind of open communication is one of the best things you can ask for as a leader. Creativity flows when people feel safe sharing, and that starts with you.