The to-do list

The number of active accounts at Noble Studios grew by five-fold during the past 15 months.

So what's the secret for the Carson City web development and marketing firm? Great creative work? Flashy technical skills? Try plain old organization.

When owners Jarrod and Season Lopiccolo take on a project, they provide a timeline to the client and then they provide a list of jobs, with deadlines, that need to be completed by both the client and Noble Studios to keep the project on track.

In a field where projects often can drag inconclusively for months, the careful scheduling of jobs catches the attention of clients.

"Once they see it, they love it," says Jarrod Lopiccolo, who serves as the firm's creative director.His wife works as its marketing manager.

The proof that organization can sell: In mid-summer of 2003, Noble Studios had 13 active clients.

Today, the number of active clients has grown to 68,mostly small to medium- sized businesses in the Carson City area.

Most of the clients come to Noble Studios for new or updated Web sites.

But the work on a Web site often leads to other work development of a logo or work on brochure.

Noble Studios also provides Web hosting services.

Along with its owners, the company employs two and works closely with two outside contractors.

When it comes to marketing itself, Noble Studios initially relied heavily on pro bono work for nonprofits in Carson City and donated its services for nonprofits' silent auctions.

But these days the company generates most of its leads through referrals from existing customers.

As the Lopiccolos got better at organizing customers' jobs, they also learned to pay close attention to customer service.

"The last 10 percent of a project is the most important," says Jarrod Lopiccolo."It's the wrap up, the going out your way to make sure they're happy with the service."

While the company has been profitable since its earliest days, its growth means the Lopiccolos met some personal goals, too.

Like getting out of the house after more than a year of working from a home office.

In recent weeks, they moved into an office at 206 S.

Carson St., just across from the State Capitol.

"We really wanted to get out of the house," says Season Lopiccolo."But we understood the importance of saving money while we were working out of the house."

Now in their mid-20s, the couple met while they were students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.After working for a couple of advertising companies in Las Vegas Paul Steelman Design Group and R&R Partners they decided to launch Noble Studios in Carson City in 2003.

The company has been profitable from the start, and Jarrod Lopiccolo says its continued growth is likely to present another challenge as its founders spend more time in management and less in hands-on creative.

"That's scary because it's a totally different position than what we're in now," he says."But I don't think we'll ever entirely get away from the creative side."