Most of us benefit from the occasional change of scenery—and that’s true for small businesses, too. For Blue Ocean Consulting, moving 30 miles has made all the difference in the world.

Blue Ocean leverages a multifaceted business and software strategy to help clients pursue new opportunities and be more efficient. The technology consulting company celebrated its 20th anniversary last year.

And it’s enjoying growth that any small business would envy. Last year, Blue Ocean’s revenues were up 35 percent compared to 2014.

Juan Sola and Scott Woodward, the company’s co-founders, say it all started when they relocated their company from Lawrence to Olathe about four years ago.

Lawrence isn’t that far away, but it’s almost like there was a psychological barrier for people who were considering Blue Ocean, either as a vendor or an employer, Woodward said.

Being physically closer has opened Blue Ocean to a wave of new projects. And when it was time to add staff, Sola and Woodward were able to find highly talented people quicker.

Since the move, Blue Ocean’s headcount has swelled from eight or nine to approximately 30.  

“It’s easier to recruit and we’re a lot closer to our prospects and our clients,” Woodward said.

Sola and Woodward didn’t hear any complaints from existing employees when the move was announced. Most of them already lived in Kansas City.

“Scott and I are the ones who have to commute now,” Sola said, laughing.

Interested in putting your company back on a growth footing? Sola and Woodward have a few pieces of advice:

>> People drive growth // So do what you need to do to secure the services of amazing employees.

Since the Olathe move, Sola and Woodward have made a couple of high-profile hires that boosted Blue Ocean’s ability to drum up new business. Case in point: Scott Carson, Blue Ocean’s president, formerly the vice president of business development for Kauffman FastTrac.

“Hiring right is important for every company, but when your company has 25 people, a single person can make a proportionally larger impact than one person in an organization of 5,000,” Woodward said.

>> Bust out of your rut // It’s easy for an established company to fall in a rut because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” You have to fight that instinct.

“Dismiss that from your mind,” Woodward said. “Always look for something new.”

It’s a little easier for Blue Ocean, Sola said, because the business of technology constantly changes.

“We not only accept it,” Sola said, “we embrace it.”