In this edition of Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight, we're excited to feature Rob Thorbjornsen. Rob's entrepreneurial journey began after over fifteen years in the media industry, where he felt unappreciated and overworked. Taking control of his destiny, Rob founded Forge Advertising, a full-service agency dedicated to delivering exceptional results for businesses of all sizes. Dive into our interview with Rob to discover how he transformed his vision into reality and learn from his valuable insights on building a successful business in a rapidly evolving industry.
Hi, Rob! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?
Forge Advertising is a strategically focused, creatively driven full-service advertising agency for small, medium, and large businesses. At Forge Advertising we are your guide through the fast-moving and rapidly changing world of business marketing. We promote your business smarter with our help in TV, digital marketing, social media, SEO, SEM, radio, print, and other modern business solutions. We exist to help our clients' businesses win! We’re relentlessly focused on results for our clients to build modern marketing plans to connect our clients with those consumers.“What matters most is our client’s success, and we put your needs above our own, to ensure every investment makes an impact.”
Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.
The moment I finally felt like I went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur was after my advertising agency hit the one million dollar mark in advertising placement for the year. I think that's when it really first hit me.
Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.
The moment that changed my life was when I finally made the entrepreneurial leap. I had worked for several large media corporations for fifteen-plus years and had already made the leap to working for an advertising agency but I was still not satisfied because I was doing all the work yet still had to answer to my boss who just didn't invest the time and effort into the company or the employees. While very successful there I overall felt unappreciated and overworked, so instead of doing what I had done my whole life which was looking for a better company I decided that the only way I was going to ever be happy and satisfied was to take control of my life and start my company where the only thing that would ever hold me back would be me and me alone. So I took the leap and I have never looked back.
Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?
I think one of the most important things Forge Advertising invested in as a company is billing software. Quickbooks online was a complete game changer and allows our company to be efficient in billing, invoices, payments, and payroll.
We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.
I think the biggest failure I ran into when I started this business was realizing that despite all the skills and knowledge I had, I couldn't grow the business how I wanted. It was that epiphany that made me pivot and invest in hiring employees to grow the business while I shifted my focus to training them and running the business.
What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?
Unlike other small businesses, I invested in CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software which is not a common investment. That software is common in the corporate world but most small businesses see it as expensive and unnecessary expense. However, I find that it is a significant benefit that I am glad I invested in.
What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?
I think the one thing I wish I had known sooner is the importance of having a good business attorney who can file and design the legal documents you need to protect your company.
Want to dive deeper into Rob's work? Check out his website and socials!
- Visit Forge Advertising's Website forge-advertising.com
- Follow Forge Advertising on Facebook
- Find Forge Advertising on Instagram @forgeadvertisingllc
- Check out Forge Advertising on X @ForgeAdvertise
- Connect with Forge Advertising on LinkedIn
