Today in the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight, we’re thrilled to introduce Jared Schweers, the dynamic force behind a burgeoning digital marketing firm that specializes in web design, organic search, and paid search management. Dive into this compelling interview to discover how Jared’s pragmatic approach to client relationships and innovative use of analytical tools have sculpted a path of success for businesses aiming for both local and national impact.
Hi, Jared! 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?
We help businesses grow and form a more consistent lead volume through web design, organic search, and paid search management. Our firm serves a wide variety of clients that have both local and national focus. By tracking their leads per marketing channel, we can help direct our clients to where their marketing dollars receive the biggest returns.
Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.
I think after a few years of running the business myself I felt like I hopped over to the entrepreneur category. Since it wasn't something I necessarily set out to be, it fits me well and I couldn't imagine anything else now.
Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.
I'd been working web services and digital marketing on the side and the full-time job I had went through a few changes. One of the owners was diagnosed with cancer and sales/production took a back seat to health, as it should. But, that left me with a need to either find another job or jump full-time into web design and marketing.
Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?
We use a heat map tool or grid ranking software to show us exactly where our clients are ranking for their keywords and where they are not. This specific data not only helps us know where we need to put more focus, but it also helps with client retention because it is a very visual way to view rankings.
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 had a good contract with a local client that was around 65 hours a month, it was also close to a third of my profit for the month, so it was a big deal to me at the time. When the president of that organization moved on, the contract was pulled so that the incoming president wouldn't be forced to commit those funds monthly. It was hard and scary at the time, almost an instantaneous 30% haircut, but it did allow me to spend more time on my business and that proved to be a very impactful opportunity.
What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?
I don't know if that is super unconventional, but instead of taking any business that walked in the door, I spent the time to see if the client was a good fit. If I could provide a benefit to them. The honesty and transparency went a long way with people and even if they weren't a fit then, they'd come back later or use other services we provide.
What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?
Being strategic is important. I started out sort of thrown into owning a business and instead of setting a path forward and sort of floundered trying to figure out what I was doing. Everything from acquiring business to pricing my services. Make a plan, get some help if needed, and execute the plan. Adjust as needed or as things change. I also think a second aspect is to know what you can do and what you need others to do. An example for me was the taxes and bookkeeping. Paying a professional to do that not only provided me with more time and ensured accuracy. It meant I was getting paid much more consistently and spending less time tracking down unpaid invoices.
Want to go deeper into Jared's work? Check out the link below:
- Visit Key Element's Media Website: www.keyelementmedia.com
