Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Casey Binkley, CEO of Movia, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
In 2015, I saw that trucks were just empty mobile billboards that demanded to be used for creative advertising. This is when the concept for Movia first came to me. This, in my opinion, is a truckers' and advertisers' underutilized resource.
Due to the seamlessness of our advertising, Movia has been expanding along with the OOH advertising market it occupies. Brands from many different industries, like Koch, Walmart, and Rogers, are among our clients. For any brand advertisement, we transform into an extension of the company, giving consumers the impression that they have found something worthwhile on their own. We have excelled because our primary objective has always been to make sure we work with our client's best interests in mind.
Tell us about yourself
Since I was a teenager, I have founded numerous businesses. I've started businesses in a number of provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Yukon. I've had both excellent and unfavorable experiences thanks to my exposure to working in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, distribution, recycling, special events, gold mine, and door-to-door sales. I believed trucks to be an untapped asset for truckers and marketers, as an empty truck side could efficiently work as a mobile billboard and reach chosen demographics, at calculated times of the day, on specific roads. This could make mobile advertising one of the most cost-efficient channels of advertising.
Later, I learned that businesses wanted more outdoor brand exposure, but there were fewer traditional billboards available, which made it clear to me that data analytics was essential for helping marketers tailor their ads and increase their reach. A year later, with the support of my incredible team, we launched our data-driven, mobile billboard business using a creative truck-side advertising strategy that would revolutionize outdoor advertising. Unbelievably, today mobile billboards garner almost twice as much attention as static ones: 95% of those who pass by them view them, and 85% of them read what's on them. There is so much to learn and explore, and this is exactly how we grow every single day. This pace of finding solutions that improve our services keeps me going.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I like to think of myself as a humble leader that is dependable, approachable, and has a strong work ethic. I feel that exceeding expectations rather than just keeping your promises makes you a high-performing individual. I'm committed to creating a successful company while also aiming for the peak. This mindset has contributed to my success as an entrepreneur across several industries. As a team, we are all motivated and kept going by witnessing Movia's fleet provide over 3 billion monthly impressions for its clients across North America and Europe.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Entrepreneurship can really put a person to the test in terms of tenacity
there are always good and bad experiences involved. Most businesses recently suffered greatly as a result of the pandemic, proving that there are also factors outside of one's control. For this reason, leaders need to have a tremendous amount of perseverance. My guiding principle has always been to consistently work hard and persist, which in my experience, invariably pays off.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First, it's crucial to choose the suitable market for your business. Knowing who you are selling to makes it a lot simpler and more successful. Create a consumer profile first, then delve further by taking factors like age, gender, income, and geography into account.
Second, concentrate on expanding your company and looking for ways to improve your services and goods. This is the only method to expand your market share and keep doing business with your current clientele.
The third piece of advice largely has to do with marketing and social media. A marketer's best buddy is social media. Create profiles on social media sites like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook so that you may gain your clients' trust. Sharing images and updates from marketing initiatives is another way to interact with clients via social media. It doesn't matter what kind of business you run; you need to have a strong social media presence.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
As business owners, it is our responsibility to make choices that will lower our monthly burn so that we have the funds to weather any crisis until commercial activity resumes. This is a lesson that the pandemic taught us all. Another piece of advice for any business would be to always act with the goodwill of our clients; this makes us stand out over time.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://movia.media/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moviamedia/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/moviamedia/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moviamedia/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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