Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with David Roberts, Founder of ReVerb, located in Rochester, MN, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
ReVerb. We work primarily with tech companies in various stages. Some outsourcing companies, startups, and fully mature companies. Since 2017 we've worked with around 800 different companies on various projects ranging from their emails or editing texts to covering their ICO White Papers and Tokenomics. So we're all over the place there.
Tell us about yourself
I have five kids, so earning money is a big part of what motivates me, though. Before I became the greedy capitalist that I am, I was actually a wide-eyed idealistic Peace Corps Volunteer in Kazakhstan from 2002 to 2004, where I taught kids in a village school near Karaganda ecology, Chemistry, and English, but mostly English. In College, I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, so it made sense to teach those topics, but I ended up teaching a lot more English because that’s what they really needed. I learned to speak Russian there too. So I taught the kids English, and they taught me Russian. Nice trade-off.
I split time in graduate school at the University of Vienna and the University of South Carolina, Moore School of Business, where I was awarded an International MBA.
My current business has been in progress really since 2012, when I was consulting with different tech companies. Eventually, after speaking at so many tech events, a lot of different companies wanted to hire me, so I would do small projects with them. Then I started hiring copywriters, editors, and marketing specialists, and everything sort of snowballed into what ReVerb is in 2017.
What really excited me is learning new ways we can work with our clients and the exciting new technologies they’re working on. Since we’re part of their marketing efforts, we usually get to see the new technologies before they’re public.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As a business owner, it’s being ranked so highly and consistently by our clients. Nothing makes me feel better than when a satisfied client introduces me to one of their friends so I can work with them as well.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Budgeting time and making sure staff is busy but also not burning out. Sometimes I have to switch out a writer from a project because they are overworked and they need a break from the topic or client.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Build a talent stack and form your business around that. For instance, I’m a good writer, speak Russian, am a great leader, and have a degree of curiosity regarding new technologies. So all of these translated well to do what I do.
- Starting a business is no clear path; it may involve revising everything as you go along. Take input from your clients and market and refine your goods and services.
- A good HR manager will save you a lot of stress. A bad one will cause you a lot of stress. Make hiring your HR manager one of your most important hires.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
We’re growing and going, particularly in Blockchain technologies. We're consistently rated near the top in Blockchain marketing rankings, as we’ll be expanding a lot into NFTs and Web 3.0 in general.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://reverbico.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reverbico
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReverbICO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reverbico/
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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