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At the age of 7 Jeremy was already in the process of patenting two inventions. His parents did not have the time or money to carry out that process. Jeremy and his parents did not know where to go so the patents did not go through.There wasn’t a “Shark Tank” in 2009.
In 2015 Jeremy Miller came out of depression to build a skateboard manufacturing business. Fortunately, as he explains, that business venture failed. He then went on and grew from what he learned in that business and has now become the owner of a successful digital media agency, partner in two companies, and a small influencer on Twitter.
City where you’re from: Indianapolis, Indiana
Hobbies: Market Research, Meeting People, and working out
Favorite quote:
“To do something, however small, to make others happier and better is the highest ambition, the most elevating hope, which can inspire a human being” – John Lubbock
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjeremymiller
Background
Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
I view Entrepreneurship as a way to help people, build people, and build communities on a large scale.
Who were your biggest influences?
Doug Miller (Dad), Jill Miller (Mom), Kenton Yohey, Derrick Christy, George Apgar, Gerard Adams, and Gary Vaynerchuck.
Was there a defining moment in your life?
The defining moment in my life was a wednesday night in April of 2016. I was sharing my vision, passion, dreams, and ideas for a business to an old friend. I am a very passionate person when I talk. Passion is contagious. Later that night that friend texted me telling me how his family had been falling apart. His brothers were lost in drugs, his parents were planning a divorce, and his sister was pregnant. He was planning to overdose on drugs on the exact night that we randomly caught each other in conversation. He knew my past and knew how I used to struggle with cutting, drugs, alcohol, and depression. He saw how much life was in me. He saw hope. He told me my enthusiasm and passion gave him hope in life that he could one day get out of the situation he was in and have a better life. That was the night I knew Entrepreneurship was a divine calling.
What are you working on? How did you come up with this idea?
I am the Director of Marketing for a startup company called IDEAvize. I am the Director of Marketing for a 30 year old company called Christian Phone Book. Both of those companies I am building the brands and building the communities around the brands to help scale the companies.
My main focus is my digital media agency. J. R. Miller Group Consulting is a Growth-Driven digital media agency for a connected world. We work with 6 different companies, nonprofits, and schools.
How is your service different and unique? What has been your favorite moment with it?
The way we look at marketing and branding is very different. We help companies market like it is 2017 and not 2008. In 2015 and 2016 I organically reached 100M+ impressions on Twitter because I knew the value in developing relationships online and developing brands that people would advocate for. With all these impressions I did marketing for a clothing company called ItsLife. I would tweet once or twice a week about the products that they had and my accounts were responsible for 8,000 people going to their website each month. I don’t believe marketing and branding is so much about the binary techniques and strategies. I believe marketing and branding is about the mindset and what you’re actually trying to accomplish. Social media is social. It is an emotional experience where developing relationships and connecting with consumers are the main focuses. I believe it is about the why more than the what.
My favorite moment is when my clients realize the potential in digital media, social media, and video marketing. I love to see clients faces and eyes light up.
If you do Facebook ads, what types of creatives/campaigns do you use (we like specifics)?
I create powerful videos for my clients and use the videos in the Facebook ads. To be specific I effectively utilize A/B testing, split testing, and $1/day (Dennis Yu’s strategy) strategies to optimize the Facebook ads.
Did you experience failure along the way? What did you learn from it?
I failed many times. Failure is an opportunity to learn and grow. I would not be where I am if I had not failed so many times. When I was 16 and 17 I had 2 jobs and did marketing for a clothing company on Twitter. I raised $8,000 and invested all of that money in a skateboard manufacturing and clothing business. The business did not go anywhere and I lost all the money. My mentor, Kenton Yohey, taught me to focus on what I did best, build off of that, and scale.
Value-add questions
What would you tell other young entrepreneurs that are reading this right now?
“What do you want to be known for?”
This probably could be the most important thing you think about today. Please spend 10 minutes and stare at a wall and think about what you really want to be known for in this very short life.
Give the readers the best entrepreneurship advice you have.
The best advice I could give is to care about your life and care about other people’s lives. Life is so fast. I graduate high school in 67 days as I am writing this. Are you living for the weekend or for your funeral? You are doing to die and you don’t know when that will happen and you cannot control it. How many people will remember you? How many lives will you have influenced and touched? How many people will be at your funeral? What kind of legacy will you leave?
We are all born with a story to build and tell. Every single person is born with a blank white sheet of paper and we write on it to share our story. What will be on your piece of paper? Will it be a giant netflix logo or will it show how many people you helped, served, and loved. Will it show how much you gave to your family and community?
When you work with your clients what types of deliverables do you give them prior to closing the deal? Which tools do you use?
When working for a client and doing B2B – learn how to do website, SEO, and social media audits. Learn how to look at an already existing website or social media and be able to find 10 things that they are doing right and 10 things that could be improved. My clients love when I give them a very detailed report of everything they are doing right and everything that could be improved. This is also a great start for me and my team to know how to best serve the client.
Website to test the website optimization and SEO:
While working on your project, have you come across any interesting bit of knowledge that you’d like to share?
Read the book “Time Management Magic” by Lee Cockerell.
What should an entrepreneur focus on?
Your strengths.
Walk us step-by-step through the process that you had to go through to get from the early stages to where you are today.
We all believe we grow from failures, mistakes, and trials. I endured a very early life of sexual abuse, drugs, and alcohol to get to where I am today. Without the things I went through I would not have been able to have the opportunity to mature and learn so much. If you can learn how to see Joy in trials and tribulations and see the opportunity for growth then you will go far. That is so cliche to say but most people don’t actually mean it when they say it. It is so easy to say failures are good but when the low times actually come and when you keep getting rejected it is hard to still say failing is good. Find a mentor or an association of people who can support you. You cannot do it alone.
What are some of your favorite books?
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey
- The Search for Significance by Robert S. McGee
- Love Works by Joel Manby
Where do you see yourself and your product in a couple years?
I see the team grow much bigger. I could consider ourselves very blessed to begin doing work for Fortune 1000 and Fortune 500 companies. As Gary Vaynerchuck says, brands and companies are wasting so much money on stupid ad spend. I want to help these brands and companies get better returns on their dollars and market like it is 2017 and not 2006.
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