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Johnny Brown is a 25 year old entrepreneur utilizing the power of social media marketing to drive thousands of sales per month to various brands.
City where you’re from: Myrtle Beach, SC
Hobbies: Powerlifting, traveling, and content creation.
Favorite quote: “If you’re not making someone else’s life better, then you’re wasting your time. Your life will become better by making other lives better.” ― Will Smith
Social accounts @Fortify
What are you working on? How did you come up with this idea?
I invest all of my time, energy and resources in eCommerce. My main focus right now is a women’s swimwear company that I launched over Spring Break. In addition to my eCommerce ventures, I work alongside my fellow shark, Zachary Dempsey, to encourage the growth of his marketing firm. Zach’s company plays a crucial role in both the daily operations and overall success of my business, so the partnership was really unquestionable. We’ve driven just shy of 500,000,000 impressions to the store in only 3 short months, while simultaneously delivering an equal or greater amount of impressions to our clients. The synergy of the two companies is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
How is your company different?
eCommerce is all the hype right now — If you want to be successful, you have to venture from the path. I think what separates my company from the (many) others of it’s kind is not only the content we create, but how we promote it. For example, most companies publish stock photos of their products on white backgrounds. I think we can all agree, as consumers, this is the most lackadaisical form of (visual) advertising known to man. You want your customers to be enthralled with your product from the moment they see it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bathing suit or your dream car, you’re not going to feel inclined to buy it if you can’t envision yourself both using it and being absolutely, totally in love with it. The best form of (visual) advertising is real people using real products. Give your customers the opportunity to see the product in it’s most flattering form, and I guarantee you’ll see an increase in sales/conversions.
What’s your dream with your brand?
I want to build a culture around the brand ― My primary focus is creating a visual representation of what the brand signifies, then attracting customers that identify with those values. I want the consumers who choose to support the brand
to feel like they’re apart of something great.
How do you creatively advertise?
Influencer marketing is the driving force behind our success. We work with hundreds of influencers each day to generate leads for our brand. We strive to work with individuals whose follower demographic correlates with our own, as well as parody accounts with predominately female followers. Working with parody accounts can be tricky, seeing as the traffic is (in most cases) extremely untargeted. It’s imperative to know your target audience before assuming the risk of buying ad space from parody accounts, especially if you’re expecting an immediate return on investment. If you’re a store owner or aspiring store owner, make sure you have a means of collecting customer data in place prior to working with these types of influencers. Data is priceless.
How do you determine or evaluate success? Give me an example of one of your successful accomplishments.
Success is subjective. I think anyone who measures success by income or net worth is blindly pledging allegiance to a standard derived from greed. Income only creates opportunities.
I’m able to devote my time and attention to the things I love, each and every day. I’ve spent the last 5 years traveling the country, collaborating with some of the brightest minds of our generation, while simultaneously being able to financially support my family. No matter how “successful” I become, that will always be my greatest accomplishment.
Teach us something about social media ads.
Every impression counts ― If you’re curating content for social ads, ensure that you’re displaying the most advantageous creative possible to represent your brand or product.
Teach us something we don’t know about you (it’s vague and open-ended on purpose)
I earned my first six-figures playing the Halo series on Xbox Live. I dropped out of High School as a freshmen to devote more time to the business, where I began playing a minimum of 18 hours a day for nearly two consecutive years.
It took me almost 3 years to exhaust the earnings I accumulated via PayPal.
What should an entrepreneur focus on?
Growth, in every sense of the word. Regardless of what field you choose to pursue, personal development should always be a priority. Becoming an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart, self awareness is imperative for anyone who chooses to go out on their own. There are going to be things you enjoy, things you are good at and things you can improve on. My best advice is to find something you love that stimulates growth, and do that.
Where do you see yourself in a couple years?
As long as I’m able to continue learning, growing and pursuing my passions, I don’t think the vision will change. I’m content with the direction my life is headed and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished thus far. The ultimate goal is to create multiple, self sustaining brands that thrive amidst their niches, make a charitable or global impact, and travel the world with my loved ones.
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