"Entrepreneurs are willing to take risks in business."
Jordan McCreery Tweet
Jordan McCreery is an entrepreneur and founding partner of Ingrained Media. With a diverse background in marketing, media, and public relations Jordan has worked with clients in both the public and private sectors ranging from early startups to Fortune 500 companies. In addition, he is a founder and leads operations for multiple DTC Direct-to-Consumer brands. His experience includes time at a large agency on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue along with past agencies and ad tech, working on a multitude of client projects before co-founding Ingrained Media in 2011.
McCreery has been instrumental in the success of various branding projects for companies like International Myeloma Foundation, Malibu Boats, Bud Light, Dollamur Sports Surfaces, MTX Audio, Fulmer Helmets, Soyo, Qello Concerts, Revgear, Burris Optics, and others. He has served as a consultant on multiple accounts including Ubisoft, DraftKings, Super Fight League, and countless other brands in a wide range of business segments from ammunition to horse feed, plant fertilizer to biotechnology.
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Table of Contents
Thank you so much for giving us your time! Before we begin, could you introduce yourself to our readers and take us through what exactly your company does and what your vision is for its future?
Jordan McCreery: I am a marketing professional and partner at Ingrained Media. Ingrained Media is a boutique digital marketing and business consulting firm helping companies maximize their communications and overall market strategy. We have worked with a multitude of clients throughout the world in a wide range of industries.
We help companies tell their story and amplify their message. We work alongside our clients to achieve their goals through supportive marketing and media efforts. Whether it is improving search engine ranking and organic website traffic, improving the engagement and growing the social media audience, or curating, refreshing, and enhancing the company’s marketing and media materials our team can help along every step of the way.
NO child ever says I want to be a CEO/entrepreneur when I grow up. What did you want to be and how did you get where you are today?
Jordan McCreery: The earliest thing I remember wanting to be was an Architect like Frank Lloyd Wright. His creativity and design captivated me as far back as my middle school years. As I grew older in High School I began to become more interested in marketing and advertising. I frequently read magazines like Sports Illustrated for Kids and attended NHRA and NASCAR events where marketing activations and messages featured your favorite athletes and drivers. The connection between cereal and a superstar was beyond intriguing.
Tell us something about yourself that others in your organization might be surprised to know.
Jordan McCreery: This is a tough one because I like to be open about who I am but my latest hobby has been coaching youth sports. It is amazing to witness the impact sports and competition can have an impact on kids while teaching them life lessons that they will carry for many years ahead. It has been very rewarding to give some of my time and volunteer to help young athletes.
Many readers may wonder how to become an entrepreneur but what is an entrepreneur? How would you define it?
Jordan McCreery: An entrepreneur is a person who manages their own business and makes it successful. This person does not work for anyone but they have the full responsibility of taking care of themselves and their families. However, they can employ other people to the work for them and become part of the team. Entrepreneurs are willing to take risks in business.
There are many successful entrepreneurs in the world today but they all started by taking chances and risks. Be willing to invest in yourself. It does not have to be a monetary financial investment, it can be time or energy but being an entrepreneur means working for you, those you love, and the things you care about. It is far more than just making money, there are time freedom benefits and multiple other rewarding elements that can define the success of an entrepreneur.
What is the importance of having a supportive and inclusive culture?
Jordan McCreery: Having a supportive and inclusive culture in the workplace is important for many reasons. When an organization makes itself to be an inclusive one (and not just a formality), members of that team will respect and trust each other more because they know that their voices are heard and concerns respected. These types of organizations also tend to be more successful when dealing with high stress and/or crises; employees in these organizations are often able to better face challenges because they feel like their concerns matter, and that they’re part of a unit working towards the same goals.
When teams work together to solve problems, including everyone’s ideas is critical. It can lead to new and innovative ideas, which is the heart of business and innovation. Being more inclusive in your organization can also help increase an organization’s agility and flexibility. Employees that feel like a part of a larger picture tend to be happier at work because they know that their efforts are meaningful and not just “busy work”. Getting your employees involved with diversity and inclusion initiatives is one way to help foster a more supportive and inclusive environment in your workplace. No matter what you choose to do for your workplace, it is important that your employees feel that their voices are being heard, and what they have to say matters.
How can a leader be disruptive in the post covid world?
Jordan McCreery: In the current COVID-19 world in which we live, a leader can disrupt the market by taking a chance and having the willingness to experiment and take risks. Leaders must be passionate and articulate about their ideas, and by empowering their team members to act on their initiatives. Additionally, leaders can be disruptive by staying agile in the face of unexpected challenges, and by being quick to learn from their mistakes. We know to now expect the unexpected, everyone should be ready to pivot. Staying on the path is not always the best way and could lead to deteriorating health care outcomes, lower worker productivity due to burnout, and more.
If a 5-year-old asked you to describe your job, what would you tell them?
Jordan McCreery: Jordan McCreery is a businessman who works in marketing and advertising. He founded a company called Ingrained Media that helps other businesses make more money and get more customers so that more people know about them.
Share with us one of the most difficult decisions you had to make for your company that benefited your employees or customers. What made this decision so difficult and what were the positive impacts?
Jordan McCreery: During 2020 at the height of COVID-19 we let a client go because I did not feel the relationship was mutually beneficial. Many of our ideas were not acted upon and it was difficult to watch the company continue to go down the wrong path with leadership. After many restless nights, the decision was to notify the client of 30 days of transition and after that, we would end our relationship. For many people, getting fired from a job is terrifying. Firing a client and ending a revenue stream to your business can be a big risk, but in the end, our entire team morale and mental health improved and we are at our highest level ever for new business and consulting clients with a bright future ahead in 2022
Leaders are usually asked about their most useful qualities but let’s change things up a bit. What is your most useless talent?
Jordan McCreery: I’m pretty good at turning anything into a song. Whether it be an interview, with me and you, about the little things that we do or just humming along to my favorite song all night long, something about music and melodies moves me.
Thank you so much for your time but before we finish things off, we do have one more question. If you wrote a book about your life until today, what would the title be?
Jordan McCreery: “The Lessons Life Teaches, My Story To Here”
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Jordan McCreery for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Jordan McCreery or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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