"Think outside of the box."
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.
Jordan’s passion for building brands has also extended to talent management. At Ingrained Media, he has managed clients ranging from Olympic medalists to YouTube stars with over 5 Million subscribers, professional rodeo champions, and multiple mixed martial arts fighters including UFC Champions over the past decade. Jordan brings his experience from past projects and unique insight as a brand consultant to help clients with strategies for their marketing efforts. His eclectic background has given him an expert perspective from both sides on what it takes to be successful in today’s business world, something he applies to all that he does.
A 2009 graduate of Roosevelt University, Jordan holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree with dual majors in both Marketing and Management.
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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: At Ingrained Media, we help brands maximize their communication and marketing messages through custom-developed strategies that drive results. From startups to NASDAQ listed companies, our team applies knowledge from years of experience to ensure that their story is being told to as many individuals as possible.
There are many great businesses out there and we take great pride in helping to amplify their voices and spread the word about their products and services.
Despite COVID-19 and the struggles on business, we have been able to grow our client base & revenues to all-time highs over the last 6 months. We look forward to continuing that growth as we expand with new clients in the months and years ahead.
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: Aside from my passion for marketing, branding & advertising as a young man I always admired the work of architect & designer Frank Lloyd Wright. A coffee table book featuring his homes that I got on my 8th-grade trip during a visit to the Dana Thomas House in Springfield, IL still resides on my bookshelf.
I began learning more about the opportunities in the business field during my high school years where I also took distance learning credit hours through our local community college. This gave me even more exposure to the opportunities that existed and fueled my drive towards the field today.
Tell us something about yourself that others in your organization might be surprised to know.
Jordan McCreery: I am a happily married husband & father of 2 who has been working remotely, enjoying the ability to travel and work from home my entire career of 12+ years.
My college roommate likes to tell the story of how I would sit with my laptop in our final semesters & talk about how I would find a flexible career that allowed me to live the laptop life that I sought as a young 20-year-old. The idea of full-time remote work in the late 2000s was not a common practice. Being able to work remotely has allowed me to spend more time raising my children than I could have ever imagined. That is one of the freedoms I tremendously value in entrepreneurship.
Many readers may wonder how to become an entrepreneur but what is an entrepreneur? How would you define it?
Jordan McCreery: Entrepreneurs are self-employed, hard-working individuals that start businesses that often are high risk/high reward scenarios where there is not only a high-profit potential but also the freedom that comes from owning and operating their own business.
Entrepreneurs think on the fly and must be able to solve problems as they come up. An entrepreneur’s intelligence and creativity are often driving factors for business success. They have the skill set necessary to bring ideas into reality.
What is the importance of having a supportive and inclusive culture?
Jordan McCreery: Having a supportive and inclusive company culture is important because it helps to attract the right clients and team members who can work together developing better products through increased morale and ultimately making the company more successful. Employees want to work for companies that are not just profitable but also have cultures that they can be proud of.
Building an environment that supports individualism may seem counter-intuitive but what you are doing is giving people the freedom to express themselves rather than being forced into a mold.
How can a leader be disruptive in the post covid world?
Jordan McCreery: Think ahead. Nearly every element of our lives has changed from supply chains to remote work, communication and shopping. Think outside of the box. Use what you know but do not be afraid to take a chance because as we, unfortunately, have seen so many businesses have gone under during the last 18 months. It is important to innovate and always keep pushing forward.
If a 5-year-old asked you to describe your job, what would you tell them?
Jordan McCreery: My job as a partner of a marketing agency is to help different businesses to get their message and products in front of people just like you. When you see your favorite toy or restaurant on TV that is called an advertisement, you probably already see them on YouTube and TikTok too! That is just one of the things my company does. We also help companies tell their story and share their message through public relations. We help tell people how good their company is so they can tell other people too!
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: After many years providing marketing consulting for a client I realized that our team’s effort and expertise were not being recognized or valued in the same way they once were with the organization. Rather than continue to put out a work product that we were not proud of, our team decided to let that client go.
For some people cutting off a revenue stream is something they would never consider, but the emotional change and effort after the transition lead to new ideas, new clients, and even greater success.
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: While it keeps me entertained I must admit that one of my most useless talents is the ability to modify song lyrics on the fly as I’m humming along or singing to the radio. Inserting a name or place, customizing it as needed for the situation. I also really enjoy singing a couple of lines in tune when they relate to the moment at hand.
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: ‘My Journey 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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