Member Spotlight on Eric Morgan
Member Spotlight on ERIC MORGAN
President, Morgan + Company
Interview conducted by Winnie Hart, Communications Director
Please tell us briefly about your company.
Morgan
+ Company is a marketing firm that helps clients identify and
understand their prospective customers and ultimately designs and
executes tactics to communicate with them through various advertising
channels.
Why did you join EO and how long have you been a member?
I
joined EO in 2008 with the desire to find like-minded business owners
who share similar passions of running and growing a business.
How did you come up with an original idea for your business?
While
I was working for a local advertising agency I realized that there was
a massive disconnect between the client and several areas of expertise
within the agency. Specifically the media team had little and in some
cases no contact with a client on a regular basis, constricting that
team's ability to fully comprehend the client's situation and devise
ways to solve their business and marketing problems.
What do you like best about your business?
Because
of the advances in technology and the evolution of how people
communicate and gather information, our business is continuously
changing, making it incredibly exciting. With marketing tactics ranging
from almost anything imaginable including the internet and grass roots
community events, each day brings a new opportunity to design and
implement creative ways to communicate with consumers.
How much money did you have to invest to start your business?
$10,000 of personal funds.
What is your proudest accomplishment to date in your business?
Growing
the company to a point where it creates opportunities for 7
individuals. And of those, four are new positions since Katrina and
were filled with non-locals - bringing young, talented people to New
Orleans.
What do you feel is the greatest accomplishment in your entire life?
My daughter Ellie. If I knew being a father was this exciting I would have started a family sooner.
Why do you think you have been successful?
Two
factors: Continuously staying focused on providing customer service to
all clients and generating unique ideas on how to communicate with our
clients' prospective customers. As a result, we're able to retain
clients longer than the industry average.
What is something that most people don't know about you?
I
want to learn how to play a musical instrument, either the guitar or
piano. I also want to learn how to speak a foreign language, preferably
the French spoken within the Cajun cultures of South Louisiana.
Got anything big coming up on the horizon for you personally or with business that you want to share?
We
recently acquired the technology to build a mobile marketing platform
(i.e.: text messaging) for local and mid-sized companies across the
region. The structure of our venture allows for the advertising
capabilities to be retained by marketers with a more affordable price
point than the national providers.
Who has the biggest influence on your life?
My father.
If you could spend an entire day with one person who would it be?
Warren Buffet because of his ability to break down a business to the simplest terms and see the core attributes of that entity.
What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs?
Don't ever look back or have any regrets.
