Q 1. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: Creative Partner is a full-service digital marketing agency that serves small businesses in Lansing, MI.
Our mission at Creative Partner is to provide extreme value, insight, expertise, trust and results for every small business we connect with. We want people to truly feel we are passionate about their small business success and that they have a partner in their corner and that they know we want them to win!
Q 2. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: I was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan in the Groesbeck neighborhood. My mother, father and all 3 of my brothers have all been entrepreneurs. I have two beautiful children, Julianna ,13 years old and Chad Jr., 5 years old. At the age of 11 years old, I started mowing, raking and shoveling for the homes in my area. I have had businesses selling products like shoes, purses, wallets and even had my own men’s ties collection called Global Game Changers. I then decided to go to school for information Technology to become a certified IT professional and that’s when I began to see all the opportunity before me to use my new knowledge to help others.
Q 3. What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: After graduating as a certified IT professional, I noticed all the opportunity before me so I started my own company called 1st Class Computer Solutions and which was changed to Reap Technologies shortly after opening. I just saw the tremendous need while doing volunteer repairs in my local community and saw an opportunity to help people and make a living from it. The business stayed active with a forward momentum for about 3 years until I tabled the business to focus on personal growth. With the years passing and an ever growing passion for the digital marketing space, I saw that small businesses desperately needed assistance or a strategic partnership to navigate the ever changing digital marketing demand to stay relevant. Out of that was born what we now know as Creative Partner (Passionate about small business success).
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: 1. Don’t give up because your victory is right around the corner. (get the story behind “Post-its)
2. Find a mentor (A good mentor has made a lot of the mistakes you will make)
3. Don’t stop learning (nothing is new under the sun but evolution and change are guaranteed so get ready.)
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: 1. Learn to suppress fear but don’t ignore it, harness it.
2. Being as consistent as possible
3. Willingness to learn
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: I can say it can ranges, but 10 to 16 hours a day is fair. Everyday requires a different effort depending on what projects I have going on.
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: I can most attribute my success in anything I do to not knowing when to quit or not giving up how ever you want to look at it.
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: I utilize a blend of types of marketing but the best form have seen is relationship marketing. People do business with people that they know and trust. Each relationship requires a different approach and effort, but all relationships are equally important.
Q 9. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: I boot strapped my business from money from working jobs.
Q 10. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Not sure if I have the best answer for that but I think success is determined by each individual.
Q 11. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: I see myself continuing to build my business and acquiring new businesses.
Q 12. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: I will have to say Ikea as the experience is like no other, I have seen. It does not even feel like something you have to do but something you get to do. That’s powerful!
Q 13. How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: Good employees or even partners can make of break a company.
Q 14. How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: I don’t think I necessarily give up just evolve.
Q 15. What motivates you?
Ans: I am motivated by adding value to people and taking pride in my work.
Q 16. What are your ideals?
Ans: I have so may ideas from business processes, businesses models, new inventions, new businesses, what I would do with existing business. The list goes on and on.
Q 17. How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: Top way to generate new ideas is to talk with another person that you flow with in the business realm. I promise ideas will stat flowing. Also just watching everyone else and just dream without limits.
Q 18. How do you define success?
Ans: I define success as me being happy, excited, passionate and determined with what I am currently doing today. If you give yourself an end goal to measure success then you are never successful until the end and I do not want to personally live life like that.
Q 19. How do you build a successful customer base?
Ans: There goes successes again. You do it by listening to the customer and making them the center of all your decisions. No business is anything with out customers.
Q 20. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: The freedom to create and build something that is yours and work hard to make it happen.
Q 21. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: The appreciation of customers for the service we provided them.
Q 22. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: Fear- We all have it but do we let it stop us
Dreams- People have dreams but entrepreneurs are the one that chase them.
Vision- Anyone can have vision but who are you building it for?
Q 23. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: excited
Q 24. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
Ans: I would have gotten mentors early and I would have gotten a couple degrees.
Q 25. What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans: I have had phases in my life where I controlled fear and where fear controlled me. I just say to stay connected with good people.
Q 26. Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: NO I believed if you have a passion for something you should chase your dreams! No regrets!
Q 27. If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Ans: Nelson Mandela because he lived through so much adversity and setbacks but still has a legacy that will remain for eternity.
Q 28. Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Ans: My father Charlie Morgan
Q 29. What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)
Ans: Think and Grow Rich “Napoleon Hill”
Q 30. What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
Ans: Trying to fit in with the crowd
Not trusting my gut
Not listing to wisdom
Q 31. How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
Ans: Reflection of your past mistakes
Awareness of others mistakes
Ask really good questions
Q 32. What makes you happy?
Ans: My two beautiful children Julianna and Chad Jr..
Q 33. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Time with friends and family and sleep.
Q 34. If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask?
Ans: What do you wish you where better at?
Company Detail:
Company : Creative Partner
Contact : Chad Morgan
City : Lansing
State : MI
Zip : 48911
Phone : 517-201-1166
Email : 1chadmorgan@gmail.com