Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Frank Moran, Founder of The Experiential Group, located in Brooklyn, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
TXG is an award-winning experiential marketing agency with a passion for delivering novel experiences through innovative mediums. We are a hybrid agency that fuses creativity and in-house production to create one-of-a-kind, "phygital" (physical + digital) activations rooted in experiential. We create integrated experiences that immerse audiences IRL, online, and through video by way of cutting-edge technologies, inventive design, and best-in-class execution.
TXG's in-house services span across everything from creative and design to operations and logistics, while from a production standpoint, our capabilities expand far and wide beyond just traditional experiential production. From a digital/virtual standpoint, our capabilities include digital development (apps, microsites, gesture technology, interactive, VR/AR, avatars, Metaverse experiences), virtual conferences & events, NFTS, and more.
Our clients are brands and agencies who wish to utilize innovative and non-traditional marketing mediums such as experiential events, pop-ups, trade shows, product launches, mobile tours, and stunts. Some brands TXG has recently worked with include Spotify, L'Oréal, Samsung, Sony, Anheuser-Busch, and more.
Tell us about yourself
After years of working in the experiential industry, I always felt that there was something missing within the agency mix – an agency with "big agency" production capabilities and talent, with a "small agency" structure and mentality. An agency that could create incredible consumer experiences yet still be nimble and efficient…without all the "red tape." And with that, TXG was born.
What motivates me each day is really the inherent challenge of creating what often has never been done while simultaneously being able to move the needle for brands from a greater marketing and business objective standpoint.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
For me, sticking true to the type of company I set out to create from the get-go in building a company that I would want to work at. I love having the ability to bring together passionate and like-minded individuals to an organization that champions both autonomy and freedom to problem-solve independently, as well as cross-collaboration as a group. In my personal experience, having that kind of balance is often rare in the agency world, so it's something that I really take pride in as a business owner.
Aside from competing and winning against many long-standing agencies from a business standpoint, receiving accolades such as being included in Event Marketer's IT List of Top 100 Experiential Agencies for two years running and making the Inc. 5000 list for Fastest Growing Private Companies in America has truly been incredible.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Maintaining balance - both for team members, clients, and even yourself can be difficult. It is tricky to separate your personal identity from the business's identity and not take "bumps in the road" to heart. It is also important to make sure you maintain a supportive and equitable share of work for employees. Making sure to safeguard the work for your clients but not to the detriment of employees' well-being. Managing different personalities, including those of internal resources and clients, is always a challenge, as everyone has unique emotions, beliefs, and values that must be considered.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Take the leap – start now and start small. There is never a perfect time, and you will never have everything sorted perfectly… just go for it!
- Build a team, even if it is not with full-time people in the beginning – it is all about knowing your resources, leveraging your relationships (both partners and clients,) and creating synergies that are mutually beneficial.
- Simply said – hire people that are "smarter" than you. Surround yourself with people that are both passionate and aligned with your vision/goals and, ideally, that complement your skillset.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.theexperientialgroup.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheExperientialGroup
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_experiential_group/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moranfrank/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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