Ethan Dewhurst is the Owner of Champion City Media, a full-service media company that bridges the gap between municipalities and citizens. An expert in video marketing, Ethan is highly regarded for helping organizations meet their marketing and communication needs. He is also the Co-Founder and CEO of Vohnt, Inc., an organization that facilitates access to affordable car care.

Ethan joins us today to discuss structuring, running, and growing a company in the creative industry. He shares his childhood explorations in entrepreneurship, how he worked with clients while studying in college, and how he founded Champion City Media. He describes the struggles creatives experience in the industry and explains why — and how — he incentivizes his 1099 workers. He also underscores the value of outsourcing and delegating tasks and highlights how new entrepreneurs can attract their first round of clients.

“Entrepreneurs tend to look in silos. We need to look at the trends beyond us and see how they interact with our silos.” - Ethan DewVohnt

This week on Originators:

• Ethan’s background and his start in the world of entrepreneurship
• How Ethan found clients while attending college
• The founding of Ethan’s company, Champion City Media
• Why creatives should strategically work for free
• The importance of segmenting your target audience and niching down
• The difference between a niche and an industry
• How Champion City Media has evolved over the years
• Avoiding the temptation to show off in business
• Why creatives and workers in the media industry are some of the most interesting people to manage
• How Ethan has structured pay and incentives for his 1099 freelance workers
• How the organization has grown into other industries
• The challenges Ethan has met as a business leader and the importance of delegating tasks
• Ethan’s perspective on money and finances and how it has changed as his business evolved
• Knowing the difference between investments and bills

Our Favorite Quotes:

• “Structuring your pay and designing projects to incentivize employees and maximizing creative work makes clients happy.” - Zak Leedom
• “Making things more efficient for our clients’ sake — even if it means sacrificing money on our end — builds trust.” - Zak Leedom
• “Segment your target audience, find your niche, and know whether your differentiator complements the pain points of your chosen industry.” - Ethan Dewhurst

Connect with Ethan DewVohnt:

• Champion City Media
• Champion City Media on LinkedIn
• Champion City Media on Facebook
• Ethan Dewhurst on LinkedIn

About WealthSource and The Originators Podcast

Originators is a show for and about entrepreneurs. In each episode, host Zak Leedom sits down with business builders and the professionals who serve them to talk about the challenges and the opportunities that come with starting something new. Our guests explore what it means to be a successful founder, a good leader, and an effective executive — and whether it’s possible to do all three. Join us to hear their stories and lessons learned — and to get inspired by their tenacity and creativity.

Zak Leedom works for WealthSource, an independent financial advisory firm with offices across the US. All opinions expressed by Zak are his own opinions and do not reflect the opinions of WealthSource. This podcast should not be relied upon for financial decisions.

Email Zak Leedom at zleedom@wealthsource.com with questions, comments, and to schedule a one-on-one conversation.

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