Helping Others Achieve the Impossible: Travis Brown, Mojo Up Marketing + Media
In May, Herd Strategies is celebrating National Small Business Month by highlighting small business owners who exemplify the #entrepreneurialspirit. This week, we had the privilege of interviewing Travis Brown, founder and CEO of Mojo Up Marketing + Media. He leads a Black-owned and minority-operated full-service brand marketing agency that works with other business owners to help them share their stories. As a highly sought-after brand marketing strategist and speaker, Travis has spent over 20 years teaching people how to produce results for their companies and achieve great things.
Q: What inspired you to start Mojo Up? What problem/need are you working to solve?
A: I love helping people achieve things they never thought possible. When I continued to see people trying to figure out how to make their greatest impact but really struggling to tell their stories, I knew I could help them. So, I made the jump to start my company!
Q: What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who are looking to start their own small businesses?
A: Be strategic and patient. It is not easy to run your own business. Consider starting it as a side hustle first. Then, bank one year of your salary before you leave your job. It will help you financially support the first year of the craziness of business ownership.
Q: As Mojo Up has grown, what is the biggest lesson you have learned?
A: To understand the business side. Most people have a passion to make a difference, which is great, but they don't know the numbers side well enough to keep the business alive. Also, build a solid marketing blueprint before you start spending money to market your business.
Q: What led you to partner with Finch Creek Fieldhouse to form the Mojo Up Sports Complex?
A: We were running the marketing for the Pacers Athletic Center and Finch at the time. We were tasked with creating a package to sell the naming rights. We created something so cool we decided to take it ourselves! It's a defining example of our approach to building brands: we build it like it's ours.
Q: How do you define success?
A: In my early years, it was all about money; now, it’s about significance and impact. I have God-given talents and my job is to use them to make a positive impact on people's lives. Doing that is the true meaning of success.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to share?
A: I always like to share that our mission is that through our excellence, we are trying to pave the way for other Black-owned agencies, creatives, business owners and executives to have an easier path to success!
To keep up with Travis, follow him on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. Learn more about Mojo Up by following them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or by visiting their website.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
