Today we’d like to introduce you to Troy Cartmill.
Troy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I first started college, I was going to school to become home builder. About half way through, I learned that this construction field was not best suited for me. So I went to see a counselor which was a math professor and he had me looking at Mathematics and Computer Science. From that point, I was destined to be a computer programmer as I had always had a passion and interest for computers and problem solving. I became friends with this guy in my classes and he was doing graphic design and building websites on the side to make extra money. Since I just had a baby girl with my wife and I was going to school, I needed a way to make extra money. I went all in by purchasing Adobe Creative Suite 4 and started online training for design and web development on Lynda.com. I had always been a creative so designing came natural to me. After teaching myself enough to run with I landing my first website build for a whopping $500. After building a few more sites and designing some logos and print brochures, I was wanting to learn more about the digital marketing field. I read a few books on SEO and started running an SEO campaign on my dad’s business site. I was able to get a few keywords on the first page of Google which in return made him a little more money. After seeing the value I brought, I thought I could do this for other companies and maybe turn this hobby into a business. Up until now, I’ve made this all seem so easy. It was not. I failed many times but I knew the key to success was never give up. At an early age, my dad taught me follow through and always told me to be successful I will fail over and over again. And that the key is to keep trying. So after I learned how to use Adobe CC, develop websites and run SEO & PPC campaigns I wanted to start a business. I decided to partner up with a friend and start a business. We did this as a side job through. I started working at an Oil and Gas company as the IT Manager and he worked at another Marketing Agency as the Creative Director. We did well but after 2 years we still were not able to move to our business full-time. And we started having different visions for the company so we decided to part ways. Then I was back at square 1. If I wanted to succeed, I needed to come up with a new company name and all the stuff that comes with that. I couldn’t be more happy that I did because today I’m running my own business full-time and I have my wife Bethany helping our business grow. This is my second year in business and I’ve grown since I started. I’m still working out of my home office, but I’m excited to say we are in the process of getting an office. I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights and I’ve had to take pay cuts at times, but I can say it has been well worth and a learning experience.
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. I first had a partner and we parted ways so I had to setup a new business with a new business name and do all the branding and everything that comes with starting a new business. But it has been a learning lesson which has made me wiser. Also, I have 3 kids. I’ve had to make sacrifices for my dreams to support and raise my kids. My family comes first so I’m just lucky that I got to see my business succeed to where it is today.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
At Reap + Sow, we are more than a marketing company; we are a creative thinking company. We build company brands from the ground up, using break-through ideas and innovative technologies. The difference between Reap + Sow and other online marketing firms is simple. We know that each brand requires its own direction, strategy and personal attention. Starting with the idea behind the brand, we create an entire marketing blueprint that captures the brand’s necessity within the market and gradually places the company as a market leader in its industry. But we pride ourselves in being personable and we give 110% on every project.
We specialize in building beautiful websites and marketing the sites so they come up in Google & Bing search results. We are most known for our Local SEO Services. I’m most proud of that we do all the work and don’t outsource any, but more importantly we provide our clients with honesty and integrity and we always make sure the client is 100% satisfied. I feel that is what sets us apart from others as well. So many times, we meet potential customers that have a nightmare story about a Marketing Agency they used. We hear this in every new client meeting. We like to take our time with our customers and drive ROI to their business. In return, this helps our business too.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Houston is a little saturated with Marketing Agencies. So it can be hard to gain traction and trust. What I would tell someone is to focus on a niche and only sell services that provide value to the customers business. And to set time aside to work and focus on their own business because that is important to growing.
Contact Info:
- Address: 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd., H120 #284,
Katy, TX 77494 - Website: https://reapandsowmarketing.com
- Phone: 832-802-0880
- Email: sales@reapandsow.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reapsowmarketing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reapandsowmarketing/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReapSowMarket/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/10894276/
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