Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Maugans

Hi Samuel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

My journey started way back in 2013. I just had my first born son (he has had 2 siblings since then) and I was just hired at a Digital Agency. I did not have any experience in Digital Marketing at this time but I knew it was a growing industry and something I wanted to be a part of and excel in. So, I started my marketing career journey as an entry level SEO specialist and I learned SEO for an entire year. After a year under the SEO department I was feeling discouraged and unsatisfied with the work I was doing. I know in the long run SEO is very important and can be an amazing driver of organic leads and growth, but for me the results came in too slow. I hated to see all this effort get put in and then have to wait 3 to 6 months to see the returns, so when a slot opened up on the PPC side I immediately requested a transfer to PPC.

No pun intended but me and PPC just “clicked” as in everything about pay per click made sense to me right from the very beginning. If I had any obstacles come my way I would simply call Google support and discuss it with them. My upper management at the time were horrible leaders who wanted nothing to do with training and educating the team members below them in fear one of us would replace them or surpass them. My instructions on learning PPC were explained as follows: Do Not Ask Upper Management Any Questions About PPC until you have exhausted all other avenues. Their approach as I am sure most have guessed by now was not the best one and later on I found out it was because they were so worried of someone taking their current position that they felt like this was the best way to protect it which was trying to ensure only they would have the proper knowledge and know how.

After about 6 months of calling Google support multiple times a day I had not only became very knowledgeable in PPC but that knowledge showcased itself in my account results whereas the ones above me had been seeing their account performance steadily decreases. We would all have our own assigned accounts and over the following 6 months all my accounts continued increasing in performance while theirs did not. The CEO and COO called a PPC team meeting and we went through every account and they asked each and every one us what were doing and the strategy behind it. These team meetings would take place once a month then twice a month then weekly and each time my accounts would be performing and theirs would still be dropping. In this industry as well as most others you will find that people lie but the numbers do not and all’s anyone cares about is the numbers. If you do the right thing and always hold yourself accountable for your actions or inactions and you will go far in any field or career.

That said, the numbers in terms of conversions or leads for my accounts over that first year in PPC surpassed those of the ones above me and the CEO and COO definitely took notice. The following year I had replaced them both as my work ethic and strategy removed the need for two PPC department managers and I became Senior PPC specialist. From there I kept my head down and worked harder then ever, I worked on my trade (pay per click) by joining ppc and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) groups, webinars, Youtube channels etc.. You name it i had my hands on it or head in it so I could be the best at what I do. As a natural byproduct of bettering myself and my trade I saw promotions and salary increases year after year until 10 years later and I was the Director Of Paid Search at my agency. I held that position for 3 years up until the agency was sold to investors and caused the whole vibe and scene to change from a job I loved to one I couldn’t stand.

The mindset of the agency went from lets help everyone grow to lets just focus on the company growing while all promotions and salary increases would be put on hold. At the time I had been freelancing a client on the side in my spare time and he was happy with his results. He asked if I could also help his friend who was a business owner too but couldn’t afford the agency prices. This lead to me departing from the agency to just freelance for the time being until my noncompete was up. As soon as a year lapse and my noncompete was over I went ahead and formed my own marketing company with some colleagues of mine. Due to my history with the agency, even though my noncompete was up, I still stayed clear from their area of operations. All my clients were near me in Oklahoma rather then the agency I worked for in Pennsylvania. We started our company this year actually 2024 in January.

We started with 2 clients but just like before the word spread to other business owners of our numbers and we now have 8 clients, which isn’t bad growth for our first year. By the end of this year or by the end of 1st quarter next year we should be a $500,000 company and growing!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Absolutely not, any road you take to better yourself whether its to advance in your career, to get healthier or financially secure there’s always going to be obstacles in your way. Obstacles I faced early on included having to learn everything on my own vs being trained. I had to learn how to handle the hard conversations with client’s when the performance just isn’t there that week or month even. I learned that the client is the only reason I have a paycheck and without their success I lose mine so their success is crucial. Again, doing the right thing and always keep yourself honest and accountable, even the tough conversations are so tough. Remember, people lie but numbers don’t so stick to the numbers.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?

With over 25 years of combined experience down in the trenches of digital marketing, me and my partners have navigated the ever-shifting landscape for over 1,000 clients. From SMBs to corporate giants, we’ve conquered challenges and celebrated victories. SEO, PPC, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Development, and Project Management – we don’t just offer services; we provide a symphony of strategies tailored to elevate your brand.

At FourHorse Digital, our mission is to foster the growth of our clients through tailored and precise digital marketing strategies. We aim to provide a unique experience where clients perceive us as their in-house marketing team, all without the burdensome costs typically associated with it. Our commitment is to offer each client the dedicated attention they deserve, ensuring our constant presence and support as we embark on the journey of growth together.

What makes you happy?

My wife, kids and business partners. We are all family in away as we have known each other for years so my kids will someday work with one of my partners kids as they get older and also join the FourHorse workspace. The goal is to continue growing FourHorse and then when we are ready to walk away our children will take the rains. Knowing that my actions today are setting up my children and there children with a strong foundation built on honesty, accountability and work ethic through and through.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fourhorsedigital.com/

Image Credits

Christopher Dennis