We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jon Franko a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?
Forcing people to come “back” to the office is something I’m seeing companies get wrong time and time again. Of course, there are many industries in which this simply isn’t possible. But in the marketing space, I’m here to tell you it’s 100% doable, your culture can actually get stronger, and your employees will be way happier. Not to mention, you’ll get access to the best and brightest outside of your local city. Everyone wins.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was a Mizzou journalism kid that loved to write. I didn’t want to follow the traditional path of news ed, so I explored the ad school which was in the j-school. I discovered copywriting and fell in love. Fast forward to today, and I’m a co-founder of Gorilla 76. We’re the industrial marketing agency that helps B2B manufacturers grow through revenue-focused marketing programs. We opened our shop in 2006 and I’m proud of it. Of course the work and clients put a smile on my face, but I’m probably most proud of the culture we’re building and the good people we’re hiring.
We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.
We met as interns at a place called Zipatoni in St. Louis. We worked on the Miller Lite account together. Yeah, it was fun! He was a designer, I was a writer. We became buds and stayed in touch after college. We were total nerds about advertising and would do portfolio work for fun together. We eventually started doing freelance work, and here we are today.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
By helping instead of selling. Put the potential clients’ best interests first and you will ultimately sell. It takes time, but help first and the business willl follow. Plus, you’ll feel good about doing the right thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: gorilla76.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gorilla76marketing
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonfranko/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn-g5UzBxZ7_CAknk5HJC_g