Rick Elmore is an entrepreneur, sales and marketing expert, and former college and professional football player. Following his football career, Rick translated his competitive drive to sales and entrepreneurship by founding Simply Noted, an automated handwritten letter company founded on the idea of making it easy to create simple, scalable, powerful, and meaningful real pen-written communication.
Rick developed a proprietary technology that puts real pen and ink to paper to scale handwritten communication, helping businesses of all industries stand out from their competition.
What is Simply Noted all about?
Simply Noted has always been about building relationships through meaningful communication. We want to help businesses communicate with their customers, employees, and partners in an efficient and authentic way. Communicating important messages between businesses and their customers should be easy but can take a lot of time to do well, so Simply Noted makes it possible to ensure your message is seen and valued. When everything is digital, our handwritten notes showcase a personal touch and make you stand out against competitors.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
At 25, I found myself in an unexpected position and didn’t know what my next step was going to be when I retired from my professional football career. But I have an ambitious drive that translated perfectly to sales and I also went back to school to study business. It was during one of my classes where my professor revealed handwritten notes have a high open rate compared to other mediums. Then I utilized this method by sending hundreds of handwritten letters to my current clients and saw just how much it worked. That was the “aha” moment I had to start Simply Noted.
What was the biggest problem you encountered with your business and how did you overcome it?
My business is based in technology but I started with zero experience in technology or engineering, which as you can imagine, was definitely an obstacle to overcome. But I overcame it by being willing to ask questions, no matter how simple or difficult, and being invested in learning from others around me. Since then, I’ve learned a lot and we’ve been constantly improving our technology to better serve our clients.
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
While Simply Noted is on track to surpass $2 million in revenue and continue growing, I also had to adjust my expectations at the start of it all. My expectations are always high but sometimes can be unrealistic to the circumstances. Immediately, I wanted perfection and to be at the top spot, but the reality is that the first years are going to be the most challenging and that it involves a lot of trial and error. I had to experiment with many models and tools before finding the right one.
What is one thing that you do daily to grow as an entrepreneur?
One thing I do daily is follow up; I do not quit. I have always been relentless in everything that I do, and it has helped me be successful at multiple stages of my career. Without thoughtful follow up, you could miss out on important opportunities. And, obviously, using unique follow up methods such as handwritten notes can help you stand out and break through to your target audience.
How does being a professional athlete prepared you for entrepreneurship?
I think any athlete can agree that we love a challenge. It is that competitive spirit, perseverance, and dedication to succeed which has helped me be ready against any problem along the way. When you lose a game, you don’t give up, you get back and try harder. Even when things get tough, we stick through it to the very end. It’s a perfect parallel to any challenge that arises with your business and journey to entrepreneurship.
What are three books or courses you recommend for new entrepreneurs?
- How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
- 3 Minute Rule – Brant Pinvidic
- Can’t Hurt Me – David Goggins
I often recommend these books, I even reread How to Win Friends and Influence People every January. These books have offered me some of the best advice and guidance on how to have a successful professional and personal life.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
I think it’s important to never stop learning. Over the last 3 years, I’ve learned how to code, learned to navigate conversations with developers, UI/UX design teams, developing applications, APIs, SEO, PPC, business consulting, taxes, marketing, and anything in between. It has been an incredible journey to learn the business and technical aspects because it gives you a complete perspective on how everything comes together.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your business?
Be willing to give small opportunities a chance. You might encounter a small project that may not look worth your time, but it could be the key to unlock so much promise for your business. If I had always turned down small opportunities, I would have let so much potential be passed up. You never know where your next big opportunity might come from. That’s why I think long and hard before turning someone away. I might think I know what I’m rejecting, but I really have no idea what it might turn into.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
We’ve used our handwritten notes to grow our business. We practice what we preach because we know it works. I would send out cards to potential prospects with the message “P.S. This was written by a machine” and would get responses all the time about how the product blew them away.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
Honestly, I would spend a large portion of it utilizing the services that Simply Noted provides. It’s how I started my business, and with my first campaign, I saw more than 18,000% ROI. Handwritten notes work to build relationships at the critical point of starting a business.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Have a supportive team but don’t surround yourself with individuals who are “yes men.” Being a new entrepreneur can be difficult, so it’s important to have a group of people who are positive influences around you so that you will be supported. Without the extra push from my wife, family, and friends, I would have never gone as far as I have with Simply Noted and the success we’ve had would have not been possible.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Automating your business is going to be a lifesaver. I recommend using Zapier because it helps everything stay organized and saves you time on busy work so you can focus on your next important launch or campaign. When I started using this tool, my productivity increased 10x.
What is your favorite quote?
“What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you are saying.”
This quote has stuck with me since college because it exemplifies that there’s no room for excuses, only results.
How do you personally overcome fear?
Like many who are starting something new, I had a fear of failure. I would try to avoid things going wrong because it made me worried that I was doing something wrong. To overcome this, I let go some of my perfectionist attitude and started pushing myself out of my comfort zone more frequently until I recognized that failure isn’t as scary as reaching your full potential.
How can readers get in touch with you?
You can find out more information about our services at simplynoted.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and on LinkedIn.
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