Scott D. Meyer is a brofounder of 9 Clouds, a digital marketing and education firm based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Scott and his brother John are leading a rural revolution, helping businesses improve digital literacy in order to live and work wherever they want.
Please tell us a little bit about your background and the start-up story behind 9clouds.
Scott D. Meyer: Four years ago my brother and I were visiting home for the Easter holiday. My mom wanted to order pizza and went to take the phonebook off the shelf. We looked at each other in shock and knew that we had to help improve digital literacy for my mom and the thousands of business owners like her.
What are some of the projects you are working on right now?
Scott D. Meyer: We are working to generate and track leads for SaaS providers, regional automotive dealers, hospitals and agriculture clients. The most exciting part of our job is creating educational content that our clients use to educate their potential clients.
Do you or have you ever owned any other businesses in the past, If so what happened to them?
Scott D. Meyer: 9 Clouds spawned a new company called Lemon.ly. Lemon.ly focuses on visual marketing using infographics, interactive graphics, UI/UX design and data to create understanding. My brother John Meyer now runs Lemon.ly and is finding new ways to visualize data in interesting and viral ways.
How many people are currently using this platform and how do you plan to keep growing?
Scott D. Meyer: 9 Clouds is currently a service provider but we have recently created an online Academy. There business owners can take online courses to start using digital tools to grow their businesses.
Scott D. Meyer: Get focused. Everyone has a passion and if you can create a business within your passions, it won’t feel like work. Often to keep your business focused, you’ll have to learn to say no.
What is one thing you know now that you wish you knew before starting your company?
Scott D. Meyer: Recurring revenue and long-term contracts and much more important than short-term projects.
Starting out what the worst mistake you made as an entrepreneur, and what did you learn from it?
Scott D. Meyer: We hired and purchased software based on projects that seemed likely to go through. We learned you can’t count your chickens before they hatch and you should wait on spending on staff or supplies until it is absolutely needed.
What is one thing that you do on a daily basis that helps you grow as an entrepreneur?
Scott D. Meyer: Read content outside of my field. It’s important to grow a knowledge base and connect ideas between industries.
How is running your company different than what you thought it would be?
Scott D. Meyer: The idea of being your own boss always sounds idyllic, but the responsibility of taking care of employees and guaranteeing work can be stressful as well. Create your business to match the type of boss you’d like to be.
What was the best entrepreneurial advice you have ever been given?
Say no.
What 3 advice would you offer prospective founders about knowing when they have an idea worth making a leap for?
- If the idea is the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about before bed, it’s definitely worth going for.
- Always share your idea. Someone has probably already had the idea, but it is the execution that will make you succeed where others have failed.
- Find a co-founder. If you need a specific skill or know you have a weakness, find someone to fill it. In my case, I found a “profounder” who could support my abilities and keep me thinking big.
How can our community get in touch with you?
Scott D. Meyer: Visit 9clouds.com/blog to learn more and sign up for a free 10 part course on creating a digital foundation. On the social webs, connect with @9clouds on Twitter or Facebook.com/9clouds.
