Jet Media Promotions provides effective outdoor advertising by providing sign walkers to get your message to your local target market. Quick, fast and in a hurry.
What led you to start your business?
I began working at 14 in a guitar shop where the owner managed bands like Poison and Guns ‘n’ Roses. I decided I needed to go into my own business. It started with concert promotion, which lead to buying The Electric Ballroom in Arizona. Then, I took a job in retail management and sales training. I knew that getting your business’ message out in front of people was paramount in advertising and I took it straight to the customer.
Tell me something about your business that people might not know.
I try to make a difference in people’s lives. If I can help a store owner over the hump, I do it and feel great about it at the end of the day. We’ve actually run promotions just to get money for specific families in need. This business will teach you humility and compassion.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome as a business owner?
The biggest problem I have is local regulation. A few municipalities made what I do illegal by claiming it was unsafe and unsightly. Never has there been anything unsafe about this business, ever. It’s a statistical fact. Sidewalks are rarely used in Arizona, so at least we help create tax revenue by using them.
How is the current economic recession affecting your business?
Having this kind of slowdown made me commit to greater success. I refuse to participate in the recession. I looked at how I was being affected and gave myself a goal: 189 new clients by year’s end. That’s an astronomical number, but I felt that setting a low bar wasn’t worth my time and that if you say you’re going to do something, do it big. I chart my progress on Facebook, because public commitment to my goals makes me more likely to reach them.
What drives your passion in this business?
My drive at this point is to create security for my family. I have the greatest woman in the world for a wife and my kids deserve every opportunity I can create. College costs a lot of money these days and it’s not getting cheaper, so I have to make it now and plan for them to have the tools for success.
What advice would you give somebody starting their own business?
I started Jet Media with the lint in my pocket. Don’t make excuses as to why you can’t do it, look for the reasons to do it. You never succeed by doing nothing, so figure out how you can make it happen. Make sure you are providing people with what they need, not necessarily what you like. It’s all about your customer in the end, so find the niche’ and run with it.
Stuart’s Business Tip:
Theodore Roosevelt said, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there!” Jim shares this mindset. These tough economic times call for a tough, tenacious response. Set your own goals, make them known, and go after them. When this recession is over, your business, like Jim’s, will be on top of the market.
To contact Jim and Jet Media Promotions,
visit www.sign walkers.com or email j_torgeson@yahoo.com
Jim Torgeson of Jet Media Promotions
Jet Media Promotions provides effective outdoor advertising by providing sign walkers to get your message to your local target market. Quick, fast and in a hurry.
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