Upon graduating from Purdue University, Jeremy Dearringer thought he'd be inundated with job offers. Instead, he found himself working for his father at NewPro Containers, a flower pot manufacturing and distribution company.
"I walked into my father's company and said, 'Dad, I don't have a job, and I need to pay rent. I need a job.' He offered me $28,000 to clean toilets and pack boxes in the warehouse," Dearringer said.
He saw how the economy was hurting NewPro and used his interest in Internet searching to help turn the business around. Using search engine optimization, Dearringer took his father's company's website from 30 visitors a month to more than 17,000.
Buoyed by this success, Dearringer co-founded Slingshot SEO with high school friends Aaron Aders and Kevin Bailey.
The company has about 62 employees and a revenue goal of $20 million for 2011. Last year the company grossed $5 million. Slingshot clients include The Finish Line, Interactive Intelligence and ExactTarget.
"I went from planning to take over the family business to co-owning Slingshot SEO," Dearringer said. "We are growing insanely."
How did you manage to stand out in a crowd and advance quickly in your career?
My entire life I watched my dad start businesses and see them fail. He succeeded and failed so many times it wasn't scary to start something new. I started grasping things that were going on. When I was about 16 years old, Dad was having success. He owns real estate and his distribution business. It wasn't anything special for me to think about starting my own business.
What was your first job or entrepreneurial experience? How did it impact your future?
Baling hay at about 14 years old. It taught me that that I didn't want to be the person to do that kind of hard labor to earn every single dollar. I have allergies. Baling hay with allergies exhausted me, tore my arms up and none of that stuff was fun. Learning how to leverage other people and build relationships was a big thing for me.
What's the toughest mistake you ever made, and what did you learn from it?
The expectation that having a high GPA and getting a college degree provided me a sense of entitlement. I thought the world owed me. That was a completely wrong perception to have. I still see a lot of students seeing that way. I get pretty fired up when I talk about that stuff. I make it a point to tell kids that the world doesn't owe you anything, but it's full of opportunity. You have to work for everything. You have to make it happen for yourself.
How important is it to have a mentor? Did anyone in particular help you advance in your career?
It's essential. You aren't going to succeed if you don't have good mentors. You can't afford to make all the mistakes that your mentors have made. You will make mistakes, but with mentors you will steer clear of a few big ones.
The most important mentor has been my father, George Dearringer. He taught me how to understand people from a relationship and personality standpoint. Business is about leveraging people. Everything that gets done is about people. You have to work well with others. Be a good team player, empathetic and understand diplomacy.
What advice would you give to other young people wanting to be an entrepreneur?
Don't try to start your own business right out of school. Try to get yourself in a small-to-midsize company where you have line of sight in an organization where you get a glance at the financials, and understand how customer service, sales and marketing and delivery work. If you get into a smaller business, your actions can have an impact, and you won't get drowned out.Call Star reporter Jill Phillips at (317) 444-6246. Source http://www.indystar.com/
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