Living in New York, Drew Blumenthal enjoys high-end shopping, volunteering, exploring new restaurants and dreaming of a house on Park Avenue. But Blumenthal is not your average 29-year-old. He’s an entrepreneur running a nearly seven-figure digital marketing agency, Digital Drew.
Before launching his own company, Blumenthal spent most of his career working for several large agencies. This gave him the opportunity to run ads for Fortune 500 clients like Samsung and Johnson & Johnson. And although he enjoyed his work, he felt an urge to move on. “My sense of freedom, creativity and innovation were taken away,” he says. Taking what he had learned and combining it with his entrepreneurial mindset, he launched Digital Drew in 2017. As a result, he now works with more than 50 clients from all around the globe and is expanding his platform as a speaker and industry leader.
Push yourself
While completing his degree from West Chester University, Blumenthal lost his mom to stage four colon cancer. Since then, he has been motivated to live a life that would make her proud. After graduating, he started working in the digital marketing industry. At the age of 24, he realized that it was time to move on. He had worked for some of the top marketing agencies in the world. Many would be content working with Fortune 500 companies and having a nice salary and ample vacation time, but Blumenthal couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else for him.
“At the end of the day, I am my fiercest competitor and always push myself to be better,” he says. This led him to start Digital Drew. His goal was simple: He wanted to create something that helped people and would make his family proud. Just less than five years later, he is accomplishing what he set out to do. With a consistent revenue of nearly one million dollars, his business is thriving and has allowed him to help businesses and entrepreneurs all around the world. The key to his success? “Reliability,” Blumenthal says.
Be willing to learn
There is a mantra that Blumenthal lives by: “If you want to be good at something, you have to be willing to learn from others that have done it before.”
Although many entrepreneurs claim they are self-made and built themselves from the ground up with no help, Blumenthal believes that a willingness to learn is the key to success. Yes, he does cite his strong work ethic and resilience, but he doesn’t claim credit: “My parents were both very hardworking people and inspired me to be the best I could be.”
As he continues to grow Digital Drew, Blumenthal dedicates a large amount of time and resources to perfecting his craft. Whether studying existing accounts or problem-solving low-performing accounts, he looks for new methods to improve his agency’s performance. “There are so many agencies,” Blumenthal says. “But I am always striving to be better and improve.”
Problem solve
Blumenthal is never one to run from a problem, and he believes that every problem is simply an opportunity to find a solution. This mindset has made him an invaluable asset to his clients. While he opened his business to help his clients find clients and grow their business by generating online leads, he still has to solve other problems on a daily basis. He recalls the biggest incident that happened in his business. “I had a very extremely bad facebook hack,” Blumenthal says. “They hacked my personal account and caused my clients to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on their credit cards.” Not one to wait, Blumenthal jumped right into a solution. “Within two days, I was able to talk to all of my clients,” he says. “Explaining the issue and finding a way to fix the issue, I was able to keep most of my clients.” Blumenthal applies the same level-headed and quick thinking approach to solving any business problems, even if they aren’t as dramatic. “There are always small fires to put out and challenges,” he says, “but you can’t let them derail you.”
Know when to relax
Entrepreneurs are no strangers to burnout and fatigue—particularly during periods of heavy stress. However, this state of complete exhaustion is often praised and used as a benchmark for dedication and commitment to clients and the business. Hence, the common phrase, “hustle culture.” Again, Blumenthal goes against the grain. That’s not to say he doesn’t work hard—he does. With his days starting at 4 a.m., he certainly does not sit around. But he does know when it’s time to take a break. “If things get intense, do something else—even for a few minutes,” he says. Whether that’s eating a snack, taking a quick walk or watching a YouTube clip, Blumenthal believes that the key to longevity, especially as an entrepreneur, is taking time to relax and reset. “It’s easy to keep working,” he says, “but knowing when to step back is key.”
Take action
As he continues to grow his brand and his company, Blumenthal has additional goals in mind. “I want to eventually buy a home, start a family, and of course grow my company,” he says. These might sound generic, but then again, Blumenthal is not your average 29-year-old.
In just five years, he has grown his brand to nearly a million dollars in annual revenue. The lesson? If you have big dreams, be ready to take big actions. That’s exactly what Blumenthal has done.
