The Createur Podcast
Welcome to The Createur Podcast, an energizing Christian entrepreneurship series inspiring young professionals and college students. Hosts Spencer James and Karli Byrd explore the intersection of faith and business, drawing from the expertise of successful entrepreneurs. Our program is proudly affiliated with the McGraw School of Business at Olivet Nazarene University, renowned for its groundbreaking Entrepreneurship degree program.
This student-produced podcast is a gateway to understanding the relationship between Christian faith and the entrepreneurial journey. Experience captivating stories, valuable insights, and strategies that unveil God's design for business. "The Createur Podcast" is your guide to the intersection of innovation, growth, and personal development within the context of faith and business.
Embark on a transformative journey with us—explore the annual Createur Conference and Pitch Competition. This Free Event is happening April 15-16, 2024. Participate in a Shark Tank style pitch competition with $15K in prizes, world-class keynotes, and networking. Open to high school and college students, as well as Olivet alumni. Learn more at Createur.Olivet.edu.
The Createur Podcast
The Power of Mentorship and Storytelling in Jesse Erickson’s Entrepreneurial Journey
What happens when childhood dreams of entrepreneurship blend with transformative mentorship experiences? Join us as Jesse Erickson, a proud ONU alum and accomplished entrepreneur, uncovers the story behind Pathfinder, his full-service marketing agency. Jesse's tale is one of passion and purpose, fueled by his early exposure to business and a pivotal encounter at ONU that shaped his journey. Discover how Jesse's commitment to authenticity and strategic storytelling has guided him through the challenges of merging businesses and adapting to the dynamic marketing landscape.
Our exploration doesn't stop at the boardroom. Jesse shares his approach to navigating the unpredictable nature of entrepreneurship, where storytelling and strategic platform selection take precedence over fleeting trends. His candid reflections on balancing innovation with stability offer a blueprint for long-term success in the ever-evolving world of marketing. As we traverse these professional landscapes, Jesse's insights into risk-taking underscore the importance of calculated decisions in both business and life.
Beyond the business, Jesse opens up about his personal life, revealing how his role as a father to a son with a rare genetic disorder has influenced his entrepreneurial mindset. This episode illuminates the heart behind Pathfinder's community-driven mission in Kankakee County, emphasizing resilience and support for local businesses. And as a whimsical finale, Jesse envisions a mascot that embodies the adaptable, resilient spirit of entrepreneurship. Don't miss this episode filled with genuine storytelling and powerful lessons for aspiring business leaders.
To learn more about other entrepreneurship opportunities and the McGraw School of Business’s very own Createur Conference and Pitch Competition, go to Createur.Olivet.edu.
Welcome to the Creator Podcast. Join us as we dive deep into conversations with visionaries, innovators and doers.
Speaker 2:Whether you're building your brand, launching your next big project or simply seeking inspiration, this is the space where ideas come to life.
Speaker 1:I'm Spencer James.
Speaker 2:And I'm Carly Bird where faith and business meet.
Speaker 1:This is the Creator Podcast. Hello everyone, this week, carly and I are joined by Jesse Erickson, an ONU alum, with a local entrepreneurship journey right here in Kankakee.
Speaker 2:That's right. Dr Jesse Erickson has been a part of small business and entrepreneurship throughout his entire life. He has been helping entrepreneurs improve their businesses since 2014 and has owned and managed several businesses since then. He has a passion for helping potential and current business owners learn, grow and succeed, and has helped businesses of all shapes and sizes. He also holds a doctorate in business strategy and innovation and currently runs Pathfinder, a full-service marketing agency. Jesse, thank you so much for being with us today. We're so excited to have you on the show.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, jesse, I think this is really great that you're on the show, actually, because we've really gotten to know Pathfinder personally here at Alibut through our relationship, and I think it's very clear to see the need for Pathfinder. You know it addresses this growing need for businesses to connect authentically with their audiences. In a highly competitive and digital-first marketplace and in a time when consumers are bombarded with marketing messages, pathfinder really helps businesses stand out by crafting compelling and strategic stories that build trust and engagement. So, with all of that being said, jesse, I think we're all very curious to what inspired you to establish Pathfinder and how did some of your experiences you know, whether it be at ONU or in school in general influence this decision?
Speaker 3:So that's a long story but I'll try to just hit the highlights. Like my bio said, you know, I grew up in entrepreneurship. It was kind of just in my mind and my blood since day one. I didn't realize that until much later, you know, in life. But when I did and, as you know, things unfolded, I was actually at all of that and had a mentor there who helped me really jump over to the entrepreneurship mindset. Um and uh. We'd even talked about doing an incubator program there. Uh, and this is, you know, 10 years ago now. Um and uh. So that's really what kickstarted it for me. Uh, like, really, just this is what I want, right and um.
Speaker 3:So that didn't end up working out exactly as we, as we all thought, and I think more time and needed. It was needed for the university to do that, um. But because of that kind of just launching point for me, I just felt like you know, coming out of that, I still want to help small businesses. This is really what I want to do, and uh.
Speaker 3:So I started my own business that was a different business than Pathfinder to just help businesses with their many different needs, and at the time it was really like an older group of entrepreneurs who were not used to technology at all, marketing or otherwise, their business plan, figuring out how to integrate even POS systems for their you know, their retail store, things like that and um, through that met, met a couple of people. Um, one thing led to another. We ended up kind of merging three businesses which became Pathfinder, which had, um, various services that kind of made up the whole full service marketing uh group of services we could offer. So that's how that kind of unfolded. I didn't go into Pathfinder with that as my original plan, but the vision and the mission of helping other businesses was kind of integral to all of those different things along the way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 1:Jesse, you want to talk maybe a little bit about maybe some of those obstacles that you had when you were starting out. What were some of the hardest things that maybe you faced you know whether it be just the starting up in general, merging with other businesses. What was the hardest piece or pieces?
Speaker 3:Oh man, um, I feel like I'm still dealing with hard pieces, you know, even now, and, uh, I think that's just kind of the small business entrepreneurship lifestyle to some extent Like for me, I think this is one of those sink or swim things with most people, can't. You know, can you handle this or can you not? Or do you want to handle it or do you not? And because it's it's just one thing after another, uh, to some extent, eventually you can get to a place of stability if you do. You know, play your cards right a little bit, but, um, but you really have to be willing to just dive into that.
Speaker 3:So, um, different challenges we've faced. I mean, we we've had a lot of ups and downs, or, and I have over the past 10 years, you know that mentor of mine that really kicked me off. You know he passed away real, suddenly he's a professor at Olivet. Uh, ken Johnson, um, he, so that was a big thing for me. You know, um, merging companies yeah, that was a huge technical challenge, but you know, one of the founders of those three companies, part of what we were doing was he wanted to to leave, to exit his business, and while he wanted that for him and his family. You know there was a huge emotional rollercoaster through that for him and I I always tell people like I respect him a lot for recognizing that he needed to do that for his family and being willing to do that, cause it's really like giving up your baby and um, but but that was a huge, you know, hard thing. And even now, today, you know, as as the um, as the economy changes, as marketing changes every year, as as different things just um, evolve and grow, um in our country, even, you know it, it brings new challenges all the time.
Speaker 3:You know, like you said at the beginning, we are inundated with so many marketing messages every single day and the platforms are getting bigger and there's more of them and, um, I think that's the biggest thing to to navigate because, you know, a lot of people are marketing specifically, are they?
Speaker 3:They believe that they should start paying for marketing and it should start, uh, having, you know, a return on that investment on day seven. You know, and that's just not how anything can work anymore and and I wish it did Like, I tell people I'm not just trying to get your money, I'm not just trying to keep you in for three years before you know you get a return. But truly, we're fighting more and more messaging, some some good messaging, some bad messaging, but either way, we're fighting it and um so it, and so it's a huge challenge for entrepreneurs. I think a lot of those platforms and companies are even marketing to them, saying you know, you can do Facebook ads by yourself, you can do Google by yourself, and while it's true, to some extent, the value or the results are, just they're not there most of the time. So it's, yeah, lots of challenges.
Speaker 2:Definitely. Yeah, you know, speaking of which you've mentioned a lot about just this ever-changing marketplace and really keeping up with. You know the trends and what's new, and you know what your competitors are doing and what your customers are looking for. Yeah, can you talk a little bit more about that and how your company goes about? You know, keeping up in this ever-changing workplace.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'll admit it's sometimes a little bit of a strategic or educated guess. For instance, I'll use AI as the newest, latest and greatest big buzzword, right yeah?
Speaker 3:If we went and spent tons of money and investment and training on AI when it started to come out. I mean, it doesn't really do anything for us in reality and there's lots of issues with it that we aren't sure are going to work out for marketing or not. I think the same is true for TikTok. You know there are people making a lot of money with Tik TOK and doing a good job with Tik TOK, but it might change dramatically or or be banned from the country. So we, we take a more careful approach to some of those things.
Speaker 3:We don't just jump to the next new thing. We try to, um, really focus on what makes our client um a good business for whatever customers they are trying to sell to. We try to really focus on that storytelling, and even the strategy of where we're telling the story, I think, is just equally as important. I think a lot of entrepreneurs and, honestly, marketers believe that we should post anywhere, everywhere, as much as possible. And, uh, pathfinder, we, we do not think that. Uh, we find that that is a lot of extra work for about the same results in the short term for sure. And so, um, we take a little more careful approach, a little more strategic approach to that but honestly I think long-term it does a lot better for our clients.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you talk about that and I think it's really interesting because you could maybe tie that a little bit into like failure or taking risk, right. So how do you feel like you've been able, maybe, to take risks as an entrepreneur, to be strategic in a way that that you're trying for success Right, but maybe you don't always see that?
Speaker 3:Sorry, are you asking how?
Speaker 1:I decide which risks to take. Yeah. How do you feel like you take risks as an entrepreneur, right yeah?
Speaker 3:Um, so it's funny because most people think that, uh, at face value, they don't think I'm much of a risk taker, but I'm a. I'm a huge risk taker. Um, I, I take a lot of risks every day. Some are small, you know. Some, some are somewhat meaningless in the grand scheme of things. But, but, I'm a huge risk taker, I take a lot of risks every day. Some are small, some are somewhat meaningless in the grand scheme of things. But I like to really invest in calculated risks, and so I'll give you a couple examples.
Speaker 3:Ai, I think, is a good one, where my calculated risk right now is test. It don't do much Because I just think it's going to, before we're said and done. I think it's going to change a lot more, and I don't know that even the tools that a lot of people are using today are going to be valuable or even exist a year from now. Um, calculated risks with people, I think, is one of the biggest and most emotional ones for me. Um, I tend to really want to invest in people that I get to know and feel like, even if they don't have the technical skillset you know, their personality is probably what will um get them down that road a lot quicker.
Speaker 3:I have been, uh, wrong about half the time and right about half the time, because people are the hardest thing to calculate to some extent Right, and some of those things have hurt, you know, both financially and emotionally, but I haven't changed that mindset, I think. I think that's what sets us apart to some extent, that at least some of the people we have here now, I think, would say you know, we really try to do our best to invest in them in every way that we can. Doesn't always, it's not always pretty, doesn't always look the way they want it to in that moment, or we can't always do everything we want to, but I think, at the end of the day, our people are what are going to really help us, you know, stand out. So I don't know, maybe that answers your question, but a couple of different kinds of ways to handle risk.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that's interesting too. You know, just talking about the people side of things and getting to know. You know, certain individuals that could benefit you and your business, you know, and sometimes it can be a little bit difficult too in judging character and determining what the best approach is and who's right for your company. But what's also interesting? So I think it's really incredible. Jesse, we've seen your dedication to supporting businesses and organizations as well in this Kankakee County community. Can you show us some examples of how Pathfinder has contributed to the growth of these local businesses in the Kankakee County?
Speaker 3:Yeah, we've done that in a couple of ways, and some people have a lot of different thoughts about how we do this. But you know, when we decided to take on a new client, a lot of them are on annual contracts and a lot of those businesses can't pay for what they really need, quite frankly, especially in this area, and so we've gone above and beyond for them. We've gone way beyond our scope of work in most cases. And I don't like to do the nickel and diming thing. If I need to, I will charge it more than whatever. I'll tell the client that, like, hey, that's just not going to be something we do without additional compensation. Or tell the client that, like, hey, that's just not going to be something we do without additional compensation. But most of the time, like, we get messages from our clients all the time asking for help with just getting into their software and how do I use this and how do I use that, and we don't charge extra for those things in most cases. And, um, that's one way that we try to just give back a little bit, cause we do want to be, even though we're a marketing agency like that's, that's my past feeding into that, like, but we just want to help businesses. We just want to help entrepreneurs, and I know the challenges they face on a daily basis, and so any little thing that I can make easier for them, I would like to.
Speaker 3:Um, I think another big way we've done that, though, is, you know, we've invested in some additional um brands and companies outside of Pathfinder. You know, we bought Kinky Podcast a year, year and a half ago now. Um, we have our Converge company. We uh bought two retail uh and restaurant companies this past year. Uh are part of them, and um have kind of poured our services into them as part of our investment.
Speaker 3:But we, you know, operate them as well to some extent, and one of those businesses was one that was going to close if we didn't. One of them was more of a friendship relationship situation where we just wanted to kind of help take care of them and the businesses they created, but in both situations it's it's very much about um continuing to have these good things in our community. Um, that can, you know, maybe hopefully make us money over time, but really just trying to give back in that way and I think that's a people don't see that, you know, cause most people think give back is like volunteering or donating to local nonprofits or just things like that. But without these small businesses our community would would really lose a lot, both, you know, economically, but but also just we don't have this kind of place in our community anymore, and those things I think are important.
Speaker 1:Yeah, hey, uh, you talk a lot about community. Uh, how do you feel like maybe, as an entrepreneur, uh, you're able to balance, uh, maybe personal life and running a business or or, being excuse me, being in like the community, right? How do you feel like you can balance your personal life and the business?
Speaker 3:Uh, every day I figure it out. You know, um, our, our personal life, our, me and my wife's personal life, has just actually, in the past few months, gotten extremely challenging. We have two boys Uh, one is three, one is now two, Um and the second one, Bedford, was diagnosed with a rare, super rare genetic disorder this year, and so we are still figuring out what life looks like with that, and it's going to affect us and it already has in a lot of ways, and I say that because these are the stories of entrepreneurs, I think, like they have families, they have situations at home that they're dealing with and it's all over the map. They have families that are that need help. They, they have all these things, and I think those are the things that we forget a lot when we're dealing with those entrepreneurs, when we're buying from them. I've seen a lot of small business owners get treated in pretty poor ways, uh, for very little, and, um, that's unfortunately a lot of what society around around in general is these days. And, um, I just feel for them so much because I know that I know a lot of their stories, and so I will tell you that balancing family life, personal life and just the things we want to do in the community that are outside of our, you know, quote unquote job. Um, people that are starting a business, whether they see it this way or not, I mean they're really, they're really giving a lot and I think, um, it's, I like to give some forgiveness to that and I like to try to understand where they're coming from before I jumped to conclusions.
Speaker 3:Balancing those things is a huge challenge. I mean, it takes me away from, um, things that I would like to do, things that I would prefer to do, a lot. I, I, uh, now that I have kids, a lot of my free time is just, you know, family time. I don't get my own this much anymore and, um, you know, that affects us too, and I think, um, I think it's a matter of really understanding yourself, understanding what your needs are. However, you can figure that out and ensuring that you have time for that, because I do know, from both personal experience and other experiences I've watched that if you don't set aside that time for yourself in some way, shape or form, I mean, eventually you're going to crack and it's not good for your family, it's not good for the community. Um, so I'm a big proponent of really, um, figuring out what those things are and ensuring that you're investing in them, even when it feels like you should be doing something else or should be taking care of this other thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's a good point, because it's almost like one of the great joys of entrepreneurship, right, that you can have all the freedom in the world with it, but you can also have all the not freedom in the world, right it's a different kind of freedom it is. It's not really freedom.
Speaker 3:I think some people think like oh, I'm going to start my business and, you know, in six months I will just get to do whatever I want. And that's just not. That's just not. That's just not reality. Now you can uh, you know tailor your schedule a little bit better. You can avoid, maybe, sitting at a desk from eight to five every day. Um, but that's not because you're not sitting at a desk and having fun, it's because you're handling something else.
Speaker 2:Sure, yeah, very true. Um else, sure, yeah, very true. Jesse, also, you know, first of all, I really appreciate your level of empathy. You know, when you go through certain situations, you start to develop that skill even more, and you know you can relate more to those throughout the community that are going through something as well, as you mentioned with. You know, all the small business owners we have in the community and it certainly isn't an easy path to follow. With that being said, I'm curious as well. You know, in these difficult times that we all go through, how do you stay motivated to carry on? And, you know, support your business in the best way possible, especially as a believer as well you know we're a Christian podcast here in the best way possible, especially as a believer as well, you know, we're a Christian podcast here you know what does that look like for you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I would say that in general, I react to situations a lot different than most people or at least that's what I'm told and sometimes that makes it hard for people to understand me. But I'd say the honest truth is that, you know, one of my core strengths and spiritual gifts has to do with belief and discernment, and just I'm a very I'm just never willing to give up kind of person, and that's where my strength lies. I've never I've never really faltered from my Christian beliefs or my belief in God. And even during the hardest times, even when I've never really faltered from my Christian beliefs or my belief in God, and even during the hardest times, even when I've been probably what you would call depressed, right, but I've never faltered from my faith and I'd say that that, at the end of the day, is the driving force or has been most consistently throughout my life.
Speaker 3:Now that I'm married and have kids, I mean that absolutely has a big part to play. Like, hey, you kind of have to make this work. You have other people counting on you, um, and and my employees as well. I mean, they're, they're kind of like an extension of my family to some extent, and, um, they count on me, they count on me to feed their families, they count on me to have a place to go every day, and and so those are the things, I think, in my hardest moments, that really keeps me going.
Speaker 3:Um, and I just have a passion for the helping the businesses, and that really, I think, is the other part of it. Like, even when things are hard, even when things do not go my way, that is what drives me in my, in my work, the most, and that doesn't really change. Even when, even when I give a lot to somebody or a or a business and um, and it goes south in some way, um, that that deters me for a little bit, maybe, maybe a day or two, but then I'm right back to well, there are other people that need my help, there are other people that need support, and so I I'd say that those are probably the things that drive me the most. I love it.
Speaker 1:What other, uh, maybe, uh, leadership kind of values maybe do you like to to live through, uh, as you're leading Pathfinder, right, or some of these other businesses. What are some things that maybe guiding you as you're entrepreneuring your way through this journey?
Speaker 3:Yeah, hmm, um, hi, I think I think my, my faith actually drives a lot of the way I act. I mean, I'm not no perfect person by any means, but at the end of the day, I, I, I resort a lot to kind of jesus's model for us, like he doesn't give up on us, so I shouldn't give up on my people. He forgives all things and so therefore, I should forgive all things. That doesn't necessarily mean there are consequences, but I should, you know, never trying to turn somebody away completely at that point, um, give when I can, you know, even when it's a hard thing to do, or um, or when it creates new challenges, I try to give as much as possible. Um, I have, you know, there have been, you know, lots of ups and downs and in those things, things that have not gone the way I thought they would and have given me these little temptations of don't do that anymore, all right, but I, I just feel like, at the end of the day, um, I've got one person or God to actually um live up to, to, uh, to one person that's actually going to judge me, one God that's actually going to judge me at the end. And so, while things may not be great on earth, or it may not go the way I want them to, or, um, or whatever people may think of me during some of those, those situations that may not look great at face value, for instance, um, I'm, I'm kind of waiting for that eternal look at my life and, um, so, yeah, that's what kind of drives my leadership.
Speaker 3:I think, you know, there's lots of things that people say I'm not good at.
Speaker 3:You know, all of my people want better communication all the time.
Speaker 3:Um, I don't know if that's just an everybody all the time thing or a me thing, but, um, you know, I only have so many hours in a day and so I'm, I'm just, I'm doing my best to to respond to everything and to communicate as effectively as possible for every single person, which everyone takes things differently. And, like I said, I'm just, I'm trying to be more focused on doing the right things, even when it's hard, being honest about the things that I don't do well, and try to be better at them. You know, I think those are the qualities that people really good, good people do want at the end of the day, I mean, you're always going to have the employee that, no matter what you do is going to abuse the situation Right. But, um, at the end of the day, I think that's the leader I want to be and, um, and I hope that when I do screw up, that those kinds of qualities are the things that ring true for people in those moments about me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you so much, Jesse. I think that was very much needed to be heard today on the podcast. I think that'll really resonate with our listeners. Well, I think that's a great ending point for today. Of course, you know our show really goes by pretty fast, but as we do wrap up the podcast, you know, of course, once again, we just want to thank you for taking the time to be with us today. You know we really appreciate you just sharing your personal stories as well with us, as well as our listeners. We really appreciate that authenticity on our show and just offering us advice once again for aspiring entrepreneurs. But, of course, before we go, spencer and I always end our interviews with a quirky question of the week.
Speaker 2:So yeah, we have to mix it up a little bit around here.
Speaker 1:Jesse.
Speaker 2:So, spencer, do you want to share our quirky question?
Speaker 1:yeah, I can ask it uh, are you ready, can we? Okay? I'm ready, okay, all right, here we go. All right, jesse, if pathfinder has, uh, or had, a mascot to embody its personality, oh boy, okay, what would it be? And why? What would? What would pathfinder's mascot be?
Speaker 3:I mean, we've got a lot of symbology, but mascot it's a hard one. I'm trying to think of a, uh, something that embodies the, the, the path idea yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2:I think one of my favorites um shout out to caleb benoit um from connect roasters. I'll never forget when he said that, um, if connect an animal, it would be a puppy. And then went into this whole story of how it would be a puppy and it resonates to being new and fun and loving.
Speaker 3:That was quite the response and it came out so fast.
Speaker 2:I was like nothing tops his quick response there.
Speaker 3:I don't know if this is going to sound cool or not at all, but I think the embodiment of an entrepreneur is kind of our mascot. Uh, when I think of entrepreneurship, there is, there is absolutely not one path, there is absolutely not one end result and, um, we've always said at our company, like we're going to go, we're going to go down the path we think is in front of us and we're going to veer off that path at some point. We're going to um, adapt to the changes around us, to the changes and internally in our company, uh, some that are forced and some that are just desired. And, um, for us it's very much about that journey at the end Because, again, I think entrepreneurship means a lot of things to a lot of people.
Speaker 3:Some people it truly is just about money. Some people it's about being able to give back to their community. Some people it's honestly an internal personal journey and I think, actually I would say that that is absolutely mine at some level journey. Um, and I think actually I would say that that is absolutely mine at some level. And um, to to me, like, I think our company is better at that than most seeing, seeing entrepreneurs for where they are and where they're going or where they're trying to go, and also helping them when the path just veers. You know on a right turn that they didn't expect, and so I I'd say that's probably the embodiment of an entrepreneur, is sort of the mascot, and it's absolutely our mission.
Speaker 1:That's great, I love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very well said.
Speaker 1:That is really well said. I love it. Hey, jesse, thank you once again for being on the show today. We just really appreciate your time and obviously, talking a lot about what it means to be a leader and entrepreneurship and a lot beyond that, so thank you for that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and listeners. If you want to connect with Jesse, you can find him on LinkedIn or Twitter through the links in the bio.
Speaker 1:Yep, and if you want to learn more about Olivet's entrepreneurship program, you can visit Olivetedu slash entrepreneurship.
Speaker 2:That's right. And finally, if you want to learn more about the Creator Conference and Pitch Competition, which Jesse Erickson happens to be a speaker for our 2025 lineup, you can email me, Carly Bird at kabird at Olivetedu, or visit our website creatorolivetedu.
Speaker 1:All right, that's all we got. Hey, we're Faith and Business Meet. This is the Creator Podcast. We'll see you later, thank you.