Coffee Break: Joseph Skibbie, founder of JRS Marketing Communications

Name: Joseph Skibbie

Title: Founder

Company: JRS Marketing Communications (JRS Mar/Com)

Address: 3400 Stonegate Blvd., Suite 101-2454, Arlington Heights

Phone: (312) 339-9359

Website: www.jrsmarcom.com

Industry: Marketing/advertising

Number of employees: 4

Age: 15 years in business in 2024

Family information: Married, two children, 14 & 12

Hometown: Glendale Heights

Q: Describe your company.

JRS Mar/Com is a full-service digital marketing agency that helps businesses #BeSeen & #BeHeard. With a core suite of services including building sales-ready websites, search engine optimization, high-impact video marketing and expert paid ad campaigns.

Unlike traditional agencies, we are a one-stop shop for everything digital. We resolve the issue of needing separate firms or vendors for copywriting, development, graphic design and media production, social media management, SEO and paid advertising. Clients can expect a dedicated team of six for each engagement including: account management, copywriting, social media management, graphics/media production, paid ads specialist, and development resources.

Q: Do you plan to hire any additional staff or make any significant capital investments in your company in the next year?

Yes, we anticipate continuing our growth in the coming year. We have set a very aggressive sales target that will necessitate investments in expanding our team. We operate with satellite offices out of coworking locations and our team is fully distributed with team members located domestically in multiple states.

Q: What will your company’s main challenges be in the next year?

Growing while maintaining our established service levels is something that all industries face. We stress the importance of implementing creative solutions that drive results. The best creative in the world fails without a dynamic, multimedia distribution strategy. Continuing to improve our creative output while maintaining impactful distribution plans.

Q: What's the hottest trend in your industry?

Unfortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) … the buzzword with no real buzz. We’re already tired of hearing from supposed experts who are sharing how AI will revolutionize the workplace. We have incorporated AI into rapid-draft development. In following an agile approach to creative, we can get ideas on paper and craft them into award-winning campaigns faster using AI for brainstorming. Of course, there will be impacts from the incorporation of AI into ad campaigns. We just don’t know what they are yet. Without the human element to polish and craft AI, it is useless.

Q: If you had one tip to give to a rookie executive, what would it be?

Start 10 years sooner … maybe 20. I worked in numerous fields including banking and public policy before founding JRS Mar/Com. The learning curve was and continues to be steep. We are always learning and always amending the processes we use to drive traffic, engagement and sales for our clients. While I learned professionalism, networking, and a number of other skills during my early career, nothing that prepared me for the day-to-day of running an agency.

Q: Do you have a business mantra?

My mantra in business and in life is “fall down seven times; stand up eight times”

Q: From a business outlook, whom do you look up to?

I look up to anyone who has been able to marry their professional drive and personal development. It’s impossible to separate successful people from their careers. Oftentimes, this creates a one-dimensional personality, work first. When people are able to work to live, they tend to be interesting, exciting, and impactful. Those are traits I aspire to and admire.

Q: What is one interesting fact about you or your company that most people may not know?

I founded JRS Mar/Com in 2009, fresh off graduating with my MBA in marketing management from the University of Dallas in Arlington, Texas. I returned to Illinois where I was born and raised with 12% unemployment following the Great Recesssion. Tired of the response to Joe the unemployed guy, I started JRS Mar/Com as a way to network more effectively. I found numerous clients that turned into longtime customers, grew the business through referrals, and ended up with the stellar team we now have.

Q: Was there a moment in your career that didn’t go as you had planned? What lesson did you learn from it?

In 2014, we were structured differently, with a majority of our income coming from a few large clients. One of which was a grant-funded event, the other a large membership organization. We had grown both lines of business to a significant amount of billing. With state funding being threatened, our grant-funded event was no longer something we could support. Promoting an event that wasn’t certain, selling booths and sponsorships to an event that might not happen wasn’t something we could ethically pursue. The membership organization had a rotating volunteer president who eyed our portion of the budget for a personal project, thus threatening our security with the role. We walked away from both, which at the time was more than 66% of our gross. We had some real decisions to make about the future viability of our organization. We evolved our service offering into the current slate of services. We haven’t looked back.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

The “four” legs of my stool are family, fitness, philanthropy and professional. Whenever possible, I am with my family, we enjoy cooking, dining out, hiking, and adventures of all sorts. I volunteer for numerous organizations and support Rotary, arts organizations and food advocacy groups.

I haven’t competed since before COVID, but have remained in shape with daily workouts and have been responsible for training my kids, which includes teaching them movement mechanics and safe lifting practices.

I love watching movies on the big screen and am an avid gardener. I also started an Ag Advocacy Podcast (Beatsbedsbrowns.com; @beatsbedsbrowns) where we interview emerging hip-hop artists, agricultural interests from homestead, garden and commercial enterprises along with bourbon and whiskey distillers.

Q: What book is on your nightstand?

There are always books stacked up on my nightstand. I recently finished “The Unabridged Journal of Lewis & Clark,” “Crypto,” “The MetaVerse” and “The Hype Machine.”

Q: If you were not doing this job, what do you think you would be doing?

I would run an organic vegetable farm. I am in the process of product development on a number of products that we plant, grow and process for resale. If I could do that full time someday, I would be ecstatic.

Q: What was your first paying job?

I worked in data analysis tallying and reporting on surveys for a company a family friend worked for.

Q: If you could put your company name on a sports venue, which one would you choose?

e-Sports is currently the most visible and one of the highest-paying sports. I would aim high and go for the JRS Mar/Com #BeSeen & #BeHeard e-Sports arena.