ENTR 480 Speaker Shares Inspirational Story
Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation ENTR 48000 instructors, Kris Taylor and Mark Thacker, have always brought insightful speakers to their class. They continue to bring back Tiffany Sauder, Element Three President, who shared her story of struggle and success as she built her marketing agency from the ground up.
Sauder started with one client, a husband and wife team looking to expand their business. In a small shared space in Indianapolis, she and her team started gaining momentum, bringing on more clients and showing significant growth.
“My goal was to get the company to a million dollars,” Sauder said. “If I could meet that goal I knew we would really be going somewhere.”
With the goal of a million dollars in revenue on track, Sauder moved Element Three to a larger space and hired additional staff. Unfortunately, the progress was halted when the economic crash of 2008 interrupted her plans.
“In 2009 we lost 50 percent of revenue from the year before. I was basically back where I started.”
Sauder had to make a decision to either continue to pursue building her business or to take another career path. She knew building Element Three was the right choice.
“I had to decide this wasn’t the end for me. The end is only the end if you let it be the end. That is a decision every entrepreneur has to make.”
After pouring her energy and time into Element Three, they are the third largest marketing agency in Indianapolis and are looking to compete at the national level.
Sauder left the class with a note of inspiration. “Don’t be driven by fear, don’t let it consume you. Replace it with discipline. You might fail, but it won’t be from a lack of trying.”