A little bit about me …
Becoming an Entrepreneur
Being an entrepreneur and business owner isn’t easy. Entrepreneurship is like a job, but where your customers are the boss and there’s no restrictions on work hours, limited benefits, and total responsibility. Entrepreneurship has to do with problem solving by combining your skills with interests to help others.
Over the past 10 years I’ve started or built over a dozen businesses ranging from a party bus to a blockchain conference. NONE of these have been easy. Some have been more fun than others. At the end of the day it keeps you motivated and on your toes. As a business owner you’re constantly learning and improving.
My two current companies are Momentum Digital and Phone Repair Philly. When I moved to Philly in August 2015 I started both these companies, simply by combining my skills and experience with my passions. I started these as a way to make money and create a lifestyle. There was no going back. You might work 40 hours per week. Most entrepreneurs work 60+ hours per week. For years I worked 80+ hours per week. Our ‘work’ is different though. It has different leniencies, motivations, goals, responsibilities, and freedom.
If you think you have a similar calling and can combine skills + passion then give me a call. Let’s talk about growing your business, or taking your small business to the next level with digital marketing and SEO.
“Starting a business involves solving a problem. Find out what you love and what you’re good at so you can solve problems for others.”
- Mac Frederick
Getting Started with Entrepreneurship
The past few years I’ve been working on becoming a better person and a better business owner. I didn’t start out as an entrepreneur, but it’s in my blood. My dad is a hard-working small business owner with his own surveying and civil engineering business back in Greencastle. My mom was a teacher for 35 years. My brothers are older and smarter than me, both graduating top in their class at Penn State.
For me though, I don’t have an alternative. Being my own boss is all I know — It’s all I want. I’ve had countless jobs, over 15 jobs to be exact. I hated most of them and always found myself wanting more in life and not working well being told what to do or how to do it. I couldn’t even keep the job at Google. Don’t get me wrong, working at Google was amazing, but I still felt myself searching and aspiring for more. I started a repair business on the side, as well as my startup with Vortic Watches. Then I started learning everything I could about Google and Digital Marketing. So here I am, years later, running my own businesses hoping to make a difference.
In 2008 I graduated from Greencastle and went to play soccer for Virginia Wesleyan College. After two interesting years I decided to transfer to PSU and just play club soccer. Coming to Penn State was a huge transition from 10 person classes to 300 person classes. Intimidating, yes, but I immediately got involved with a lot of clubs and organizations while keeping myself very busy. I worked part-time at Subway and the Diner, then got involved with a few startups before starting my first business with my friend Keith in 2011, a party services company with a Party Bus. He graduated and I changed majors to Advertising with Minors in business and Entrepreneurship.
I also started Nittany Entrepreneurs, a small organization introducing students to entrepreneurship while also connecting them to the local chamber. In 2012 I started Vortic Watches with some friends and raised capital. By 2013 I was exhausted and needed to graduate and get a job. I sold my repair company and got recruited by Google and moved to Ann Arbor. I left PSU with a 3.5 and huge impact on the local entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Follow My Journey on Instagram @MacFrederick
FAQs
How did you get started with entrepreneurship?
I honestly had no idea what that word was, I figured an entrepreneur was a business owner. When I got to Penn State I joined a bunch of clubs, one of them being Innoblue. This club and these people told me a lot about this word and what it meant in terms of business. From here I went all in. I loved the people, the culture, the dynamics of business, and the passion. From there I started my own club and partnered with my friend Keith to start our own business, Party Services Unlimited. PSU also offered courses on entrepreneurship, which I recommend anybody take to learn more.
What was my first business?
I don’t really count selling cards on ebay when I was younger. When I was at Penn State promoting my new club, Nittany Entrepreneurs, I met and partnered with Keith Somers, a fellow budding entrepreneur. We started PS Unlimited, a party service company with a party bus where we made money taking other students to parties, events and concerts. I actually learned a lot and luckily didn’t get into much trouble.
What did you do at Penn State?
Penn State was wild. I was used to a small campus, easy classes and a small circle. Transferring to PSU was intimidating. I started off studying Economics then changed majors to Communications then Advertising. I minored in business and entrepreneurship, which fit my interests. I worked part-time and joined a lot of clubs and startups. I then started Nittany Entrepreneurs, PS Unlimited, Happy Valley Repairs, and Vortic Watches. These small business startups took up most of my time. My classses were easier than most so I focused on business and extra-curriculars. Time flew by and after 5 years of college I graduated with a 3.5 and lots of connections.
How did I get a job at Google?
I reverse engineered the system, starting with the exact job I wanted and working backwards. I then went to their recruiting sessions and open meetings and met some contacts. Then I connected with current Google employees who went to PSU on Linkedin and formed relationships so they put me in as referrals. This got me an initial interview. Then I practiced the interviews and questions and went through 4 rounds of interviews. I was well prepared and had experience so I got the job.
What was it like working for Google?
It was incredible. I loved it. I work 9-5 daily and had breakfast and lunch catered daily. We had chefs and baristas and extracurricular events and offsite fun. I wish I could have stayed but I’m really not fit for a job. The work was actually rather intense but it was fun and I enjoyed my job, but I kept striving for more outside of work. I really enjoyed traveling to other locations like working at the NYC office. Google has so many perks and benefits.
Why did you leave Google?
Well, I didn’t leave. I got fired. After my first year I wanted to transfer to the NYC office and work with the agency team. I also started working with clients on the side with their SEO and website. I started referring jobs to my friend and then I got caught and fired. This was devastating and I was so upset. I got in trouble for minor infractions but at the end of the day we all knew it wasn’t right for me. I was so upset and ashamed at the time and wouldn’t tell anybody about it. I lost my dream job you know. But a few months later I bounced back and went all in to start my own agency, Momentum Digital, and moved to Philadelphia and partnered with my friend Michael. From here we started building our brand, website, SEO, networking and doing everything we could to get clients.