Using Influencer Marketing to Build a Business, with Richard Grove, Wall Control, on the Unpolished MBA Podcast (Organization Conversation, Episode 52)
Recently Richard Grove was a guest on the Unpolished MBA podcast, discussing how Wall Control built its business using influencer marketing. In his conversation with host Monique Mills, Richard discussed the evolution of their family business, how Wall Control’s use of and success with influencer marketing began, the dos and don’ts of influencer marketing, and much more.
Organization Conversation is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Unpolished MBA Podcast, with host Monique Mills
Entrepreneurs are sometimes called “unpolished” because they are scrappy and unconventional when starting a business. On this podcast, host Monique Mills speaks with entrepreneurs and innovators. Some went to Business School and have a formal MBA degree while others don’t.
Did it make a difference? They share the answer to that as well as other pieces of wisdom.
To listen to all episodes or apply to become a guest, visit their website.
Host Monique Mills is a degreed electrical engineer turned serial entrepreneur. Having experience in everything from building software companies to building power plants, she’s worked in multiple industries including water, semiconductor, aviation, construction, and real estate.
She’s founded 5 companies and focuses on business innovation through her consulting and acquisition companies.
Monique currently serves as the CEO of TPM Focus, an innovation strategy consulting firm, and as President of Focused Innovation Group (FIG), a family-owned acquisition company. Monique serves as a Mentor, Advisor, Consultant, and Strategic Partner to several entrepreneurial and innovation organizations such as Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech (ATDC), STEM to Market, Founder Institute, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), National Minority Diversity Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), Winston Starts, and Operation Hope.
She is also an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University. With an electrical engineering degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MBA from Georgia Institute of Technology, she is an advocate for the diversification of STEM careers, expanded leadership, and equitable entrepreneurial opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities.
TPM Focus Company Website |LinkedIn | Facebook | Monique’s LinkedIn Page
About Organization Conversation
Organization Conversation is hosted by Richard Grove and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.
Richard Grove, Wall Control
Richard Grove‘s background is in engineering but what he enjoys most is brand building through relationships and creative marketing. Richard began his career with the Department of Defense as an engineer on the C-5 Galaxy Engineering Team based out of Warner Robins. While Richard found this experience both rewarding and fulfilling, he always knew deep down that he wanted to return to the small family business that originally triggered his interest in engineering.
Richard came to work for the family business, Dekalb Tool & Die, in 2008 as a Mechanical Engineer. At the time Wall Control was little more than a small ‘side hustle’ for Dekalb Tool & Die to try to produce some incremental income. There were no “Wall Control” employees, just a small warehouse with a single tool and die maker that would double as an “order fulfillment associate” on the occasion that the original WallControl.com website, which Richard’s grandmother built, pulled in an order.
In 2008, it became apparent that for the family business to survive they were going to have to produce their own branded product at scale to ensure jobs remained in-house and for the business to continue to move forward. Richard then turned his attention from tool and die to Wall Control to attempt this necessary pivot and his story with Wall Control began. Since that time, Richard has led Wall Control to significant growth while navigating two recessions.
Outside of Richard’s work at Wall Control he enjoys helping other business owners, operators, and entrepreneurs along their own paths to success by offering personal business coaching and advising through his website ConsultantSmallBusiness.com. Richard has developed an expansive and unique skillset growing and scaling Wall Control through a multitude of challenges to the successful brand and company it is today. Richard is happy to share his knowledge and experience with others who are looking to do the same within their own businesses.
Connect with Richard:
Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Richard’s Website
About Wall Control
The Wall Control story began in 1968 in a small tool & die shop just outside Atlanta, Georgia. The first of three generations began their work in building a family-based US manufacturer with little more than hard work and the American Dream.
Over the past 50+ years, this family business has continued to grow and expand from what was once a small tool & die shop into an award-winning US manufacturer of products ranging from automobile components to satellite panels and now, the best wall-mounted tool storage system available today, Wall Control.
The Wall Control brand launched in 2003 and is a family-owned and operated business that not only produces a high-quality American Made product but sees the entire design, production, and distribution process happen under their own roof in Tucker, Georgia. Under that same roof, three generations of American Manufacturing are still hard at work creating the best tool storage products available today.
Connect with Wall Control:
Company website | Facebook | Instagram
