Dennis Sbrusch: I graduated in 2014 with a degree in General Business.

Hannah: What is your official job title and what does that entail?

Dennis: Owner/Founder/CEO, whichever is the coolest!

In a nutshell, my job is to solve problems for businesses, non-profits, government entities, and individuals looking to build their brand/companies in a digital world. We design custom websites, create/manage social media content, all that good stuff that businesses truly need to stay competitive in a crazy evolving world.

Dennis: I chose to create SureThing Media for multiple reasons—freedom in its many forms and turning passion into purpose to name a few. I’m crazy passionate about helping others and honestly just putting good in the world. We currently hold the Registered United States Trademark for our company name, so there’s a ton of short-term and long-term goals in place. Long-term being that I want SureThing Media to grow and become something that can be used to help others. Whether that be using our increased brand awareness to help keep Texas beaches clean or holding events to raise funds for people with neurodiversities and even dog shelters. I never want to get caught up in making money just to make money. Instead, let’s use that wealth of friendships, finances, etc. to start foundations, tip restaurant servers well, all that good stuff.

We all have a story to tell. Outside of these populated beltways, there are hundreds of thousands of really cool people doing really cool things. Big media overlooks ALL of the things that these people and small businesses do for their friends, family, etc. We’re actually in the process of setting up a video interview skit where we meet with clients on-site, grab a drink, and have a natural conversation about where they were, where they’re at, and where they want to go. Their motivations, their business, everything that’s helped mold them into who they are. If bringing their stories to light can help inspire someone else, then that’s a day well spent.

Hannah: Tell me about how you grew up and any factors in your life that impacted you getting to where you are now. Any obstacles, support, etc.

Dennis: I’ll start by saying I was not bred to succeed. I grew up in a trailer park where two families used porta potties instead of plumbing, bounced around in several different family member’s homes then apartments, saw drug abuse first-hand, but now we’re here!

Growing up, my mom was a single-mother and did everything she could to give my sisters and I a good life. She worked multiple jobs and held more stress than anyone I can remember. Looking back at what she went through and somehow kept it all together inspires the heck out of me. We just celebrated her 56th birthday on October 20th. I get a lot of my grit and determination from her.

My Papa (grandfather) was an entrepreneur at heart. My favorite quote he used to tell me is, “Dennis, if you don’t learn how to toot your own horn nobody will ever hear your music.” I didn’t know then like I do now, but that quote is something that has stuck with me for years and boy was he right! If you want to succeed as an unknown, he taught me how to put yourself out there, don’t overthink things, and just get it done.

My Mema (grandmother) was a simple lady with a heart made of gold. We lived in Fairchild, TX at the time, which is a small village right outside of Needville, TX. Every harvest season, the farmers would bring us huge bags of fresh cut sweet corn and other good stuff for free. She would always make sweet tea and we’d sit on the porch until sundown shucking corn to pack in the barn’s freezer, listening to the same stories for the 1000th time. She taught me how to find silver-linings, approach tough situations with humor, and to be more compassionate.

Without the influence of these three people, who knows how things would’ve turned out. I recently read an article about how it’s estimated that 75% of the U.S. population falls victim to the circumstance they’re born into. I’m pretty proud to say that I’ve overcome circumstance and want to help others do the same. Let’s clean a beach, have a beer, and do some good!

Dennis: Where do I start!? The freedom is incredible. I was a W2 employee for the past 12 years until starting my own business just 2 years ago. It all feels so new to me still. I can take my dog to catch a sunrise at the beach, go visit a client an hour away for a few laughs, then take my mom to an early dinner all in one day. There’s SO MUCH that I find “cool” about what it is that I do. It’s a freedom to live an incredible life without strings attached, while also serving and helping flat-out good people. Now, that’s not to say the job is easy. There’s a ton of actual work to do and I’ll literally put in 20 hour days consistently. BUT, I can say without a doubt that starting SureThing Media was the greatest decision I’ve ever made, outside of adopting my dog!

I think it’s pretty cool that our clients basically started as random strangers. We were hired to do just a job. Now, they call to talk about life, sports, and ways to keep growing both as individuals and industry leaders. It’s a pretty great feeling to have that impact.

Hannah: How did your education and college experience at SHSU prepare you for your career?

Dennis: SHSU helped me grow tremendously from a personal standpoint. I was a late bloomer. I learned how to communicate with people much better and became wayyyyy more personable in the process, which has without a doubt helped my business grow. I remember going to Professor John Newbold’s marketing class. He would have AC/DC jamming in the auditorium like we were live at their concerts and told us real-life experiences about his career. He was someone you’d want to chat over a beer with and I just remember thinking to myself, “Now this dude is cool. This is someone who I want to become more like.”

Relationships are EVERYTHING in business. My experience at SHSU really helped build those personal skills that are needed to be successful.

Dennis: Be willing to put in the time to continuously learn and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Two of my biggest sources of information are YouTube and Reddit, believe it or not. When I didn’t know how to fix something, I spent hundreds of hours practicing what others have done. When I didn’t know what to charge people for SureThing Media’s services or where to even start, I created a Reddit account and took advice from people who were in my same field all across the country. And please, do not fall victim to get-rich-quick schemes. Nothing good in life comes easy, especially when you’re starting from the bottom.

Treat people like people and not like revenue targets. Want to know how I scaled my company and doubled revenue year-over-year in just our second year? I went in low to get in the door with as many businesses as possible. I’ve offered free services, taken phone calls at 2am, and gone the extra mile. SureThing Media is built 100% on referrals because of this. We’ve never run one paid advertisement in two years because we do right by people. We invest in them. Take care of people and they will take care of you.

Be prepared to put in the work—a lot of it. Someone said the other day, “Dennis is lucky. He gets to work wherever and do whatever he wants.” This is true. BUT, it takes sometimes 20 hour days to make possible. This “luck” is really a mixture of the time, energy, and passion put into the job. What you put in will come back tenfold. It sometimes feels fruitless, but keep putting in the work and you will be rewarded.

Hannah: What advice would you give to students pursuing the same degree you did?

Dennis: You’re making a great choice! I was initially a Kinesiology major before switching to General Business at SHSU. Bernard Pollard, former Safety for the Houston Texans, took me under his wing while I worked at LA Fitness years ago. He advised me to switch like he did at Purdue University and that it would open many more doors during my search for a career. He was right.

I believe General Business has set me up to be able to earn a job anywhere doing anything marketing/business related if ever needed outside of my own company.

Dennis: It’s so important to be people-focused. Business owners buy into people. They don’t care about your business or its name when you’re just starting up. You’re not a known commodity like Nike. They want to know if you’re trustworthy, reliable, and easy to get along/work with.

We do so many things, such as website design, social media campaigns, branding, etc, so be prepared to learn how to work multiple software packages. Learning how to use Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Premier Pro are all technical skills that are 100% imperative to being successful in this industry, at least for our business. Learning how to write code, especially CSS for web design, is beneficial as well.

If social media management is your thing, spend tons of time on researching the psychology of advertising and how to use social media correctly. Social media is meant to bring out emotions, whatever that may be. Also, practice on sharpening your social media ads skills. Learn how to A/B test multiple ad sets so you get your employer or clients the best bang for their buck.

Dennis: The marketing industry is forever growing and evolving. Businesses have to be where their customers are and now more than ever that place is online. Social media, websites, forums, you name it.

With so much competition now, consumers are buying on experience and emotion. There’s been a big push for more local services or small/mid-size businesses because they’re absolutely killing it on selling consumers through emotion and giving people a great experience. So much so, that big business is coming in to either buy them out or putting together plans on how to be viewed as more “approachable”. Everything is becoming much more emotion driven.