Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Rissmiller.
Hi Justin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I began my journey into entrepreneurship a little over a decade ago while I was working full-time at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio where I was employed there as a sustainability coordinator for the Russ College of Engineering & Computer Science. During this time, I also began to develop an interest in helping others develop themselves online through online branding, design and SEO. While employed there, I was able to network and establish many positive relationships with a large number of both faculty and staff. Many of these people operated their own businesses and participated in other projects while maintaining employment at the university. I began to develop my freelancing side hustle and started assisting my colleagues with marketing and growing their small businesses online. This started off small, but eventually grew into being a full-time endeavor. After about three years of working in higher education, I decided to take the ultimate risk. I cashed out my retirement, accrued leave and left my position at the university to start my own branding and web design agency.
I started my own digital agency effectively known as T&R Solutions in May 2014, where I focused on marketing small and medium-sized businesses via digital web design, SEO, and social media. The first two years were incredibly tough with gaining and retaining steady web clients. I worked day and night for a few years, operating solely as a one man team. I completed cold calls, went to networking events and volunteered my time often to get my business off the ground. I was able to secure two large contracts in 2016, which changed everything and helped me fully establish my business. This certainly gave my business its proper footing and credibility.
With the successes that I experienced that year, I determined to expand out my business. When a musician friend of mine moved out to Las Vegas in 2016, I kept in contact with him. In a random last-minute decision, I decided to take a road trip out west to visit him. During my time there, I was able to brainstorm what I wanted to do next while providing my friend with some guidance for marketing the band that he was playing in. Things really started to pick up for his band, but they really needed management and marketing help. While there, my friend showcased to me that I could do the same thing that I do with businesses, but for his band and possibly others. I decided to take his confidence in me and use my remaining time out there to help manage his band and tour.
Upon my arrival back home, I decided to take my business even further. I started a division to T&R Solutions and named it T&R Recordings, operating as an independent label and publisher and began doing the same thing I have done for businesses, but this time for musicians and indie filmmakers. In the next few years that followed, T&R Solutions stood the solid ground as being a stable business. During this time, I was able to put forth funding into growing the label side of the business, as well as begin to play music more myself and start my own band, which I eventually did. My band’s name is Back Alley Pep Rally, and we are still going strong today.
Since then, I have traveled to Las Vegas multiple times a year to conduct business for both T&R Solutions and T&R Recordings. As of today, T&R Solutions now oversees and handles digital marketing for 33 different companies and the list of clients gets bigger each year. T&R Recordings handles the distribution and publishing for a total of 17 different bands and currently has 73 official releases within its catalog. T&R Recordings has also assisted and sponsored 17 different nationwide tours for its artists.
During the last few years up until now, I have been on tours with my band, have been maintaining and growing the record label, as well as maintaining and growing my digital marketing agency. What started as a small web design company, has grown to so much more in 10 years and it continues to grow each day.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I certainly struggled being a new entrepreneur at the time. I operated as a one person team for the longest time and with limited funding, it took me a few years to get things off the ground. Even with those struggles, I don’t regret a single thing.
We’ve been impressed with T&R Solutions/T&R Recordings, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Founded in 2014, we are a small marketing consultant agency located within Dayton, Ohio that assists in giving others a louder voice. We provide creative digital marketing and branding strategies, along with web and graphic design, through visual and personal communication. We are a small social enterprise that has assisted multiple individuals and businesses in coming up with effective inbound marketing strategies to better promote themselves and build positive audience engagement in the digital world!
We are a hybrid digital marketing agency that thrives on growth and development. Learn more about our organization, our design process and check out our services today!
Founded in 2015 as a division of T&R Solutions, T&R Recordings is an independent music recording label and small audio/video production company located in Dayton, Ohio. T&R Recordings is an independent production company and record label that represents and promotes musical artists and filmmakers. In short, we go out and find tunes, films and other works of art that we like and then we try to represent and promote them!
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
To never give up on your dreams no matter what. The risks always outweigh the what-ifs in life.
Pricing:
- Web Design (Depends On Many Factors): $500-$2500
- SEO: $500-$2000 (Pricing Varies)
- Social Media: $250-$500 (Pricing Varies)
- Audio Engineering: $500-$2000 (Pricing Varies)
- All pricing varies based on the project, but above are some example ranges in the pricing. Contact us for an official quote!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tandrrecordings.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tandrddp
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/t&r-solutions-define-design-progress
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tandrsolutions
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TandrUsTRddp
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/t-and-r-solutions-define-design-progress-fairborn
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/57fqrzsNmr5NEY5QMuCebr
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinrissmiller
