Business spotlight – Anderson Media 906
Grand Rapids, Mich.—Noah Anderson has Michigan roots. Growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, playing competitive hockey gave him the chance to travel and explore. Just like the roads he so frequently finds himself traveling these days, his path to entrepreneurship has been anything but straight and narrow. After leaving hockey as a player, he found great joy for three years mentoring in coaching roles. His travels took Anderson back home to Sault Ste. Marie, finding work at a local paint store while he attended college at Lake Superior State University. Wondering if his enthusiasm for connecting with people might be a good fit for a leadership role within the company, Anderson sought to take advantage of the company’s management trainee program.
Throughout this time he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. He took an honest assessment of his lifestyle and goals as a yearning to see and explore more took shape. Anderson credits his sister’s enthusiasm behind the camera for that initial spark, nudging him into the world of media production. “I cannot remember a family event where my sister was not getting something on video or photo, she was always able to capture and preserve our fun,” reminisced Anderson. Although he wasn’t quite sure where to start, having no formal background in media production, he was a quick study. Between picking his sister’s brain, near-constant filming, and putting in hundreds of hours of research on the internet, he began to feel confident about his drone skills, and learned valuable knowledge into the production and media storage side of the business. Anderson was willing to put in the work, devouring small business and entrepreneurship podcasts and reaching out to mentors for advice, before finalizing the plans for his own entrepreneurial efforts.
Anderson Media 906 officially got its start in May of 2019. He was able to start small, creating social media platforms for a local motel and testing the waters of video production for a local gym. These early opportunities helped Anderson understand the media needs of small businesses and helped provide his passion for telling visual stories a foundation to build from. “Do things that scare you, and get as much feedback as you can,” are the lessons Anderson garnered during the early stages of developing the vision for his business. Anderson emphasizes a migration from the one-size-fits-all approach to entrepreneurship. An approach that stresses experimentation, self-guided study, and embracing the technology available through online platforms has taken Anderson’s work into the social media feeds of thousands and has helped his clients establish and grow their digital footprint in a short period of time.
To say his business was an overnight success and that anyone can become an entrepreneur would be an incorrect assessment. Anderson quips, “you know you’re going to have good days and bad days, that is a given. But your passion for your work is what will get you through the hard times.” A changing landscape for businesses and newly-established, tech-centered channels to market them are what fuel Anderson’s work. A business’ ability to share their story is one of the biggest changes Anderson has noticed. Traditional media sources such as newspaper, radio, and television have waning influence these days. “People want to know about your business, so how do you show them?” asks Anderson. Businesses can share a very dynamic glimpse of the ins and outs of everyday activity with their clients and potential clients, from day-to-day operations inside the company, to special events and promotions the company is involved in. Your story is your business. The gap between patron and producer is lessening. People can get to know your business, the good the bad, so why not share your journey with the world?
The internet and its wealth of possibilities for businesses to promote themselves is only growing, making entrepreneurship all the more attractive for anyone seeking a change from traditional career paths. Anderson acknowledges the risks associated with becoming your own boss, “you can become a superhero, or your own worst enemy.” Most businesses will need to balance between playing the long game of showcasing and selling a brand, with the short game of creating engaging and emotional content. Anderson credits investor, entrepreneur, and author Gary Vanyerchuck’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Hook analogy as a guiding light in his approach to building an online presence. A right hook’s content aims to sell and self-promote and a jab’s content aims to engage and trigger an emotional response.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and foot traffic down across all sectors of business, Anderson reiterates the importance for businesses developing their online offerings. Dynamic content doesn’t go unnoticed. Anderson sees rural businesses leveling the playing field with their metropolitan counterparts and he’s thrilled to see groups of entrepreneurs get together to pool resources and talent. He encourages small business to reach out and collaborate with other businesses and causes that align with their own vision. “Be authentic and build a community,” says Anderson. He is thankful for the Sault Tribe Thrive program as a trusted tribal community resource for small business like his, and commends the program for not only talking the talk, but for actually taking the steps to share the stories of business owners and aspiring tribal entrepreneurs like him.
Sault Tribe Thrive would like to thank Noah Anderson of Anderson Media 906 for connecting and sharing his story with us. Noah is willing to climb mountains and jump from planes to tell your story. His work can be seen in the recent Chippewa Government Solutions produced promotional video for the Sault Tribe Thrive program. Visit our YouTube channel here to see the Sault Tribe Thrive promo, or head over to https://www.noahandersonmedia.com/ for more of Noah’s work and all of your media production and social media management needs.