Hidden Gems: Meet Dre Richmond of dba marketing pros

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dre Richmond.

Hi Dre, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Born to thrive with the business leaders of the 21st century, Founder, Dre Richmond was from a small town and would one day lead a Global Digital Marketing Agency with a team based in Fuquay-Varina that propelled businesses forward.

Dre was raised by his grandmother in a low-income community in Sanford, NC. Throughout his educational career, he gained much inspiration in business classes, and there lived an entrepreneurial spirit deep inside Dre to one day build a business and leave a legacy for his family.

Dre studied business administration and worked part-time jobs (Best Buy, G4S, YMCA, Xerox) in college, and he would spend most of his hours reading business and self-development books past midnight. These were the impeccable moments Dre developed his passion for business and began to discover his purpose.

After college, Dre came across an article that revealed how the Digital Marketing Industry would be the catalyst to help businesses thrive in the next 20 years. After earning a Digital Marketing Master’s Degree from Concordia College NY, Dre applied and interviewed for many job opportunities, and he faced a ton of challenges pursuing a career in the Digital Marketing Industry.

Despite the opposition, in 2018, Dre ran into a church that needed a new website. Dre created his first website for the church, and this opportunity inspired Dre to create his first business while job seeking.

As Dre continued to seek a Marketing career, Healthgrades, a health-based Marketing Agency, provided Dre with the greatest internship of his life. In a three-month period, Dre was well equipped with Digital Marketing Certifications and abilities needed to pursue any job in the Digital Marketing Industry. In less than a year, by God’s grace, Dre went from having no job offer to looking at several digital marketing offers on his desk.

Dre accepted his first highest-paid job offer and continued to grow his small business on the side. During the 3rd year of his career, Dre was running digital ads across the U.S. for a Global Healthcare company and managing multi-million dollar advertising budgets annually. Dre thought he was living his dream with his wife and 3 children, but little did he know having access to luxury hotels and the best 5-star restaurants isn’t what fulfilled him.

This was the lifestyle Dre always imagined. However, he found out it was not the lifestyle he truly desired. He gained much more weight, spent less time with family, and had challenging times adapting to new company cultures and systems that did not fit his identity. Dre was not fulfilling his true purpose.

In 2021, at age 26, Dre Richmond was led to step out on faith and give his full time, effort, and energy to the Digital Marketing Agency to serve businesses in the area of consumer growth and educate businesses to increase sustainability. This significant moment produced the birth of dba marketing pros, where we help business make their mark in the community through website, branding, marketing and advertising.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This road of entrepreneurship has been anything but smooth; it’s been a roller coaster ride and one exciting adventure. In the beginning, I was thrown into the fire, trying to do everything on my own and figure out accounting for business taxes, identifying the right people to collaborate with, hiring the best contractors while learning the right activities to increase business growth. Add to that the stream of unexpected client challenges that I did not anticipate, and it became clear that the lessons you learn are valuable and help sharpen you when you continue to move forward.

Moving forward in entrepreneurship required seeking Yeshua’s wisdom and being willing to solve problems fast and prep for the unknown and future opportunities. I’ve realized that some challenges are only solved through time. Respecting the timing and the process is crucial as it fosters a new level of understanding and growth, enabling better decision-making that benefits not just me, but those around me.

Self-Care was the primary challenge I dealt with, when I transitioned from being a full-time employee to a full-time business owner, I did not understand my worth and value at the start of my business. You have to understand and trust that when you take a break and get off to serve your family, it’s going to positively impact you and your business. Self-Care is a necessity to provide your quality self to others for those quality prices you have to offer. Give people the best you, and sometimes that means taking a vacation (I do this quarterly), dismissing problems and taking a walk, having clarity days to sharpen the iron. Ultimately, it was my reliance on faith and my willingness to be coached that truly made a difference in overcoming every obstacle. These experiences have shaped my journey and how I operate my business to today. I’m still on the roller coast, except now, my corner includes God, my coach, my wife, my mentors, and those influential people I encounter when I take another risk in business. As a result, my business profits have almost doubled since last year, and I have the most peace on the inside.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
dba marketing pros is a marketing agency dedicated to helping businesses make a significant impact in their communities through expert website development, branding, marketing, and advertising services. We are well known for our personal touch, especially when working with B2B businesses and supporting government agencies. Our clients appreciate the strong communication and genuine care we provide, ensuring their needs are met with quality and efficiency.

What truly distinguishes us is our renowned client experience, built on a foundation of honesty, care and integrity. Our team is committed to delivering top-notch services that not only meet but exceed expectations, forging lasting relationships with our clients. One of our most successful achievements this year, we worked with a local clinic, built their brand in 30 days and started a new television campaign on WRAL and ABC. At dba marketing pros, we believe in empowering businesses to tell their unique stories and achieve their marketing goals with confidence and clarity.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Trust that everything you do will produce a harvest in its season. Just keep going, trust the process and look forward to the end being good and more than what you expected.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dbamarketingpros.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dbamarketingpros/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DBAMARKETINGPROS
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cprichmond/
• Twitter: https://x.com/dbapros
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dbamarketingpros