Meet Eddie Saunders Jr | Christian – Husband – Father – Founder – Marketer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eddie Saunders Jr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eddie, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born, raised, and even ended up moving back to my humble hometown in rural Ohio. Even though I have never considered Ohio to be a part of the “Midwest”, I very much feel the good old fashioned Midwestern US roots are strong within in Ohio.

Being raised in a stereotypical “small town”, it may lack in some ways, but I’d argue it brings many benefits that come to blossom later in life. My work ethic, my morals, my love for others, and many more parts of me can be directly attributed to my midwestern small town upbringing. We never did without, but we weren’t strangers to work.

I was blessed to have a simple, yet opportunity and joy filled upbringing that has been a major factor in what makes me who I am today. I consider myself very lucky to have had the wonderful family and environment that I did.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I took my 14 years of extensive cross industry and cross platform experience to launch my very own Content Strategy & Demand Generation Agency.

What sets us apart is that I’ve taken my depth of experience, crafted a passionate team, and can provide more affordable professional strategy to scaling brands. So instead of having to hire out a full team or even an employee, they afford to bring on an entire Demand Generation Team!

Marketing is one of the hardest things for growing brands to even attempt, let alone do well. So having an experienced brand that really gets it and isn’t trying to sell you a “packaged plan” makes a huge difference.

I arrived at this point by being forced to do things in many ineffective ways due to it being “how it was always done” and also being bottlenecked by packages when selling advertising services in my early 20s. So I promised myself if I was to ever go into business for myself, that I’d do things differently. And I stay true to my word!

I want the world to know that I didn’t just start an agency. Speak Friend is a passionate, energetic, and empathetic Demand Generation Team helping brands move mountains with better Marketing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I was to host someone in my area for a weekend of fun it would definitely depend on what time of year because in Ohio, we experience allllllllll the seasons…and sometimes multiple in one day!

If it’s Summer we’re hitting one of the multiple local lakes for some beach time. Relaxing in the sun, wading around in the water, floating around on a boat, local pizza place for lunch, and beach BBQ with good music for dinner.

If it’s Fall we are for sure going out hiking. Ohio is gorgeous when the leaves are turning. Friday night would be a local football game without a doubt. Then Saturday we’d go to a state park and hike through the forests with a picnic at one of the gazebos. Saturday afternoon and evening would of course be for college football.

If it’s Winter, then we have to go sledding at the local hills. We would have a combo of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast to kick off the morning right. Then we would get all bundled up with our sleds, I’d grab my kids and we’re shred the hills for hours. After some serious sledding we’d get some hot cocoa and watch our favorite movie series with the wood pellet stove running.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The primary entity that continues to receive my praise is Jesus. It is through him that I am able to do all things. I’m so imperfect and unworthy, yet I continue to receive the blessings that I do. Without the gifts I’ve been given, the opportunities in life would not be so readily available. So I have to give credit to the source of my gifts.

Being a better student of the Bible (not religion) has allowed me to better separate myself from the noise of the world and stand strong on a foundation worth standing on. In a world being “woke” and changing what’s important almost daily…it helps to lean into messages that have historical evidence and actually meaning in the world.

Not believing in something is believing in something else, so why not choose something worth believing in?

Website: www.speakfriend,io

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eddietheannouncer/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddiesaundersjr/

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