Tobias Roediger built RAVE, a full-service marketing and advertising agency, from scratch over 16 years ago. With an open mind, a drive for learning new things, and a touch of resiliency, RAVE looks much different today than it did back in 2006. This is Tobias’ entrepreneurial journey.
Many many years ago, I actually worked with Tobias. He was a systems administrator for a venture capital firm where I was working part-time in Athens, Ohio. Life looked quite different for us back then, as he freelanced more creative projects on the side and I completed my undergraduate degree.
Tobias wasn’t the only one doing freelance work. He had a friend who was freelancing in his spare time too. This web developer and graphic designer often hired one another to help clients in areas that were beyond their own expertise and at one point, exchanging checks with each other seemed pretty ridiculous. Tobias joked, “maybe we should go into business together to avoid having to pay each other,” and that as they say, was that. A few months later RAVE was formed. They started off working together in Tobias’ basement on evenings and weekends, slowly but surely growing the business.
Over the years, Tobias created an environment that helped him thrive. His advice for those starting their business is to, “Establish clear routines that put you in the right frame of mind to work. Even at home, dress for the client or customer that you want to land. I don’t want my couch for a client, so I don’t wear sweatpants or lounge ware while working. I find this keeps me mentally sharper and in the right headspace to get sh*t done throughout the day. Get dressed for work, be around great people, and put yourself in a position where spontaneous conversations can happen. It will go a long way to helping you meet your business goals.”
These routines have helped Tobias stay focused on building RAVE to be able to fulfill its mission today, providing digital and traditional solutions and strategies to small and mid-sized companies, helping them realize goals and grow their businesses in today’s increasingly connected world.
Another way that he’s grown is by staying open to new ideas and staying on top of the latest tactics and things going on in the world around us. He will forever be finding his path through his life and career. He says to future entrepreneurs, “Be open to unexpected opportunities and quickly move in areas where no one else is even looking yet. And surround yourself with people smarter than you are, a great team and community are vital to success.”
For instance, Tobias is actively and passionately involved in the non-fungible token (NFT) space. He sees these as the next mechanism for new business fundraising as well as something that will fundamentally change how we view personal ownership of digital and physical assets. He says, “The number of industry verticals that will be completely upended by this technology is fascinating.” Coming up this August, Tobias will be sharing his knowledge of NFTs with us during a free virtual lunch and learn and we very much look forward to it. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for details.
Tobias loves being a business owner because he’s able to directly impact the vision and direction of the businesses he works with, in positive ways, every day. He hopes that RAVE continues to make bigger and even more positive impacts on everyone they work with over the coming years. To work with Tobias, you can connect with him here.
Members of Haven Collective also have the opportunity to learn from Tobias through monthly private coaching sessions that are included with membership. Click the button below to learn more about Haven’s support services.
Written by Danielle Lim