Today we’d like to introduce you to David Ezell.
Thanks for sharing your story with us David. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be an entrepreneur. I grew up in a small town outside of West Monroe, Louisiana. Growing up I would witness my dad starting new businesses and/or projects over the years. I think it’s in our genes. I would help him with these businesses, even going with him to QVC one-time to sell our product on air. It continued to inspire me and ignited a fire inside. In high school, I remember reading and saving copies of Inc Magazine, Forbes, and Fast Company. At that time, the majority of the articles in those magazines were around the tech bubble and everything happening in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. Even though those were all things happening hundreds of miles away, I was hooked. I attended Louisiana Tech with a degree in Communication Design and started several businesses throughout college, experimenting with building something from scratch. Although none of them took flight, it was a learning experience around dedication, failures and how to overcome them. I entered the workforce, working in the marketing sector in the technology, non-profit, and real-estate spaces, all while trying to prepare myself to set out on my own.
In the Winter of 2016, I started The Lanyap Group. I was working both full time at my corporate job and building this business on the side. In January of 2018, I left my full-time corporate job and took the leap into being “all in” with growing my business. It was the scariest thing ever.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s been a road like you would find on the outskirts of where I grew up. A country road that’s full of bumps, ditches, highs and lows and mud pits. You hit those smooth moments every now and then all of a sudden the next ditch comes up that you have to figure out how to navigate through or around. Every week and month is different than the previous and you have to learn how to live with the uncertainty.
One of the best decisions I made was hiring a business coach before I left my corporate job, and she’s still my business coach today. She helps to keep me focused on what needs to be done today, and not looking too far into the future.
The struggles of an entrepreneur are real, but it’s 90% mindset. I like to tell people that it’s like vacationing at the beach. The day is great, but it’s always nice to shower and change out of your sand-filled bathing suit. Being an entrepreneur is like wearing the same sand-filled bathing suit day after day. You just have to get used to being uncomfortable. You can’t get too high and you can’t get too low. Every day is a constant postmortem on your business. What’s working and what isn’t and adjust along the way.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Lanyap Group – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We’re tired of seeing entrepreneurs and small businesses fail. Business failure happens for a myriad of reasons, but a lot of times comes from a lack of communication and not understanding your audience. We work 1-on-1 with entrepreneurs and founders on positioning, messaging, and the importance of brand equity.
We envision a world where people can build the businesses that they dream of and be successful.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Dallas is amazing. I knew this was the place to move to after a short stint in Atlanta right after college. Since we focus specifically on the entrepreneur space, my favorite thing is just how vibrant of a startup ecosystem Dallas has. There’s so much opportunity here.
I host a monthly event called Founders Live Dallas, where 5 companies each get 99 seconds to pitch their business, followed by 4 minutes of crowd Q&A. It’s great to see so many inspiring and cause-driven companies right here in our back yard.
Contact Info:
- Address: The Lanyap Group
13355 Noel Rd, Suite 1100
Dallas, TX 75240 - Website: https://thelanyapgroup.com/
- Phone: 318-348-7285
- Email: david@thelanyapgroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelanyapgroup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLanyapGroup/
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