Interview: Mark Campbell Of InventureX
With years of digital marketing and hands-on entrepreneurial experience under his belt, Mark Campbell is always up for a challenge when it comes to helping clients transform ideas into full-pledged working businesses.
As co-founder and VP of Marketing at InventureX, Campbell has helped launch over 300 products, from electric bikes to ski pole flasks through comprehensive and innovative marketing campaigns.
Campbell has a BA in Philosophy with Honors from the University of California. He also holds a post-graduate business certificate from Fudan University in Shanghai. He lives in Los Angeles, CA and enjoys surfing and track racing when he's out of the office.
What has been the biggest accomplishment of your career so far?
I consider growing InventureX and everything that we are currently doing as my biggest accomplishment. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing clients launch their businesses, especially if these businesses were ones that traditional funding outlets and banks have turned away. What's even more rewarding is when we see these clients succeed in creating long-term sustainable companies, and knowing that we played a role in helping them get started.
What are some of your favorite tools and resources to support your role or team at InventureX?
Social media is hands down the most important tool for my team. Without it, there would be no crowdfunding because we would have no way to reach so many people and let them know that this amazing idea or service exists. We use social media to inform, educate, not just sell.
Personally, I use Evernote to keep me organized. I think it's one of the most important tools that I have on my phone. If I'm organized, my team stays on track.
What business leaders, past or present, have inspired you the most?
There are so many of them! But off the top of my head, I think Steve Jobs, his work ethic and his legacy has inspired me the most. His motto about doing what you believe is great work is basically the mantra that drives me to perform at my best every day.
Overseeing a business can be tough, how do you relax in your free time?
I do a lot of things. I run, hike, go surfing. All of these are pretty convenient for me because my wife and I live by the beach. On some days I go to car shows or slip in a few hours to go on a long scenic drive, just to reset my mind before I dive into work again.
Can you give a business owner some advice if they are considering using crowdfunding?
The first thing you should focus on if you are thinking about crowdfunding your idea is to make sure that crowdfunding is the right route for you.
At InventureX we make sure that ideas check off two boxes: if it provides value to the marketplace and if you can offer an incentive for the crowd to participate.
The first one is easy to understand since no one would want to invest in something that doesn't offer a clear use or benefit.
For the second one, we recommend that business owners create a rewards system that allows them to retain ownership of their ideas.
In an interview with Entrepreneur.com, I shared that this rewards-based system could use incentives such as the product itself, special credits, or exclusive access during the production process to motivate people to pledge.
Another advice would be to invest in marketing. This means working with marketing partners who are as invested in your success as you are.
For me, one way to do this would be to choose marketing experts who can help you create effective promotional videos if you’re not able to do it in-house of have the experience.
A well-crafted promotional clip, preferably not longer than 3 minutes, can help you tell your story, present your value and allow you to connect emotionally with the audience.
What's the next step for you in your career at InventureX?
The next step for me has always remained the same, and that is to continue to enhance the ability of crowdfunding to transform businesses. This field is growing fast and I am just lucky to have a front seat. Crowdfunding could be driving the next game-changing idea tomorrow, next month, or two years from now and that is what makes working in this field so exciting.
