We were told in Field of Dreams that “If we build it, they will come.” Maybe that works in baseball, but for entrepreneurs, there’s another step we can’t afford to overlook. “If we build it, we have to show them where to find it, and THEN they’ll come.”

Doug Krehbiel, founder of Lumenvox Media in Omaha, is putting this marketing philosophy into practice through his latest business venture.

Just last year, Doug watched Formula 1 Racing in Las Vegas, and as he’s ever on the lookout for the next big idea, he noticed and marveled at the creative marketing strategies he saw being used there, particularly the mobile media centers. Curiosity developed into a business idea as he asked questions and conducted his own research on mobile marketing. He very quickly learned that as it was being done, it was cost-prohibitive for most of the small businesses in his network.

Herein lay his opportunity. Confident that he had found the sweet spot of making an underutilized marketing strategy affordable for businesses of all sizes, Doug went to work. If he was successful, small businesses could use his mobile media centers to build their brand identity and credibility in the community, a highly visible and unique supplement to their online and other marketing strategies.

Six months later, he has outfitted a Jeep Gladiator with a mobile media center, and Lumenvox Media opened for business.

Small Business Ownership is a Team Sport

Lumenvox may be in its infancy, but Doug is no rookie in the game of business start-ups. He’s been involved in entrepreneurial ventures since 2013, and during that time, he has had the opportunity to establish and nurture incredible relationships with other like-minded business owners.

Doug is quick to credit the small business community in Omaha for the successful launch of Lumenvox. When it was time to get the word out about his mobile media centers, he reached out to his extensive network of contacts to introduce them to his newest venture. They responded with an incredible show of support and eagerness to take advantage of his innovative new marketing service.

Of this experience, Doug notes, “When you’re known as an honest and genuine person, people are quick to buy in and support what you’re doing. Within the small business community, even competitors will cheer you on because ultimately, we’re all trying to achieve the same things.”

At a deeper level, numerous mentors in the industry have been instrumental in sharpening Doug’s business acumen. He has found that honesty and vulnerability intersect when the mentee humbly asks for guidance and wisdom and the mentor then opens up about the successes and failures of his own journey. Through his business coaches, he’s found an invaluable resource for brainstorming and testing out the feasibility of new ideas and proactively troubleshooting potential issues before they happen.

The Makings of an All-Star Entrepreneur

Plenty of people have ideas…and some of them are great ones, but most of those ideas are never developed and put into action. Others may start strong and appear to be on their way, but at the first difficulty, they fold. What is it that sets apart those who make it as entrepreneurs from those who don’t? Doug’s experience and his relationships with fellow entrepreneurs have revealed several key traits that entrepreneurs must have to succeed.

Comfort with failure– He recognizes, with a clear understanding, that at some point he will receive a “gut punch” but it neither destroys nor paralyzes him. He takes a step back, assesses the situation, and develops a plan for recovery.
Grit– though he may get knocked down, he continues to get up and try again.
Growth mindset– every success and every failure are opportunities to learn. Take stock of the state of the business evaluating its role in reaching that state. He recognizes that he has a part to play, perhaps a share of blame to carry for the situation and certainly in taking protective measures to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen again.
Prioritization of relationships- The work is too hard for one person to do alone. Entrepreneurs need each other, and it is in a community that they thrive.

For a few lucky business owners, intestinal fortitude and a steel spine are innate features. Those are the ones who seem to rocket overnight from launch to success. Far more entrepreneurs strengthen these “muscles” over time, for grit, resilience, and teachability are all learnable skills, ones Doug has acquired over the course of his entrepreneurial journey.

Rounding First Base

Stepping up to the plate with just an inkling of an idea and successfully setting a fully launched business into motion in just six months’ time is something Doug takes tremendous pride in achieving. Lumenvox may have made it safely to first base, but its sights are set on scoring a run for Omaha’s small business home team, and with the fan base it has cheering the company on, Lumenvox is sure to get a win.