Rick Elmore Inks His Own Entrepreneurial Success

Interview with Rick Elmore is the founder and CEO of Simply Noted

Rick: My background is actually in professional sports. I started my football career at the University of Arizona as a defensive end, and after graduating I was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. I played in the NFL for several years, then decided to translate my competitive drive as an athlete to medical technology sales. I realized that my skills were highly transferrable to sales and received multiple honors and rankings for my performance.

Rick: When I worked in sales, I discovered the power of a handwritten letter to build relationships with potential customers. Further, when I was pursuing my MBA and listening to a lecture, a professor was talking about the relative ROI of different kinds of marketing, and said that handwritten notes had a 99% open rate. I had an “aha” moment at that time and began to think about how I could help those in business better utilize this marketing strategy to build relationships and find greater success. After developing the right technology, I launched Simply Noted as an automated and scalable handwritten notes service.

Rick: Businesses and marketers can send printed letters and collateral that use fonts that look like the text is handwritten, but you can clearly tell that the font has been printed by a printer. What is unique about our technology is that our machines use real ballpoint pens on real paper to simulate an authentic handwritten note. You get the indents on the paper from pressing the pen to the paper. You can smear the ink if you press your finger to it. Our products really look like truly authentic handwritten notes.

Rick: I am usually up around 4:30 a.m. in the morning working with my developers and reviewing progress on current projects or planning future projects. I work out at 5:30 a.m. for 1 hour and then come home and spend some time with my family until 8:00 a.m. From 9–5 I am working “in the business.” Family time is from 5:30 p.m. — 8 p.m. and then I either go to bed or work on developer projects. I make my day productive by aiming for 1 small win and 1 big win in a day. If you do not have a way of identifying progress you will go crazy thinking you are not getting anything done when in reality you are, but you are just so close to what you’re doing you cannot see it.

Rick: To grow my business, I have utilized our own services. I mailed out letters that were written by our robotics technology to potential leads. We have always used our own technology to gain new clients. When people see how real and great the automated handwriting is, they reach out to us to learn more.

Rick: Having zero experience in technology and building a technology/robotics-based startup! But I have learned a lot over the last few years and am constantly building on what we’ve started to offer better technology and services to our clients. I love this technology and how we are helping people build better relationships.

Rick: One thing I have always done in sales and marketing is follow up; I do not quit. I have always been relentless in everything that I do, and it has helped me be successful at multiple stages of my career. Without thoughtful follow up, you could miss out on important opportunities. And, obviously, using unique follow up methods such as handwritten notes can help you stand out and break through to your target audience.

Rick: How to Win Friends and Influence People — I read this book every January. Dale Carnegie lays out the foundation for having a successful life for both business and personal. I highly recommend it for anyone who is just getting started and looking for some guidance.

Rick: To launch a business, it takes ten times longer than you think it will. Get ready for the hardest, most painful, challenging times in your life. Yet, it is the best, most professionally satisfying and the wonderful thing you can do for your personal and professional growth in your life and career.

Rick: As a former professional athlete, one habit that I developed that I keep with me as an entrepreneur is feeding my competitive drive. I was always driven to be the best athlete I could be, and now I’m driven to be the best business owner and founder I can be. I am happy to reflect on the success that I’ve had so far, but I’m always driven to do more and be better, which makes me more productive as an entrepreneur.

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