Brand Partner Content
It certainly didn’t start off that way, but Manuel Suarez found his true calling while ramping up marketing for his own small business.
He was determined to use social media to increase his product sales through Amazon, and along the way, he discovered that he was highly skilled at marketing. In fact, marketing was his superpower.
So, as a result of the lessons he learned running his e-commerce business, Suarez founded Attention Grabbing Media, orAGM, in 2015. The full-service marketing agency has more than lived up to the name: they’ve just been listed 438th on the Inc. 5000 List 2021, which recognizes the fastest-growing companies in the country, and have opened a 6,000 square-foot office space in Largo, Florida.
“It’s been an incredible journey to get to this point,” Suarez said. “As cheesy as it sounds, I can’t wait to see what comes next, because this is what we’ve been able to accomplish in the past five years alone, and I believe there’s so many more good things to come.”
From Tough Times to Famous Partners
A decade ago, the future wasn’t looking bright for Suarez. At that time, he was struggling with addiction issues, facing bankruptcy, and unsure how he’d support his family.
“Sometimes I look back on where I was compared to where I am now, and it’s crazy,” he said. “I’m very grateful for everything that led me to this point.”
Suarez focused his efforts on growing his e-commerce business, and honing his social media and marketing skills. Working nights, weekends, whatever it took, he grew his business from a tiny seed to one bringing in more than $600,000 in sales each month. After that, he helped his father become a social media superstar, gaining millions of followers with the help of Manuel’s strategies.
By then, he was ready to share his marketing skills with other small businesses, and AGM was born. AGM began with just three core employees and has grown to over 90 employees.
“Being able to bring on new employees is always the best part of growing AGM for me,” said Suarez. “I feel that we’re all at our best when everyone accesses their own creativity and knowledge, and brings what they feel they can do best to the table for our clients. More employees means more chances to do that.”
Suarez also collaborates with other successful entrepreneurs, including Shark Tank investor and CEO of FUBU, Daymond John. They’ve worked together for a couple of years, helping clients and would-be business founders learn how to use social media to gain customer attention.
If social media numbers don’t convince you, AGM also has the brick-and-mortar presence to prove success. In mid-2021, the company moved into a renovated 6,000-square-foot building Suarez acquired in Largo, Florida. There’s plenty of space for brainstorming, a dedicated recording studio, and Silicon Valley-style break rooms.
“That expansion signaled the next phase of our growth to me,” he said.
Community Connection
Suarez understands that success for a small business isn’t just success for the owner. As a business becomes more successful, it generates more revenue, which helps a lot of people. The employees’ jobs become more stable and their families do better, which helps the overall community, he said.
For that reason, AGM wants to help business owners who are most in need. Suarez is generous in sharing his skills and knowledge with struggling business people because he himself was once a struggling entrepreneur.
As part of the company’s community outreach, AGM now offers free, weekly classes where businesspeople can learn the basics of marketing, how to generate leads, and other helpful topics. These workshops will also be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube for those unable to attend in person.
“The free workshops are part of AGM’s vision and goal to serve people on all levels,” Suarez said. “We have begun to hold seminars, workshops and have masterminds in the building to help serve the community and teach others about marketing.”
Unique Opportunity
With so much of life moving online during the pandemic, internet platforms grew massively, accelerating what was probably 10 years of growth into just a year, Suarez said. That makes it all the more important for businesses to take advantage of the opportunity to get attention through social media.
AGM provides a wide range of services to help businesses grab attention by maximizing their social media presence with original content. Services include marketing and branding strategy, social media advertising, messenger marketing, YouTube SEO, and content creation. AGM experts help businesses reach specific audiences and provide proven results.
“We still retain our vision of wanting to help and serve others in our industry at all levels possible,” Suarez said. “That’s one of the main reasons I’m so excited about our growth. We’ll have even more opportunities to give back while continuing to serve our clients with excellence.”
About Attention Grabbing Media
Attention Grabbing Media (AGM), founded in 2015, is a full-service social media marketing agency that helps businesses scale their online presence. They are the recipients of several awards including the prestigious ManyChat “Top Performing Agency” award, and are ranked on the Inc. 5000 list. To learn more about their services, please visithttps://www.agmagency.com/.
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