Meet Dan Russell of Vivid Labs in Lodo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Russell.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Dan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in the backwoods of Connecticut right on the border with New York, so as I grew up I had the best in the country and the best of the city. It felt like home, even after I graduated from college and moved to New Jersey. I worked with a marketing tech startup for two years, which helped me build some skills and get familiar with the marketing industry. I had a degree in finance and we were a small team, so everything marketing-related was self-taught. Nonetheless, I picked up a few valuable skills and took on a few local clients.

Eventually, the company began to grow and so did the team. We brought on a project manager, copywriters, designers, and technicians to help keep up with our clients’ projects.

Today, I run Vivid Labs as the CEO and Head Strategist. We focus exclusively on building neuromarketing campaigns that have ethical brain science baked in at every step. It’s exciting work!

I met my soon-to-be wife, Melanie, about two years ago, and she’s the bedrock of my sanity. We’re both entrepreneurs, which can be a potent mix at times! But we are uniquely able to understand each other, what the other person is going through, and how to support each other in such a deep way.

As much as I am a businessman, I am more a fiance and soon-to-be husband. Having spent so many years with my head down working, it was easy to think it would be almost impossible to find someone for me. It was a blessing to run into her, and we daydream about building a house in the foothills – maybe up near Fort Collins.

For now, our downtown entrepreneur life is so much fun. We love Denver and the amazing life that this city offers.

Has it been a smooth road?
Cash flow was a near-constant struggle in the first 2-3 years of the business. I remember at one point writing myself an invoice so I could put my rent on the credit card – not exactly in the book of best business decisions. I learned many skills over those years, including that dire necessity wins over best practices.

I also had a failed partnership in those first couples of years. I had a 50% equity vesting agreement with a good friend who agreed to run our sales, and then he started a crypto business and disappeared (but still wanted equity)! That was a painful process that required me to stand up for the business.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Vivid Labs – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Our business is Vivid Labs, and we are a marketing agency that uses decision science to build marketing campaigns that win. We specialize in a field called neuromarketing, which lies at the intersection of traditional direct response marketing and the science of human decision-making.

The thing I’m most proud of is that we’ve achieved as a company is our reputation. I know that sounds cliche, but when you’ve seen the slimeballs I have in the digital marketing world, we really do stand out. Every time we get a referral, it’s a heartwarming email that sings the praises of our team. That’s definitely what I’m most proud of.

We’re known for creative and unexpected marketing strategies. Since we do so much research on behavioral economics and social psychology, we come up with super-innovative promotional ideas that our clients love. It’s exciting to field-test them and see them generate sales.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The thing I love most about Denver is the outdoorsy lifestyle. If there was a uniform for Denver, it would be jeans and hiking boots – which in my mind makes it approachable and informal.

The thing I like least is the fact that there’s no easy public transit option between Fort Collins and the airport. If there were, we’d probably be living there – FoCo is amazing.

Pricing:

• Launch Lab Workshop: $10,000
• Growth Lab: $5,000 / mo

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thevividlab.com
• Phone: 1 (970) 454-7230
• Email: team@thevividlab.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/vividlabs

Image Credit:
Mary Gardella

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