Hite Digital Manchester

CEO Logan Hughes

‘Being a business owner is not just being a business owner anymore,’ says Logan Hughes, CEO of Hite Digital in Manchester, NH. It’s ‘branding yourself as the owner and creating content around that.’

Founded in 2017 by JC Hite, Hite Digital is a digital marketing services company with 16 locations around the U.S. As CEO of Hite’s Manchester franchise, Logan Hughes is putting his creativity to use, working with businesses on their digital strategy, including SEO, web design, logo and branding services, pay-per-click and more.

On a recent episode of NH Business Review’s Down to Business podcast, Hughes sat down with me for a one-on-one about how he broke through the 9-to-5 mold to become an entrepreneur in New Hampshire, and what it takes to succeed when going solo.

Q. How does one become an entrepreneur?

A. I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur or a business owner. I was always pushed to go to school and then get a job, and that’s where I thought I was going to be at. But it wasn’t until later in life where I was thinking about what really matters most to me and my why. At the time, (my wife and I) were thinking about having children.

(Growing up), I saw my father worked his butt off in the corporate field, and always saw that there was a little bit of a disconnect when he got home — he worked early hours, got home late, and there was just that disconnect of something I didn’t want to be. But at that point, I knew I had to give this a try.

I started with social media management work, posting online for businesses and being creative, and then it steamrolled into website design, and that’s where things took off.

Q. What are the newer trends in digital marketing?

A. The shift that we are seeing is personal branding. Being a business owner is not just being a business owner anymore. You have to be able to show out for your competition. And doing that is by branding yourself as the owner and creating content around that. Because when people are buying your services, they’re talking to a sales person that’s a direct reflection of you and your business. And that’s where people will actually purchase.

For any of my clients that are working with us, I tell them that it’s OK for you to get on camera; it’s OK for you to talk about personal things, because that’s the trust and personal approach that’s going to make someone take that next step and purchase. We’re been crushed with so much spam and false advertising that people are looking for a more personal approach. And that’s how the personal branding can reach a better audience and really culminate that.

Also, with TikTok and reels and video content — the short-form video content — is really where it’s at right now.

Q. What challenges did you face when you first started out?

A. Fulfillment, but more on the customer service side of things. A mentor of mine told me that, within the marketing world, you want to be able to establish a Disney-level experience during the onboarding phase, and it always killed me because I was servicing every single person you could think of. So, anyone who was coming my way wanting any type of digital marketing services, I was trying to do while also having to juggle the customer service side, which is the most important part of it.

The reason why I merged my business with Hite was because they had a secure onboarding strategy in place. It made my life a lot easier going from having to wear multiple hats. And another big thing, too, is the financial part of it. I had a rude awakening after a year or two years of not doing my books correctly and having to make all that up.

Q. Is NH a welcoming state for entrepreneurs?

A. Just starting off as a one-person solopreneur and establishing an LLC at the time was pretty easy to do.

Anything that you can do to involve yourself within the community is absolutely key.

From an economic standpoint, there’s going to be a shift. Everyone’s very tense, and there’s some apprehension out there for business owners. And one way to get through that is the community aspect, really focusing on a community, being a good partner in there. And I think that’s really going to help you wade through any troubling times.

Q. You host your own podcast, “Get a Job.” What topics do you cover?

A. A lot of my guests are full-time entrepreneurs and business owners. I love going through their journey of where they were, and if they had a 9 to 5, what caused them to go all in on their entrepreneurial journey, and shed some advice for the younger audience who might be listening.

(Being an entrepreneur has) been an absolute game-changer for me, so it’s a value that I want to provide for the younger audience that listens.

To read the full interview, visit nhbr.com.