Jason helps businesses navigate digital marketing
August 1, 2023
Jason Adams is here to help businesses navigate the ever-changing digital marketing landscape through his new company, Unparallel.
We first met Jason at a Startup Week conference. Recently, he quit his day job to work full-time in Unparallel, and we are so excited for him! We caught up with him recently to learn more about his journey.
Introduce yourself — who are you and what is your company?
I’m Jason Adams, CEO of Unparallel LLC, a passionate digital marketing agency driving growth and success for businesses in the manufacturing, technology, and services industries. I have an experienced background in digital marketing and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. I founded Unparallel with a vision to deliver data-driven strategies, marketing automation, and omni-channel excellence. We are nimble, embrace and leverage change, and push boundaries to help our clients better communicate, measure, and achieve their goals.
How did your company start?
After a few years of leading some major projects for various digital marketing agencies, I decided to work directly for one of my clients. In that time, I started to build a side hustle and take on freelance work. A year ago, I decided to take on even more, and build it up to a point where I could quit my day job and dedicate myself full time. That moment happened just recently!
Why this idea?
The idea behind Unparallel was born out of a strong belief in humanizing how we do business digitally. Some agencies were just resistant to digital. Some were so well-established in traditional marketing efforts that they ignored digital strategies or actively treated them as a threat. Other agencies were so digital that they lost sight of (or perhaps never really knew) the people involved in their clients’ business, especially their target customers. Unparallel is a response to the rapidly changing environment that many businesses face when their own processes are becoming more digitized and efficient. There is a need for marketing and sales to be able to translate their processes, systems, and values to a digital landscape, and Unparallel helps to usher these businesses into their next evolution.
Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?
Not always. I learned that my career was based on seeking what I should have been attracting. I wanted to work somewhere that prioritizes people, values diversity, and cultivates an inclusive and supportive environment for all. That requires an attitude that prioritizes change, challenges standards, and embeds accountability in each process. I thought I had to suggest change. Then I believed I had to fight for change. And now, I believe that I must be the change, and that can only happen if I manifest it as an entrepreneur.
The Launch Dayton community values are: 1. Be Bold 2. All Are Welcome 3. People First 4. Give First 5. Remove Barriers. How do you embody one or more of these values?
Be bold: We embrace innovative approaches and fearlessly explore new strategies to stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape.
All are welcome: We foster an inclusive and diverse environment. We welcome clients and team members from all backgrounds, ensuring their voices are heard and valued.
People first: We have a knack for being able to tie together digital tactics with the real world. Many agencies are full of career marketers, and as a result, they lack a sense of being grounded.
Give first: We believe in giving back to our community and industry, sharing our knowledge, insights, and support to help others succeed.
Remove barriers: We are dedicated to streamlining processes, providing clear communication, and eliminating obstacles, making it seamless for clients to access and benefit from our services. We invite all perspectives to improve our processes and biases.
What identities or life experiences do you bring to entrepreneurship that helped prepare you for this lifestyle?
Being in poverty for several years developed a strong root system in my understanding of the world. Living in what others fear gives you a certain strength and conviction in your values. Having an understanding of the system and its flaws has shaped those values and allows me to feel confident that I can act ethically and consistently.
I am realizing that I do not often dwell on the past, or reflect on how or why I made it here today. I bounce between wanting to give myself credit and checking my privilege. I’ll just say that, if you are waiting on someone to help you, then all you have is luck and you can’t rely on that.
What is the biggest barrier you’ve faced on your entrepreneur journey?
Patience with my own vision. I wanted to start out with a well-experienced and trusted team. But it takes a long time to build a business, and if you want the best people, you have to respect that they deserve more than an idea and trust. That was a difficult barrier I faced, because although I knew that if we all worked together the results would come faster and they would be of a higher caliber, I had to learn patience and slowly build something that would be more reliable for them to be able to join me.
Why do you love what you do?
I recharge by connecting with other people. I discovered that I bring value to a group whenever we all have a challenge to overcome. It makes me feel good about myself to work with others, find their strengths, and leverage those strengths in order to solve problems and reach goals. This fills my cup.
What advice would you offer fellow or aspiring entrepreneurs?
Actively listen to your clients and colleagues. They will help you create new pathways in your mind that will make you better.
How was your experience with Startup Week and launch Dayton?
The Launch Dayton program has been amazing. I would recommend this to anybody, especially since its free.
Connect with Jason online and on social media @go.unparallel.
