Larry Fisher is the CEO of Rise Interactive, a “full-service performance marketing agency serving a broad industry spectrum of medium to large corporations.” At the company, he leads a team that specializes in driving e-commerce, lead generation, customer experience and experience building. The company helps clients use data to “get in front of the right customers at the right time with the right message to drive superior business outcomes.”
Throughout his career, Larry Fisher has enjoyed tremendous success and immense satisfaction in “transformational industry building.” He was one of the early adopters of computer algorithms for use in financial instrument trading, and he continued to use algorithms to follow the advertising industry’s shift towards results driven metrics. He also points to his mastery of large data sets as one of the main drivers for his success as a “transformational growth expert.” This capability continues to “drive significant growth for many other industries facing systemic, social, political and financial challenges.” According to him, “identifying new opportunities and building teams to mind them is [my] passion.”
At Rise Interactive, Larry Fisher fulfills his vision of “market growth and opportunity acceleration, through his ability to discover new sources of valuable data, understanding the data, and then applying it through expert teams. Prior to Rise, he co-founded Trading RM, LLC, and worked as Portfolio Manager at Balyasny Asset Management LP.
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Jerome Knyszewski: Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
Larry Fisher: When the 2008 crisis hit, I was in the financial industry and was in the midst of launching a new business. Talk about bad timing, right? It was a time marked by immense challenges, uncertainty, and fear of the unknown.
I am the kind of person that likes to try and look at the glass half full (even if it might not be!), and I used this time to learn how to promote my business digitally. That is how I met Jon Morris, the founder of Rise Interactive. I was a trader and knew nothing about digital marketing, but I realized that both industries were grounded in the very same principles of collecting and analyzing data, figuring out what works, and then applying it. As we started having more conversations, I was able to help make introductions for Jon. We were working so well together that Jon asked if I’d like to join him at Rise full time. I saw an opportunity to use the skill set I had cultivated for over 15 years and apply it to a new industry. I took the leap and never looked back.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
Larry Fisher: They say that change can be uncomfortable, and it was. I went from making a very good living as a trader to a new job that was basically putting me at an entry-level salary. On top of that, I had a wife and three young children to care for, so we were living off of my savings from my successful years as a trader.
However, I happen to be a risk taker, and I truly believed that this sacrifice would be well worth it. It was an opportunity to try something new at a fast-growing company, all within a rapidly growing industry. I recognize that most people probably wouldn’t have done what I did and would’ve played it safe. That’s not the kind of person I am. I chose to dive in, head first, and that decision has paid off in so many ways. I’m also so grateful that I had an incredible support system during this time of transition, including my wife who stood by me and served as my advocate and cheerleader every step of the way.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
Larry Fisher: On my first day at Rise, Jon Morris (Rise’s founder) and Howard Diamond (Chief Strategy Officer) brought me along to a client meeting. I sat through the meeting and was floored by the level of sophistication in their conversations. Their deep knowledge and expertise was evident.
On the way back from the meeting, I realized that I had a lot of work to do to meet their level of sophistication. I told Jon and Howard that there was no way I could ever do what they do, but they took the time to teach me everything they knew. And that’s something that has stuck with me — it’s what we aim to do at Rise for each of our colleagues — teach, educate, and inspire.
Jerome Knyszewski: Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to lead a company from Good to Great? Please share a story or an example for each.
Larry Fisher: These may seem straightforward, but sometimes the simplest things are the most powerful:
- Be Transparent: This is an immediate way to gain trust. At the beginning of Covid, I stood in front of my company and I was honest. I told them that I didn’t know what was going to happen but that I would work as best I could to make sure we came out better on the other side. Transparency goes a long way with colleagues.
- Be a Good Communicator: Make sure you communicate clearly, telling people what you want and need. Progress can’t be made if you don’t communicate what that progress looks like.
- Invest In Your Team: In order to keep and retain your best talent, you need to know what those people care about, both personally and professionally. Find out what matters to them and show genuine interest.
- Be Kind, but Firm: Be a good person and get to know your team, but demand respect as well. A good leader needs to hold everyone, including themselves, accountable.
- Have Financial Discipline: It’s crucial to have the right financial plan in place, especially in challenging times. With a global pandemic at play and an unstable economy, having a strong financial plan can keep a company on track.
Jerome Knyszewski: Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. Can you help articulate for our readers a few reasons why a business should consider becoming a purpose driven business, or consider having a social impact angle?
Larry Fisher: Being a purpose driven company gives your colleagues and clients something to rally around. At Rise, our purpose is driven by our promise to clients — that they will work with the most passionate, data-driven, and innovative marketers who care about growing their business together.
Purpose is critical, but so are results. I see the two going hand in hand. At the end of the day, clients come to us to help them grow their business. If we’re providing a remarkable experience and we’re enjoyable to work with but the results aren’t there, we haven’t done our job. And, if the results are there but we’re not bringing passion and enthusiasm to our work, we haven’t done our job.
Jerome Knyszewski: As you know, “conversion” means to convert a visit into a sale. In your experience what are the best strategies a business should use to increase conversion rates?
Larry Fisher: I think the best way to increase conversion rates is to have a true understanding of your target audience and be laser focused on going after that audience. Make sure that your offering, and everything you do, is designed for that audience. Once you get past that initial discovery, it’s all about learning, evolving and the ability to pivot in real time.
We’ve learned a lot about strategy from the clients we’ve won, but we’ve learned just as much, if not more, from those that we’ve lost. We take feedback seriously so we can learn, grow and evolve.
Jerome Knyszewski: Of course, the main way to increase conversion rates is to create a trusted and beloved brand. Can you share a few ways that a business can earn a reputation as a trusted and beloved brand?
Larry Fisher: Having a vision and a mission and using that to guide everything you do is critical to becoming a trusted brand. Consistency is key and it’s important to identify what your company does best and then build a brand around that.
Rise Interactive was founded by Jon Morris and is grounded in data — something that Jon learned back at his days at University of Chicago. This has allowed us to build a brand around our key strength: being data-driven marketers. We’ve used this as a core pillar of our identity since day one and haven’t wavered since.
Jerome Knyszewski: How can our readers further follow you online?
Larry Fisher: I recently started a new series on the Rise Interactive blog called Late Night with Larry. As my basement has now transformed into my home office, I am often up, late at night, sharing my thoughts about the industry. I’d love for you to come along for the ride — you can read my posts here.
Jerome Knyszewski: This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!
