Get Smart 2013 Meet the Panelist: John Garrett

By the Get Smart 2013 Team

Get Smart 2013 Meet the Panelist: John Garrett

Local. Useful. Everyone Gets It. Since its establishment in 2005, Community Impact Newspapers has grown from three to over 90 employees. Next week, the launch of its Sugar Land/Missouri City edition on September 5 will bring the newspaper’s circulation to more than one million Texas residents.

We’re honored that John Garrett, founder of Community Impact Newspaper, will be on the keynote panel at Get Smart 2013, where he’ll speak about his experience founding one of the largest media outlets in Texas in an era when the newspaper industry was floundering.

John took time out of his busy schedule to speak with WCA in advance of the conference.

Q: The theme of Get Smart 2013 is failing forward. Can you share your thoughts about failure?

I know it sounds cliché, but I think you only fail when you don’t try. Failure is giving up and quitting. I do think that the fear of failure is real for me and other entrepreneurs. I’ve learned that this type of fear is healthy; it keeps you getting up in the morning, keeps you committed to quality and gives you a competitive edge.

Q: How did you manage the fear of failing when you established Community Impact in 2005?

I just read this book called Visioneering. The premise of the book is that if you don’t believe – in your heart – that something has to be, then don’t do it. That’s how I approached this business. The idea that it had to be was enough for me to overcome my fear of failure. It’s really difficult to sell a newspaper in 2013, but friends and community leaders tell me that they don’t have information about what’s happening in the community. There’s a hole there; I know our newspapers are needed.

Q: You spent years in the newspaper industry before founding Community Impact. How did that experience affect your ability to succeed as an entrepreneur?

I really believe that every job you take is moving you forward to the next thing. For me, I started at the Houston Chronicle and I can’t even tell you the impact that had on my career. I learned how to talk to small businesses there; I learned the distribution and sales business. Then, when I came to Austin, I worked at the Austin Business Journal. On my first day, I had coffee with Pike Powers, which helped me see that what we did really mattered. I learned a lot about the news side there, particularly about tone. I think that Community Impact’s tone is similar to the Austin Business Journal’s.

Q: Do you have any other advice for entrepreneurs or aspiring business owners?

Many people in the entrepreneur community are always thinking about what’s around the corner that’s going to smack their business down. That’s why I think you have to have the sense of needing to do it. As an entrepreneur, you’ll have opportunities upon opportunities to give up. The question is: are you going to let it happen? If you believe that what you’re doing has to be, then you can’t afford to let yourself fail.