We believe in creating and building relationships, not vendorships. We’re partners with our clients and put their success and satisfaction as a priority.
Rahul Wahi, CEO/Founder of the LLT Group, originally started college in pre-med. After a couple of years of not feeling challenged enough with this, he switched things up and obtained his degree in Management and Marketing. During his fourth year at Eastern Illinois University, he was doing an internship for a large IT company that focused on solutions for Fortune 1000 companies. He was then offered a position with this company upon graduation and stayed with them from 2008 through 2011.
In 2011, Rahul ventured out on his own with Local Lister Technologies, doing small business IT Solutions. It became clear to Rahul that a lot of businesses needed more than just an internal fix, they needed digital marketing to reach their intended audiences that that they were missing. Correcting technology and automating process was great, but you also needed the revenue to support this.
LLT Group, a full-service creative agency was born in 2015 to help bring companies their audience and elevate a humanized experience through digital touchpoints. They do this from whichever aspect is needed, be it research, branding, UX/UI design, digital marketing, or social media. LLT Group is definitely doing something right because they’ve won over two dozen design and development awards. Most recently, they were in the top 90 percent of the most successful digital marketing agencies in the world, on a global list of 1000. They’ve also made Chicago area lists, ranking high in the category of one of the fastest growing private companies.
LLT Group is headquartered in Naperville, Illinois.
Where did the idea for your company come from?
I realized that companies had great products and solutions for their customers, but they needed help with truly understanding who their clients were and how to engage with them. They really needed to get their brands out to a more targeted audience. As the world seemed to integrate through technology for consumer and business faced products and services; digital marketing was needed for this next level of growth.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
Being an early riser, I get up and watch or listen to the news. I usually check in with the team around 7am and look at my calendar to get clear on what the day has in store. When I get to the office, we have a quick check in to make sure everyone’s on board with what’s on tap for the day. I do check-ins with clients off and on throughout the rest of the day and make sure to reach out to a handful of employees to express my appreciation.
How do you bring ideas to life?
When a problem is brought to my attention, I put myself in the client’s shoes. I ask myself how would I want to go about this experience? I will then come up with a simplified solution and get with my team and then we go for it.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I think AI is exciting. We’re always trying to simplify our lives and AI is a key factor in that. As humans, we like the idea of simplification, but we need to make sure that the human emotion is still there.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Everyone has a to-do list, right? Well I also have a not-to-do list. These would be things that should get done, but they aren’t the urgent, right-this-minute things. I focus on my to-do list first and then look at the not-to-do list.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I think I had a lot of missed opportunities early on because I wouldn’t ask for help. I would tell my younger self that it’s okay to ask. I may have gotten here sooner if I had.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
There are a lot of people who honestly believe that a website is just a website. I try to tell them that the truth of that is your website is everything that your business isn’t. If 90 percent of your customers are online and you can’t connect with them, you are just another company out there spinning your wheels. Your website is everything.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I surround myself with an incredible team that is smarter than me. This brings about the opportunity to delegate or contribute to the direction they’re already heading and execute on the ideas they’ve shared.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
We believe in creating and building relationships, not vendorships. We’re partners with our clients and put their success and satisfaction as a priority. I stay in contact with them and continue to keep my promise.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
In my first year of business, I saw that I wasn’t going to be the smartest person to run every aspect. I need others to execute within their talent area. I have a team of experts in who they are and definitely in what they do.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Someone should build a listing for all the necessary behind the scenes things of setting up a business. We have these things for building a house, where to get the best plumber, or drywall company or painter. Where do we go to find the best in website design, or advertising, or HR for a business? I think there would be more entrepreneurs and less employees, as well as more successful companies from step one if this platform existed.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
We just had a celebration lunch. We have them to celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries of my team members, as well as any client successes in the past 30 days.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
Our sales CRM. It helps to deliver targeted messages on opportunities and follow ups. Keeps up on everything that comes in through all of our different channels.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“WTF?! (Willing To Fail)” by Brian Scudamore. It’s about showing you that you have what it takes to succeed. It helps you to find your own journey through reading about his mistakes made along his way.
What is your favorite quote?
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget the way you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Key Learnings:
• It’s okay to ask for help
• Your website is everything that your business isn’t.
• Surround yourself with an incredible team.
Connect:
www.twitter.com/lltgroup
Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.