WhyteSpyder CEO: Entrepreneurship a Way of Life

Eric Howerton is CEO and senior consultant at WhyteSpyder, a full-service, integrated content marketing agency based in Fayetteville. He recently fielded some questions from the “Inside Retail” team on his background and an upcoming DotCom Conference.

You got your bachelor’s degree in photojournalism. What inspired you to pursue that major? Has your training had a big impact on your current career?

“I was a raft guide in 1997 in eastern Tennessee on the Big Pigeon River. I fell in love with the outdoors as I explored Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I took a photography class at Arkansas State University in the fall semester and went back to the Smokies to record my explorations and immediately realized I could spend my life photographing nature. I declared my major in photojournalism, and as I started taking more classes, I knew that reporting and telling stories was in my blood. As I discovered the natural beauty of Arkansas, I quickly realized that the state needed an outdoor magazine, thus Get Out Magazine was born.

“Get Out was the perfect venue to express my education and editorial passion. I knew how to take a photograph, write and design professionally.

“I didn’t, however, know anything about business … but I soon learned. Looking back on my photojournalism education, the greatest value I received toward my career was the ability to listen to sources, quickly determine an interesting story for readers, and condensing complex information. These skills have benefited my career in business, sales, marketing and networking.” 

You started your magazine, Get Out, in 2000 and then founded creative consultant agency Now Creative Inc. in 2004. Do you think that an entrepreneurial mindset is important to getting ahead in business, even if you go on to work for someone else?

“Everything every single person does on a daily basis owes a deep debt of gratitude to an entrepreneur somewhere down the line. I’m not just talking about jobs and payroll that the entrepreneur provides, but the cars, railroads, cruise lines, medicine, groceries, airplanes, financial markets, electricity, coffee — everything can be linked back to an entrepreneur.

“Let’s define entrepreneur: an entrepreneur is not a good manager or someone with a dream. The entrepreneur finds opportunities in the market and fights to make that reality, despite opposition, wages and risk. The entrepreneur thrives in turmoil and has an element of personal risk with their ventures. They have skin in the game at all times. The entrepreneurial mindset is critical for every business, but not necessarily working for someone else. It’s difficult for the entrepreneur to work for someone else, only because they seek excitement, risk and are dead set to go after opportunities.

“Good managers are needed for employment — people that work alongside the entrepreneur to conduct specific business functions and ensure efficiency. A good manager can thrive in business without ever caring about opportunity or taking risks. The entrepreneur, however, could never do such a thing: For him or her, a lack of risk is boring and unrewarding. An entrepreneur seeks and embraces risks, the manager avoids and minimizes risks. If everyone was expected to have an entrepreneurial spirit, we would have nothing but one-person businesses, and that model will never work. We have to have both, and we actually need more managers than entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurism is not a mindset; it’s a way of life. It’s in the blood and cannot be taught.” 

What are your views on the opportunities available to entrepreneurs and business professionals in Northwest Arkansas?

“I think it’s the same as it anywhere in America. America has provided a place to let the entrepreneur be an entrepreneur. Northwest Arkansas is unique because of the great entrepreneurs before us like Sam Walton, J.B. Hunt and Don Tyson. These folks have established opportunities that have brought in many companies from outside the area. These companies need products and services to conduct business. It’s simply because of NWA’s unique situation that allows for entrepreneurs to take advantage of a little more opportunities that are available in our area. It’s not too complicated.

“But, the issue is that there are not that many entrepreneurs in America, let alone NWA. It seems that NWA is pushing people to become entrepreneurs, and that simply is not possible. Entrepreneurs don’t decide one day to become an entrepreneur like one decides to become a banker, photographer or freight broker. It’s not a job title, and it’s not an education. It’s a character, personality and ambition. It can’t be learned, taught, given money or managed. You either have it in your blood, or you don’t. I’ve seen too many ‘entrepreneurs’ start a business with great intentions and opportunities, but fail because they can’t handle the pressure or the risk. I hear too much venture capital talk in the area encouraging young folks to become an entrepreneur — as if it’s a job position. It’s obvious that NWA has a great amount of opportunity, but we can’t breed entrepreneurs in the area. An entrepreneur isn’t found; the entrepreneur finds.

“Rest assured that, as the NWA economy continues to develop, we will have more entrepreneurs finding opportunities in the area. Forcing that scenario, in my opinion, is a bad idea. NWA should not try to be Silicon Valley overnight. … It will happen with time in a profitable and healthy way. Otherwise, there will be a lot of bad businesses starting up in the area. The opportunities for business in NWA are great, and I am personally excited to be part of this community.” 

You are part of a conference that’s coming up on Jan. 19. Can you tell us more about it?

“DotCom Conference is a half-day conference specifically for [Wal-Mart Stores Inc.] and Sam’s Club [Inc.] suppliers. The focus is on better understanding online strategies and the omnichannel plan for Walmart and Sam’s Club. Shoppers are researching products online and in-store before, during and after making purchases. They use their devices to research products and make purchasing decisions. Product manufacturers have an epic opportunity to provide the information that customers need to make good buying decisions.

“Simply put, product content is desperately needed by shoppers, and they are online looking for that content. This conference will help Walmart and Sam’s Club suppliers understand who, what, when, where and how to provide this valuable content and how that will affect their sales both online and in-store. This conference is just as much about merchandising as it is marketing and suppliers that attend can get immediately in-line with the direction of Walmart and Sam’s Club.” 

The DotCom Conference is Jan. 19 at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Bentonville.

Laura Phillips, former senior vice president of omnichannel assortments at Walmart, and Bryan Gildenberg, chief knowledge officer at Kantar Retail in New York City, will be the keynote speakers.

More information is available by contacting the conference organizers at 479-287-4006 or [email protected].