Victor Smushkevich has quickly become a revered digital marketing expert. He has been building a number of highly successful businesses since 2013 and has grown Tested Media into an award winning 7-figure digital marketing agency that specializes in SEO, lead generation and e-commerce. Victor Smushkevich shares insight into this journey and how he thinks the industry will continue to evolve in the future.
Hi Victor, we’d love to hear about your journey. Tell us how you got started and what the process has been so far.
I always knew that I wanted to start my own business since I was about five years old, but I never had the right guidance as of where to start. In school, I wasn’t considered the smartest kid and actually ended up getting kicked out a couple of times for having a GPA of 0.0, the lowest in my high school’s history. Somehow I talked my way back in and luckily graduated in 2008. After graduating from high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew that I didn’t want to do schooling anymore. I decided to purchase a random internet marketing course and take a chance at online marketing. In 2009 I started my very own e-commerce store where I quickly learned how to drive traffic to a website and convert that into sales. I then ventured into affiliate marketing, where I specialized in running paid ads to credit repair and dating websites. From affiliate marketing, I was able to generate over $600,000 and used that cash and skillset to start Tested Media.
What was it like building your own business?
I had to teach myself a lot about the self-discipline and skills that go in to managing a business. One of the biggest challenges I faced was not diversifying my income when I was doing affiliate marketing. I had a profitable credit repair campaign that was generating more than $50,000 each month, when suddenly the company decided to pull the offer, which resulted in me generating $0 the next month. It was a bumpy road but it taught me that I shouldn’t put all of my eggs in one basket and should instead use my profits to diversify into other online income streams.
Can you tell us more about Tested Media? What makes the business special?
Tested Media was founded in 2019 and is a full-service digital marketing agency that specializes in Search Engine Optimization, Lead Generation, and E-Commerce. Our main strength is identifying a business’ most profitable audience and using this to generate laser targeted traffic via search engines and social media. We have successfully ranked over 40,000 keywords on the first page of Google and generated over 30 million dollars for our clients. We have worked with several well-known brands such as Acorns, WeWork, Mr. Rooter, eLocal, and more. At Tested Media we make all of our decisions based on data instead of guessing what we think will work. This sets us apart from most other businesses. We follow the data, which results in more revenue for our clients.
What do you believe makes you a successful entrepreneur?
I have a high standard for all my team mates because I believe that I am only as good as the last job. I am a motivational perfectionist and aim to encourage others around me to strive for the best. I believe that being a leader means being a good role model for others.
What do you think the future holds for the industry?
I think more mobile-focused experiences are definitely the next step for the industry. I see the industry making it as easy as possible to buy on mobile devices. The majority of people spend an average of 3 hours and 15 minutes per day on their mobile phones. I only see that number increasing in the next several years.
What do you love about the industry?
I love Innovation. I love that I get to meet people who want to better the world with their ideas and who are able to do it. The eagerness of young entrepreneurs is hugely inspiring and I encourage them to never lose that passion. My company is my way to support, mentor and share new ideas.
Thank you Victor for your time!
You can follow up with Victor Smushkevich at https://tested.media
