Tyler Jordan - JDM Impressions

Working remotely, like we do at JDM, doesn’t mean being disconnected from colleagues. As part of our culture-building initiative, and to introduce the digital marketing world to our awesome team members, we regularly peel back the curtain on the lives of JDMers. This week, we’ll get to know Founder and CEO Tyler Jordan!

Name: Tyler Jordan
Position:CEO & Founder
Location: San Francisco, CA

When did you begin working at JDM?
June 2017 (don’t tell my former boss).

How did you know JDM was the right fit for you?
I worked at two startups in a row where things just crumbled under my feet and decided I wanted to do freelancing between jobs while I figured things out. That was almost six years ago.

What’s the most gratifying part of working with your clients?
I love helping clients hit their goals. My favorite part is when I can help make the people we work with look good for their exec teams.

In a remote company, how do you stay connected with your team?
Lots of Zoom meetings and Slack messages. Team meetings and weekly All Hands are fun for me too.

What three words would you use to describe the JDM culture?
I’ve got two three-word options:

• Get sh** done
• Fun, accessible, accountable

What's something you love about JDM?
I love being able to work from anywhere. More often than not it’s from my house these days, but if I wanted to move, or travel for an extended stay, it’s nice to know that it is an option.

Can you recall a time when JDM challenged you, and how we supported you through that time?
The first client we closed. I felt completely lost and was so nervous I wanted to throw up, but things went great, and now I’ve done some variation of that same pitch 100s of times.

What’s the best thing you’ve done with your unlimited PTO?
Not so much PTO, but I just took paternity leave for the birth of my daughter, and my now-wife and I traveled through Latin America for a year and a half while growing this business.

We went to Colombia, Panama, came home, went to four different parts of Mexico, went to Cuba, came home, then went to Chile, Peru, and back to Colombia (where we got stuck as COVID exploded). We saw Mayan and Incan ruins; we saw where the real-life Captain Morgan destroyed the old city in Panama City, we hiked through jungles and through mountains to see glaciers, spent time on beaches and on rivers, went wine tasting and mezcal tasting, and ate all the food. It was great. 10/10 would do again. Hopefully I get to do it again when my baby daughter is old enough.

I have so many pictures, and I just don’t have enough time to find really good ones from each city.

What's something you love about the marketing industry?
It’s always changing, so you always have something to learn. That, and there is no perfect, but there are always ways of improving whatever you’re doing.

What do you think has been the most interesting change in the marketing industry or in your channel this year?
The huge shift that started with iOS14 and will continue for a couple of years around attribution and prioritizing 1st-party data is super interesting. We’re keeping a close watch on this trend and any emerging solutions and are always trying to stay one step ahead of the curve.

What digital marketing platform, technology, or skill do you see gaining the most traction in the next 1-2 years, and why?
We’ve really been focused on trying to tie paid spend back to pipeline created for B2B clients, which is only going to get more pivotal. Tying our efforts back to business goals is what we should focus on anyway, but it’s even more important with the changes in tracking and attribution.

What are the names and ages of your kids (or furbabies)? 
Lily Elizabeth Jordan, infant

Chimichanga Jordan, dog