Fabulous People: Dustin Trout

Dustin Trout is the founder and chief strategy officer of EIC Agency, a Phoenix-based digital marketing agency. “We help brands solve two things: 1) Reduce customer acquisition cost and 2) Increase the lifetime value of a customer.” Learn about Dustin Trout…

Hometown: Yuma, AZ

First job: Courtesy clerk (bagger) at Fry’s.

Favorite ways to spend your free time in AZ: When I’m not working or spending time with my wife and baby, there isn’t much free time left butI love going out camping and off-roading in my little Suzuki Samurai. Finding a bit more free time is a big goal of mine….in a few yers.

Your biggest accomplishment and why: The biggest accomplishment is being in business and growing. When COVID hit, we lost half of our clients while finding out we were having a baby. [It was challenging] figuring out how to navigate out of that situation to then start being able to grow a few months after the initial hit. It took its toll mentally but, with a great team and support system, was able to make it through.

The biggest obstacle you overcame: Telling myself I couldn’t start a business. I had so many reasons why I shouldn’t start the business but finally made the decision to make it happen. I would say it was the help of Gary Vee saying just do it. It’s when I realized I could start a side hustle and grow it until I could make the leap that I started EIC Agency.

Someone who inspires you and why: It sounds cliché but my dad. He has had a ton of health conditions in the past and has gone through many procedures. All that being said, I saw him at all my baseball games growing up, he helped me fix up my first car (67′ mustang) and just provided a great childhood. Seeing how hard he worked with all the health conditions that got in his way, there’s nothing that can stop me from accomplishing my goals. 

Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Be happy with things changing daily. The marketing world is a very high-paced industry with complex ideas going on. It’s easy to lose track of the overall goals. Figuring out how to communicate effectively is going to be key. 

Favorite quote: “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” –Winston Churchill

Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: That I don’t go to the gym. When people see me, they must think I live in the gym but the fact is I don’t. I blow a lot of people’s minds when this subject comes up.

What makes someone fabulous: Just being a kind person. So many people strive to do what benefits themselves. I’m a firm believer in making decisions based on what’s best for everyone at the table, not just what’s going to benefit me or my company. If you execute this mindset, you will be benefited in the long run.