At 16 years old, our founder and CEO, Shaun Buck, received a phone call that would change his life forever: His ex-girlfriend was pregnant, and he was about to become a teen dad.
Those of you who have read Shaun’s book, “Newsletter Marketing,” have already heard this story. In fact, you may have even heard it from the man himself. To Shaun, this story marks a milestone in his life: The day he decided to become a man, and ultimately, a business owner.
As he ended the call, many thoughts flew through his head; namely, “I’m just a kid myself, how am I supposed to raise one?” He quickly realized that his minimum wage job as the mouse at Chuck E. Cheese’s wasn’t going to cut it. So he did what he had to do — he dropped out of high school and began the quest for his career.
Long story short, over the next 10 years, Shaun overcame all odds.
He eventually finished high school and even took a few business classes at the local community college — all while single-handedly raising his son.
During that time, he sold everything from hot dogs to Apple computers to pagers. And while he never graduated with a degree (he determined early on that he had more experience when it came to owning businesses than his professors), his real life experience and passion for entrepreneurship granted him more success than any piece of paper ever could.
By 2011, Shaun had married the love of his life, fathered four more children (all boys), and started, bought, and sold more businesses than he could count on two hands. A self-proclaimed “serial entrepreneur,” he found his true calling in life — to be a CEO.
One year later, in 2012, Newsletter Pro was born (check out Our Story!). The company has since added more than 30 employees, tripled in revenue, and experienced a growth rate of more than 3,000 percent. Shaun earned the title of GKIC Marketer of the Year in 2014 and has effectively made a name for himself as the newsletter guru.
But Shaun is under no illusion that he reached that accomplishment on his own. Since its inception, Newsletter Pro has prided itself on its company culture and team-oriented atmosphere. TNP employees enjoy unique company outings, exciting in-office benefits, and the ability to showcase their idiosyncratic talents. From the cereal bar in the break room to the Nerf guns stationed in every department, Newsletter Pros take fun seriously.
That focus on company culture is the key to TNP’s success.
Today, Newsletter Pro celebrates their achievement of landing on the Inc. 500|5000 Fastest-Growing Companies list at No. 120. Additionally, TNP is ranked No. 2 in Top Idaho Companies and No. 20 on the list of Top Advertising and Marketing Companies as determined by Inc. 500.
