Cathy Dobson
Ryan Lindsay and Andy Powell say they live a laptop lifestyle.
They use their computers to find just about every product and service they need, and make their living with digital expertise.
“We’ve been nomadic because we can be, says Lindsay, 36. “We’ve worked from Florida, from Toronto, from the west coast.”
But the two men, who grew up here, have decided to move their homes and their business to Sarnia to be close to family.
They’ve relocated their company, RMB Marketing, from Toronto to coworking space with Tmrrw Inc. at 140 Christina St.
They also redesigned their website in an effort to expand their client roster of small to medium-sized businesses.
Lindsay and Powell, 40, grew up in Sarnia and studied Hospitality and Tourism at Lambton College. But they didn’t meet until they were both working in Toronto.
“We both went into the arts and met through our artistic endeavors,” explains Lindsay. “I was a screenwriter in Toronto and Andy was into music.”
Both achieved a level of success before deciding to go into business together. Lindsay worked with accomplished directors such as Guillermo del Toro in the film industry, and Powell played bass for Sarnia-based band Flicker and Toronto-based Running Red Lights.
While living the band life, Powell helped pay the bills by cleaning private planes at Pearson International Airport.
“I saw how people with all that money lived,” he said. “I began thinking I wanted some of that.”
He also marketed his band on social media, learning how to build websites and how to draw attention to them.
Around that time, the two met.
“At heart, we’re both artists,” said Powell. “Ryan is the writer and I’m good with computers. Together we turned into a marketing machine.”
They took several online marketing courses and found business mentors. Eight years ago, they launched RMB Marketing in Toronto.
Website design is a big part of RMB, which stands for Rank My Business, the initial concept for the company. And making sure a client’s website is ranked high in a search engine such as Google or Yahoo is a specialty.
“It’s complicated,” Powell said. “And the industry and technology changes rapidly.” The two are constantly learning what works.
“We’re filling a huge hole,” said Powell. “A website is a glorified business card. If no one finds it, it’s a waste of money.”
New website design at RMB costs $1,397 while SEO ranking services start at $749 a month.
RMB Marketing, on the top floor of 140 Christina St., can be reached by visiting www.rmbmarketing.com or calling 647-931-6496.
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