Disrupting the Creator Economy by Spring’s “Reinventor” Chris Lamontagne

Disruption Interruption podcast host and veteran communications disruptor, Karla Jo Helms, interviews Chris Lamontagne, CEO of Spring — who says that companies that fail to keep pace with the times — the rise of the creator, the advent of the creator economy, and the fact that creators are realizing they no longer are restricted to working a 9 to 5 job — may be dooming themselves to failure.

Many businesses are finding it extremely difficult to be introspective, especially those backed by venture capital because they are busy raising money from external sources and facing extreme pressure to hit financial goals. They are not taking the time and care to carefully notice the changing times, namely the rise of creators. According to Signal Fire, out of the 50 million creators that exist today, about two million are professionals.(1) Now eCommerce has entered a new phase — social media platforms want to be a part of the e-commerce landscape which is creating a convergence of creators, products, and services. Businesses that are not adapting to these changes risk facing serious, business-killing consequences.

But, enter “reinventor” Chris Lamontagne, CEO of Spring, who explains to Karla Jo Helms, host of the Disruption Interruption podcast, who says that there is a whole new category of SMBs and creators that began on social media through followers who cared about what they said. They can now supplement their income as creators through Spring’s platform that supports their content in this new creator economy.

After Chris was brought into (now) Spring to reinvent the business he brought someone in whose sole purpose was to provide him a bevy of insight from what was happening in macro trends and insights from around the world, and that has become his driving force for deciding how to make massive shifts in how they are doing business.

Chris explains:

1. The lack of reinvention takes down the majority of businesses. They have to be aware of events and adjust to the new conditions; otherwise, they lose ground.
2. You must be open to examining your business and making the difficult choice to tear it up and attempt something novel if what you are doing isn’t succeeding.
3. The creator economy began the social commerce movement. Many of these individuals already had followers from YouTube, Tik Tok, and other platforms.
4. We now see that social media providers also desire to be in the commerce side of the business (i.e., Instagram Shopping or Shoppable pins on Pinterest)
5. People are beginning to appreciate the fact that they no longer have to work in the typical work-day way. They can earn income from home doing what they enjoy — creating new content on various subjects.
6. COVID-19 has permitted creators to pursue their interests and be more creative with their work.
7. Now, more than at any other point in history, people have the means to share their content and reach any audience they desire.

Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you’ll hear from today’s biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about change and how they overcome opposition to adoption.

Quote of the show:

2:13: “When I think about disruption and what that actually means for an organizations and companies, if you think about so many countless stories of companies that haven’t made it, and I had just asked about companies that don’t make it and why they don’t make it, it was the failure to reinvent or the failure to spot that things were happening around them that they didn’t react fast enough.
If you really go deeper into that source, I’d understand why didn’t a company reinvent. It’s because sometimes there’s an issue with not being able to recognize or be able to let go of the past and think about the future.”

About Chris Lamontagne:

Chris Lamontagne is an enterprising and ambitious business leader with proven entrepreneurial talent and innovative way of thinking and strong experience with founding/working in high growth environments. He has a successful track record for defining go to market business strategy, leading user acquisition efforts, and driving hyper-growth. His interests include marketplaces, e-commerce, and mobile environments with a specific interest in distressed or turnaround situations. Chris founded first business at age 20, grew it to become a nationwide provider, and successfully exited three years later. Visit him at Spring via https://www.spri.ng/

1. Murthy, Naimeesha. “The Continuous Growth And Future Of The Creator Economy.” Forbes, 30 August 2021, forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2021/08/30/the-continuous-growth-and-future-of-the-creator-economy/?sh=5d5c254e7c9c.

And lastly, if you’re a disruptor…

I would like to chat with Karla Jo about maximizing my Disruptive Thought Leadership — contact KJ Helms.

I’d like to learn about the ROI of Anti-PR — download this ROI eBook.

I would like to apply to be a guest on Disruption Interruption.