Wesley Upchurch is an SEO professional with paralegal experience that embarked on a new journey to help those convicted of crimes clean up their online reputation through social media management and content creation. His company, SearchResults.repair, also has the ability to delete your criminal history information from online public information databases, keeping the average person from discovering your past mistakes. His vision is to build credibility, establish authority, and change lives.
Personal Information:
Website: https://wesleyupchurch.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wesupchurch
Instagram: https://instagram.com/wesupchurchBusiness Website: https://searchresults.repair/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/searchresultsr
Instagram: https://instagram.com/searchresultsrepair
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/searchresultsrepair
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do Online Reputation Repair for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
More than anything, it was my own exposure to the legal system that realized how unfair it can be. Even without being convicted, people can have their name and reputation destroyed. Many of my clients are well-educated professionals, but they find it difficult to find employment post-conviction. My company works to better society, by making them employable. As far as the characteristics that drove me towards this mission, it probably has to do with my general distrust of the government and mainstream news cycle. They often publish information verbatim from government reports without any additional fact-checking. This leads to very biased reporting and harms the individual. Usually, at the time of the news publication, the person hasn’t even been convicted yet. They could very well be innocent of the accusations. I guess you could say that I am a champion for freedom and individual rights, but I thought we lived in a society where people were presumed innocent.
As far as my personal influences and role models go, that’s hard to say. I’ve always taken my own path in life. I think that is the way of the entrepreneur. But there are certainly businessmen that I admire and look up to for much the same way. Richard Branson comes to mind, he’s often pushing the limits of what is possible. Another person that I truly respect is Moxie Marlinspike. His mission to preserve privacy through encrypted communications aligns well with mine.
2.) If you could compare yourself to someone who is already established in your line of work, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then what separates you from other everyone else who does what you do?
There really is no one to compare me to. There are other reputation repair companies out there, sure, but they tend to serve businesses and executives. My focus is on helping individuals. While they are busy hiding bad reviews, my company is working on more serious matters such as press releases from the Department of Justice and the FBI. I’m tackling mountains while they are tripping over molehills. To my knowledge, there is no other company that does what I do: providing complete reputation repair services that hide criminal records.
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the work that you do? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming an entrepreneur?
I’ve always disliked the idea of control in the free market. This ideology cost me several years of my life and everything I owned. I imagine that more than anything influenced my decision to help others that were going through the same things. Society tends to push back against those things they don’t understand. But, I built my first multimillion-dollar company in my twenties. Doing that without any funding meant I had to take risks. I imagine going back into business again puts me in the same situation, one where I have no safety net. Nothing to fall back on. However, I can’t see myself going to work for someone else. Most employers want to put you inside the box and I am an outside the box kind of thinker.
4.) How do you prepare yourself to create? What is your process?
I can write ten thousand words in an evening. I’ve written entire books for clients. But, I am not sure that I can describe it as a creative process. It’s more that I am motivated by the knowledge that when I am done they will look like experts in their field. The process is more about finding the right connections and just doing it. I write, I write, and I submit that content to relevant sites. There’s really no stopping for me. I have to remind myself to take time for the other things in life that matter, like family and friends. Otherwise, I’d serve my client’s interests all the time. But when I’m considering how to address the negative information of a particular client I look at the keywords. I find creative solutions. Someone that was convicted of stealing art, might end up looking like an expert in finding art for a steal when I’m done. The main thing for me is turning them into experts in their field. I turn computer hackers into security analysts, for example. Thinking about how I can use the keywords in the bad articles to my advantage helps me hide them.
5.) Unfortunately many industries are full of talented individuals who more or less become the “starving artist” and don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed?
I honestly don’t care if I get any recognition for my work. That’s why I ghostwrite books and publish videos under my client’s name. If someone wanted to send me an honorary degree, I’d probably accept it, but the truth is I’m doing my best work when the public can’t tell that my client hired me. Online reputation repair isn’t about getting recognition for myself, it’s about building reputation for my clients. Most of my business still comes in through word-of-mouth. A referral means more to me than any award ever will.
6.) Would you rather work for a big corporation or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? What makes one better than the other? Are you able to make a living with your art? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your business? What advice would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in the creative industry?
I’d do work for a big corporation, but I probably wouldn’t go to work for them. Being independent allows me to be more flexible and do whatever I have to in order to get the job done. I have nothing against big companies, but I’m a free spirit. I get more satisfaction out of helping one person that I can put a name and a face to than I do lining the pockets of nameless shareholders. I have nothing against big companies, I just don’t want to be at the bottom of the career ladder and I certainly don’t want that for my customers either.
It’s funny that you call my business an art. It certainly is. It’s the art of manipulating Google’s search results pages so that positive information comes up before negative information. That takes far more creativity that most SEO professionals have. While they are busy pushing content out to company blogs, I’m figuring out how to get mentions from hundreds of publishers, influencers, and sources. From the graphics we make for our clients to the articles we write, every piece of the puzzle serves a purpose. Putting it all together is an art.
Was I able to attain a career doing what I love? Well, I suppose. I definitely have a passion for reputation building. But, if it were up I’d prefer to be drinking a glass of bourbon and playing pinball. I did that before. I had an arcade with a bar in it. But, let’s be realistic. Entertainment only distracts people from the problems in their life. What I am doing now eliminates problems. So I’m sure it’s a far more noble goal.
You ask how someone can pursue a career in the creative industry. They need to build a reputation. But also, I think it helps if they can use their creativity to solve real problems for people. At least that’s what works for me.
7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the creative industry and how artists are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s economy if they’re not social media savvy?
There’s no question social media has changed things. It allows artists, influences, and businesses to connect directly with people. It also gives each person a voice that they didn’t have before. But with this freedom of expression comes opinions that you might not like or agree with. Customers can leave bad reviews. People can expose truths that you would rather keep in the dark. Just as it can build someone up, it can destroy them. Still, it is an important element of branding in today’s world. When someone searches for you, results from social media platforms dominate the search results. So not being on them is akin to not existing. It’d be hard for any professional to make an impression today without social media. It’s where our mark is made. Most people my age and under aren’t tuning in to television, they are on their phones connecting with others.
8.) Typically, entrepreneurs who try to create products and/or services for mass consumption for the general public and make more money are seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure that what you offer stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
I can’t say that every person making products for the masses are sell-outs. Certainly, there are products and services that everyone needs. But I will say that it is difficult to sell anything if you don’t find your niche. For an up and coming entrepreneur, it’s important to differentiate oneself from the competition. Appealing to everyone doesn’t work for me. My business serves a very specific purpose, helping those who made past mistakes rebrand themselves as competent authorities.
9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
That’s hard to say. If I get bored with this project, I’ll move on. I think it’s important for someone to be passionate about what they do. But for now, I find this work rewarding and fulfilling. I just don’t think anyone should wake up in the morning and dread the work they do. For me, helping to hide criminal history and building brands is something I want to do. My hope though is that in five years, our team will grow and I can teach others the marketing strategies we implement on a daily business. I have other projects, but this is the one I enjoy the most. It’s a challenge. And I like to be challenged.