Meet Samuel Maugans

We recently connected with Samuel Maugans and have shared our conversation below.

Samuel, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I didn’t always have a strong work ethic.
That changed when I joined the military after high school. My time in the United States Army taught me the value of hard work, discipline, and self-accountability. It wasn’t easy, but it instilled in me a mindset that’s stayed with me ever since: you advance by putting in the effort, whether you’re climbing the military ranks or pursuing success in the civilian world. After a medical discharge, I applied those lessons to my career, and they became the foundation of how I operate.

My father also played a huge role in shaping my work ethic. He taught me that hard work often beats raw talent. That idea really stuck with me early in my career—I knew if I could outwork the competition, I could stand out. Even today, I take pride in the fact that my work ethic allows me to push beyond what’s expected and make a real difference in my field.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Personal and financial growth have always been my focus after the military.
In the beginning, I wasn’t sure which skill I wanted to develop because, honestly, I didn’t have one when I first started out. Watching friends and family bounce from job to job, often feeling unfulfilled, made me determined to find something I could stick with long-term. I knew that wherever I worked, I was going to put in the effort to move up—I just needed to find a place where I could see myself growing. Digital advertising turned out to be that industry. Not only did it offer job stability, but it was also rapidly evolving when I got hired as an SEO specialist in 2013. I spent a year learning the ins and outs of SEO, but I didn’t feel fully satisfied because the results took time to show up. Then a spot opened up on the PPC team, and I jumped at the opportunity. From that moment, I wasn’t just learning PPC and SEM—I was hooked. I worked my way up from an entry-level PPC specialist to Director of Pay Per Click. But once I reached that point, I realized if I wanted to continue growing, I needed to make a change. Around that time, the agency I worked for was sold, and I saw it as the perfect opportunity to strike out on my own.

I won’t lie—it was a scary step, but I knew I wanted to be a business owner, and digital marketing was the field I had spent the last decade mastering. Fortunately, I had friends with complementary skills—SEO, web development, project management—who were also looking to start their own business. The four of us came together, combining our talents and hard work, and that’s how FourHorse Digital was born. Our name reflects who we are—we’re all workhorses in our individual fields, committed to delivering the best for our clients. After the military, personal and financial growth became my primary focus. At first, I wasn’t sure what direction to take because I didn’t have a specific skill set. I saw friends and family jumping from job to job, often feeling unfulfilled, and I knew I didn’t want that. I was determined to find a career where I could commit long-term and really build something. Wherever I ended up, I knew I was going to work hard and climb the ranks. Digital advertising turned out to be the perfect fit.

When I started as an SEO specialist in 2013, the industry was rapidly evolving, and I was excited to be part of it. But after a year in SEO, I realized it wasn’t quite enough for me—results took too long to see. That’s when an opportunity opened on the PPC team, and I jumped at it. It wasn’t just about learning PPC and SEM—I truly fell in love with it. From there, I worked my way up the corporate ladder, starting as an entry-level PPC specialist and eventually becoming Director of Pay Per Click. But as I reached the top of my field, I knew I wanted more growth. When the agency I worked for was sold, I took the opportunity to go out on my own. It was a scary leap, but I was confident that digital marketing was my future after spending a decade mastering it. I was lucky to have friends who were equally passionate, each with a unique skill set—SEO, web development, project management. Together, we combined our talents and created FourHorse Digital. We chose that name because each of us is a workhorse in our own right, and together, we’ve built something special.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

That’s a great question!

In my opinion, the three most important qualities every entrepreneur needs are:

Hard Work: No matter what industry you’re entering, competition is always there. The mindset I keep is simple: the competition is working every day to put me out of business. So, I need to work harder to stay ahead, grow, and thrive in my vertical.

Math/Numbers: You don’t need to be a math whiz, but having solid basic math skills is essential. In the early stages, when you’re managing startup costs and possibly debt, you need to know when you’re truly profitable. Even if you’re debt-free, understanding your profit and loss (P&L) reports is key to making sure you’re growing, not backtracking.

Communication Skills: Strong communication can make or break a business. How you interact with clients, partners, and even employees will determine your success. Treating others with the same respect and kindness you’d give a loved one goes a long way. And of course, sales are part of this—without sales, you don’t have a business.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

I love this question because it’s a challenge we confront daily.

Digital marketing has been around for quite a while—since 1990, in fact—and it has only grown stronger with time.

By 2023, when we launched FourHorse Digital, we found ourselves competing against more than 54,000 digital marketing agencies in the U.S. alone. Standing out in such a crowded space is difficult, especially when many agencies have created distrust by over-promising and under-delivering. That’s made it even more important for us to prove that we’re different—by being consistent, transparent, and delivering on what we say.

At FourHorse Digital, we chose to make our work ethic the differentiator. Instead of positioning ourselves as just another digital marketing agency, we aim to be our clients’ dedicated, in-house marketing team.

What does that mean in practice?

We don’t work a typical 9-5 schedule. Our clients have access to us 24/7, including nights and weekends, because we know that business doesn’t stop when the office closes. While many agencies take days or even weeks to respond, we pride ourselves on same-day responses—often within a few hours. We also limit the number of new clients we take on each month to ensure each account gets the daily, hands-on attention it needs to succeed.
And unlike many agencies that lock clients into restrictive contracts, we work on a month-to-month basis. This means we earn our clients’ business every single month through results, not lengthy commitments.

So far, that approach has paid off—we’re proud to have retained 100% of our clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fourhorsedigital.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/fourhorsedigital

Image Credits

Logo Design and credit goes to Chris Dennis – dev@fourhorsedigital.com
Headshot photographer and cousin Andy Horton with Andy Horton Photography – andyhorton.org