Digital Hitchhiker

I typically don’t remember many of my dreams but I’ve noticed lately that I’ve been waking up to dreams that have a very bad outcome. Not so much a nightmare but rather just everything turning out wrong. I know I have a lot going on with building a business and a wedding just months away, so it’s no wonder that when my mind is at rest that it’s struggling with some of these issues. Being an entrepreneur you have to walk a fine line of boldness and fear. It’s not wrong to have the fear and I’m really thankful that I’m only having these thoughts when I’m sleeping because I know that this kind of fear can immobilize you. Fear is persistent. It doesn’t go away. Fear will wait for one of your weak moments and then it will strike. Which makes sense that it’s surfacing when I’m asleep. In order to succeed, you can’t let fear beat you or you’ll never move forward.

You hear people say it all the time “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That seems like such a copout, is that really the best way to run a business? Especially if you’re trying to innovate. Personally it seems backwards to me… how are you going to move your company and our collective culture forward if you’re always just going with what works. Shouldn’t you be pushing yourself and your business? Otherwise that mentality can stand in the way of progress. And at some point you’ll get left behind.

LooseKeys wants to work with the businesses that are pushing our culture forward. The ones that would rather break something to make it even better. A business that sees something that is commonplace and widely used like… socks and then tries to figure out how to make it even better. Nothing is ever perfect, there is always a way it can be improved on. Everything can be made better, if its an animation, socks or getting deals on goods and services. So stop worrying about if it’s broke and not why not just think about how you can fix it and make it even better.

It’s hard to believe that its already been a year since I left Daily Planet Productions ltd. and started my own business, LooseKeys. Going from a secure job with benefits and a guaranteed paycheck each week to… well, no job security, no benefits and if we don’t get enough work, there’s no paycheck at all. Its been crazy but at the same time exciting. I have no regrets for making this change and starting this venture. This year has flown by and has been one of the most exciting times of my life. Every day has proven to be a new adventure and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. You can only be prepared so much for starting your own business. Having Maeve there with me along the way has proven to be an extra benefit, without her by my side, everything would have been twice as challenging. Over the last year I’ve had the chance to work on some amazing projects for LooseKeys with some great clients.

Its been a crazy ride these last twelve months, but we’re only getting started. I’ve built some solid relationships already and I’m looking forward to strengthening them even further. So get ready for some big things from the LooseKeys team.

Thank you all for your support in helping to make LooseKeys a success!

Athletes and musicians practice playing for a reason, it’s silly to think that you shouldn’t practice and learn your own craft to better keep up your skills.  Even if you’re number one now, you need to find time to keep learning to stay on top. You have to continue to challenge yourself and figure out what’s new and how you can stay ahead of the curve. When you keep learning and growing you stay hooked on your craft, it never get’s old. If you love what you do you’re going to get better at it. Learn every aspect of your business, if it’s the book keeping, sales, coding or customer service. If you understand the entire business you’ll know your craft better, you’ll know the issues that can come up before the other guy and you can call bullshit when someone is trying to tell you how it should be done. Keep finding ways to grow and challenge yourself because as soon as you stop growing, your passion for your craft could fade away.

Most of us have day jobs so it’s a little harder to not be working during set hours. But as more and more businesses are moving towards flexible work hours and many of us are working for ourselves, it’s becoming easier to work and be creative on your own time. Or on your own schedule. For me I find myself working a lot of the time at night. I got used to it when I was moonlighting on the side and it’s the time where I find myself being the most creative and able to focus on what needs to get done. Typically working until I fall asleep at the keyboard or know that getting some sleep is a better option then another pot of coffee. I’m not going to sleep just because the clock says I should. I’m going to sleep when I’m tired. If I’m more tired one day then maybe I go to bed early that day. Being flexible with my time and schedule is a perk and option I have right now and I’m taking advantage of it. But you have to find the schedule that works for you, your body and your creative mind. After all inspiration can strike you at any time of the day or night and anywhere. So don’t just limit yourself to working those typical work hours, you may be limiting your potential.

I’m always interested to hear why people started to build their business. Sometimes its a passion, sometimes its an accident and often it’s for the money. I knew in college that I wanted to start a design or motion graphics business. I loved the craft then just as much as I do now, it’s inspiring to see what people can create with a computer and time. In college, Nik Madalinski and I tried to get something going but with the lack of experience and clients, it sort of fizzled away. Which was probably a good thing since we had no idea what we were doing at the time and we had a lot to learn. Flash forward to four years later at Daily Planet Productions ltd., Vanida Vae and I had the chance to work on a number of animated explainer videos for the Chicago startup, Groupon. At the time, we were both fans of Groupon and had no idea how big they were going to get or how our videos were going to help drive that success. At that time there were a few businesses doing explainer and demo videos but I wasn’t as familiar with them as I am now. My focus was much more on the top tier post production studios and the work they were creating. Holding my work and the work we did at Daily Planet to that same level. Vanida and I both saw the Groupon video as a great motion graphics piece we could build. We wanted to make an awesome and clever video. Without knowing it our video became a part of Groupon, people all over the internet saw the piece and many wanted something like it for their product or startup.

A year ago, after seeing the success of the Groupon video and receiving emails everyday asking if I could create a similar video for other startups, I knew that I needed to start my own company. The demand for startup videos was there and somebody needed to do them. I know the motion graphics business and what it takes to get something designed and animated. I’ve been doing it for seven years, behind the keyboard and screen almost everyday. I knew that I could create some pretty awesome explainer videos for start ups and other businesses. Helping tell their story or explain their product just like I did with Groupon. And so LooseKeys was born.

I’m not just another business owner who has money and is hiding behind the scenes letting other people do the animating and designing. I’m here working on every project at some stage of its creation. Right now I believe this is what makes LooseKeys unique. Startups and businesses know they are working with me. I might have help in order to make deadlines or pick up slack where my skills are lacking but you know if you are talking to me you can bet I’m leading the crew or doing much of the work myself. That team of people are very important to me and coming from the motion graphics world, I know how important sharing work and being credited for your time is to someone. That’s why on every project I post or LooseKeys posts, I make sure to credit the people that worked on the project. I want them to get the same amount of recognition as I did for making sure the project came together. And I’m not worried about a client or competitor stealing away these awesome people in the credits either. These talented people want to design and create as much as I do, so more power to them if they can get additional work by working with me. Having your name out there has value and I would have never been able to start LooseKeys if I couldn’t of shared the Groupon video almost two years ago. Someone asked me if I was worried that a startup who was on a budget would just try to contact the people I’ve credited instead of approaching LooseKeys for the job? Especially since you can see the name right there in the credits.

My response is no. I know that people are coming to me and LooseKeys for my work and my knowledge not just because I know good people to work with. Anyone can find great talent to work with and build a team. I understand what it takes to make a well thought out, uniquely designed, successful product. I know I have the skill set to head up a project, to coordinate with clients, to craft a script, design style frames and storyboards, animate, and do sound design. And when I don’t have the time to do it all, I know many talented people who can help me with all the aspects needed to get the job done.

Each day there are more and more explainer video businesses and motion graphics shops popping up. It’s easier everyday to get started. But it’s the businesses that are run by the creative person first and not just the guy with the money that succeeds in making the most creative and enduring work.

You still don’t have that blog up and going? Why not? It’s not like it’s 1998 and blogs are this hot new thing.

Are you afraid no one is going to read it? You shouldn’t worry about who reads or doesn’t read it, blogs are really about what YOU want to produce. I think most people read and look at personal or business blogs to find an off the cuff or personal perspective on a topic that their passionate about.

For the most part, I blog for myself. I’m not concerned that people won’t read it. I’m writing and sharing because I want to create this content regardless of how many readers show up. More or less it would be the same content if it’s 100 readers or 100,000 readers.

Getting these ideas help me get better at my job and hopefully inspire or help someone else. I might have an image I’m proud of or an idea in my head about my work or life that I need to get down. If I’m having these struggles or questions it’s very likely there are others having these same thoughts. If they are having them at the same time I am or years later, they can read about how I handled it. Blogs have a long lasting shelf life, they exist on the internet until you decide to remove them. Which makes it a great marketing tool for yourself and your business if you are writing valuable content. Plus, writing and creating content for a blog keeps you creative and your mind active.

So the answer to “Why Blog?” is “Why Not?”

We’re back with the fifth episode of InsightIntell, thanks for joining us. In this episode Case Morton and Brad Chmielewski talk about the value of LinkedIn. LinkedIn is one of those staples of the business world. You need to make sure that you treat your profile as if it were your resume. Case and Brad give you some advice on how to fill out your profile and stay connected with business and personal contacts.

As with most social networks, the benefit comes from when you interact with other members. Let us know if you’re having success connecting and building a brand with LinkedIn, we’d love to hear your story.

Thanks for joining us for the fourth episode of InsightIntell. In this episode Case Morton and Brad Chmielewski talk about the social network Pinterest and how you can can use it to promote your business and brand. Case and Brad discuss ways they are using Pinterest and how you can use Pinterest to reach the ever growing audience.

If you’ve had any success growing your brand and reaching a new audience with Pinterest, we’d love to hear about it. And if there is anything you’d like us to talk about or any questions you might have, please let us know.