Client Spotlight: My Client Steve Fuels His Business Success with Creativity

This week I’m super excited to feature one of my rockstar clients.

Steve is a serial entrepreneur, hatching businesses in the tech space like nobody’s business.  He’s also highly creative in the arts, which undoubtedly plays a huge role in fueling his business success.

When he started working with me three months ago, his ambition and enterprising spirit were already unparalleled, and our work together amplifies that.  

I even joked when I got him started on protein shakes that he’d probably have a protein shake business up and running by the next session.

I’m seeing seismic shifts in his growth, and as I was thinking about his progress to date, I asked him to reflect on what he’s learning about himself through art and how it’s helping him in business.

So here it is, an authentic, straight-from-the-heart reflection from Steve:

I’m learning many things all loosely tied to business:

  1. Creating systems – I enjoy the building and creation of things, hence multiple businesses. I have a problem with getting my fix in business because if I’m building it properly, it ends up growing to the point it doesn’t need my direct attention anymore. In art, every different style requires different thought processes because, generally, you have to do things in specific orders to be able to get the effect you are going after, however if you’ve never done that kind of art before, you have to learn it from scratch, and learning those “rules” by trial and error is what gets the excitement back.
  2. Attaining things you want – My family grew up very poor, and if I ever wanted anything beyond “a need,” it meant that I had to get creative or use my imagination to be able to attain it. In business, I approach things the same way. I have to get creative with ways to solve problems or move forward, and art has been a great way to help me expand on it. 
  3. Dealing with outcomes you aren’t necessarily happy with, but realize that it is still progress – I don’t think I’ve ever done an art project where I’ve been excited about the final results, and this even includes some of the crazy complex art projects. I end up enjoying the small wins I’ve achieved along the way. “It’s the journey not the destination”. I find that I’m enjoying the ability to share those journeys with others to be more rewarding to me than the finished product. In art, it’s easier to show via pictures or video because you can show the process it took to get somewhere. In business, it’s difficult to show that because of things that are proprietary or unique situations or circumstances.  However, if you can relay the challenges it took to get somewhere, it’s part of what gets people excited to join you and be part of that story.
  4. The weird – Weird things excite me.  Heck, one of my favorite books is Alice in Wonderland. As an adult, you may think about that book or movie and think, oh it’s just a crazy story I experienced as a kid… but when you dwell on it, it’s so many things combined. The first time you’ve experienced it, everything was new, crazy, and weird because you weren’t expecting it. In business, if you’re pushing the envelope in a new field or making an existing field exciting, you should have these same experiences.  You shouldn’t know what kind of potential golden nuggets you can achieve by making things weird (in a good way).

Thank you, Steve, for your thoughtful reflections and commitment to growth.  The best is yet to come!

In what ways do you currently exercise your creative muscles, and what are some things you’d like to try?

I’d love to help you incorporate creative pursuits into your life so you can achieve all the business success and personal fulfillment you’ve always wanted.  Let’s chat!