Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Justin Cook, founder of Creative Oxidation, located in Atlanta, GA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a Product Strategy + Design Agency that creates beautiful & intuitive digital experiences for apps and web products. As a boutique agency, we are hands-on with our clients. We partner with start-ups and enterprise product teams to launch new products, accelerate business growth, design new experiences, and build lasting relationships with their communities.
Tell us about yourself
I majored in Graphic Design and Illustration in college, so my side hustle to make a few extra dollars was to design party flyers, logos, and CD covers for people on campus. I wasn't charging much, but I loved the idea of building a business, and that stuck with me. A few laters later, I moved to Atlanta. I needed a website to advertise my services, so I taught myself how to code. After I coded it, I decided to add web design/development as a service and began getting web design clients on the side in addition to graphic design clients. A good friend of mine has an older brother who owns a successful design agency, and he was kind enough to mentor me. After a few years of mentorship, doing project-based contract work to build my portfolio, and web design on the side, I decided to go all in. I saved my money, and after my last contract expired, I told the recruiters I was off the market, and from there, I never looked back.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I feel most accomplished when start-ups I've worked with are able to raise millions of venture capital funds because their apps have gained traction and the user base is steadily increasing. Being at the cutting edge of a company's initial product and entry into the market is exciting. Accelerating growth and achieving business goals is always the greatest compliment.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things about owning a business is learning how to build the business around your life and not the other way around. As you scale and get more clients, you'll need to set boundaries with your business. Otherwise, it'll take over every aspect of your life. It will invade family time, on weekends and vacations, if you ever take time off to have one. Build the business around your life now to prevent burnout and to resent your business. Your business should be fun and enjoyable to operate. As a creative business owner, enjoying my work and being in an overall relaxed mood produces the most creative and innovative solutions.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
To start your business on the right foot, three things you'll need:
- Start at the end. Don't sell services or features. Sell the outcomes your clients are dreaming about. Most clients don't care about "what" you do as long as they get the value.
- Create systems. The easiest way to become more efficient is to create systems for the routine things that you do. Document your standard operating procedure and do all you can to automate these tasks.
- Create content. If you're a business owner today, then by default, you are also a content creator. Create as much of it as you can and post it on a variety of channels. It can be a blog, email blast, social media post, or Youtube video. Create a conversation around the value you provide.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://creativeoxidation.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justin.cook.31521
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/applaunch.justin/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinlcook/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.