Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andrew Nemr, Founder of Nemr Special Projects LLC, located in Meridian, ID, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are a creative agency that specializes in storytelling at the intersection of oral tradition and technology. Our customers are corporations like Google and Deutsche Grammophon, conferences like The World Summit on Innovation and TED, and educational institutions like Cairn University and Wheaton College. We also facilitate individual and group coaching services that leverage our experience in music, dance, and storytelling, to open up new ways of thinking and approaches to collaboration and innovation, communication and conversation, culture making, and individual formation.

Tell us about yourself

I am a professional tap dancer and storyteller, and my business is evolving from those interests. Having been grafted into the oral tradition of tap dance and experienced a learning journey based on the apprenticeship model, I gained an interest in individual formation – and that as a model for group formation. I am deeply interested in the interplay between perspective, personality, and action as a framework for understanding how we are being formed individually and in the groups we are a part of. With our ever-changing world, I hope that my work (in performance and training) may shift the needle in a small way towards more curiosity, generosity, and goodness.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

As I look back on my journey, there are two things that I am thankful for. The first is maybe the more obvious, having survived numerous challenging crises as a creative. This is not a small thing and in light of the goal of just staying in the game and counting this as a win. The second is the cumulative body of work on both the creative and training fronts that I have been able to create. My mentor, Gregory Hines, while not the most famous of actors or dancers, or singers, had a body of work that rivaled many of his contemporaries. Seeing my body of work grow in a similar manner is something that brings me great joy.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The most difficult part of being a business owner for me is the inconsistent pacing. There is always something, and something different, and something needed yesterday, or three weeks from now. The variety of the work is a wonderful thing to have – it's never boring – and also one of the greatest challenges.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Making your own path can be a lonely journey. Here are three tips I use to help me:

  1. Keep talking about what it is you are doing.
  2. Find trusted people with whom you can share the hard things.
  3. Be excited about the dream, determined in the work, and gracious in the challenges.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I'm very interested about the process, not just product, and so I write and share my thinking on a weekly basis. You can find my "notes" in blog or podcast format on my website. I'd be interested in hearing what you think, too.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.andrewnemr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewjnemr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewjnemr/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewjnemr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjnemr/

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.

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