Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in branding and marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mark Koudritsky, CTO of Self Studio, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

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

We help brands become their truest, most authentic selves through branding and strategy, websites and digital products, graphics and motion, documentary, commercial, and fiction film production.

Tell us about yourself

The world of maths, physics, and computation always fascinated me with intricate, elegant, but strict derivations and algorithms. The projects we do commercially are all about enabling and automating sophisticated business processes - in a sense. Those are algorithms that run in part on computers and in part on the social structure of the business team.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I come from a technical background. Building, managing, and inspiring a team was new to me. Luckily I found out that I really like the human side of this work - combined with the good technical infrastructure, it enables a great company culture that creates an environment that is both productive and pleasant to be in.

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

There are way too many decisions to make: Should I take up this project or decline? Should I invest more in marketing or equipment? Should I pivot entirely and start looking for a completely new type of project?

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

  1. Even if it doesn't work out and you lose all the money and time you invested, it's still a great educational experience, probably way better (and maybe still cheaper) than doing an MBA.
  2. Hire people you trust and trust the people you hire.
  3. Simplify and automate your processes, but not before you understand them well.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.selfstudio.se/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instakamrik/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamrik/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.