A Story Telling Machine For The Now

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in digital marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dylan Rubin, Creative Director & Founder of STORi GROUP, located in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

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

My business is a video marketing services company. STORi GROUP creates high-quality video content in a variety of different formats. This can be short documentaries, explainer videos, or even social media content shot in a vertical format. Our customers are typically businesses that are looking to create videos to display on their website or to post on social media.

Tell us about yourself

I have always been a creative and distrusted authority figure. I was never a great student and would constantly daydream about the next venture I was working on. As a kid, I would rally friends to rake lawns and shovel snow in the fall and winter times. I would always be working on little projects, whether that was a video project or I'd be playing in a band. In college, I started to sell t-shirts with random cool designs on them and would just go up to each person I saw and would sell it to them. I'm not sure how; I just convinced them they had to have it. I eventually dropped out of school because I was having more success outside school than I was in it.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

There isn't one "thing" I can say that's been a big accomplishment. Rather, it's been a series of small wins over the years that allowed me to do what I do. First, it was, "Wouldn't it be cool to be able to quit my job and work for myself?" to "I want to be able to travel with my work," to "I want to scale this thing, have employees and build a real media agency." I'm currently working on that third thing. But yeah, maybe one day I will hold some cool event with everyone who's helped me along the way in attendance, and we all just rock out together. That would be a cool accomplishment.

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

Personal responsibility. I don't have a boss or manager assigning me tasks. No one is going to make the business grow and get the bills paid unless I go out there and take steps to make that happen. On one end, that can sound liberating. On the other, when you live it on a day-to-day, it can be incredibly stressful. I wouldn't change it for the world, though. There is a huge sense of fulfillment in looking at what I've done and being able to say, "Yeah, I created that."

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

Take care of your health. This is the most important. Prioritize exercise, a healthy diet, sleep and socialize when possible. Literally, put it into your schedule. You won't be able to do the long hours it takes to go from zero to hero if every part of you isn't running like a fine-tuned machine.
Be ready to sacrifice. If you're younger, like I am, you may see your peers going out to bars, spending money on cool trips, and hooking up. FOMO is real. However, remember why you started. It's going to be slow at first. You may have to take on side work just to pay for the business you're building. This means you can't get hammered at the bar every weekend, play video games or catch up on your favorite shows. These things go on the back burner and oftentimes don't even make it on the stove.
Network like crazy and find people 5-10 years ahead of you that are successful and spend time around them. The more people you have in your circle who believe in and support you, the better. I even often times will barter with people I admire just to have a conversation with them to pick their brains. When people see you have good intentions, work hard, and genuinely want to succeed, they will - either want to help, or you can even help them. Overall, it becomes a positive cycle that leads to tremendous growth.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.storigroup.tv
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylan.rubin.98
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylanrubin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DylanRubin_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-rubin-0baa04b9

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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