Design Extraordinary Things - The Skins Factory

Team Subkit -

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jeff Schader, CEO of The Skins Factory, Inc., located in Fort Lauderdale. FL, USA.

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

Founded in 2000 & based in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area, The Skins Factory has been designing (UI/UX Design) world-class applications for the world's largest, most influential brands, mid-sized companies, and extraordinary startups for over 21 years. Clients have included Microsoft, Disney, Intel, Target, NFL, Warner Bros., HP, and Bank of America, to name a few.

If you had Windows Vista or Windows 7 sitting on your home or office PC, or on a laptop on a beach somewhere, you had The Skins Factory's work on your computer. Our work in the form of Windows Media Player skins and a Windows Vista Sidebar Gadget was sitting on the PCs of over 1 billion users worldwide.

It's through an unrelenting passion for what I do that's allowed my boutique design studio to grow and thrive over two decades. Imagine working at a job for over 21 years and still love doing it - That's my reality.

Tell us about yourself

It was on December 18, 2000, that I incorporated the company, bought a domain name, and with $6000 in the bank and a credit card, started a boutique UI design studio called The Skins Factory.

I had been recruited two years earlier by a digital audio company to create a digital art division that would create media player skins that record labels could use to market their recording artists.

However, one of the companies I went after was Microsoft. While they aren't a record label, I heard they were coming out with a customizable media player - Windows Media Player 7. So for four months, I hounded them relentlessly until they awarded us a contract to design 30 media player skins to help seed the launch of their newly revised player. Six weeks with 18 artists, all in different time zones across the world, and we got the job done on time. I liken the experience to herding cats, but what a blast.

By the end of 2000, the company I worked for owed me three paychecks. Since I was instrumental in getting the projects and art directing the artists, I decided to strike out on my own, and so on December 18th, 2000, The Skins Factory was born.

You can read more about the origin of The Skins Factory here: https://www.theskinsfactory.com/uiux-design-blog/the-origin-of-a-ux-design-studio.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I guess our longevity. Sure, having your work on over a billion PCs would rank up there as a high point, but I think just doing what you love for two decades is an accomplishment on its own. I think we outlasted every single startup we ever worked for.

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

The not getting a steady paycheck can be rough at times. You really have to be the ant and not the grasshopper and save your money for the lean times. Because The Skins Factory is selling services and not products, it's a little easier, but it's still stressful.

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

  1. Love what you're doing. I mean really, really love what you're doing.
    Doing a startup means putting it all on the line. Your time, energy, money, heart, and soul. Almost nobody gets successful sitting back, waiting for things to happen. You have to go all in. You're going to be working ridiculously long days, so if you don't love it, the stress of a startup can exact a heavy toll. I think to be an entrepreneur, you have to be a little crazy to put yourself through it all, but when you succeed... nothing is sweeter.
  2. Surround yourself with people who are not only talented but as passionate as you are about what it is you're doing. You can't afford to be surrounded by people who are just "dialing it in." When I started The Skins Factory, I went after the world's best designers in the design niche we started in. These artists were designing media player skins and uploading them to design communities so that users could download them for free. Why? Because they were passionate about it. Those are the types of people you want to surround yourself with.
  3. Believe in yourself and your company. There are going to be times when it seems everything is falling apart, and maybe it is, but if you believe in what you're trying to accomplish and yourself, then you'll weather the storm and come out stronger on the other side.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.theskinsfactory.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSkinsFactory
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskinsfactory/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSchader
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theskinsfactory/

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.