I recently celebrated 7 years of running Visionary Rising aka VSNRY – the digital studio I started in a spare bedroom and scaled in my spare time. Throughout that process, I discovered that the entrepreneurial journey is an art, a science, and a dance between creativity and strategy.

From the very beginning, when VSNRY was just a spark of an idea, I've navigated uncharted territories, made unexpected pivots, embraced beautiful imperfections, and built a team of collaborators imbued with a hunger and drive for more.

Today, I’ll share with you the 7 key lessons that have guided me, the insights that have shaped me, and the wisdom that continues to fuel me. Whether you're an entrepreneur at the helm of your own business, a creative seeking to infuse strategy into your work, or anyone in between, these lessons are for you. They're not just about scaling a business but about scaling oneself.

Balancing Acts: The Art and Science of Building a Creative Business

In the last 7 years, I’ve almost sold the business (2x), navigated a global shutdown and pandemic, pitched my dream client (and lost), pitched another dream client (and won), scaled up to a full-service agency complete with a 20-person team, then scaled back to a digital studio with a core team of 5 and a network of freelancers. 

I’ve learned a lot about running a business, but my lessons are not confined to mere business tactics; they're a reflection of life itself, a testament to growth, courage, resilience, and relentless pursuit of passion.

Let’s dive in.

1. Harness the Side Hustle: Don’t Quit Your Daydream

While forging a career in tech, I nurtured Visionary Rising as a side hustle. This duality wasn't about dividing my energies but synergizing them. The lessons from the tech world enriched my entrepreneurial endeavors, while the creative energy of my side hustle fueled my professional growth. It was a dance between two worlds, each enhancing the other.

Lesson: Synergy between career and side hustle leads to mutual growth.

Insight: The calculated risk of nurturing Visionary Rising alongside my tech career enriched both domains and propelled me forward.

2. Trust the Process: Build Your Entrepreneurial Muscle

Entrepreneurship isn't a straight path; it's a journey filled with twists and turns. From B2C to B2B, from solo to pivoting to a hybrid model, from building a team to realizing the core elements required. I learned to adapt and grow.

Each decision, no matter how small, contributed to building the muscle necessary to navigate the complex business landscape. It's a continuous process of learning, adapting, and moving forward.

Lesson: Entrepreneurship is a continuous process of adaptation and learning.

Insight: The countless small decisions over time formed a resilient entrepreneurial muscle that has defined my success.

3. Know Yourself: Audit and Reflect Across Multiple Domains

 My career in tech wasn't just a job; it was a part of my broader life canvas. Knowing myself meant understanding how my career in tech and side hustle were both integral parts of my growth. It was never one or the other for me – it’s always been both. 

This intricate self-understanding of what I wanted allowed me to make decisions that were multifaceted and aligned with my complex journey. Of course, there were times when I thought “Wouldn’t it be easier if I didn’t have to do both?”, but that thought was quickly replaced with the understanding that I wasn’t just building a company – I was building leverage.

The kind of leverage that meant I never had to do anything out of necessity. 
Freedom of choice was the most important thing to me, and so, I built a business around this concept.

Insight: Recognize what fulfills you, audit continuously to ensure alignment with your core values, and goals – and be prepared to make the tough decisions.

Lesson: Self-awareness is key to creating a multifaceted and aligned journey.

Insight: Continual self-auditing ensured that all parts of my life were contributing to my core values and goals.

4. Plan, But Allow Imperfection

When I chose to launch VSNRY, I forced myself to go from idea to execution in two weeks because I knew that if I didn’t put a timeline on it, I would never launch.

While planning is essential, I realized that perfection could become paralyzing.

My two-week launch taught me that taking imperfect action is better than taking no action at all. Mistakes became areas for growth, not setbacks. Embracing imperfection allowed me to iterate, innovate, and evolve continuously. It also lessened my dependency on others for validation of the idea. 

I put the thing out there and let the market tell me if it was needed.

Hint: It was.

Lesson: Imperfect action is better than inaction; perfection can be paralyzing.

Insight: My 2-week launch taught me to embrace imperfections, turning mistakes into areas for growth, not setbacks.

5. Pivot When Necessary

In a constantly changing business environment, rigidity can be a downfall. My ability to pivot and adapt to the needs of the market has been instrumental in shaping VSNRY. Recognizing the need for change at any given moment, then doing so decisively became a strength, not a liability.

In 2016, I launched with a $1,500 offer, but by month 6 realized quickly that I would barely break even if I stayed at that price point. 

So, I created a new division for Partnerships and partnered with businesses and brands to bring their products to market.

This new offer, coupled with the portfolio of projects, was enough to warrant a new price point; and each year, as successes have increased – I was able to scale our offer. 

Lesson: Adaptation and readiness to change are strengths, not liabilities.

Insight: Shifting from B2C to B2B and a hybrid model illustrates my readiness to adapt, turning change into an opportunity.

6. Build Culture, not Community.

Building a culture of confidence and greatness spreads through the team. Building a culture isn't just about implementing values; it's about living them. Throughout the years, I’ve cultivated a team of collaborators that embodies confidence, resilience, passion, and dedication. Creating a space where each collective member can unleash their potential, thrive, and contribute to a shared vision, whether they are with us for a few projects or a few years.

Lesson: Building a strong culture means living the values, not just implementing them.

Insight: The culture of confidence at VSNRY manifested in the way my team worked and collaborated, turning values into lived experiences.

7. Balance Action and Reflection

The dance between taking action and reflective thinking became crucial. Through a balanced approach, I made decisions that were both bold and thoughtful allowed me to gain an understanding of when to move (like when the dream client we’ve been wanting to pitch sends us an RFP with a 2-week lead time) and when to pause (like when we’re on the cusp of acquisition and the economy is shifting like quicksand under our feet), when to leap (at the opportunity to bring on new members of the team and share the vision) and when to look (deeper into our processes to uncover why close rates have plummeted).

 Lesson: A balanced dance between action and reflection leads to personal and professional growth.

Insight: This equilibrium guided me through the complexities of scaling Visionary Rising and myself, making me more agile and insightful.

This delicate balance has guided me through the complexities of scaling a business and scaling myself.

Conclusion:

My Visionary Rising journey isn't just a story of financial success - even though many people might lead with that; this journey has been one of a personal and professional evolution. These seven lessons weave together a narrative that transcends business tactics. They're about the relentless pursuit of a dream.

TL;DR

7 Lessons I’ve Learned in Building a Creative Business

1. Don’t quit your daydream job

2. Trust the process

3. Know Yourself

4. Plan, but leave room for imperfection

5. Pivot when necessary

6. Build a culture, not just a community

7. Balance action with reflection

The biggest lesson I left off here is to just get started. Commit to doing it in your spare time, whenever you have time will get you farther than letting another day go by without taking action.

Here’s to the launch of your own digital studio!

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