This is part 2 of our conversation with struggling artist turned dice-making millionaire, Karen Wang. If you missed part 1, go back an episode and listen to that first. In part 2, Karen shares her experience launching her first Kickstarter—which ultimately lead to $2 million in sales. You’ll hear about how she got into dice-making, what she learned, and all the interesting mistakes along the way. You might think raking in millions of dollars in sales is great. But what happens when you have to t...
May 26, 2021•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 135
When you hear that someone is an “overnight success”, rarely did it happen overnight. But our guest in this episode is kind of the exception. Kind of. Karen Wang is the founder of Dispel Dice . A luxury dice-making business that was Kickstarted into existence. Over the course of her 30 day campaign, she raised over $2 million. All for her stunning, beautiful, and bespoke dice. And that first $1 million, happened on day one. If your jaw isn’t on the floor, then please re-read that last paragraph....
May 19, 2021•56 min•Season 4Ep. 134
To say that the advertising world is competitive, would be like saying that water is wet. People fight tooth and nail to land big clients. For every account that is won, another is lost. And missing the mark on a pitch you’ve poured your soul into can be heartbreaking. But advertising is also thrilling. You're given a unique problem and it's up to you and your teammates to solve it. Like group of creative detectives. In this episode we were given the rare opportunity to speak with someone operat...
May 12, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Season 4Ep. 133
“Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.” We love that quote from Mike Tyson. It encapsulates life so well. You can do everything right—even go above and beyond—and still be a fantastic failure. But as they like to say: failure is inevitable. It’s how you deal with it that matters. Pat Flynn is an acclaimed podcaster, author, entrepreneur, and Pokémon card collector. Yes, you just read “Pokémon.” Growing up, he did everything right. Earned perfect grades. Landed the perfect, dre...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 132
Why do you believe what you believe? How much of it was hardwired and how much of it did you inherit from other people? Like, for instance, your parents. This episode comes from a unique event that we like to call After Hours . It’s a raw, revealing, and open-ended discussion with Chris Do and some our friends from The Futur Pro Group. In this After Hours chat, we delve into how to reframe the way you think about goals. What they are, their meaning to you, and why looking to the past won’t help ...
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 41 min•Season 4Ep. 131
When it comes to talking about money, a lot of creative folk tend to get uncomfortable. Many of us believe that the work should speak for itself. And that the cost of something correlates with how long it takes to produce. But that’s not always true. There are plenty of ways to bill for your work. Hourly, daily, fixed price, value-based, and retainer. There’s even the good old barter system. Which way is the best? And is it fair and ethical to not bill for the time you spend on something? If the...
Apr 21, 2021•59 min•Season 4Ep. 130
If you could go back in time and learn something new, what would it be? What thing would you study to better equip you for the world and you live in today? In the business world, designers now have a seat at table. They do more than just make things pretty. Their decisions and actions have a direct impact on the bottom line. Which means they have a responsibility to the business. Something that isn’t taught in art school. Our guest in this episode, Abby Guido, is an assistant professor of graphi...
Apr 14, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 4Ep. 129
What do you think it means to be a creative director? It’s not a trick question. Take a moment to think about it. What does a creative director do exactly? What skills do they need to do it? You might think that being a great creative director is all about honing your craft and having a creative vision for your work. In other words, it’s all about you and your creative decisions. But is that true? This episode comes from a livestream we held in early 2019. It’s all about answering the question: ...
Apr 07, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 128
When you hear the term “side hustle”, how does it make you feel? Maybe you get excited and think of that one thing you’re passionate about. Or maybe it sends a cringe-filled chill down your spine. We ask because this episode’s guest, Herbert Lui, really hates that phrase. And he’s not alone. You may recall our conversation with Austin Kleon where he shared his own contempt for that same term. When it comes to words and language, nuance is everything. Two people can say the exact same thing, yet ...
Mar 31, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 127
Do you know the difference between a freelancer and a small business owner? We won’t spoil it for you, but there is an important mindset distinction. And it can change everything about the way you do business. In tis deep dive episode, we talk with former software developer and author, Jonathan Stark. If you’re a long time follower of The Futur, then you’ll recognize that name. Jonathan’s mission is to rid the world of hourly billing. And in this Q&A session, he explains how you can do that....
Mar 24, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 4Ep. 126
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear.” This poignant quote from Mark Twain taps into the theme of this episode: grit. As in fortitude, guts, backbone Think about the most accomplished people that you admire. What drives them? What is that endless source of fuel that keeps their fire burning? Especially through the darkest and coldest of nights. Our guest today, Mario Quezada, is a brand strategist and owner of a small design and branding agency in Honolulu, Hawai...
Mar 17, 2021•1 hr 54 min•Season 4Ep. 125
This deep dive episode comes from a livestream we held way back in 2019 on The Futur’s YouTube channel. Our guest, Michael Janda, is the author of the best-selling book Burn Your Portfolio . He’s also a seasoned ad agency executive who helps creative entrepreneurs make more money with less stress. In this episode, we aim our focus on pricing creative work. A topic that every creative professional has struggles with. Michael walks you through a step by step process on how to price your work and h...
Mar 10, 2021•1 hr 35 min•Season 4Ep. 124
Have you ever heard someone say that an idea “has legs”? What they mean is that the idea can endure and stay relevant over time. Because that’s what good ideas do—they stick around. Jason Harris is the CEO and co-founder of acclaimed ad agency, Mekanism. They do fantastic and progressive work for some of the best clients around. Brands like Peleton, Jose Cuervo, and Ben & Jerry’s. As a seasoned ad man, Jason knows a good idea when he sees it. And he knows how to present that idea to a client...
Mar 03, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 123
If you’ve followed us for a while, then you’ve probably heard the name Blair Enns a few times. Blair is a business consultant, speaker and author of the acclaimed book, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto . And if you were to ask Chris Do what one book you should read is, it would be that one. We’ve had Blair on the show before, but we wanted to share this deep dive livestream with you because it’s filled with invaluable information. The insights that Blair shares and the perspective he offers is...
Feb 24, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Season 4Ep. 122
When you hear the term “high performance” you might think about professional athletes. People who go through intense physical and mental training to prepare their mind and body for the game. Not to sound like a meme, but what if we told you that you could borrow similar training techniques to improve your creative performance ? Well, according to Erik Korem, there are plenty of parallels between creatives and athletes. High stress, long hours, and intense mental focus. And although he comes from...
Feb 17, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Season 4Ep. 121
Dustin Lee is the founder of RetroSupply Co, a marketplace for retro brushes, textures, fonts, and more. Over the years, he’s carved out a unique position in the creative tool market. When you search for retro or vintage brushes for Illustrator, Photoshop, and Procreate you’re going to bump into his website. It's a great example of finding your niche. Dustin’s conversation with Chris centers around how creatives can start to think about passive income. But unlike a lot of other talks you have he...
Feb 10, 2021•1 hr 39 min•Season 4Ep. 120
2020 normalized the concept of remote work. Many people were forced to take their office home and find new ways to do business and stay connected. Whether they liked it or not. But before the pandemic, remote work wasn’t all that common. Which makes our guest, Cameron Pierron, quite the anomaly. Cameron worked remotely before it was cool. Like, in 2001. And he worked with big names, like Kyle Cooper and Danny Yount. Titans of the motion design industry. All from his home in the mid-West. In Kans...
Feb 03, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 4Ep. 119
This is part two of a two part series where we reverse the roles and have our beloved founder and The Futur CEO, Chris Do, answer the questions. If you haven’t listened to part one , stop what you’re doing and go listen to that episode first. In part two, we pick up where we left off. With Chris’ vision of what The Futur, both the company and the concept, looks like. He and Anneli discuss the power of company culture, engaging with internet trolls and why mission over money is the best path forw...
Jan 27, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 118
If you’re a regular listener of the show, then you know our format: Chris Do talks with an interesting guest while carefully poking and prodding them with questions. All in hopes of learning as much about their experience as humanly possible. But today, we’re flipping everything on it’s head. In this two part series, the roles are reversed. Our guest, and Futur Pro Group member Anneli Hannson, will interview Chris. Think of it like a deep dive into the mind of Mr. Do. The person, the businessman...
Jan 20, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 117
Have you ever heard of The Game of Life ? It’s a multiplayer board game that was invented by Milton Bradley in the 19th century. The idea was to simulate a person going through all of their life experiences. School, marriage, jobs, and so on. And you, the player, get to decide what they do. Eric Siu lives his life as if it were a game. It’s no surprise that he is a big gamer, but he’s also an incredibly successful marketer and businessman. Eric runs a marketing agency, a software company, and is...
Jan 13, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 116
When you hear the term sound design , you might think of fight sequences from action films. Like a fist landing on someone’s face, the cocking of a shotgun or even a building exploding into a giant ball of fire. But you probably don’t think about the subtle atmospheric sound design that permeates your screen. The icy wind underscoring an arctic journey. The ambient noise of a crowded outdoor market unique to Bangkok. Great sound design often goes unnoticed. It takes you out of your seat and subm...
Jan 06, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 4Ep. 115
Streaming great music is easy to come by these days. You can search for almost any artist you want on Spotify or Apple Music and listen to them in a few seconds. The Beatles, Metallica and even Tool all have their discography up in the proverbial cloud. But there’s one place online that’s home to a unique genre of music. Music that’s streaming all day, every day. Whether you're listening or not. Chillhop Music is a music label based out of Rotterdam. They work with artists who primarily make rel...
Dec 30, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Season 4Ep. 114
This is part two of our fascinating talk with illustrator, children’s book author and creative entrepreneur, Arree Chung. If you haven’t listened to part one yet, go do that first. In this second episode, Arree talks us through his business plan and the unique opportunity he had to teach kids (and their parents) how to be creative. And how doing that earned him over $400K in 36 hours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...
Dec 23, 2020•49 min•Season 4Ep. 113
Arree Chung is an illustrator, children's book author and creative entrepreneur. He’s also a member of The Futur Pro Group. But more importantly, he’s a shining example of how to find the silver lining in a bad situation. Like say, a pandemic. It’s no mystery why businesses across the planet have been decimated. And our guest is no exception. But what he does excel at, especially during these miserable times, is pivoting his way out of it. Arree’s remarkable story comes with many twists, turns a...
Dec 16, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Season 4Ep. 112
Koen Bok is the CEO and founder of the free web-based prototyping tool, Framer. Their mission is to bridge the imagination gap, so that you, your team and even your client are all speaking the same language. In this episode, Koen shares what life was like as a young kid, growing up in the Netherlands who is fascinated by computers. A fascination that developed into a legitimate business that was ultimately acquired by Facebook. Thanks to Gusto for sponsoring this episode - gusto.com/futur Learn ...
Dec 09, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 111
Lauren Hom is an accomplished hand lettering artist, designer and founder of Detroit-based studio, Hom Sweet Hom. She initially started in her career in advertising, working at one of largest agencies on the planet. But what started as a dream job, quickly became less and less dreamy over time. And exciting new opportunities were ripe for the taking. Thanks to Gusto for sponsoring this episode - gusto.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about...
Dec 02, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 110
This is a companion episode to our previous chat with The Minerva Project managing director, Ayo Seligman. We had a great follow up conversation with professor Christine Looser, but it felt too long and too complex for a regular episode. So we’re releasing it as a bonus. If you haven’t listened to Ayo's episode, then go listen to that one first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Nov 27, 2020•1 hr 57 min•Season 4Ep. 109
Ayo Seligman is the managing director of brand and creative at Minerva Project. If you’re not already familiar with it, Minvera Project is an educational innovator that is redesigning the way people learn. Ayo tells Chris about graduating from UCLA’s design program and how starting a zine on the internet landed him a job at one of the most prestigious design firms in the world. Thanks to Gusto for sponsoring this episode. gusto.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com...
Nov 25, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 4Ep. 108
Hayley Akins runs an online education company called Motion Hatch. They help motion designers with their businesses and creative careers. Hayley and Chris discuss her journey from studying film production, working for Google and the transition from full time to freelance to ultimately, starting her own community focused business. Thanks to Gusto for sponsoring this episode - gusto.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...
Nov 18, 2020•59 min•Season 4Ep. 107
Jeff Lerner is the founder and CEO of Entre Institute, a platform that teaches people how to build business’ and make a living in non-traditional ways. Which makes sense, because when he was a kid he dropped out of high school and taught himself jazz piano to pay the bills. Eventually, he traded the piano keys for a keyboard, started his own affiliate marketing business and dug himself out of insurmountable debt—about $400K to be exact. Thanks to Gusto for sponsoring this episode. gusto.com/futu...
Nov 11, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 106
