008 | Briana & Jason of Brainstorm on infusing personal interests into creative work, using a strong brand to attract the right clients and why your business should always be in some state of transition.

For full show notes and access to additional resources for this episode, visit: prooftoproduct.com/008

Owned and operated by Briana Feola and Jason Snyder, Brainstorm is a print shop and collaborative design studio rooted in the production of original art prints inspired by science, nature, and the outdoors. Briana & Jason have done some creative collaborative projects with big brands such as Lollapalooza, Patgonia, Airstream trailers and an upcoming project with L.L. Bean. On today's episode Briana and Jason talk about how their love of learning inspires their work, using a strong brand to attract the right clients and why your business should always be in some state of transition.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

[01:00] Building a business out of a recession. [03:00] Working side hustles while growing the business.[05:00] Working with a significant other.[07:00] How their life interests & love of learning inspire their work.[11:00] Professional collaborations & partnerships with Lollapalooza, Patagonia and Airstream.[12:00] Custom clients found them through their print work[19:00] Attracting the right clients using a strong brand.[20:00] Hiring their first employee & the importance of finding someone with flexibility [24:00] Winning the airstream trailer design competition[29:00] Summer travel plans in the Airstream trailer[32:00] Transitions they've experienced as they've grown[36:00] Benefits of staying small and nimble.[37:30] Focusing on what is going to work, and not letting failures get you down.[39:00] Upcoming project with L.L. Bean[32:30] What's next for We Are Brainstorm

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

"We always dig deep into our own lives for inspiration" - Briana Feola

"We're eternal students and want to keep learning no matter what the subject is" - Briana Feola

"As entrepreneurs, we tend to be more critical of ourselves than anyone else is" - Katie Hunt

"Going to Tradeshow Bootcamp was an eye opening experience that was necessary to set us in motion for the next four, five years now." - Briana Feola

"I feel like your business should always be in some state of transition" - Jason Snyder

"One benefit of being a small business owner is that we can be nimble and make our own decisions, shift gears however we need to" - Katie Hunt

"We pride ourselves on the fact that we stay super small and adaptable" - Briana Feola

'I need to get out of my own way, sometimes" - Briana Feola

LINKS:

Brainstorm National Park series

Brainstorm's work for Lollapalooza

C3 Presents

Brainstorm for Patagonia

Airstream Trailer Contest

Mama's Sauce

Adobe Max

Renegade Craft Fair

Brainstorm for L.L. Bean

Paper Camp

MEET BRIANA & JASON:

Brainstorm is a print shop and collaborative design studio working from a historic mill in Dover, New Hampshire. Owned and operated by Briana Feola and Jason Snyder, Brainstorm is rooted in the production of original art prints inspired by science, nature, and the outdoors. They also design for people and companies that appreciate the creative process, enjoy collaboration, and want to make something tangible in an increasingly digital world.

Website: http://www.wearebrainstorm.com

Facebook: @wearebrainstorm

Instagram: @wearebrainstorm

Twitter: @wearebrainstorm

JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY:

Interested in learning more about launching or refining a wholesale line or exhibiting at trade shows? Join us for our next Paper Camp conference in Los Angeles. Get more details and register at www.tradeshowcamp.com/papercamp

ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode.