Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in creative design but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Stanley Vaganov, Founderof BeCurious Studio, located in New York City, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a creative studio that designs brands, products, and social impact. We work with startups that focus on social disruption. Focusing on health and wellness, and equality.
Tell us about yourself
As an experienced design strategist, I have honed my methods and shared a process that unlocks the complete potential of individuals, businesses, and humanity as a whole. With a history of serial entrepreneurship from a young age, I have established myself as a prominent figure in the global design community. My unflinching honesty and unrelenting drive to create a better-designed future make me a highly sought-after asset for organizations striving to make a positive impact on the world.
I have collaborated with a diverse range of companies, such as Bloomberg, Microsoft, Lincoln, Harris Poll, McGill University, Bulgari, TedMed, and many others. When not managing my creative agency, I can be found speaking, presenting, and conducting workshops at esteemed institutions such as NYU, Launchpad Toronto, TheFutur, HXOUSE, and more. In my free time, I also engage in social impact initiatives and community betterment efforts.
I currently have over 1,200 students who are benefiting from my design sprint methodology. I have designed products that are used by millions, and my work has generated billions of dollars in transactions.
My lifelong mission is to educate people on the importance of design as a crucial investment in shaping a better future for all. I believe that a well-designed framework can drive a massive transformation in how we lead our lives, build our products, shape our culture, and improve laws and policies that affect every individual.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being able to create a life and work environment for myself and my team that is worth living. Focusing on the mental health of our team and my own. Living life, both personally and professionally, on my own terms. Work with clients that turn friends. Take on projects that benefit society and excite us daily. Having fun and not driving myself crazy into an early grave. Doing so in such a competitive market that only cares about the production is a huge accomplishment.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Managing expectations. Everyone creates their own definition of outcomes, success, and the future. To be able to align it with your own and a group of people is a constant stream of conversations that must be facilitated in a way that leaves very little room for misinterpretation.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Never assume, but rather ask. Ask your clients, ask your customers, ask yourself, ask your teammates, ask your family...what do they want to happen? When? Why?
- Listen to your body. Don't be a hero. If you need to rest, then rest. If you need to get away, then do so without guilt. Work will always be there. You are not put on this earth to just constantly work.
- Work on projects that bring you happiness and inspire you. If you find yourself looking forward to Friday nights and dreading Monday mornings, then you are doing something wrong.
- Be inclusive. Everyone has value to contribute. Be it a project, your life, or your business...create a space where everyone can be heard, safely, without judgment. Diversity and inclusion are the cornerstones of innovation and progress.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.becurious.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geronimo.stan/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stanleymaar/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stanley_human
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanleyvaganovmaar/
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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