Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with David Zaboski, Co-Founder of Laetro, located in Chatsworth, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Laetro is a marketplace of highly curated Creatives serving enterprise clients with all aspects of the creative work the companies need. Our mission is to see Creatives flourish.
Tell us about yourself
I am a classically trained painter and illustrator and was a Senior Animator at Disney during the Second Golden Age of Animation. I've contributed my talents to Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Aladdin, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Fantasia 2000, and more. When I left Disney, I consulted with companies on enhancing their creative processes. This led me to consulting at Google, where I met my co-founder, Brett Willms.
We recognized the need in both the tech and entertainment industries to find a way to give more support to Creatives. Laetro was born from that desire to help Creatives manage their small businesses by helping with customer acquisition, agreements, production management, invoicing and payments so that these talented folks could focus more on the things they were really good at - creating beauty. What motivates me is that this company is poised to create more freedom and prosperity for Creatives while at the same time providing a powerful service to people who are on purpose and need creative support.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
It's been very challenging building something that did not exist before. But I'm honored to be of service to the creative community to build an ecosystem that makes the world a bit more creative.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
This is, in fact, my first rodeo in the tech industry. In the world of art, life is skin and bones. You need the mechanics, but you also need the flesh, the blood, and the heart of the matter so that the creations feel human. The tech world has a tendency to focus on the bones only. But data with no heart is empty. So my challenge, and I think it's the challenge of our time, is to find our humanity in every creation.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Get good partners who you know you can trust. You're about to be in a relationship as important as any marriage.
- Be of service. Mind share before market share. Making money before making value is a path to misery.
- Play for the light. This world needs your creativity, and you will be supported by it when you create for the betterment of life. Everything else is a waste of your precious time on earth.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.laetro.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davezart/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davezaboski/
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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