Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in publication but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Steve Bynoe, Owner of Boeboe Creative, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Through Boeboe Creative, I write and draw comic books, do freelance art, and write screenplays and novels. Under Boeboe, I'm also the Editorial Director for Comix Asylum, an entertainment website that specializes in comics, movies, TV, and video games. We're stepping into the comic book publishing game with Comix Asylum's first creator-owned comic book, Atrium.
Tell us about yourself
I've always loved drawing, and my lifelong love of comic books drew me to pursue a career in the field. I was a school teacher for over two decades, but I've always had the drive to tell my own stories. I got my start at a comic book studio in Toronto in the late 90's, where I juggled drawing comics and working on toy designs for companies like Hasbro and Image Comics with my teaching duties.
Telling stories is one of my passions, and drawing and writing open up a new world for me every day. Nothing compares to beginning with a blank piece of paper and then transforming it into sequential art or another page of a script or manuscript.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
There have been several accomplishments since starting Boeboe Creative, including self-publishing my first two novels Chronokari Alpha: Time is Relative and Edge: East Wind in Paradise. Co-founding Comix Asylum also ranks high on the list, but completing the first issue of Atrium is perhaps the most rewarding.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is managing the business and creative sides of being in the entertainment industry. It requires flexibility and time management, something I developed during my teaching career, to be able to serve both sides of the business successfully.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
My top three tips for anyone looking to start, run and grow a business are:
- Believe in yourself and keep your feet moving. There will be tough days where even you don't believe in yourself. Take challenges and use them as fuel for your success.
- Always be open to learning. Whether it's from tools like YouTube, mentors, or your partners/co-workers, there is something you don't know, and they can provide the answers you seek.
- Have as much fun as possible. It's your dream. Live it to its fullest.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.boeboecreative.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/comixasylum
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevebynoeart/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/comixasylum
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-bynoe-b8b59762/
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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