Why did I spend 5 years developing something that turned out to become a brand development program for fellow Nordic Business Owners & Founders?
It all started back in 2014 when I was still doing freelance work as a Motion Graphic Designer and Animator. Being at the end tail of a project you were the last defence against deadlines. The life of a freelance is to live in a constant state of not knowing where the next project comes from, looking out for the next project while working on the current, but also being paid after the completed project. At worst being paid 4 months late. So what do you do as a freelancer when you’re dependent on getting those projects…? Majority working in the creative industry are freelancer, and all the more respect to you, my friends, who are. But it just wasn’t for me. Nothing had really changed since I started MSE Studio back in 2010. So I was at a crossroads; How could I make a change and flip the situation completely?
So in 2015 I decided that I had to do something, anything to change the circumstances. I still knew that I wanted to live off what I love doing, telling stories…
A Good Excuse To Do What You Love
As an introvert I love to read. I spent countless of hours of researching, and reading hundreds of books from a wide range of topics including business, economics, marketing and social sciences. Going through the principles, language, seeing patterns in these human endeavours, and the all too many definitions of a wide range of business terminology and jargon.
At the same time hearing stories of other founders and their struggles with being overrun by their own business. I did want to find or develop a process that could help fellow founders in similar situation as I was, to not being run by the business. One thing was certain, I knew this wasn’t the entrepreneurial freedom I set out to achieve…
Something New Emerges From The Depths
The years go by, but one question was constantly on my mind: “How can I merge my skills, experience and my craft of storytelling with that of business, in order to live off what I love doing?” – Well… “luckily” for me, storytelling started to emerge as the “new thing” in business and marketing. It turns out that Brand Building and Storytelling was a good match (it has always been a part of marketing…).
With a wide range of contradictory terms and definitions (“What is a brand?” to “How to define a vision, and business strategy?”), more work had to be done to distill it into something more useful.
The outcome of this long journey was the Story Builder Framework. A framework that merges the ancient and universal knowledge of storytelling with business principles. I do believe there’s nothing new under the sun, and the same holds true when you work with Universal Principles, and ancient wisdom. I chose to use storytelling as the base for the framework, but adapt it from the creative world to broaden it into the brand building world of business. They have many things in common, being rooted in the human and emotional experience.
Was this the way I could not only help other business owners get a better grasp at brand building and living their brand story in an authentic way…?
A 90-Day Journey Together
The result of the last five years is my 90-Day Brand Development Program. It kicks off with a three-day Brand Discovery Workshop where we use the Story Builder Framework to uncover all necessary elements and raw material to be able to define your authentic brand. If you’re interested then check out the video below.
Creators of Businesses & Value
I want to help founders in similar situations who want to influence and be more intentional with their brand building efforts. Your brand’s authenticity comes from your values and worldview as a founder, so show what you believe in, and your brand will be better off.
The mission for my company is “To Illuminate the Creative & Entrepreneurial Spirit.” How I do this is to create forums and spaces where we can share stories, best practices and knowledge that will help business owners take charge of their entrepreneurial life and wellbeing, with the purpose of making “the Nordic the Best Place on Earth to be a Value-Based Entrepreneur & Creator.”
This is why I wanted to develop a way to help founders who want their business to be based on values, and be more than just a way to make a living. To build a legacy and make a difference. For some of us creating is a way of life, whether it’s building a business or making films.
I might not be your average “business person”, but as a creator I still want to live a creative life. For me work isn’t work, it’s life.
But what founder is your “average business person” anyway…?
We are of course dependent on people different than us, who like the things we don’t like. What it boils down to, is to know who we are and how we can thrive as the creators of our business and brand, with the help of others. We just got to find the ways how each of us can thrive doing what we do best, and leave the rest to other who are best at that. Easier said than done…
Here’s to Dreams, and all the the Northern Creators who follow them!
Yours, Marko
PS. This article may contain typos, grammatical errors, and other glitches due to the unfiltered process it’s created in.