We were lucky to catch up with Andrea Audige recently and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea , appreciate you joining us today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

I use to fear stepping away from my business would cause me to miss my huge breakthrough opportunity. But, what I learned through my entrepreneurial journey is breaks are necessities in business because “THE BURN OUT” is real. “THE BURN OUT” is when you stop prioritizing deadlines and quality, when your business no longer feels like your dream, but instead like a job, when you lose interest in your work, and no longer have interest in investing to build your business. My company has been in full operation since 2017 and I have experienced “THE BURN OUT” 2 years in a row. “THE BURN OUT” feeling has caused me to take breaks up to 6 months because my mind and body was in need of a break. As much as people glorify being an entrepreneur nobody talks about the stress that comes with the title because, your success in business is based on what a person can properly manage and balance. Through experiencing “THE BURN OUT” I have learned the importance of a work life balance and taking time for myself to rejuvenate my mind and body. Because when I feel better I also, work better. A vacation does not have to be visiting a tropical island. It can be a self-care day, catching up with loved ones and truly being in the moment, or just doing nothing. Basically, a vacation can be anything that feels right to you and you’re not thinking about working on your business.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Andrea Audige and I am the Creative Director and Founder of Makadrez. I’m from Brooklyn and I have a passion for community, expressing creativity, and building businesses. I have a background in Accounting and Finance, but my passion has always lied in the art of media. Through my professional experience in Accounting and Finance I worked in several production houses managing the spending on film budgets. But, the process of creating a feature film, documentary, and commercials has always fascinated me.

I established Makadrez (MAKA-DRE-Z) in 2017. Makadrez is a visual media and event marketing company that is about sharing stories of innovative and creative people through a visual experience and, producing events to connect small businesses to new customers. Our services consist of Coaching, Conceptual Development, Creative Direction, Set Management, and Post Production. Since 2017, I have helped over 40 small businesses and creatives share their stories and reach new customers. We work closely with founders to create content and produce events that caters to their brand and impact their business to grow. Our impact on small businesses has built jobs and brought back confidence in business owners to run their business.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I first started my business I did everything on my own. I quickly learned that I was working harder and not smarter. I was the camera person, social media manager, content creator, outreach, and post production. I remember going on video shoots and my interviewee being surprised that I was carrying all my equipment and shooting the interview alone. I guess you can say this also contributed to me burning out. That quickly changed once I hired my first team member my social media manager. You truly do not realize how much more things you can do until you have the proper help. With the help of a Social Media Manager I was now able to focus on the bigger picture. I was able to produce more quality interviews because I had the time to do the research and my social media followers doubled with real followers in a few months. It is important to learn all areas of your business, but it is not beneficial to do everything on your own.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

When managing a team I take pride in creating growth opportunities for my team members. I am not the type of leader that burn bridges when my team member moves on to a new opportunity. To be a great leader you must be able to create new opportunities for your team, and share new opportunities with team members. When a team members sees that you are in their best interest that creates high morale and they will always want to work with you because there is opportunity working at your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.makadrez.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makadrez/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Makadrez/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/makadrez-llc/about/?viewAsMember=true
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdYxaLXHaXBLpHE02YSRSCA