We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anthony Smith-Chaigneau a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Anthony thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
I often reflect on the myriad of ideas and projects that float around in my creative and chaotic mind, akin to that of an artist. I am after all an artist. Upon doing some research, I came across the concept of hypomania, which resonates with the cycle of starting projects with enthusiasm and moving on when the initial excitement fades. There is a notion of bi-polar disorder attached to this concept; however, this is not me – I just love new projects and the excitement they bring.
During one of my forays into a new creative adventure that has eventually become UNIQUIUM.COM, a particular creative phase emerged, which involved photographing mannequins and fashion window designs during my business travels around the world. This inspiration began suddenly one evening in Brussels and drove my artistic inclination, as alluring high-street aesthetics caught my attention. Collecting these window designs and mannequins became my passion (and almost an obsession) that eventually led to the creation of a fashion history chronicle. I thought I was going to publish books about the history and development of mannequins. However, the search for a literary agent bore no fruit so I kept up the pursuit gathering hundreds upon hundreds of images. (I might add in the Instagram world many people have now copied my idea.)
Despite some people’s skepticism and the many funny looks I get as I photograph mannequins, my artistic pursuit and creative observation continues to drive me. So while the book project died on the vine, the continual capture of these mannequins is a testament to my artistic vision and willingness to explore unconventional avenues.
If you’re finding that your creativity often leads to a trail of unfinished projects, it might be worth considering strategies to help maintain focus, prioritize ideas, and potentially collaborate with others who can provide complementary skills to see these projects through to completion. In many of my finished works I have in fact teamed up with someone. It is only my art www.artistchaigneau.com and www.uniquium.com (a fashion shop where the mannequins eventually settled) which I have taken to completion alone.
Anthony, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I harbored a fervent desire to attend art college in my birth country of Wales. Creative environments seem to coax out the best in me, and I thrive when collaborating with fellow creators. Yet, gaining admission to college hinged upon passing exams in English, Math, and Science—areas in which I didn’t excel academically. In hindsight, I’ve come to recognize that hypomania can be linked with attention deficit disorder, while mild in my youth this might have played a role in impacting my learning abilities, particularly in subjects that failed to captivate my interest. In spite of an impressive art portfolio, I fell short of meeting the stringent acceptance criteria for the colleges I applied to, and met with rejection at every turn.
The experience was profoundly crushing. At the tender age of 16, I found myself utterly adrift, compelled to contemplate “conventional employment” as my mother requested my financial contribution to the household. I needed to earn money. In this state of ambiguity, my mother searched work opportunities for me in the local newspaper classifieds. One interview stands out in my memory, at a ‘Chartered Accountants Office.’ (A Chartered Accountant (CA) is a qualified and accredited professional who specializes in various aspects of financial management, reporting, analysis, and strategic planning. Their role extends across multiple domains, including accounting, auditing, taxation, financial management, advisory services, and more.) She presented me as a candidate, and I found myself in a dimly lit, old-fashioned office adorned with mahogany shelves. In front of me sat an elderly man who was set to interview me for a starting position as a CA. With a sense of trepidation, I confessed that I wasn tinterested, didnt even know what a CA was and that my mother had forced me into this situation. Thankfully, he treated my honesty with respect, keeping me in conversation for a while as my mother waited in the foyer. Unsurprisingly, the job offer never materialized.
My stepfather, a kind man and my mother’s second husband (she would eventually have four), had both served in the military, as had my first stepfather. Seeking an avenue of escape, I turned to the military as well. My initial focus was joining the Navy due to my family’s Air Force background, (be different) but my history of asthma rendered me ineligible. Upon arriving at the Royal Air Force Office, I chose to withhold this medical history, and as a result, I was selected as a candidate. I was steered toward Telecommunications, a field that was actively seeking candidates at the time. This direction marked a detour from my art aspirations, as the RAF lacked opportunities for artists. I embarked on military training at the age of 16 and a half, eventually rising through the ranks to the position of Sergeant, while also acquiring an electronic engineering qualification of merit.
Throughout my journey, I held onto my artistic inclinations, albeit as a hobby. I sketched, created cartoons, painted—finding contentment in these creative endeavors as I navigated a career beyond the military and on into the business world. The amalgamation of military discipline, miltary education, and my continued devotion to creativity has enabled me to drive projects forward as I’ve matured. It was during the pandemic, in a moment of epiphany, that the Uniquium idea emerged. This pivotal moment set the stage for serious contemplation on how I could initiate and manage my own business.”
I had the images – I now had an idea so I set about creating an online shop – the easiest route when holding down a full-time role as a senior marketing director (creative role) in a sports streaming technology company. Uniquium took 18 months to set up and went online a year ago – so it is truly a startup.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
Our business operates primarily online, so there hasn’t been a substantial need for capital investment. Instead, we’re bootstrapping it as a family endeavor, with both my wife and I the only ones involved.
Our essential requirements were a quality PC and a range of software programs covering design, web development, e-commerce, advertising, and more. Much of our personal time has been dedicated to time in front of the screen. That takes resilience after you have done that during an eight-hour shift at the real job.
To enhance credibility, I established an LLC and opened a dedicated business bank account. Additionally, I dipped into our savings to purchase samples, a step crucial for our operations. We initially counted on our teenagers to assist with social media and related tasks, they simply have too much going on and so it has been a learning curve for my wife and I, and we’re still optimizing our approach in that area.
The logo, a product of my creativity, came to life through collaboration with a talented Indonesian designer I found on fiverr.com. Their involvement provided an essential collaboration and distraction for me mentally within the project.
Although we’re incurring ongoing expenses, we’ve yet to achieve substantial revenue. The journey is not without its challenges, and while there’s the possibility of failure, we’re earnestly striving to gain traction. The future outcome remains uncertain, and only time will reveal the results of our efforts.”
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I came to realize that some projects simply need to be brought to completion. Recently, I took three partially finished projects and diligently worked on them until they were 99% – 100% complete. One of these projects is a book about the music kiosk industry. A journey I embarked upon after my military service between 1993 and 2001. That venture introduced me to a new realm of creativity, revealing an amazing yet intricate world. I’m currently in the process of seeking a literary agent (a challenging endeavor). The road involves facing rejection and learning not to interpret it as failure. Writing is a domain where you cannot please everyone all the time, and in fact, you may not please many most of the time. It’s about believing and not giving up despite any setbacks. I hope it makes it to a bookstore one day.
Another project involves my art portfolio, and I’m actively searching for a suitable gallery. This journey, too, comes with its share of potential rejections. I concentrated on my acrylics this time – a singular focus. Finally, there’s www.uniquium.com, the fashion brand project I’ve developed.
Navigating these paths, I’ve come to appreciate the value of pushing through challenges and not letting rejection deter my determination. Completion requires resilience and a belief in the potential of the projects I’ve poured my creative energy into. It may all in the end be for nothing. We shall see!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.uniquium.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uniquium/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Uniquium/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smithchaigneau/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/uniquium
- Other: www.artistchaigneau.com
Image Credits
all images owned by anthony smith-chaigneau