We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jacob Kleinman Phillips a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jacob, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

When you have the opportunity to bring to life an idea and help shape it into something that has the power to move mountains with making a difference, then you have a deep meaningful work of art. That’s the case with a client of mine, Game On State. They are an arcade and sweet shop located in the heart of Media, PA. On the surface, you may think it’s a beautiful enticing environment with retro arcade games and nostalgic candy, but beneath the surface they have a business model that is built to bring together all walks of life creating jobs and opportunities for people with disabilities. They even employ 20% of their staff with disabilities.

The owners, Aimee and Eric, originally came to me with their idea, where they envisioned a place that was dynamic, nostalgic, and inviting. They wanted it to be a community hub where all walks of life were welcomed and could fell connected. They decided to call it Game On State.

The first step to bringing to life their vision was clarifying the why behind it so we knew what the main ingredients were at its core. This then allowed everything else to be shaped around that core objective, generating a consistent and clear message and an identity that reflected who they truly were. Once we had the foundational elements, we started to build up the visual identity of their brand using colors and patterns that helped to tell the story of their mission of inclusivity and diversity as well as tying it all together with nostalgia. One by one, each layer of their brand and business was built becoming this living and breathing extension of their original purpose.

Since their launch in October of 2021, they have continued to experience tremendous growth creating more jobs, developing more programs, expanding their footprint, and strengthening their mission of inclusivity.

To be a part of a project like this, where every ounce of effort goes towards helping the world become a better place and to continue to help them grow their mission to this day, it truly is one of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever had the pleasure of helping bring to life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Oh hey! My name is Jake, and I’m the CEO and Brand Design Strategist at Touchpoint Design. I’m a passionate creative, ambitious do-er, and driven change-maker. I am someone that believes when you lead with your heart and put in the hustle, dedication, and perseverance, you have the power to move mountains.

I grew up in the heart of Delco, PA, armed early on with a relentless curiosity about the world around me and some ingenuity skills where I always loved taking things apart and creating something new with them. I remember one of the first projects I ever created as a small child was taking an empty roll of duct tape, some cardboard, and a door hinge and taping them all together to make this miniature screw box for all the extra screws I would find in the house. I just always had this innate drive to solve problems and learn new things.

Fast forward to college, where I pursued a degree in Industrial Design at SCAD, a design school located down in Georgia. This is where creatives from all around the world came together to push the boundaries of creativity, design, and innovation. This foundation became the backbone of my skills and ability to think through complex challenges, ultimately helping to also shape the way I would leave my mark on the world. After SCAD, I ended up pursuing a path in design where I worked with different design agencies from product to marketing to even living abroad helping teach design to students in England. I had a diverse set of experiences that one by one compounded on themselves to give me confidence to pursue a design path of my own.

In February of 2020, right before Covid hit, I opened my own LLC called Touchpoint Design. This building block became the central thread that tied everything together where my passion of helping others and skills of design met directly with the needs and challenges of the business world. Ever since opening, I have been relentlessly dedicated to making a positive impact in the world by helping to connect humans with the services they need and businesses with the humans they exist for. I achieve this by building meaningful brands and websites for small businesses and nonprofits that struggle to stand out from the crowd or have a message that just feels generic or unclear. I will take these businesses and infuse human into every one of their touchpoints from their logo, their mission, even their website so that it speaks from the heart and allows them to connect directly with their target audience.

Building this business has definitely been a labor of love since day one, but every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears and even every hard lesson needed to be learned has been worth it. The ability to have the freedom to help others doing what I love and generating impact to the lives of others is an incredible feeling and something that I definitely am proud of.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was benevolence. I grew up fixated on assisting others and eager to give away everything I owned without expecting anything in return. It felt gratifying to offer help and improve the lives of others. I reveled in it. I took pride in being a yes man and going out of my way to assist people.

It wasn’t until 2-3 years after starting my own business that I realized benevolence was actually hindering my success. I couldn’t understand why I never had time in my schedule for my own pursuits. If I did manage to make time for something, I always felt rushed to return to my business. My business consumed every moment of my life, from late nights to long weekends and beyond. At one point, I simply accepted that this was the inevitable sacrifice of owning a business.

I realized I had no boundaries. I was giving everything I had to others, whether it was doing favors for friends or overbooking myself to avoid disappointing people. It felt fulfilling, but inside, I was burnt out to the point of being unable to enjoy anything for myself. I came to understand that my time was finite, yet I was giving it away without hesitation. If I gave 100% to others but only had 50% in my energy tank, then that was still only 50%.

The only way out was to unlearn benevolence. I had to become more selfish with my time and start saying no. I had to stop prioritizing others and start prioritizing myself. I had to reclaim myself. During this journey of unlearning benevolence, I realized something unexpected was happening: I was being kinder to myself. I gradually noticed more freedom in my schedule and a surplus of energy. It meant I was showing up each day with 100% instead of 50%. I actually had more to give to those I did make time for. Unlearning benevolence actually brought me more kindness, not only for others but also for myself.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

For a business like mine, that relies on word of mouth to drive its growth, it comes down to being able to teach your network how to be your best sales rep. When your business grows, your reputation grows and vice versa. The ability to do this comes down to being able to transfer the problem you solve and who it’s for from one person to another until it lands in the hands of the exact person or business that needs that problem solved. The more effectively and efficiently you do this, the more your reputation will grow and your business will thrive.

One of the first things you need, is to have a crystal clear message. Whether it’s a 30 second pitch in an elevator or a meetup over coffee, it needs to be something that is easy to understand, memorable, and most importantly, sharable. When you also combine a clear message with having a clear and specific niche, then it’s easy for someone to understand exactly what you do and who it’s for. Having these items nailed down is one critical element to how my own reputation has been able to grow.

Another big driver that has grown my reputation, is showing up with a givers mindset versus a takers one. If everything you do is focused on YOU, and YOUR NEEDS, then it will be challenging to grow your network because passing business requires a two-way relationship where both people want to help each other and the people they serve. A givers mindset is all about showing up to serve and help others without any agenda or expectation in return. A takers mindset is all about serving your own needs and expecting things to come right back to you if you were to give anything out. When you are in an industry that relies on word of mouth, having a givers mindset is the foundation of how you plant seeds that will grow into fruitful long-term relationships because people will want to not only help you, but feel in service to also wanting to help those you serve as well. It’s a unity that works together to move the mountain for each other. It becomes a contagious energy that pushes through everyone’s grapevine from one person to the next, ultimately, helping to grow your reputation and also your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.touchpoint-design.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacob.kleinmanphillips/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacob.phillips.56/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobkp/

Image Credits
Maura Boruchow McConnell Nick Pitcavage