Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samitheus Savinon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Samitheus, appreciate you joining 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 started SevenEightSet LLC as an online resume. I designed it as a blog by a girl from New York City. My dream was to use it as an outlet of expression for my inner child who dreamed of making the world feel felt and found through content. As a young girl, I imagined creating humorous commercials and pitching product ideas to major corporations. My original vision board was a poster board taped to a wall next to my childhood bedroom window. I would write down big and small ideas using different colored Crayola markers and circling them with clouds, representing the various industries the ideas would help. As I finished college, I developed my vision board from a wall of ideas to a binder full of goals. I would then type them into Google Docs and categorize them into folders for each business department. This transition turned my online blog from a personal platform of the world through my lens into a corporate company designed to help others achieve their dreams. My agency evolved from a hobby in website design to a full-service, membership-based marketing agency. I dedicated every night during quarantine to adding features that would benefit my visitors. This didn’t require much discipline then because I enjoyed designing a website from scratch, learning how to build a business, and marketing it myself. As the agency expanded from an online platform featuring photography, video, and copyrighted content to include events, advertising campaigns, and social media management, I implemented systems to keep pace with the growing workload. My habit of writing things down would help me remember my goals, checking off lists of key results to accomplish bigger objectives. To achieve this, I would research the steps required to transform an idea into a fully functional model, then create a list of all necessary components, and hire creatives to help me complete them.

The best example of turning a dream into a reality was when I decided to turn SevenEightSet from a website domain into a registered LLC. Registering a business must be published in two newspapers by a specific deadline, have a business bank account, and an EIN number once all steps are completed with the Secretary of State. The expense of this alone motivated me to make my investments worthwhile, and I released the first advertising campaign for the business. I used a brand I created myself, “Astronomical Heartache.” This brand represents the healing that occurs through the human connections we form as creatives when we share our art. I initiated the advertising campaign with a marketing strategy to map the plan and collect data, including traction, expenses, and overall results. Once I had the strategy, I developed the concept with photographer Amayda Arroyo to capture photos of the product and model. I brought it to life with the help of 3D artist Essie Diana of Essence Atelier World. While the project was being completed, I purchased airtime with a billboard company to schedule a date for broadcasting our campaign. This consisted of three different renderings for the concept “Odd Definition.” This campaign aimed to get people to think about how they defy the odds against them and thrive in an oversaturated world. The renderings of this project were then used to promote the brand’s activation pop-up. One of the renderings was primarily used for the flyer, billboard, and website landing page. As we met deadlines, I implemented an events strategy to multiply awareness, engagement, and sales of the brand. With over 10 artists, four DJs, three performers, open bar, catering, and more, we had over 250 guests attend our Odd Definition event. This, in turn, led to a series of additional events, now including our Business Seminar and Art Auction. This includes a panel, workshop, and auction for people in New York City who want to develop their business and support local artists. It is a great help to have a team of people help you bring your visions to life, but nothing has been more critical than my dedication to seeing things through.

Everything is Possible is our tagline because we genuinely believe that no dream is too big. Along with typing out the goals, key results, and concepts, I started contracting all the work with deadlines, budgets, and guidelines. This makes it concrete, with little to no room for mistakes, misunderstandings, or dissatisfaction. Turning an idea into a reality required me to take myself seriously, respect my visions, develop my crafts and skills, and work with others. It also continues to demand an evolution of communication techniques as society changes in response to technological advancements, policy adjustments, and shifting community needs. What the world needs now may not be what it required five years ago, in 2020; however, the world’s experiences in 2020 have still influenced what it needs in 2025. Most people don’t realize that their present lifestyle alters their future; it is more than their past that controls their destiny. At any point, we can choose how to correct our lives and decide that nothing will hold us back from seeing the fruition of our work and God’s glory.

Every day, I carry the faith knowing that even if things do not turn out exactly how I envision them, the work I do is not in vain because I believe in the dreams God put in my heart, and I believe God will help me see it through to the end. This allows me to take myself seriously and persevere through all challenges that come my way. Time is not an indicator of success or failure, as one day nothing may seem to be working out, and the next, everything is manifesting before your eyes. I remind myself to keep going with these little loose-leaf papers clipped to a board with nothing making it real except my work and God’s grace. As said in James 2:26, “Faith without works is dead,” means that believing in something is meaningless if you don’t act on that belief.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Samitheus. I was born and raised in New York City, where I studied Marketing and Economics at Manhattan University and completed my bachelor’s degree. I am the first college graduate in my family to become a full-time business owner. I began my career in marketing as a child, organizing fundraisers for cancer societies and later utilizing my promotional skills to become student body president in high school. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school at IN-Tech Academy that I decided to pursue being a marketing guru. This was because I had to take a Virtual Enterprise class and serve as a department head, as selected by my then-teacher, Ms. Fredericks. Her trust in my ability to manage projects is why I decided to become the VP of Marketing for our virtual business. The program for high schools provides students with modules and documentation to complete to be a full-functioning business, and I took this experience to take myself seriously. This meant that what I chose to write on the documents and what was agreed upon with the board was what was then made official in our business plan. This experience is why I applied to Manhattan University for a business degree.

I already had my first job once I started college as a student mentor, but I knew it wouldn’t be what would help me reach my full potential as a leader. As a Latina woman from New York City whose family only knows government assistance and low-income housing, the odds of me becoming a VP for a Fortune 500 company right out of college were slim to none. I had no portfolio, resources, network, or understanding of what it would take. Getting my second job as a server at a cafe in Riverdale also made me realize that I love being hospitable, I enjoy serving others, but I do not want to be limited in my earnings or position. I once heard that you only go up in a company when your manager does, and as a server at a mom-and-pop restaurant, I was not going to go anywhere but the basement for a new batch of bread when a family comes in.

It was in my sophomore year of college that I decided to start SevenEightSet. After consulting XXXTentacion on his ’17’ album, I decided to take some of the advice for myself and make my own way. I committed to purchasing a monthly subscription with Wix, which sometimes went unpaid and undeveloped as a website. Although I finally decided to get my money’s worth two years later, during the pandemic. With nothing to do and all of the internet speed I need, I would sit at my desk for days designing a website where people can read interviews and browse my photography. However, what truly built my discipline to grow a business from nothing into something was when I got my first full-time job at an outsourced marketing agency. For the next two years, I went door-to-door, engaged in street outreach, fundraised, and canvassed for presidential candidates. This experience taught me that systems will create consistency and return on investments much more than passion and emotional drive. I did not always want to go door-to-door in zero-degree weather in Flushing, Queens, for nearly 10 hours, six days a week, but by doing so, I built the strength to do things I didn’t want to do to reap the reward I wanted.

My experience with sales, interviewing, recruiting, management, and accounting has all made me the business owner I am today. I started my agency with one service, consulting, and it has since grown to include content creation, social media management, and graphic design. Then I started doing events, website design, and advertising campaigns on the chance that someone I pitch will say yes. Most of the time, I get a client, it is someone who has approached me, and this contributes to what I am proud of– putting myself out there. From asking 300 people daily to follow me on Instagram, to hosting an event for 200 guests, letting people know about my business is what makes it successful. As they say, closed mouths don’t get fed. I built the courage to take rejection as long as it gets me closer to the “yes” I am looking for.

As of 2025, SevenEightSet is a full-service marketing agency. We provide a full range of marketing services, from traditional to digital, with a team of over 30 people dedicated to completing client campaigns within deadlines and achieving desired results. This is ideal for companies seeking to outsource their marketing to a creative agency with innovative strategies that deliver guaranteed sales. We have also launched crash courses for people to learn how to market themselves, as some people are not ready to hire an agency. Our newest program, memberships, allows our community to get mentorship on courses, access to events, and much more every month. This has been an excellent way for people to develop their businesses and expand their networks while gaining wisdom and having the space to apply it.

From all my years of running an agency, one of my proudest moments was consulting X because it was a risk I took without expecting anything in return. I wanted him to believe in brighter days than he was experiencing. He was someone with great talent who needed to be reminded of how powerful he could be if he used his craft to spread positivity. He did precisely that and released his ‘?’ album, now surpassing two billion streams on Spotify, topping the Billboard charts year after year, and changing the world. I thank God for having me plant a seed in him that has helped millions of people. Something that would not have been possible if I did not believe the risk would be worth it.

I am a strong advocate for dreams, as long as they make the world a better place. With the proper support and guidance, Everything is Possible. Hence, I choose to believe in the plans God has for me, because with Him, nothing is impossible.

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

A lesson I had to unlearn was the idea that you must be sure about something before you commit to it. The most beneficial pieces of wisdom I have gained along the way are from the times I took a risk and committed to it. No one can take away your experience. Only you can decide how to perceive what life has for you. I accept all losses and failures as data for my next attempt, and believe I will succeed just because I decided that success is taking action, no matter how big or small it is.

One of the ways I practiced taking risks was by planning events with no capital or prior investments. This ensured that I found a way to get the capital from the specific event, and therefore proved that the risk was worth it because it paid off. This, in turn, built my confidence in curating events and making sales, as I had a history of successful sales transactions and phenomenal event turnouts. Faith is to be had without the sight of the things you seek. It is to be confident in the dreams God set in your heart, and know He has heard your prayers and continues to. One of my favorite lessons from this was to have more faith than facts. Sometimes things do not seem to be going as planned, but time is nothing for a God who stands outside of it. The monsters we create in our head out of fear and anxiety are no match for the mighty God I believe in, love, and worship. Honestly, it is because of how good God is that I have even been able to learn such a valuable lesson and thrive as the business owner I am today. To have been able to take the leap and trust that the net will appear is the biggest blessing to come out of unlearning traditional and conventional ways of living. I will always advise people to take the risk when it feels right for them, as it has worked out for me for the betterment of my heart and livelihood.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I sell on my website because it allows me to keep all financial records in one place and track where everything comes from. This also allows me to leverage my website as a platform for people to trust, and therefore increase brand recognition as a professional business. Since all further details, products, and services are provided through the agency website, it allows users to create memberships, accounts, and subscribe to get rewards. This then becomes beneficial to our loyal customers, as they can redeem membership perks both with and without a membership. This creates a community of people who enjoy participating and supporting our agency’s mission, and enables us to recognize those who have been doing so. Managing all transactions, bookings, and finances through our website also means lower fees and more creative freedom. Wix has also been a great website, continually evolving with its user investments, making it worthwhile to stay because it solves many pain points and continues to add features that benefit our community, members, and clientele.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.seveneightset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seveneightset
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/seveneightset
• Twitter: https://x.com/seveneightset
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@seveneightset
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

The two photos with the tag at the bottom right (@jenyapix) are credited to Jenyapix, and the one rendering with “Defy the Odds” at the bottom is art by Essie Diana. The Odd Definition flier is by OatMilkDrunk (@OatMilkDrunk), and the person in the rendering, photo of the billboard, and speaking into the mic is Samitheus, the CEO. Please do not include my last name.