Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tom Benway. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tom, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
I think there are two factors that enable someone to be successful: persistence and deciding where to spend energy.
With anything in life, it’s hard to be an expert on your first try. It takes years of practice, education and gaining experience to truly be a master. It’s impossible to expect to gain all of that when you’re just starting out. Even with years of expertise, things don’t go your way and you have to navigate through it and move on.
Early on in my career, I took on every single job that I was capable of. These days, I spend a lot more time considering whether a job is worthwhile for both me and the client. I understand that even with an ongoing practice of mindfulness, I do eventually run out of energy. The more I manage that, the less I tend to burn out.
Tom, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started my career as a graphic designer in 1999. I had taken digital design courses at my high school, and later at the Art Institute of Colorado. For the next 5 years, I continued to educate myself on graphic design and then web design, primarily for the rock scene and venues around Denver.
After feeling like I needed more experience managing business, I took several jobs as web designer and developer at local agencies and focused on streaming radio and video when it first got popularity in 2005 to 2010.
When radio lost to apps like Spotify and Apple Music, I moved back to freelancing and have focused on high quality logos and branding, websites and digital marketing for the last 10 years. I also own a second brand that focuses on digital marketing for the cannabis industry.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
The biggest thing that has helped me over the past 10 years is understanding people better. As a person focused on computers in digital, it’s easy to fall into the habit of hiding in the shadows. I’ve educated myself a lot using cognitive behavioral therapy, and understanding personality types.
Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?
Since both of my businesses are focused on fast turn-around, I often have a feast and famine effect on cashflow. It’s hard sometimes to have the discipline to bank it away on good times, and convince yourself to spend it during bad times. I’ve also accepted that it is OK to have multiple forms of revenue. If one thing isn’t working, pivot and focus on another. You can always go back later.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tombenway.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/420websites
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomwc4/
- Other: https://vectordefector.com