This is us, working hard.

What we’ve been doing.

So, it turns out it’s been almost a year since our last story, and of course we can’t let that happen, can we? So here it goes, get ready to see what we’ve been up to in the last (almost) year.

Looking back at the August 2016 version of us (last time we posted anything here), we were trying to get our face out to the web, we were young-er, nervous and looking for a way to be part of this giant network that shelters creatives, businesses, agencies, studios and even potential clients. What we didn’t have was any work that actually reflected our potential and our style to do what we do, nor the way we do it.

So, if you’re a little bit interested in the kind of work we like to do, this is a really good time to go check our super fabulous and updated website.

One of our most recent projects.

Anyways, you may also be wondering, what have these guys been up to? this small creative studio from the warm desert of Sonora. So here’s a quick recap before we “relaunch” our blog on a more recurring basis.

First of all, and probably the most important, we checked our first year at the office! It’s been an incredible challenge to keep up with the bills, to keep the office in place and the lights on (don’t even get me started with the A/C). In this first year we’ve learned a few things and this are some takeaways:

1. One year has actually 2 seasons. “Kind of low overhead” season, and “how are we even going to pay the bills” season. Since we live in a dry desert and our city is basically a big concrete patch surrounded by mountains, we get either a really cold and lovely winter that lasts about three months, and a beautiful summer that lasts about nine months with some bearable weeks in between that you can get through without the A/C. We also learned that sometimes you get a warm April and a cool May, and it reflects on the bills you have to pay, unless you work in a bunker or a cave deep in the mountains.
2. There’s always improvements to be made on the studio, but you have to know when to do them without running out of money.
3. Ikea is great to buy small things and give some accent to the office.
4. The people you share your office with turns into your family. You can get mad sometimes, you can be annoyed by the noise, you can be happy, and you’ll definitely have a good time with them. But you also learn (or try to learn) how to be respectful and helpful. We actually share our space with 3 other creatives with very different sets of skills and it’s amazing to have a second opinion, someone who also likes going out for coffee or food.
5. It’s good to have some traditions. We like to get together every Wednesday and watch The Office at the office with our office mates and friends. What can go wrong with that?
6. Even though we still work remotely sometimes, and there’s a whole bunch of tools we’d like to use for remote working, there’s nothing like having an actual physical space to get together and collaborate. We love having a place where we can take some pictures for our case studies, or have quick meetings with our partners and prospects, or draw on the wall (thanks dry-erase paint from Home Depot).

An another one, for a local vinyl records store.

On another really different topic, our team has stayed the same for now. We’re still a two person squad, and we like it that way. Don’t get us wrong, we DO want to grow, and we can’t wait to hire staff and improve our office space to fulfill our dreams, but there’s a time for everything, and we understand that. There’s been a couple chances here and there, but nothing good enough to take the leap. There’s also been the other kind of growth (you know, the one that is actually important?). We understand better how a creative business works. We understand the challenge and the will it takes to keep up with the pace. Without a doubt we’re also better creatives now than we were a year ago, and you can see it reflected in our work.

All in all, it’s been a pretty interesting year. We’ve collaborated with friends, family, people from different parts of our country that trusted us to help them, and even one of our co-workers. It’s been a busy first half of the year, but we’re happy to where things are going, and we have some cool plans that we’ll share with you sometime soon.

Finally I would like to ask you, the business owner, the creative freelance, the emerging studio, the start up: what was your greatest challenge in your first year? and how did you managed to get through it?

Keep tuned for more stories and thoughts from the Born Co. team. www.madebyborn.co