EPISODE 10: CURTIS NEMECHEK / HOME + GARDEN DECOR

In the Spring of 2020, one of our Co-Founders, Curtis Nemechek, was invited to be interviewed for a new podcast called Making A Living Show, hosted by Robi Levy. The podcast explores the business of creativity with people who make a living making things. Each episode, Robi Levy interviews an interesting creator who shares their knowledge, experience and expertise balancing creativity, business and life.

Our podcast interview aired on July 13th, 2020. We're proud to include excerpts from the conversation below and links to listen to the podcast episode and learn more about the Making A Living Show!

Episode Summary:
Inspired by the lack of products on the market that met his needs, Curtis Nemechek co-founded Urban Minimalist and set out to create home and garden products that combine utility and style while satisfying his minimalist sensibilities.

On finding inspiration and staying creative

"Always keep expanding your interests and learning about what other people and companies are making. Go to farmer’s markets, walk inside small retail shops, and click on the occasional Instagram ad to see what people are trying to sell you. This provides somewhat of a pulse regarding which product categories are trending and it can help inspire you with new product designs and features—or help you create products that you haven’t even considered before. Most importantly, it’s incredibly helpful to have a business partner or friend that you can bounce ideas off of and brainstorm with. Keep a tally of these ideas and products that hit the back-burner that you might want to pick up again or build upon in the future."

On running and marketing a creative business

"When it comes to ecommerce, make sure to sell your products on multiple platforms (your own website, Etsy, Amazon, Ebay, etc) because each product is going to resonate differently with customers depending on where they’re being sold and how they’re being presented. For example, one product might be extremely popular on a handmade goods sales channel and require down-to-earth lifestyle imagery whereas on other channels customers are looking for clean, white background imagery and informative bullet point descriptions. It’s important to adapt to your audience on the different channels and position your products accordingly."

On productivity and balancing creativity, business and life

"For me, this is probably the hardest part of being an entrepreneur—especially when working with friends or family. If you find yourself consistently only meeting up for or talking about work with your business partner, make a conscious effort to spend some time together that exclusively focuses on that friendship. Same with family—your work life might take up 80% of your day and your family is understanding of that, but make sure to repay this by turning off your phone or computer and spending time exclusively with them. Try to give them your full attention."

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Listen to the full episode here!
Listen to the other episodes wherever you stream: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and more.