Editor’s Note: After running Deirdre Cohen’s article about a group of incredible Greeley entrepreneurs in the June 2015 edition, we heard from recent Greeley graduate Scott Silver about his own: Macula Designs. I liked the jpgs he sent and asked Scott to tell us how he came to launch his biz and ended up moved by his story…it’s one of perseverance and true grit. I’m proud of you Scott! Visit www.maculadesigns.com
By Scott Silver
Macula Design is the amazing silver lining following several concussions. I had three concussions in 2010 that put a stop to all the sports I played (soccer, football, basketball). I went from doing everything to … doing nothing.
Graphic design took over my life two years later, as I taught myself Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. The Adobe Creative Suite is a $20 monthly subscription. That $20 is really what was used in order to start my brand. I did a lot of commission work once I felt comfortable with the design programs. I bundled that money together and made my very first business investment. I came up with an Om Barcode design and printed it on about 12 men’s and women’s tee shirts. And then 20. And then 30.
The design stemmed from the Buddhist word: Om. It’s the most important mantra in the Buddhist religion and represents ‘sound.’ It’s a very common symbol in the yoga world, so I wanted to place a fresher, modern take on it to represent my youth by integrating the bar code.
This is the approach I now go for with all my designs. I started selling my designs locally and then quickly grew to selling them to five stores in the tri-state area. These stores range from earthy gift stores, to fashion boutiques, to gyms, and to yoga studios.
I’m constantly growing and it never bores me. Instagram has been my greatest marketing tool as I went from 1 follower to over 500 in only a few months.There’s no better feeling than getting repeat customers or seeing someone wearing one of my designs. That’s what really drives me to keep going. My goal is always to see more and more shirts in public.
Another one of my big goals was to get to a comfortable place in my business where I can put some of my profits to a greater good. I finally achieved that a couple of weeks ago, and I now donate 5% of my profits to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. I’m so happy about this and can’t wait to put in my first check.
I will be attending Lafayette College in the fall to study mechanical engineering. It’s going to be really interesting to see where my brand goes when I’m in Pennsylvania. I plan on setting up a college ambassador program and, as a college student, use my resources. I think it will be a great marketing strategy and will intrigue other college students to want to be ambassadors at their schools. Amongst my bigger goals, I hope to get into a large market in the coming months. Whether it be a yoga studio chain or a major re-seller, it would be a real turning point in my business. I can’t wait to see what happens in the future. It’s so much fun.
