Envisioning a Happier World

“Here’s to the crazy ones…”

With those words, Apple’s “Think Different” campaign was launched. The year was 1997. I was a 20-year-old cocky kid who didn’t take his classes seriously, skipping everything but my acting classes if I was on a roll at the pool tables. At the time I was in junior college, bored out of my mind and a touch rebellious. At my core, I was a good kid. But when you’re like me, there are few things in life scarier than boredom. And I had no choice but to do whatever I could to alleviate that fear.

I don’t remember the first time I saw the “Think Different” ad, but I do remember how I felt when I saw it. It spoke to the rebellious kid in me in a way it didn’t speak to others. “Maybe I could be one of those people,” I thought. I let that idea die as I pursued my education in the arts, and my work in the “real world.” It was even buried away after my dad died, while Vanessa and I were running Good Stuff Studios.

It wasn’t until 2014 – and Mayniax Branding – that the thought returned. “Holy crap! Vanessa and I have the opportunity to be two of the crazy ones!”

https://youtu.be/nmwXdGm89Tk

The Vision

The official vision for Mayniax Branding is to help more entrepreneurs than the governments of the world pretend to. I think we need to change that. It’s a little too cynical.

We talk about the world being broken, and believing entrepreneurs are the only ones who can fix it. And we do believe that. But how they can fix the world is pretty cool: they can make it happier.

The Ripple Effect

The best entrepreneurs really get into what they do. When they’re genuinely passionate and can build a community of like-minded people around their “whys” – purpose, cause, or belief – they have the power to create incredible cultures – cultures where everyone involved is a little happier because they’re working toward something they believe in. That effect carries over to those people’s friends and families, making everyone they come into contact with happier.

I Like to Think I’m Already One of the Crazy Ones

People talk about work / life balance, but I see that as an entrepreneurial fallacy. As Doc Holliday said in 1993’s Tombstone, “There’s no normal life, Wyatt; it’s just life. Get on with it.” And his quotes are all true, because Val Kilmer was a badass Doc Holliday.

My Definition of Success

My success is a mix of both personal and professional. It would be waking up on a cool, crisp fall day, turning my head to meet the soft gaze of a remarkable woman, and saying as sweetly as I possibly can, “Hey, wanna go to Italy, today?”

We’d hop on our plane and be in Italy later that day. Then we’d check out Greece because I’d want to see both places where western civilization started. We’d see where our ideas of philosophy, art, and language began. There’d be so much history, I wouldn’t be able to help but geek out. We’d even visit Paris to see the sights, especially the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. And we’d stay in all these places as long as we’d like.

And this will all be possible since Mayniax Branding will be able to function without me. Because let’s face it: one day, it’ll have to.

So my idea of success is complete freedom that I get to share with a remarkable woman and some incredible kids, along with the rest of our friends and family. And when my time’s up, however I go, dying with the knowledge that Mayniax Branding will continue making the world a happier place – by helping gutsy entrepreneurs – long after I’m gone.

“Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world…”

Stay gutsy, gang!

The world is broken, and we believe only entrepreneurs can fix it. But they’ll never get that chance if no one cares about their brands. So, with a little bit o’ nuttiness, a little bit o’ research, and a lotta bit o’ guts, it’s our job to make people care.

Wanna set up a happy fun time chat with Ann Arbor’s favorite branding team? Then click here, fill out the form, and we’ll get back to ya!