Kelly & family at our 15th Anniversary party

Today marks a HUGE milestone in the timeline of VIA Studio. This is our founder’s last official day with the company. He’s off to the land of retirement.

Kelly took a visionary move 16 years ago when he left the advertising agency he was at to found VIA Studio. Few “web development” companies existed in Louisville in 1996, and even fewer have survived to this day. It’s still shocking that the company has stood the test of time and continues to grow stronger every year.

I’ve been Kelly’s business partner for almost 10 years now, and it’s been an amazing journey. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned from Kelly. I’ll always be grateful to this man for giving me my shot.

Jason & Kelly, posing for Business First

Relationships are everything

Kelly was once described to be as knowing “where all the bodies are buried” in Louisville. It’s true. He knows everyone and has a story to back it up. It was always frustrating when we first started working together because 60% of any meeting with a prospective client was talking about all the people they knew and had in common. I just wanted to get to work. In our industry you’ll be lucky if work you do lasts 5 years. However, the relationships you build along the way last your entire career.

People appreciate tough love

Kelly has always been a straight-shooter when things get difficult, either with clients or staff. For me, it’s the single most difficult part of being a boss. Sometimes a little friction is good, and it’s worth it to go ahead and have the tough conversations. Most people will appreciate it, and once the air is cleared, things always get better.

Get paid

Our business is somewhat glamorous. For some reason there are certain types of people that because of this think we do the work for our own gratification. The reality is though, we support ourselves and our employees with what we do. The rent needs paid and the kids need shoes. Don’t get started without a deposit. And don’t work with people who don’t respect your value.

Kelly in the St. Paddy's Day Parade

Have a life

Kelly has sat on more boards than a termite colony. He stays active with the Ancient Order of Hibernians. He leads the Security team at his son’s Forecastle Festival. Be as connected as you can to your community and don’t get lazy.

This is a small sampling of things I’ve learned working with Kelly. I could probably write a book.

So thank you Kelly McKnight for building an amazing business that I am proud of being a part of. I hope we do your legacy justice. The team is strong, so you’re leaving it in good hands. I’m both excited and terrified to begin the next phase of the company. Wish us luck, but most of all, congratulate Kelly on building an awesome company and best wishes for an amazing retirement!

Kelly and a freak at the Forecastle Fest

Now that we’ve had time to recover from organizing the Small Business Shamen Conference 2 weeks ago I thought I’d post some pictures from the event. Feed back from the event was all-around positive. We had a great, time going outside of our comfort zone in order to give something back to the community. We also learned quite a bit about hosting a business event.

Here are a few of my personal takeaways from organizing this event:

Make sure your team is awesome
The VIA Studio team was professional and ready to take on a challenge. A conference is not a one-person show. You have setup, door staff, sound, photography & video, concierge, etc. “That’s not in my job description” is a recipe for failure.

Things will go wrong
It’s how you handle them that counts. We had failures of communication, technical glitches, and a few other hiccups, but again, the team was awesome, and I personally heard no complaints.

Public Speaking is extremely hard, but rewarding
I practiced my presentation about 15 times alone in my office before the day. I don’t get stagefright, but I do get nervous, especially with a paying crowd. They deserve the best if they are dedicating their time to your event, so don’t phone it in. I also didn’t expect it, but I got choked up at the beginning talking about my Dad. Even practice doesn’t make perfect, but it sure does help.

People want you to succeed
Make no mistake. Do the best job you can, and you will get help and support from those around you. Only a petty person ever wants to see you fail.

Magic happens when you bring people together
By the end of the dinner at 610 Magnolia, there was so much goodwill, inspiration, and excitement you could feel it in the air. We called that “the vibe” back when we were raving in the 90′s. But it’s real, and good things happen to those who make good things happen.

Thanks to all the attendees, the volunteers, and the staff that made it happen. If the VIA staff doesn’t kill me for launching more hairbrained schemes, let’s do it again next year.

Cheers!

~jason

The date is May 24, 2012. I’ll post a link to the event page when it arrives.

I had the honor of chatting with the 2nd and 3rd grade classes today at Luhr Elementary’s Career Day. We talked about art, web design, marketing, and what we wanted to be when we grew up. It was more nerve wracking than most public speaking I’ve done. Kids are honest, interested, and fun to talk to about the boring world of grown up jobs.

Good luck kids! Keep studying! Don’t give up on math!

~jason

The form factor on the camera is great. It takes about 15 seconds to figure out the user interface. They have definitely taken their design cues from Apple, down to the “Designed in California” tag at the bottom.

Here’s a few that show off the unique depth of field nature of the camera, as well as some fun ones from our week in Austin. The camera unfortunately didn’t perform well in low-light conditions, nor was it very sharp with a moving image. It does take really cool photos of well-framed stills, so if you get one, there’s a very narrow window of usefulness. You do win points by being an early adopter though.