An entrepreneur story on taking a hobby and turning it into a business - loaded with marketing and creative insights. Learn how to find an #aha - applicable to any business. It's a great story even if you don't like music.

1. 1
Lisa
Radin,
Entrepreneur
Marke2ng
Ar2st
/
Storyteller
&
Insights
Lisa
Radin
Consul2ng
Rev
2010/2013
Company
Name:
Recollec2on
Records
Tagline:
Memories
Transformed
to
Art
INTREPRETING
MUSIC
INTO
ART
TwiNer
@milguy23
Her
Marke2ng
Story
on
Pain2ng
Old
Vinyl
Records

2.
Many
New
Ideas
are
ORen
Reinvented
Ideas
ü It
was
August
1993.
Lisa
saw
a
painted
record
in
Sedona
decorated
like
a
beaded
necklace.
Lisa
loved
the
record,
but
at
a
cost
of
$320,
the
unframed
piece
of
artwork
far
exceeded
her
budget
ü It
was
September
2001,
two
days
aBer
9/11.
Lisa
went
to
a
rummage
sale
with
a
girlfriend
and
found
a
stack
of
old
vinyl
records.
A
random
thought
went
through
Lisa’s
head:
“I
should
paint
this!”
ü Lisa
painted
old
vinyl
records
from
September
2001
to
September
2005
TwiIer
@milguy23
2

3. A
Colorful
Beginning
ü IrrespecLve
of
the
fact
Lisa’s
arLsLc
experience
was
limited
to
sLck
figures
and
notepad
doodles,
her
passion
far
exceeded
her
lack
of
skills
ü Lisa
turned
to
her
strength
in
business
for
help:
she
asked
herself
“how
can
my
background
in
market
research
and
insights
paint
a
picture
for
success?”
• For
every
album
/
every
song,
she
studied
the
arLst
• And
she
interpreted
her
findings
into
color
and
line
• PainLng
each
LP
became
a
crea2ve
adventure
and
she
fell
in
love
with
her
new
hobby
ü LiIle
did
Lisa
know
that
the
records
would
be
difficult
to
paint
• She
destroyed
many
during
her
learning
process
(more
on
that
later)
ü Once
Lisa
conquered
the
painLng
process,
her
friends
said,
“Hey,
these
look
great,
can
you
make
me
one?
You
should
try
and
sell
them?”
So,
Lisa
took
her
favorite
painted
record
to
a
local
music/CD
retailer
to
get
an
opinion…
Interpre2ng
Music
Into
Art
TwiIer
@milguy23
3

4. CREATIVITY:
The
Painted
Record
that
Started
the
Business
TwiIer
@milguy23
4
Lisa
brought
her
favorite
painted
record
to
CD
City
in
Highland
Park,
IL.
Owner
Steve
Kessler
loved
her
art
and
agreed
to
carry
her
line.
She
made
more.
She
sold
more.
Lisa
had
a
business.
SALES
INSIGHTS
ü
80%
of
purchasers
were
college
educated
with
higher
incomes
ü
60
%
of
buyers
were
men
ü
Women
purchased
as
giRs
for
men;
men
purchased
for
themselves
or
giRs
for
clients
ü People
who
purchased
loved
music

5. A
Love-­‐Hate
Rela2onship
ü Some
people
hated
the
records
ü Some
people
thought
painLng
on
records
was
‘sinful’
despite
the
fact
the
records
used
were
scratched
/
unplayable
ü Some
people
loved
the
records
(Lisa’s
target
audience)
ü Know
EVERYONE
isn’t
your
customer
• Need
to
understand
who
your
customer
is
and
target
appropriately
• Be
nice
to
your
‘haters’
as
their
friends
can
be
product
lovers
TwiIer
@milguy23
5

6. Lisa’s
a
Natural
Storyteller
So
Each
Record
Had
A
Unique
Story
1. RESEARCH
+
CRITICAL
THINKING
+
INTERPRETATION
• Lisa
studied
each
recording
ar2st
to
understand
their
mo2va2ons
for
creaLng
the
album
and
song(s)
• A
song
was
selected
off
an
album
to
interpret.
She
listened
to
the
song
(online)
to
entrench
herself
in
the
music
• She
spent
hours
analyzing
lyrics,
finding
her
own
meaning
within
arLsts’
intenLons
• Finally,
she
applied
her
thinking:
What
had
she
learned?
How
did
the
music
made
her
feel?
TwiIer
@milguy23
6
A
process
of
connec2ng
both
ra2onal
and
emo2onal
dots
Every
Record
Told
a
Story
Based
on
a
3
Point
Process

7. No
Two
Records
Were
Alike
–
Each
Had
A
Strategic
Objec2ve
2.
INSIGHTS
+
STRATEGY
• If
the
painted
record
was
created
for
a
parLcular
person,
Lisa
conducted
1-­‐on-­‐1
deep
dig
interviews
in-­‐person
or
via
phone
with
that
consumer
to
determine
what
the
song(s)
meant
to
them
• Lisa
wanted
to
link
consumer
emo2ons
into
the
art
• If
the
record
was
a
giB,
friends
and
family
were
interviewed
to
determine
personal
insights
and
arLst/song
memories
• Those
feelings/emo2ons
were
depicted
via
line/color
and
integrated
in
her
art,
in
addiLon
to
being
wriIen
up
in
a
personal
leIer
• Lisa
heard
some
great
stories
during
this
process
è
she
learned
music
has
memories
TwiIer
@milguy23
7
Every
Record
Told
a
Story
Based
on
a
3
Point
Process
A
process
of
connec2ng
both
ra2onal
and
emo2onal
dots

8. The
#AHA
3. CREATIVITY
ü Consumed
with
recording
ar2st
research,
actual
song,
and
consumer
input
–
Lisa
transformed
her
findings
into
an
emo2onal
and
colorful
response.
A
burst
of
crea2vity
ignited
her
soul.
This
was
her
#aha
and
a
passionate
determina2on
of
how
the
record
should
be
painted
engulfed
her
• Then,
the
record
was
painted
• A
personal
leIer
was
wriIen
for
all
custom
orders
telling
the
story
of
why
the
record
was
painted
a
certain
way
and
how
consumer
emo2ons
and
memories
were
integrated
throughout
the
piece
• The
record
became
a
personal
reflec2on
of
individual
TwiIer
@milguy23
8
Every
Record
Told
a
Story
Based
on
a
3
Point
Process
A
process
of
connec2ng
both
ra2onal
and
emo2onal
dots

9. The
Lisa
Radin
3
Point
Process
To
#AHA
1. RESEARCH
INTERPRETATION
2. INSIGHTS
STRATEGY
3. CREATIVITY
AHA
ü A
few
words
about
Crea2vity
and
finding
the
#AHA
• Hard
research
analysis
and
talking
to
consumers
about
their
emo2ons
were
demanded
to
ignite
crea2vity
and
locate
the
#aha
ü Lisa
uses
the
same
3
point
process
for
finding
innova2on
for
any
business
be
it
B2C
or
B2B
–
for
billion
$
Fortune
500’s
or
nonprofits
• During
her
career,
she
has
made
and/or
saved
$30
+
million
using
her
process
• Lisa’s
approach
to
finding
innovaLon
is
through
the
eyes
of
the
consumer
–
everything
she
does
is
market
research
and
consumer
insights
driven
–
even
painLng
old
records
TwiIer
@milguy23
9
A
process
of
connec2ng
both
ra2onal
and
emo2onal
dots

10. ENTREPRENEURS
DO
EVERYTHING
–
Lisa
HAD
THE
SKILLS
BRANDING
ü Developed
business
name:
RECOLLECTION
RECORDS
ü Registered
URL’s:
www.paintedrecords.com
&
www.recollec2onrecords.com
ü Wrote
tagline:
MEMORIES
TRANSFORMED
TO
ART
ü Created
website
(2002-­‐2004)
SALES
ü Personally
sold
/
CRM
into
15
music,
giB,
and
housewares
retailers
in
#Chicago
the
North
Shore
suburbs
and
in
Door
County,
WI
ü E-­‐commerce
and
lead
generaLon
via
own
website
ü Social
networking
via
non
profits
and
art
fairs
(No
Facebook
in
2001)
• Donated
painted
records
to
mulLple
chariLes
for
#good
and
to
increase
word-­‐of-­‐mouth
TwiIer
@milguy23
10

11. Lisa
Was
and
S2ll
is
a
Crea2ve
Entrepreneur
Promo2ons/PR/SOCIAL
ü Created
on-­‐loan
program
for
local
offices
spreading
word-­‐of-­‐mouth
#WOM
and
generaLng
new
leads
• Targeted
CPA’s,
lawyers,
and
predominantly
male
managers
since
records
were
primarily
purchased
for
and
by
men
ü Exhibited
in
Chicago
and
suburban
businesses
including
• Restaurants
• Bars
and
Nightclubs
• Starbucks
• Libraries
ü Developed
strategic
alliance
with
Solid
Waste
Agency
of
Northern
Cook
County
by
promoLng
recycled
art;
featured
on
SWANCC
#green
products
website
ü Wrote
press
releases
/
pitched
media
• In
2
full-­‐run
Pioneer
Press
arLcles
including
front
page
with
photo
ü Social
media
didn’t
exist,
but
Lisa
was
social
by
asking
every
business
who
she
did
business
with
to
display
her
records.
RecollecLon
Records
could
be
found
at:
• Dry
cleaners,
favorite
/
local
restaurants,
doctor’s
offices,
and
preIy
much
any
locaLon
willing
to
exhibit
them.
Lisa
knew
sight
and
word-­‐of-­‐mouth
were
powerful
sales
tools
TwiIer
@milguy23
11

12. TwiIer
@milguy23
12
THE
GRAMMY®
AWARDS
STORY
RAISING
AWARENESS:
Lisa
wanted
a
music
connecLon,
and
since
she
always
aims
high,
she
contacted
The
GRAMMY
FoundaLon®
via
a
cold
call.
She
was
unsure
what
to
pitch
but
she
explained
her
business
and
she
thoughrully
listened
to
find
an
opportunity
to
connect.
Whether
you
call
it
luck
or
great
listening
skill,
she
got
what
she
wanted.
Lisa
learned
that
a
dinner
/
silent
aucLon
takes
place
the
night
before
The
GRAMMY®
Awards
where
an
individual
arLst
is
honored.
She
jumped
at
the
chance
to
donate
a
RecollecLon
Record
for
the
honoree.
This
was
her
‘in’
to
The
GRAMMY
Awards.
She
donated
mulLple
RECOLLECTION
RECORDS
and
even
made
a
custom
record
for
her
key
GRAMMY
contact.
Lisa’s
relaLonship
with
The
GRAMMY
FoundaLon
lasted
3
years.
Throughout
the
partnership,
she
made
painted
records
honoring
Billy
Joel,
SLng,
and
U2
among
others.
Her
U2
sold
in
the
MusiCares®
silent
aucLon
for
$800.
Now
that’s
some
sweet
music.
In
return
for
her
donaLon,
Lisa
was
given
permission
to
use
the
MusiCares®
and
GRAMMY®
logos
on
her
website
and
in
PR.
Lisa
was
on
her
way
to
raising
awareness
and
elevaLng
her
Lny
brand.
The
GRAMMY®
STORY
supports
Lisa’s
belief:
Where
there’s
a
will,
there’s
a
way

13. CUSTOMER
COMMENTS
-­‐
VERBATIMS
Ø “I’ve
never
seen
anything
like
this
before;
I
LOVE
it.”
Ø “My
son
will
love
this;
he’s
so
hard
to
buy
for…”
Ø “Even
my
daughter
will
let
her
husband
hang
this
on
a
wall…”
Ø “She
likes
anything
Springsteen…”
Ø “My
husband
saw
this
in
his
co-­‐workers
office;
he
wants
10
for
each
of
his
clients.”
Ø “Can
you
paint
a
Phish
album?”
(Yep,
she
did)
TwiIer
@milguy23
13

14.
Recollec2on
Records
Memories
Transformed
to
Art
FUN
STUFF
and
DETAIL
FOLLOWS
TwiIer
@milguy23
14

15.
Resilience
Required
and
Art
Insights
Gained
ü Records
were
difficult
to
paint
• Took
30+
hours
over
at
least
5
days
to
finish
1
painted
record
• Vinyl
with
many
songs/grooves
reacted
differently
than
those
with
fewer
songs
–
each
record
created
a
new
painLng
challenge
• 20%
of
records
were
destroyed
during
any
stage
of
the
prep/painLng/finishing
process
• How
the
LP
had
been
stored
and
humidity
factors
impacted
how
the
vinyl
took-­‐the-­‐
paint;
the
records
always
had
‘a
voice’
even
when
not
played
• PainLng
experience
created
insight
to
the
high
cost
of
art
and
Lisa
developed
empathy
and
compassion
for
arLsts
exhibiLng
at
art
fairs
ü
Sold
her
1st
30
within
6
weeks.
Hey,
not
bad
for
a
hobby
• Lisa
asked
herself:
‘What
would
happen
if
I
tried
create
a
business?’
The
rest
is
history
• She
painted.
She
promoted.
She
sold.
She
became
an
entrepreneur
15
TwiIer
@milguy23

16.
Silly
&
Popular
Ques2on
Asked:
“Can
I
s2ll
listen
to
them?”
ü What
do
you
think?
These
college
educated
buyers
must
have
been
sleeping
in
a
few
classes
Her
answer:
“No,
the
record
cannot
be
played
aRer
painted
but
they
can
be
played
in
your
mind!”
TwiIer
@milguy23
16
RECOLLECTION
RECORDS
-­‐
MEMORIES
TRANSFORMED
TO
ART

17. A
Signed
LeNer
was
included
with
every
Recollec2on
Record
ü (THE
START):
It
began
in
2001
and
it
was
a
record
year.
We
overcame
the
non-­‐millennium
bug,
hanging
chads
with
a
near
PresidenLal
Le,
and
as
9/11,
we
became
faced
with
the
aBermath
and
lifestyle
changes
due
to
the
World
Trade
Center
bombings.
ü (THE
MIDDLE):
Reviving
past
memories
will
help
bring
happiness
into
your
world.
Think
of
the
fun
Lmes
when
vacaLoning,
at
parLes
or
spending
quiet
Lmes
with
friends.
Think
of
the
music
you
listened
to
and
how
you
felt
while
listening.
Go
back.
Revisit
a
more
relaxed,
fun
Lme
in
your
life.
Let
your
mind
recall
the
memories.
ü (THE
END):
Recollec2on
Records
are
painted
vinyl
records
that
allow
you
to
look
at
your
favorite
ar2st
everyday
-­‐-­‐
as
art.
The
vinyl
is
the
medium.
Each
record
is
individually
infused
with
music,
lyrics,
and
arLsts’
history
to
create
a
unique
design.
Hang
your
record
where
you
can
see
it.
Let
it
make
you
laugh;
let
it
make
you
feel
good.
Recollec2on
Records
are
Great
“Memories
Transformed
to
Art”.
Enjoy.
TwiNer
@milguy23
17

18. HAD
MANY
ORDERS
FOR
BRUCE
TwiIer
@milguy23
18
Radin
Art
InterpretaLon
(shortened):
Life
changed
aRer
9/11.
You’ll
find
an
“A”
cuwng
through
the
label.
Do
you
think
this
stands
for
Afghanistan
or
America?
Purple
was
integrated
throughout
to
honor
the
men
and
women
who
suffered
and
serviced
our
country
pre/post
911
–
don’t
they
deserve
a
Purple
Heart?
Colors
of
green
for
money
and
copper
for
oil
signify
key
economical
drivers.
The
art
is
outlined
in
golden
dots
represen2ng
the
golden
2mes
we
seek.
RECOLLECTION
RECORDS
-­‐
MEMORIES
TRANSFORMED
TO
ART

19. Experimented
with
Technique
–
some
showed
more
vinyl,
some
less
TwiIer
@milguy23
19
Sold
framed
and
unframed
(This
photo
not
with
frame)
Framed
op2ons:
Record
alone
with
album
cover
behind
or
record
&
cover
framed
side-­‐
by-­‐side
Please
excuse
poor
photography

20.
ü When
you
want
to
make
something
out-­‐of-­‐nothing
add
Lisa
to
your
mix
• TwiNer
@milguy23
• LINKEDIN:
hNp://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaradinbrandstrategist
• radin.lisa@gmail.com
TwiIer
@milguy23
20
Lisa
is
currently
crea2ng
innova2on
for
any
business
seeking
crea2ve
thinking.
Her
record
pain2ng
days
are
over.
She
had
fun
while
it
lasted.
THE
MORAL
OF
THE
LISA
ENTREPRENEUR
STORY?