Key Idea #1: Pick A Partner Carefully
Ashley said in the program that you should pick your partner like you would pick a spouse. With the divorce rate being what it is, Ashley's advice may need some explaining.

Topic For Discussion: Why did Ashley and Darrell know they would be excellent business partners?

Answer: They worked together at Warner Brothers just as they do now. Ashley was the executive producer and Darrell was the talent. So in a way they were already "married" when they started the partnership. I saw the respect they have for each other and also the basic division of the raw talent.

Ashley can't even draw, much less do animation. Darrell wouldn't know or want to know how Ashley gets the business in the door and how she manages legions of sub-contractors to meet deadlines and to come in on budget. Evan Stone of T-Bone Productions admitted he could never be an executive producer and depends completely on his partner. This is key. If your partner thinks he or she could do your work better than you're doing it, the deal is dead on agreement.

We've seen amazing long-range partnerships and horrible gnashing of teeth between partners. An attorney told me back in 1980, "don't take a business partner unless they have money to put on the table and you need the money." This was harsh but kept me from taking a partner who may not have been good for me.

Rosen & Chadick have a fifty-year-old partnership, Jon Zucci and Linda Brunini are going strong, Altoon+Porter are very successful, Kathleen Barnes and Judy Canon couldn't do it without each other. It's not for everybody, but, with the right partner business can be liberating. You're in charge but you're not alone.

You think about it: To grow, would you consider finding a partner?

Key Idea #2: Sell Your Unique Talent
Renegade Animation's competitive edge is Darrell Van Citters' talent.

Topic for Discussion: How did Renegade get it's first piece of work?

Answer: It came form a very happy customer Darrell did animation for while he was still at Warner Brothers. The position he had there gave him the opportunity to direct for the big ad agencies and he was able to stand out in the crowd. He was not just an animator at Warner Brothers, he was one of the best.

Topic For Discussion: What does a customer get from Renegade?

Answer: Darrell said, "the customer is getting a one-director house here. Some of our competitors will have five, six, 10 directors, which gives you a lot more breadth because everybody will specialize. Here if you look at our reel you'll notice that it's varied. It's extremely varied, in that we do a lot of different kinds of animation. And that's part of the fun of doing this kind of thing is that you can change drawing styles."

Topic For Discussion: Does talent alone make the business a success? Possible answer:

Answer: Yes. But, to build a company that has staying power, a team is required. The point I want to make here is raw talent must exist in your small business. The talent could be a person's communications skills, engineering ability, problem solving techniques, analytical thinking, whatever. Every human being has talent. Your job as a small business owner is to find yours first then help every person who works with you to find theirs. Darrell also said that once you have talent and a team, making a business go requires persistence. We have certainly heard that over and over and over.

Topic for Discussion: In addition to customers, what else does Renegade get because of Darrell's talent and reputation?

Answer: The best free lance artists. They want to work with Darrell because he is a bit of a legend when it comes to the world of animation. So, by leaving home and going to California to study animation then working for the big studios, Darrell is now reaping the rewards of doing what he does best.

You think about it: Are you mining your talent and the talent of every person who works for you? Are you marketing that talent as part of your unique selling proposition?

Key Idea #3: Keep Making Things By Hand
Darrell is an artist and the look he is able to achieve only comes from hand drawings. Just like any artist or performer, he keeps making things by hand because it is his unique selling proposition. He is using computers now to duplicate and animate his drawings which can speed the process but he does not draw on the computer. Many small companies need to use technology but must resist the temptation to become ordinary.

Chef Thomas Keller is like Darrell. He believes that making a few customers happy with his small handmade output makes him stand out in the crowd. All of his restaurants are small and all of the portions appearing on plates are small.

Topic for Discussion: How does this philosophy translate into a marketing strategy?

Answer: First, because Keller has limited seating and it is so hard to get a reservation, even more people want to come to The French Laundry. Thomas is not knocking down walls to add more dining space, he just makes people wait two months to join him for dinner. People brag that they have a reservation. They brag that they went to The French Laundry and tell stories about the fabulous food. This creates a buzz and more demand.

Darrell only has 24 hours in a day and he is the lead artist at Renegade. If he is booked, customers have to get in line and wait.

You think about it: How can you use this idea to raise your prices or target new customers?

Key Idea #4: Say "No" To Some Opportunities
You may be tempted to take work just for the money. Darrell and Ashley would advise against that practice. They've built a solid business by saying no to projects that don't fit their mission.

Topic For Discussion: Why do most small businesses try to take all the work they can get?

Answer: Cash flow, ego, or, they're not clear what the goals are. Ashley and Darrell started Renegade with some cash in the bank. They found affordable office space and they have kept their payroll under control. With this positioning, they don't have to do work just for the money. They both left Warner Brothers to start Renegade and Darrell is a graduate of the prestigious Disney School of Animation. They don't need to take work to build their personal self esteem. And, they know exactly what kind of work they want and at what price point. Ashley said, "We do turn jobs down when we feel like they don't play to our strengths. Because we have a feeling that eventually the client would not be happy with what we were giving them. And we would rather turn it down than have a bad experience. Because they'll come back to us when they have something that is right. some just don't have enough money to do what they want to do. And we're not going to take a loss on a job. And we're not going to cheap it out and have them be unhappy, because then we've lost them forever."

You think about it: What work are you doing now that may not be generating the profits you need to grow? What customers do you need to fire? Can you craft a smaller and more profitable niche ?

Key Idea #5: Keep Work In Its Place
Ashley and Darrell started a business so that they could control the type of work they do and the work culture. They were smart enough to know that they didn't want to do all the different jobs required to make the company function properly. To keep work life in balance, they found ways to get jobs done that are cost-effective.

Topic For Discussion: Who is Renegade's salesman?

Answer: A man who owns a very small Manhattan-based agency whose company is called, Blah, Blah, Blah. Doesn't that sound like the type of person a renegade would want to befriend? You are getting the picture now about this industry. It is comprised of artists and people with a great sense of humor.

Ashley happily pays a big fat sales commission to Blah, Blah, Blah because she needs someone in New York City who is pounding the streets calling on the ad agencies who have the budgets to create the ads that Ashley wants to do the animation for. She could hire a person and set them up on the East Coast but this would not only make her overhead go up, Ashley would have a larger management job. Blah, Blah, Blah's commission dollars could probably cover the cost of a full-time employee but it would be a person Ashley would have to train and help. With Blah, Blah, Blah she has the best in the business and it's commission only. Nice.

Topic for Discussion: Do Darrell and Ken actually draw every piece of art that goes into a Renegade Animation production?

Answer: No. They have a stable of 35 animators Ashley calls upon to make specific contributions.

You think about it: What are you doing now in your work that you could outsource so that you have time for your children or exercise or travel?

Key Idea #6: Do Job Loss Autopsies
Merriam-Webster says that an autopsy is, "a critical examination, evaluation, or assessment of someone or something past."

Topic For Discussion: Why is it important to do an autopsy on a failed sale?

Answer: This is the only way to learn how to improve. It's been said that success builds confidence and failure teaches. If we don't study our failures we may end up making the same mistakes so often that our business fails. Ashley is brave enough to explore the reasons behind a rejection. Getting the facts helps her strategize for the next pitch. She quizzes her sales person and when she can, she'll ask to interview the person who chose another company..

You think about it: What do you think you could learn if you asked potential clients why they chose a competitor?

Key Idea #7: Work For More Than Money
Renegade Animation's purpose is for Ashley and Darrell to use their talents to serve the customers who bring them fascinating and profitable projects.

Topic for Discussion: Why would anyone start a business for such a seemingly self-serving reason?

Answer: Neither one of them were happy in the big corporate environment. After working for over 20 years for the big studios, Darrell said, "the whole thing with this business has not been to make money. I didn't start by saying, `You know what? I think we can make a lot of money. Let's go do this.' I did it because I wasn't happy where I was. I didn't like the alternatives out there once I left. Here we can kind of control out own destiny, and it's just more fun." Darrell also said it makes him "crazy" to think about taking work that doesn't interest him. He says, "There's no point in taking a job that you're not interested in and having your work be crummy because you're going to do a bad job if you're not interested in it. The client's going to know you did a bad job, so they're not coming back to you. So if you're doing it just for the money, then you should forget because you're not going to get any more work. That's a stupid way to operate."

This is not a bad business business purpose because as they please themselves, good work is created and customers are served. We found this same philosophy when we studied Thomas Keller of the French Laundry. There are other corporate drop-outs who express much of this same sentiment. Look at Bill Sugars and Pat Elmquest of Mickey Finn's Brew Pub and Andy Wilson of Boston Duck Tours. After working for years and years in a big business environment, they are all hell-bent on building companies that give them personal satisfaction.

Topic for Discussion: Why do you think they named the company, Renegade Animation?

Answer: Renegade "means a person who deserts from a group or cause." Ashley and Darrell deserted Warner Brothers, right? Well, maybe Warner Brothers wasn't damaged by their departure so we can't say the two left this hugh organization high and dry. But, in many ways their name empowers them. The name Renegade Animation means it was started by two people who don't need the big guys and who are independent rebels who are going to do what they want to do when they want to do it. And, if you want to do business with them, be careful because they can be outrageous. Douglas Martin writing for the New York Times on January 9, 2000 said that "successful brands work by carving out a niche in our subconscious -- what advertisers call a mind share."

By choosing a name like Renegade Animation, Ashley and Darrell are building their brand around who they want you to think they are. They are rule breakers, off the edge thinkers and certainly they don't need your job to put food on their tables. If you agree with Roy Spence, who is an owner of the Austin, Texas ad agency, GSD&M that, "The Jolly Green Giant and the Pillsbury Doughboy live in the same psychic space as Santa," then you can agree that with a name like Renegade Animation, Ashley and Darrell are saying, "we are out of the ordinary." By choosing a name that telegraphs so much they have less explaining to do. The name explains that they are in business to do the unusual and the fascinating and when they do that, they will make plenty of money.

You think about it: Are you exited to go to work everyday? If not, could it be because you're only working for money?

Key Idea #8: Let Go Of The Checkbook
After six years of writing all the checks herself, Ashley let this part of her work go to an accounting firm.

Topic For Discussion: Why is this so hard for a small business owner to do?

Answer: It may be like seeing your child go to first grade. You put the little one in the hands of the teacher and it's an emotional moment. You know in your mind this is the right thing but you are used to seeing every move the child makes. Now, you are a bit in the dark. But you do get report cards and you do hear at the end of each day how everything went. Ashley said she wanted to get rid of the task but she wanted to be in close touch with the process.

Letting go of the checkbook is literally a good thing to do but it is also a metaphor for letting go of any task you are holding on to for only emotional reasons. Here's my big rule of thumb: if it repeats, teach. You know what I'm talking about. All the things you do for which you have a system can be taught to someone else. The reason entrepreneurs can sell franchises, which is a great way to fund growth, is they have taken the time to systematize the processes.

Many of us think we're the only person in the world who can do a certain task. The reason we can't delegate is either perfectionism, disorganization or complete lack of trust in others. If you don't study yourself and figure out what your problem is with letting go, you will be tired all of the time.

You think about it: What task do you need to delegate? What jobs are you doing now that you should turn over to someone else? Do you have employees and professional service providers you can trust with important jobs? If not, why not?

Key Idea #9: Join a peer group
Ashley is a member of the Young Entrepreneur's Organization.

Topic For Discussion: What are the benefits of this group for Ashley?

Answer: If you are a member of YEO you can participate in a forum group and this is what Ashley likes best. A forum is 10-12 other entrepreneurs with whom you meet monthly for four hours. You serve as a board of directors for one another. There are no competitors in your group and everything said in the room is confidential. Recently one of her colleagues in the forum directed her to good pension plan ideas. To see a forum in action look at the program we did about Vickie Bondoc who belongs to the YEO in Boston. They allowed us to tape a meeting in session. Also, look at the material we produced on OK Groups. They too are made up of business owners who serve as a board of directors to one another. Under the direction of my friend Jim Schell, there are 22 OK Groups meeting in Bend, Oregon every month.

You think about it: Is there a peer group in your city that you can join? Is there an industry group with members who do exactly what you do?