Doing Business as a Designer:Fallout – Part 1

(Slide-u-mentary Version - made in google docs)

By Jae Xavier of KnowledgeCity.com 

Blog: jaexavier.wordpress.comTwitter: twitter.com/jaexavier

Meet Ryan

This is part one in a two part series. Meet Ryan, a 31 year old graphic designer from San Diego, California.  Ryan interned and then turned permanent with Two Suns Media (now defunct), a private global advertising firm in Hong Kong, just after he graduated from college at the age of 21. He enjoyed his job very much working his way up to assistant art director by the age of 26. And by 30, Two Suns offered him a senior art director position at their Hong Kong office.

Transition

“I remembered the day I was visited by senior management at my apartment on a Saturday after my morning jog. They did not seem happy and so thought I was being laid off. The regional VP had asked me a bunch of questions while we stood in the parking lot. It turns out that the senior art director of 10 years had resigned and so management was looking for an immediately replacement.”

The New World

Ryan eagerly accepted and left San Diego two weeks later. A year had passed since moving. Now living atop a condo overlooking Victoria Harbour, Ryan had thoughts of settling down. With a firm grasp on his career and personal life Ryan became comfortable.“Every morning, I woke up to a view that never grew old. Every morning, I woke up without a care in the world.”

Under Pressure

In 2008 amid the global financial crisis, Two Suns decides to scarp their print operations in the next 6 months. Their new strategy is to shift into the internet landscape with their existing clientele.  “I was called into a boardroom meeting on a Friday afternoon just coming back from lunch. The VP of operations asks me to make a transition to directing web operations. In a silent panic, I told him that I’m able to. I didn’t want to lose my job.” 

The Challenge

Having accepted the responsibility, the VP sets a deadline for an executive summary due in one month.

Resources

Online Entrepreneurship Training at KnowledgeCity.com