EndInMind Design

My friend Sheila is a painter and photographer who recently launched a creative startup. She agreed to answer a few questions for my blog… You’ll be inspired!

EndInMind Design creates art-driven solutions that enable recycling and reduce environmental impact. Art is a primal, restorative force. We seek to leverage this power to advance and elevate material recovery and reuse. Our first product is the RecyclerSack™, a solution for hospitality and private/corporate event recycling that carries the amazing artwork of Sheila Arora.

How did you come up with the logos?
I was going for something simple and elegant to reflect our product image. The EndInMind Design logo is one of the first designs I came up with. The smaller square version was a “happy accident” while I was playing in Illustrator. The RecyclerSack™ logo is blue to reflect the blue bins that our bag is trying to replace, and the curve above the letters represents a bag handle.

What is chic sustainability? I love that term!
I use the term chic sustainability to describe my new abstract series. The paintings combine nature motifs with colors and patterns to create exciting designs. We’re using this artwork on packaging to motivate and encourage people to recycle. Who says recycling has to mean a blue bin? We want to change the face of sustainability from traditional to trendy.

Do you have any specific entrepreneurs who were heroes or role models for the way you do business?
Of course! I know a lot of people who have digital startups, and I’m always fascinated by their creative ideas. I’m not super techy, so I was inspired when I met Adriana Willsie. She’s an artist who started her own pet portrait business. For me, that was a breakthrough moment. You can be an entrepreneur with paint?

What’s one thing you learned through the process of starting RecyclerSack™ that you wish you had known at the beginning?
We launched our startup on August 1st. Prior to this, we had been doing a lot of promotional work so we expected to get some orders right away. Nothing. Turns out, the entire country is out of the office in August. I then come across an article that says according to marketing experts, you should never launch a new product in August. We had a 1 in 12 chance… lesson learned.

What was the response of hotels to the RecyclerSack™ concept?
We’ve received very positive responses from hotels. Initially, we pitched the idea with just a product concept and powerpoint slides. We’ve now got the actual bag samples for people to see. It’s a perfect fit for boutique hotels that are looking for unique and trendy ways to encourage guests to recycle.

Does your business impact your blog or vice versa?
Yes! I love working on a startup that uses my paintings. We want people to get to know the artist. In fact, we encourage people to do so by listing my site on the bag. The artwork makes the RecyclerSack™ unique. I’m always creating new paintings, and I want people to get excited as we rotate different artwork on the bag!

Oh neat! You’re planning to rotate the artwork?
We’re going to change the artwork seasonally on the bag. It’s fun to see fresh artwork, and it will allow us to keep people engaged with the product. In fact, you can even vote here for the next design!

What are your tips for starting a business while working full time?
You’re asking the wrong person. I quit my job last year to paint. I had no intentions of working on a startup at the time. I knew that if I wanted to paint seriously, then I had to focus on it full-time. I had originally planned to create an awesome dress series… It turns out, that I stumbled upon these abstract paintings around the time that I connected with my business partner to start our company. So, my advice is… don’t be afraid to quit your job to do what you love.

You never know what can happen.