Chicago, 2020. I'd gotten a call from a friend of a friend. She said she had a crazy idea and she needed help.

At the time I had a startup of my own, but we were kind of running around in circles. The dots weren't connecting.

The following week we met at a coffee shop.

She had told me she wanted to start this business, but she was feeling a little down on it. Starting to doubt herself. Imposter syndrome. The worst. Because the guy before me didn't see her vision. The brand he put together felt completely off.

I was designing logos for friends at the time, but I never asked too many questions. The ones that get you to the core of who you are and what you stand for. What you believe in. Who are your people? Who is this for?

Steph's parents had a phone-in auction company in the nineties. A catalog in the mail, and on a Saturday afternoon you could call in and put your bid for the item of your choice. But in shuffled the internet, and with it came eBay. And in a matter of a couple years, they decided to call it quits.

Steph kept a stash of it all. All these trinkets and knick knacks from the 50s, 60s, 70s...This would stock her first vending machine. Creative vending. No food. No drinks. Just items that feed your imagination and inner child. Because if you wanna spend five dollars on a mystery bag, you're an adult now, and you have free will.

It was retro. Nostalgic. Fun. Life's too short to be unhappy. The idea and company embodied a smile.

A week later I sent over Steph a logo. One font and a couple colors.

It was a new beginning for both of us. Me, strategy. Her, the business.

She called me when the first machine went out. Stocked and ready. I could hear it in her voice before she even started to speak. That excitement. It was the sound of someone finding out their crazy idea wasn't actually crazy after all.

She went on to put 14 machines across Chicago.

I met with a founder yesterday who has an amazing product but is still trying to figure out the application. Still doesn't quite know who it's for yet. If you're a founder building something don't rush this part. It's the foundation of your success. When you can define yourself and your market prior to going public you're giving yourself an actual shot at making it.