Multitasking only works if you focus on only two things: the one task at hand and breathing. That’s enough.
Aimful Coloring Books designs coloring books featuring meticulously curated artwork by established artists from around the world. Their books are made from premium eco-friendly paper, crafted for you to cherish and keep for years to come.
Diego is a writer, pocket philosopher and social entrepreneur who is passionate about bringing people together to create amazing things. He became a coloring enthusiast as a form of dynamic meditation and from there, this idea sprung out. When he is not working to achieve the mission of Aimful Coloring Books, he writes in his personal blog.
Where did the idea for Aimful Coloring Books come from?
We were born out of a sincere desire to contribute to the education of thousands of children around the world. How do we do that you ask? By providing free educational textbooks. We match every coloring book you purchase with a free textbook we give to children in schools around the world via The Live Aimfully Foundation. Our coloring books based on street art came about when we were coloring other more boring coloring books in Wynwood, the largest street art district in the world, as a means of relaxing as we thought about a cool product to create to do our one-for-one innitiative similar to Toms Shoes. It was on our hands all along!
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I start off by checking my phone for emails which is a terrible habit and I need to stop it. After a hearty breakfast and the necessary cuban coffee, I head to the office to figure out how can I improve the awarness of the book. I usually do this in front of a whiteboard. I like to draw my ideas out. Go figure.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I draw them first. Then, I execute them as fast as I can, and if they have failed, I asked for advice to my circle of trust and then, I try again.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
Coloring books was one of them! We build a company around it. Now, I am excited about environmentally friendly clothing too.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I hyperfocus on one task at the time. Multitasking is a myth.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Listen to your elders, don’t argue. They know because they’ve been there before.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Body surfing is more fun than laying out on the pool.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Emailing people. Email is not dead. It’s alive, kickin’ and screamin’, and it’s quite useful.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Face to face presentations and building personal relationships; delivering what’s promised.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Not knowing what to do. I overcame it by ignoring that concept, making a decision and sticking with it no matter what.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A disposable shoe dispensers for women in nighclubs. After dancing on heels for a few hours, I can only imagine someone would want a break.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Personal: Nerf guns for my nephews. We’ve been playing all week long. I got 400 darts too.
Professional: Fancier shipping tape. It’s so much more fun to ship with it.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Grammarly. It checks my spelling. And it’s currently disabled, so apologies for any typos!
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Shantaram because it is a great love story, and The War of Art because it helps get your creativity unstuck.
What is your favorite quote?
“We wake up every morning and set out to make progress” – Alonso Orlandini, my youngest brother
Key Learnings:
- Creativity means doing first, asking for advice later, and rinse and repeat until you are partially satisfied with the results. Then you try again.
- Emailing people can be a lot of fun. Specially if you use fancy apps to check your spelling.
- Multitasking only works if you focus on only two things: the one task at hand and breathing. That’s enough.
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Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.