Mark Schmitz, founder of Madison-based design company ZEBRADOG, spoke to University of Wisconsin students Thursday about the importance of perseverance and the power of storytelling in entrepreneurship.
The speech aimed to inspire students in preparation for Transcend Madison, the first student-hosted innovation competition on UW campus this March.
“Entrepreneurs are a different breed,” Schmitz said. “You’ve got to be a little insufferable, a little bit crazy.”
Schmitz graduated from UW in 1984 with a degree in fine arts, and founded ZEBRADOG more than two decades ago. The company is devoted to creating experiences and augmenting the energy and culture of spaces for customers through his innovation of Dynamic Environment Design.
Schmitz designed both Lambeau Field and the interior of Union South. He is also featured in the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, on the motion wall display that he also designed.
People all over the world have interacted with Schmitz’s work, from the UW campus to islands in the Bahamas and the desert of Dubai.
“All of that started with literally $18,000 in debt, a 20-year-old car and a degree from University of Wisconsin,” Schmitz said.
Schmitz encouraged all of the students to take a multidisciplinary approach in whatever they do, know that imagination is greater than knowledge and understand that in his perspective, it really is about who you know.
Schmitz noted that successful entrepreneurs have zero patience, a high work ethic and the ability to create their own reality. Most importantly, Schmitz noted successful entrepreneurs need the ability to draw others into their personal reality.
Schmitz then talked about the brand factor, saying that customers want products and services with good background stories. He said entrepreneurs need to surround themselves with people who can help them create that kind of branding effect.
“You’re all going to have to be a part of a story, a narrative about your idea,” Schmitz said. “People don’t buy things, they buy stories.”
Schmitz joked about the side effects of being an entrepreneur, such as being motivated by fear, weird skin conditions, dark humor, always thinking about eight different things at once and the understanding that your spouse will indefinitely outlive you.
For those who want to go out there and use their entrepreneurship skills to make a difference, Schmitz offers this simple advice: You have to do it for yourself, and it’s incredibly important you do it on your own.
