Dare to transform fear into permission - Katie Johnson & Ilana Griffo (Goodtype)

Katie and Ilana (GoodType), share their unconventional journey from strangers who connected over art licensing to business partners running a multi-faceted creative education company. Originally founded by Bodhi Robinson as an Instagram account celebrating typography, GoodType evolved into a comprehensive platform when Katie and Ilana took over the reins.

The conversation explores their complementary partnership dynamic, working remotely across the country, and their philosophy of "community over competition." Both founders came from different creative backgrounds - Katie from jazz music and Ilana from interior design - before discovering graphic design and eventually typography. ~

Their business encompasses multiple streams: creative education, art licensing consultation, their own studio work, and community building through their virtual conference. They emphasize the importance of relationships over technical skills, following authentic passion rather than just profit, and approaching business decisions as experiments rather than make-or-break commitments.

Join their 3-day virtual conference - The Kernference - info here 

Key Takeaways

• Community beats competition - When Ilana reached out about the same business idea, Katie chose collaboration over territorial behavior, transforming a potential threat into a life-changing partnership
• Yin and yang partnerships work better than sameness - Successful collaborations thrive on complementary strengths and differences rather than identical approaches and constant agreement
• Relationship skills trump technical abilities - Building genuine connections and listening to people proves more valuable for business success than having the best design portfolio
• Following heart over money reduces stress - While privileged, choosing creative fulfillment over maximum profit leads to better mental health and sustainable business practices
• Permission slips come from community - Seeing peers at similar skill levels sharing their work on social media provided the confidence to start creating and sharing publicly
• Typography intimidation is real but conquerable - The field's intense gatekeepers create barriers for beginners, but finding supportive communities helps overcome the fear of judgment
• Experiments reduce emotional investment - Approaching new initiatives as data-gathering experiments rather than do-or-die ventures allows for healthier risk-taking and learning
• Virtual conferences can fill accessibility gaps - Online events serve people who cannot afford travel costs while creating valuable connections across global communities
• Passive income requires active maintenance - Educational products need ongoing marketing and refinement work, just different from course creation itself
• Art licensing knowledge gaps create opportunities - When information is scarce in profitable

Daring Creativity. Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

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