Successful Rule Breakers: Max Rosen Of Indigo Productions and Artist On How To Succeed By Doing Things Differently
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Sometimes making one small change to a procedure can make a huge impact. A few years ago we decided to respond instantly to all new business inquiries instead of waiting until we had a break in what we were doing. This dramatically increased our conversion rates because clients often hired us on the spot instead of talking to several companies and then making a decision. I love testing small changes and seeing which ones work.
In the world of business and within every industry, there are forward-thinking leaders who go against the status quo and find success. Their courage to take risks, embrace innovation, and inspire collaboration separates them from the competition. Until 2002, Apple’s famous slogan was “Think Different”. This attitude likely helped them become one of the most successful organizations in history. This interview series aims to showcase visionary leaders and their “status quo-breaking” approach to doing business. As part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Max Rosen.
A native New Yorker, Max Rosen is the owner of NYC’s most renown video production agencies in the Northeast, Indigo Productions. In addition to this, he is also a talented visual artist. Through his production know-how and creative license through his art, Max has become a “Rule Breaker” in business by learning how to succeed via both paths of his career.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us your “Origin Story”? Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in New York City and absolutely loved it. My parents constantly exposed me to all the amazing culture here like museums, art galleries, concerts, and independent movie theaters showing classic and foreign films. There’s no doubt that this led directly to my two careers: Running Indigo Productions, a video production company, and also becoming a visual artist.
Tell us about someone who was a significant influence in your business journey, and the most significant lesson or insight you learned from them?
When I was 15 years old, my uncle gave me brilliant advice that I’ve thought about at least 1000 times. He said, “Always bet on your own success.” Anytime I’m faced with a difficult business decision, I ask myself how I can best apply this wisdom. Over the years I’ve come to believe that intelligently betting on your own success actually increases your odds of winning the bet.
Share a story about something specific that happened early on that you would consider a failure but ended up being a blessing in disguise or ended up being one of the most valuable lessons you had to learn on your own?
Before I opened Indigo Productions I worked for a company that was run by two partners who were not very good at business. They laid me off a few months before they shut down the company altogether, and I felt like a failure because I took it personally. This was painful, but it motivated me to start my own business, which ultimately proved to be the best decision I ever made. So whenever something looks like a failure, I try to remember that it may well lead to something much better than what I was planning. This always keeps me going in tough times.
Share a story about one of the most significant challenges you faced when first starting out. How did you resolve it?
My most significant challenge when I opened my business is that I had no clients, and no clue how to get any. I didn’t know what to do, so I cold-called hundreds of companies to offer my services. Most people would instantly hang up on me, which was incredibly discouraging, but I was persistent. Finally, a manager at a big brand agreed to meet with me. His budget was way too small for what he was trying to accomplish, but I knew this was my chance: I took the assignment, gave it my best, and delivered a video worth at least ten times what he paid for it. This gave me a fantastic work example to show other clients, and earned me his deep gratitude. He introduced me to several other important people at his company, which is how I got my first big client.
Let’s talk about ‘Successful Rule Breakers’ Why did you decide to “break the rules”? Early on, did you identify a particular problem or issue in how businesses in your industry generally operated? What specifically compelled you to address this and want to do things differently?
To stand out from the pack, you need to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing. When I first started out, people still used the Yellow Pages. Dozens of video companies had small ads, crammed with tiny print listing all their services. I did exactly the opposite: I bought a full page ad which simply stated in a large font, “If you want great videos, hire Indigo Productions.” It was simple but incredibly successful, and ever since then I’ve always seen the value in doing the opposite of what people expect.
In the ever-changing business landscape, how exactly do you decide when to adhere to industry norms versus “breaking the rules” and forging your own way? Can you share an example?
My advice is to NEVER ignore legal or ethical rules, like accounting, taxes, contracts, or delivering what you’ve promised to deliver. But when it comes to style, or creating new processes, or marketing, I study the rules, then experiment regularly by breaking any or all of them to see what works. I make plenty of mistakes, but that’s the only way to innovate. I’ve had to reinvent my company continually over the years in order to remain in a leadership position. This process never stops.
To make an impact, you have to champion change, get creative, and take risks. Please think back about the decisions you’ve made that helped your business get to where it is today, and share your top 5 strategies or decisions that helped you succeed by doing things differently.
1. Sometimes making one small change to a procedure can make a huge impact. A few years ago we decided to respond instantly to all new business inquiries instead of waiting until we had a break in what we were doing. This dramatically increased our conversion rates because clients often hired us on the spot instead of talking to several companies and then making a decision. I love testing small changes and seeing which ones work.
2. A few years ago, before COVID-19, one of my long-time employees said to me, “I waste 90 minutes every day commuting to the office. And once I’m here, I keep getting interrupted, so I can’t work efficiently. I’ll do much better work if I can work from home.” Letting employees work remotely seemed like a very risky idea at the time, but I discussed it with my team and everyone wanted to try it. After a 2-month test, we all agreed it led to greater efficiency, and we made it permanent. Then, when COVID hit, we barely missed a beat because we were already fully remote. We did well when a lot of other companies stumbled.
3 . Early in my career, I noticed that my bosses often seemed unaware of major inefficiencies and mistakes that were beneath their radar. Based on this, when I started Indigo Productions I made the decision to constantly ask my team: “What am I missing? What should I be thinking about that I’m not thinking about? What can we do better?” This has led to an endless stream of improvements, big and small. I’ve seen even the most junior employees come up with great solutions to problems that I didn’t even know existed.
4 . I strongly believe in fixing problems instead of complaining about them. I find that complaining creates negativity that kills motivation. When I hear people complain, I usually say, “What exactly is the problem, and what’s the solution? Let’s look at it and come up with a plan so we can solve it.” Sometimes people just need to blow off steam, and I understand that. But if a complaint persists, it’s time to look at the source of the problem and fix it.
5 . A few years ago I took a course where business owners were asked to re-think the single most important function of our companies. This led me to a new idea: What if our work was so great that whoever hired us looked like a genius and got a promotion? It sounded kind of nutty, but when I shared it with my team they loved it and we made this our focus. After we complete a project, we make sure that our client is the hero of the story. This brings us client loyalty, which is priceless.
As a leader, how do you rally others to align with your vision? Also, how do you identify those who may not be fully committed or even silently sabotaging or undermining your efforts? What steps do you take to address these situations?
To enroll people into my vision, I often start by asking them, “What is the most important thing to you right now? What do you really want?” I listen very carefully to their answers, then think deeply about how their goals might be in alignment with mine. If they align, I have an incredible opportunity to motivate them. Deep down, most people care about what THEY want, not what I want. When I can use this as leverage to motivate and inspire them, we both win.
If someone remains uncommitted, I speak to them directly about it. If they are actively undermining my efforts, then it’s time to part company.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Years ago I started doing a gratitude ritual every morning, which sets the tone for my entire day. If I could inspire a movement, it would be to encourage people to cultivate gratitude. This has contributed more to my happiness than anything else I can think of. It’s a muscle that needs to be developed in order to become strong.
How can our readers continue to follow you or your company online?
Please check out the Indigo Productions website and read our blog: www.indigoprod.com
For my work as an artist, please go to www.maxrosen.art and max.rosen.art on Instagram
Thank you so much for sharing all of these insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein, a seasoned entrepreneur with over two decades of experience as the Founder and CEO of multiple companies. He launched Choice Recovery, Inc., a healthcare collection agency, while going to The Ohio State University, His team earned national recognition, twice being ranked as the #1 business to work for in Central Ohio. In 2018, Chad launched [re]start, a career development platform connecting thousands of individuals in collections with meaningful employment opportunities, He sold Choice Recovery on his 25th anniversary and in 2023, sold the majority interest in [re]start so he can focus his transition to Built to Lead as an Executive Leadership Coach. Learn more at www.chadsilverstein.com
Successful Rule Breakers: Max Rosen Of Indigo Productions and Artist On How To Succeed By Doing… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.