Will Toms is the cofounder of REC Philly, an incubator, community, and resource center aimed at helping independent creatives make a sustainable living. In short, he is out to challenge the narrative of the starving artist and create an international community of creatives who control their own destinies.
As REC Philly likes to say, "independent doesn't mean alone", and this story really embodies what it looks like to build something that matters with intentionality, clarity, and connectedness at its core.
There are a lot of gems packed into this conversation. Among other things we discuss:
creative placemaking and how to create the community and space you have always sought
how to reverse engineer your business from who you want your customers to become, all the way back to the product offering
the power and clarity of having an artistic message as your north star in making decisions
how to choose an audience
the work required to move from having a vague desire for impact (which we all feel) to a specific and actionable plan to create that impact for a specific kind of person
Links & resources mentioned
Dave Silver, cofounder of REC Philly
StockedUp (hat brand)
Gino Wickman - Traction & Rocket Fuel books)
