Meet Connor Buss

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Connor Buss a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Connor, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

Easiest question I’ve ever been asked, and it’s my father. The story is pretty short and sweet, but my father grew up middle class, very similar to my own upbringing. When he was 26 years old, he was working a stable, steady desk job that he hated. When an opportunity to join a start-up came his way, he jumped at it, but his father was not thrilled. He criticized my father, and berated him for risking what he had to for a pipedream. But my dad trusted his gut, went with the start-up, and proceeded to work his ass off for 25 years. On the road, in the air, at the office, my father was a working machine. So much so that I only have a few memories of him from my younger years. I used to resent that about him, but as I got older and learned about responsibility, discipline, integrity, principles, all those things that make a good man a great man, all those years he was working finally made sense to me. In the end, taking that chance and betting on himself gave me an amazing childhood, and allowed him to retire at 54, and reinvent himself as a man of passion, curiosity, and balance. When I went to start my company with my brother, I knew my father would be there to support it, because he knew the significance of a decision like that, and what that experience can do for a person. I’ll never forget his arms wrapped around me when I told him I was going to bet on myself. I wish he had that when he was my age, but I’m grateful as hell that he gave it to me.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My companies are Foreword Films Inc,, a storytelling platform for small businesses, brands, and non-profits to use visual images to tell their story, and The Moving Foreword Co., a consulting and coaching service that empowers small business owners and solopreneurs to build a career and life around their passion. Commercials, advertisements, promos, all that is in the past when it comes to content. Authenticity is crucial, emotion is vital, and to get to the heart of an audience, you have to tell a great story. And that’s where we come in. Foreword Films Inc. is a team of storytellers and artists, founded by myself and my brother, Andrew, to tell stories that move the world foreword. We are a full-service media production team based in Los Angeles, CA and Charlotte, NC. From humble beginnings in our hometown outside Baltimore, MD, our passion for small businesses and the need to tell their stories grew quickly into a lifelong mission. Today, we partner with brands and organizations such as Red Bull, Anheuser-Busch and the Alzheimer’s Association. We empower real people with real ideas to embrace the power of their experiences to tell stories that matter, always #movingforeword

The Moving Foreword Co. was built on the foundation of our experiences, knowing and understanding that starting a small business or any personal project is a deeply personal endeavor, and requires a solid foundation to create success in the first 6-12 months. The Moving Foreword Co. takes the experiences we had in our first 6-12 months of Foreword Films to create a blueprint for other soloprenuers using our Small Business Playbook as well as carefully curated 1 on 1 meetings and networking events.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

First and foremost is passion. Let me be really clear about what passion means. Passion does not mean enthusiasm, passion does not mean excitement, passion does not mean joy. Passion is love, and when you love something, you love it everyday, all the time, rain or shine, in sickness or in health, good times or bad times. In fact, you have to love it even more in the bad times than you do in the good times. Because at the end of the day, if you have passion, you can do anything. You can use your passion to overcome even the most challenging obstacles, the hardest times, the worst days ever. If what you’re doing isn’t built on that foundation, you will almost always fail. Doing life on your terms may look inviting and fun on social media, but it will test your resilience like you never believed. It will bring you the hardest gut punches, and the greatest moments in your life. So recognize, develop, and cherish that passion, because it will always be there for you, no matter what.

Honestly, the other two are pretty simple if you can establish that passion. One is listening: ask questions and listen to answers. You’ll learn more than you could ever fathom very very quickly. This is true in any career path. Remain ever curious, and on a constant pursuit of knowledge and new experiences. And last, strive to get a little better everyday. It’s cliched, but the Mamba Mentality of Kobe Bryant doesn’t tell us to be the best, or be the fiercest, or be the Alpha male. It tells us to get a little bit better every day. If you do that in life, it will translate to your career.

My advice is this: Desire, Obtain, Cherish. Find out what you want, go out and get it, and then hold it close to always.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

Start Something That Matters by Blake Mykoskie. First off, this should be a goal of every solo and entreprenuer, to start something that matters, creates change or impact in the world, and seeks to improve part of our lives for the better. Secondly, Blake talks about an experience he had at an airport, where a stranger asks him a question, which provides a path for him to share his story about TOMS shoes and where the idea came from. And from this experience, Blake shares one of the most important pieces of advice to our business: Share your story whenever you can. Because you truly never know who might be impacted by it, and you never know where those interactions could lead. They could, someday, make all the difference.

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Image Credits

FOREWORD FILMS

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