Meet Steve Au

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Steve Au. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Steve below.

Steve, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

There’s a bit of irony in the business I’m in with Scribble Art. While we’re a tech company at heart, everything we do is driven by a mission to encourage and preserve creativity in our youth. In a world increasingly dominated by screens and digital content, creativity isn’t just something reserved for the arts—it’s something we’re all born with. And when given the space, it can touch multiple aspects of your life—often in unexpected and meaningful ways.

One of the most fruitful ways I’ve been able to stay creative is by engaging in creative activities with my kids. Their creativity is boundless, uninhibited by the constraints of social or cultural norms, the opinions of others (for now), cost, or even the laws of physics. They dream big, free from the mental restraints that often come with experience and adulthood.

One particularly fun endeavor we’ve taken on together is exploring the world of 3D printing. It’s something I’ve gravitated toward after becoming a parent. With the arrival of my first child, I realized I needed to scale down the scope of my creative projects—from things like woodworking, which required more time and space, to something with a quicker turnaround that I could do quietly at night when the house was asleep. 3D printing became a perfect creative outlet, especially as my role at the startup I co-founded became more hands-off. I found myself yearning to be hands-on again, to build and create something tangible from scratch.

It’s fascinating to go through the process collaboratively with my two elementary-aged kids. We’ll start by discussing a problem that needs a designed solution. We’ll mock things up in the real world, sketch ideas on paper, and then gather around as I translate those ideas into a 3D model using software. This process has sparked their interest, and now they eagerly ask for time on the printer to see their own ideas take shape as something tangible they can hold in their hands.

Engaging with my kids in these creative activities has been a great way for me to tap into their uninhibited approach to problem-solving and apply it to my work with Scribble Art. Their ability to draw outside the lines, without limitations, can sometimes spark a creative solution to a problem I might be working on. After all, their kind of creativity—the kind that is pure, unfiltered, and endlessly imaginative—is exactly what our core product is built upon.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m the founder and CEO of Scribble Art, where we transform kids’ creative moments into cherished keepsakes that families can hold onto forever. What excites me most about Scribble Art is how we’ve made it incredibly easy for parents to turn their children’s artwork into high-quality keepsakes. In a time when so much of what kids create gets lost in the digital shuffle, we provide a simple way to capture those moments and preserve them in a form that’s both tangible and lasting.

Scribble Art’s platform is unique in that it blends the ease of digital tools with the warmth and emotional connection of a physical product. The process is intuitive: parents can easily upload a simple photo of their child’s artwork taken on their phone, and our AI designer takes care of the rest. It handles everything—cropping, straightening, brightening, and laying out each piece—while also preserving the unique character and charm of the original artwork. The result is a gallery-worthy book that captures the essence of each creation, all without any of the usual hassle.

We’ve been hard at work developing new products that give children’s creativity a fresh life. While I can’t share all the details just yet, I can say that these upcoming additions will offer parents unique and effortless ways to turn their child’s artwork into memorable gifts—just in time for the holiday season. Stay tuned for what’s next; we think these new offerings will be a delightful surprise for families who want to celebrate their kids’ creativity in exciting new ways.

At its core, Scribble Art is about celebrating the creative spirit and giving it the recognition it deserves in a world that can often overlook it. We capture the wonder and imagination found in every child’s artwork and turn it into something that can be cherished for years to come. We believe that each piece carries a story worth preserving, and honoring these stories is as important as nurturing the creativity behind them. Our hope is that by doing this, we inspire the next generation to keep dreaming, keep creating, and keep expressing themselves in ways that are uniquely their own.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Customer-Driven Success

Understanding your customer is foundational to building a product or service that truly resonates. It’s not just about creating something you think is valuable—it’s about solving a real problem or fulfilling a genuine need for the people you serve. Doing right by your customer fuels what you build, how you build it, and how you communicate in every business I’ve been a part of. Here’s how I developed this critical skill:

• Engage, Listen, and Learn: Make it a priority to interact with customers at all stages—those who love your product, those who don’t, and those who walked away. Answer help desk requests, reach out directly, and gather feedback to understand their needs, pain points, and motivations. Use these insights to refine your product, enhance your user experience, and adjust your messaging to better meet their needs.

• Cultivate Empathy and Stay Adaptable: Encourage your team to “walk in the customer’s shoes.” Understanding the customer journey and their frustrations firsthand leads to more intuitive, user-friendly solutions and a better overall experience. One approach I’ve used is having engineers answer support calls or strategically placing the Engineering team next to Sales. This immerses them in the front-line issues, allowing them to see problems and opportunities through the customer’s eyes.

• Turn Customers into Evangelists: When your marketing budgets are razor thin, every bit of customer goodwill counts. Don’t nickel and dime them—focus on making sure every customer’s first interaction is amazing. A great experience turns satisfied customers into passionate evangelists who will spread the word about your brand for free. Word-of-mouth, testimonials, and referrals become your best marketing tools when you can’t afford flashy ads or big campaigns. Make customer satisfaction a priority, and capitalize on every opportunity to get your brand out there.

2. Being Creative

Creativity isn’t just about artistic endeavors; it’s a vital tool for problem-solving, connecting the dots, and finding innovative ways to navigate challenges. In the world of startups, creativity is often the difference between standing out and blending in. Here’s why creativity is essential and how to harness it effectively:

• Creativity is the connective tissue that links seemingly unrelated ideas to create unique solutions in a startup. It might mean hiring from unconventional places like niche communities, building brand awareness with guerrilla marketing tactics, or acquiring customers through unexpected platforms like Reddit or strategic partnerships. It’s about moving faster than larger competitors by rapidly prototyping and iterating, finding innovative ways to fund the business, or uncovering insights from unconventional data sources. By connecting these diverse elements, creativity helps startups turn limited resources into strategic advantages and stand out in a crowded market.

• Adapting and Pivoting When Things Don’t Go as Planned: Creativity is critical when the best-laid plans go awry—as they often do in a startup environment. Whether it’s pivoting your product direction, adjusting your business model, or finding a new way to engage customers, leveraging creativity allows you to adapt rather than getting stuck. Being flexible and imaginative with your problem-solving approach helps you navigate challenges and seize unexpected opportunities.

3. Doing Things That Are Stage-Appropriate

When starting a business, it’s tempting to always swing for the fences—whether it’s launching a big, complex feature set or making a high-profile C-suite hire. But the reality is that what’s “best” for the long term isn’t always what’s best for where you are right now. It’s crucial to focus on what’s stage-appropriate for your business and make decisions that suit the current phase of growth.

Instead of trying to build the most comprehensive feature set for a release, sometimes it’s more effective to start small, launch with a minimum viable product (MVP), and iterate based on real user feedback. This approach not only conserves resources but also allows you to validate ideas early, adapt quickly, and prioritize features that truly matter to your customers. It keeps you agile and aligned with immediate needs rather than getting bogged down in building something perfect that may not resonate.

The same applies to hiring. While it might seem ideal to bring in a C-suite executive for a key role, what you often need at the early stages is a hands-on manager who can roll up their sleeves and grow with the company. Hiring for the stage you’re in allows for flexibility—you can bring in higher-level talent when the business scales and truly needs it. Prematurely over-optimizing by hiring too senior can lead to mismatched expectations and an over-extended budget without the immediate return.

Ultimately, being stage-appropriate is about balancing the present and the future. It’s about knowing when to focus on “good enough for now” versus “perfect for later.” This mindset allows you to conserve resources, stay adaptable, and make incremental improvements over time, ensuring that you have the flexibility to pivot or scale up as needed. Remember, the key is to build in options for growth without locking yourself into decisions that may not make sense if you don’t get to that next stage.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

As a solo, bootstrapped founder, navigating the ups and downs of getting a business off the ground can feel like a constant struggle. You don’t have the built-in peer network that comes with acceptance into an accelerator or the support of sibling portfolio companies to lean on for guidance. That’s why finding others who are navigating the same challenges, those who have figured out solutions to problems you’re facing or will soon face, or simply having a support network to share your frustrations with, becomes crucial to surviving—and thriving.

I’ve had to push myself to jump into different networks and actively seek out peer mentors who understand the specific challenges of bootstrapping. It’s not always easy, but finding those connections has been invaluable. Regular check-ins with these peers help keep me grounded and provide fresh perspectives on issues I’m dealing with. Sharing war stories, whether it’s a tough customer situation or a product development hurdle, not only helps me but also adds value to others. It’s a cycle of information sharing that fuels collective growth.

One tool I’ve found particularly helpful is LunchClub. I started using it during the pandemic, and it’s been a great way to connect with other founders and professionals relevant to every stage of my business. Through these connections, I’ve discovered valuable vendors and partnership opportunities I might not have found otherwise. The platform fosters candid conversations and unique interactions you wouldn’t typically encounter outside your industry or region.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://scribble.art
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scribble_creativity/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scribble.creativity/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveau/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@scribble_creativity
  https://www.pinterest.com/scribble_creativity/

Image Credits

Steve’s Photo credit: @photographybyleafy