We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Derrick Utsey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Derrick, 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?
I would have to say that I get my work ethic from both of my parents. They led by example and were never interested in taking the easy way out. My parents have always been early risers and I am the same way. I get up early every day and I can always find something that needs to be done. That’s not something I understood growing up, but these habits have helped me progress in my career and as a business owner.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
To quote Jay-Z “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man.” This lyric was the motivation behind me creating Content Unlimited LLC. My creations and work are my content and there is no limit to what I create. I’ve found successes in various endeavors and I wanted to bring them all together under one name brand. My DJ work is the most visible work that I do but I also run a Youtube Chanel, I build digital photo booth stands, I create drone videos and I provide IT consulting services to other small businesses. All of these endeavors started out as hobbies or a need that I personally had but they eventually became services that I could offer to others. I’m always excited to see when an idea takes off and there becomes a demand for it. My photo booth stands, for instance started out as a DIY video project but quickly became popular. I am very excited to see how quickly this business is growing. It’s also amazing to see how these different ideas work with each other and help the whole business grow. My Logistical Styles Youtube channel has been a great way to advertise my photo booth stands and DJ services. My DJ services have led me to clients for my Utsey Aerial drone video services. My drone videos have provided an outlet for me to use my music in video projects. My background and experience as an IT professional help me keep all of these businesses running efficiently. It all works together in a symbiotic relationship.
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?
Patience, curiosity, and persistence. I learned to be patient at an early age and and as I go through life I continue to see patience paying off. Having patience allows me to sit back and see the bigger picture. Patience has also saved me from some bad situations that were avoided by waiting a bit longer. Sometimes you have to have patience with yourself. If you feel things aren’t where you would like them to be, you need to take time to figure out why you aren’t where you expected. You have to be willing to give yourself time to grow.
A healthy amount of curiosity will help you continue to grow and gain new experiences. The desire to learn more is an invaluable attribute and will take you places you may not have planned on but the journey will be very rewarding.
Persistence is a must! You can’t be quick to give up on an idea or on yourself. As the old saying goes. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
My biggest challenge is time management. I want to work on everything but there are only 24 hours in a day! I am having to learn to be realistic about the amount of work I am taking on. Sometimes it’s not always about whether I CAN do something but more so about whether I have the time to do something. Working a full time job that sometimes requires my attention outside of normal working hours and running a business with so many different moving parts can be overwhelming sometimes. I am working on ways to be more conscious of how I allocate my time and what I allow to take up my attention. I’ve come to see that it’s ok to decline work when you don’t have the bandwidth for it. Lastly, I am learning to factor time in for myself. It’s easy to lost in the hustle and bustle of running a business but you have to take time to enjoy life and the fruits of your labor.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.contentunlimitedllc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/logisticalstyles/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Logisticalstyle
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrickutsey/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@logisticalstyles/
