This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Guy Ailion, cofounder and CEO of Mattoboard and author of SmallHuge. It has been edited for length and clarity.
My interest in creativity brought me to a career in architecture. I started my training in South Africa, and continued working in London, where I’m now a partner at KSR Architects and Interior Design. We mostly work on celebrity and high-net-worth homes.
As our firm expanded into interior design, we ended up with tons of samples to show clients. We’d store the extra materials — things like fabric swatches or tiles — for future projects, but I noticed that our designers only ever looked at what was within arm’s reach. There were piles of samples that were never used or even looked at.
That inspired me to create Mattoboard, a virtual space to sample materials digitally. I launched the company in 2022 and have raised $2.7 million in venture funding. Along the way, I realized that lessons from my creative life also apply to running a business.
An idea not communicated well is an idea lost forever
Storytelling is at the cornerstone of good design — and also good business. Architects and designers are constantly trying to paint a vision in the mind’s eye of something no one else can see. They must articulate it well, convey conviction, and craft a slightly different version of the story for each stakeholder, whether that’s the customer, builder, or neighbors.
The same is true for a founder. I needed to be able to distill my idea in a way that could help others see what I saw. That’s how I inspired investors to fund the company, a cofounder to make this his life’s work, and employees to help us build a great business.
Let a one-line description guide you
While storytelling can be complex, it should be centered on strong, simple ideas. Whenever my team is working on something new, we distill the project into one sentence. Then, we continually revisit it to ensure we’re on track. We even review it at the beginning of meetings so that everyone is aligned.
For example, we are currently working on an AI project. Our one-sentence guide is “It will transform a brief into a cohesive collection of materials for a room.” The simplicity of that directive brings all our other choices home.
Embrace the great creative mess
Chaos and mess are inherent to the creative process. A sculptor will have scraps of clay around his studio, and an architect will have sketches balled up on the floor. To get to something great, we need to have discards and deviations. I call this the great creative mess.
This happens in business, too. As a founder, I hold my vision tightly, but the solutions loosely. I’m not afraid to discard what isn’t working.
Tap into your client’s desire
For a build or business to succeed, it must resonate emotionally with people. To tap into that, you need to understand what people desire. That’s not always aesthetic — it can also be something that adds value to their life, or a feeling they get from interacting with the place or product. Once you can harness that desire, you’re able to really deliver products that matter.
Just keep moving
Whether you’re building a house or a business, sometimes things move in very small iterations. That’s OK — as long as there’s continued progress, the team is motivated and engaged. The only thing that leads to unhappiness is a lack of movement.
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