“I think it really just comes down to starting a vision in your dorm room and being able to get great people around you.”
Episode 12 of Select+CT with David Salinas, Co-Founder of Digital Surgeons and Innovation District in New Haven, Pete Sena, Co-Founder and CEO of Digital Surgeons
Since listening to the Select+CT podcast, I’ve felt motivated to hype up Connecticut through these blog posts. Although this is a Connecticut-centric podcast, the contents of this particular episode can apply to anyone, anywhere. It’s about entrepreneurship, passion, belief, and commitment.
In an episode of the Select+CT podcast, the co-founders for one of Connecticut’s largest Digital Media agencies participated in an interview about their company and how it started in their University dorm room.
At first, they shared that the experience began with understanding who can make 2+2 equal 5 -a.k.a: getting the most out of a business partnership- is crucial. A collaboration between two individuals who want to move an arrow in the same direction can make or break a business venture. Sometimes it only takes two people, but other times it can take many.
“Your network is your net worth,” said David Salinas to Pete Sena when they first met. David started working for a digital marketing company in New Haven and was trying to get a music business going. An engineer working for that marketing company told David he had to meet Pete because Pete was a “wizard with computers.” Since David was influencing sales, and Pete was working in tech, together they figured a partnership would be a good match; it was. Where Pete was weak, David was strong. It was a balance, an interconnection between the two. This created a “yin and yang” exchange which later contributed to the success of their company and also future companies. “Nothing great was never done by a single person,” said Pete.
See Also: Careers In Creative Technology
Understand that there is a need for how design and tech come together. This is why it is so important to have those interconnections when constructing a digital media company. A partnership doesn’t always mean two people; sometimes, it’s when you reach out for mentorship or advisors that can amplify your goals. David says you should rely only on one another to fill some gaps. If you find someone who has an opposing weakness to you, then your strength can be significant. How many business partners you need depends on the nature of your business venture. Is it a small business, and do you intend to keep it that way? Or are you planning on expanding into a massive corporation? That second one might take more than two people, no matter how badly you want to succeed.
As I reflect on this episode, I realize I never thought much about starting a company, but David and Pete have proved it’s possible.
Featured Company
Digital Surgeons is one of Connecticut’s largest Digital Media agencies. They work on various Digital Media and marketing projects and always looking for Digital Media talent. Learn more about the company and its current opening here.
DMCT Micro Credentials
If you are unsure of how your skills connect to Connecticut’s growing Digital Media industry, I encourage you to enroll in DMCT’s first micro-credential course, The Emerging Practitioner. I am a graduate of the program and learned many things to assist my transition from University to a Career in CT and beyond!