Schae Beaudoin

I often say my business has been built on perseverance and grit. For the longest time, I was looking for a full-time job somewhere, sending out job applications with a lot of regularity and intensity, and feeling kind of let down when I wasn't really hearing back. I felt like my skills and experience weren't standing out. So Deadbolt being born out of just perseverance and grit is what I feel like it's been built on and what's kept it going. I'm proud of starting it, and I'm proud of really pushing through and maintaining that perseverance and grit. I think a lot of independent artists can relate to that too, because they have to do the same thing. They have to be really, really patient and consistent.

My senior year writing teacher, Mrs. Gail Dickow, was a really big encourager of me and my work. She told me to keep writing, write about music, write about the things that are your passion, and if you keep doing that, you'll find where you're supposed to be or where you're going. That advice really stuck with me. I also had Professor Kate Farish at the University of Connecticut who focused on real-world experience and was always encouraging, giving us opportunities outside of the classroom to apply things. Having these strong women in media and art who encouraged me and saw that in me felt really validating. When you're a student, there's a lot of uncertainty, and getting validation from someone who is established and has been doing it for a while feels like you're on the right path.

Flexibility is probably the most important value to me. Starting a business, you wear so many hats, so being open to learning new things and being adaptable is crucial. At the same time, I think being gentle with yourself is equally important. As business owners, we can feel a lot of pressure and anxiety sometimes. It comes with the territory when you're relying on yourself and you don't have that external entity taking care of you or overseeing you. So yes, you have to work hard, but you also need to take care of yourself and take breaks. It can feel like there's a million things to do, and those things will always be there, so I think it's important to give yourself the time to breathe and take some pressure off of yourself too. I also value collaboration. I'm a good collaborator, and I miss having that collaboration when I'm on the solo freelance side of things. I love the idea of being able to bounce ideas off of people.