Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Videos About Advertise Blog Network Contact
   

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

Featured Ebook


ebook Famous Entrepreneurs - Modern Empire Builders


Featured Ebook

More Evan Carmichael
Have A Suggestion?

Sales Lessons From Starbucks And Dell

A Doodle And A Dream: How McFarlane Turned Spawn Into A Success



  Articles
A Doodle And A Dream: How McFarlane Turned Spawn Into A Success
   

“In all honesty, I wouldn’t say that the business end of it came with any kind of ease,” says McFarlane. “It was more Darwinian. You have to learn business if you’re going to be self-employed and survive. If you’re a bad businessperson and you’re an entrepreneur, you’re going to be out of business.” Drawing had always been his passion, but not once did McFarlane consider it a career choice. That is, until an injury forced him to reexamine his life. How did this young man with nothing but a dream in mind and a doodle in hand become the success he is today?

Diversification: Early on in his career, McFarlane made the mistake of only focusing on his comic book, on relentlessly improving every aspect of his drawings until it was perfected. But, what he learned in the years to come was that in order to attain the kind of success that he wanted, with “50 billion people” seeing his artwork, he would have to diversify. And so, he branched out and created the two highly successful companies, McFarlane Toys and Todd McFarlane Entertainment.

Stubbornness: When McFarlane thinks of an idea, he pursues it until it has been realized. He does not care if his colleagues object to it, nor does he care what their opinions on it may be. What McFarlane says goes, and that is what he sees as the beauty of having his own company.

Vision: “I didn’t become a successful businessman because I wanted to be rich and famous,” says McFarlane. “I wanted to become successful enough to deliver the art to the consumer.” McFarlane may own his own toy company, but that does not mean that with each film he produces he exploits it to its fullest potential. McFarlane aims to create the best product possible, whatever that may be, and he refuses to sell out and sacrifice his work for a buck.

Current: McFarlane was quick to realize the mistake that many of his competitors were making: they were releasing similar products to those they released years ago, not realizing that their key fans and target demographic had grown up. Where the likes of Batman failed, McFarlane wanted to succeed. For instance, where the Spawn sequel was concerned, he made sure that the film was updated to suit the tastes of his now older and more mature viewers.

Uniqueness: McFarlane’s comic creations always stood out for one simple reason: his story lines and characters were simple and ordinary, save the main character. It was by making his characters unique in a sea of plainness that they became so popular. So too did McFarlane focus the rest of his company on creating unique content, refusing to ever settle for good enough.

“At the end of all that, I’ve got a company and an empire, and we make money,” says McFarlane. “But I will tell you that there has never been one day along that process when I’ve thought, ‘I just want to build up a company, go public and have stocks!’ No. There’s a reason why, after all these years, my company is still private. I want to be big enough to have the freedom creatively, and small enough to retain it. That’s the niche that I want.”

A Doodle And A Dream: How McFarlane Turned Spawn Into A Success

Like this article? Share it with your friends
[Get Copyright Permissions] E-Mail | Print | Post | Republish | More  


Related Articles Related Articles
Lesson #1: Do Not Put All Your Eggs Into One Basket
  When McFarlane was once asked by a journalist what he considered to be his greatest career mistake, he did not hesitate for a second to answer. “Not thinking about being diverse in the business and artistic areas I ...
Lesson #3: Do Not Sell Out Your Vision or Values
  “I’m not really that concerned overall to let any sort of licensing tail wag any dog,” says McFarlane. “My mindset is that…if I’m going to do any sort of animation…I do the best animation. I don’t really care if it ...
A Doodle And A Dream: How McFarlane Turned Spawn Into A Success
  “In all honesty, I wouldn’t say that the business end of it came with any kind of ease,” says McFarlane. “It was more Darwinian. You have to learn business if you’re going to be self-employed and survive. If you’re ...
The Canadian Comic Creator: Todd McFarlane Is Born
  He was always the best artist in his class. When a teacher needed something drawn on the blackboard, they would call on little Todd McFarlane to help. McFarlane, however, never wanted to become what he is today: one...
Spawning an Empire: McFarlane Draws His Biggest Success
  “I guess we’re all just wired different,” says McFarlane. “I just got to the point where I got tired of people telling me what I can and can’t do in my life.”

Related Forum Posts Related Forum Posts
Profile Todd McFarlane next? Profile Todd McFarlane next?
Todd McFarlane Profile Todd McFarlane Profile
More on Todd McFarlane More on Todd McFarlane
Re: What would you do with $500,000 or less? Re: What would you do with $500,000 or less?
Todd McFarlane Profile Todd McFarlane Profile
How to develop sales contacts? How to develop sales contacts?
More Truths About Work... More Truths About Work...
Re: Have You Ever Fallen For Marketing Hype? Re: Have You Ever Fallen For Marketing Hype?

Related Forum Posts Related Businesses - Evan Elite Authors
Leanne Hoagland Smith
Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales success or one of the many who have failed to change? So what are you doing to change those results? Let’s be honest, with companies moving globally and at lightening speeds, the traditional business solutions are outdated and dead. My approach moves your business out of its comfort zone and secures your competitive advantage now. If you are seeking to increase sales, build customer loyalty, create a culture of great attitudes or just achieve some sleep filled nights, then we should talk because my clients have experienced exactly those types of results. Learn more about customer loyalty at http://www.processspecialist.com/customer-loyalty.htm Give me a call at 219.759.5601 for a free strategy session. P.S. If you are seeking a motivational speaker, sales trainer or small business expert that will leave your audience smiling and remembering, please feel free to contact me at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland Smith's Website

The Evan Elite Authors program is currently in beta phase. For details please contact us.


 
Famous Entrepreneur Video
Todd McFarlane Video - An interview with Todd McFarlane.
Become An Author

Todd McFarlane Picture Todd McFarlane Newsletter
Get our free newsletter to learn more about Todd McFarlane and other famous entrepreneurs!

Email:
Name: