Moving Studio Conners forward

September 2, 2026

Moving Studio Conners forward

What's next for studio conners?

What came of the day

We turned the question of getting Studio Conners its first client into a concrete experiment. Rather than broadly advertising Studio Conners or waiting for someone to come to us, we chose five specific Remsen businesses and designed a highly personal piece of outreach for each one. The initial five are CJ’s Drive Inn, Bill Ruba Cabinetry & Construction, Furnishings On Second, First American Pickers, and Blush Hair Salon. For each business, Studio Conners will create a visual concept for what its website could become. The concept will be delivered through a physical package: a plain hand-addressed envelope, a small recycled-cardboard Studio Conners card, and a short personal letter containing a QR code. The QR code will lead to a unique studioconners.com page showing the concept. The offer on that page will be a $500 Website Studio Day: one focused day of Studio Conners work aimed at turning the concept into a simple, polished website, with flexibility to use the day wherever it creates the most value. By the end of the Obsession, we were no longer thinking generally about “finding clients.” We had designed a specific, small, testable way to ask five real local businesses whether Studio Conners is something they want.

The story

Studio Conners had already become much more real: the business structure was taking shape, the new studioconners.com existed, and we had developed a clearer idea of what the studio could offer. But none of that answered the next question: would anybody actually hire us? Instead of building more infrastructure, we moved outward. We started with Remsen and deliberately kept the experiment tiny. Five businesses. For each one, we would notice something that could be better, imagine what we might make for them, and do enough of the work in advance that they would not have to imagine Studio Conners—they could see it. That led to the idea of creating individual website concepts and delivering them in an object that felt personal rather than promotional: a plain envelope, a small Studio Conners card, a letter, and a QR code leading somewhere made just for that business. The day ended with something much more valuable than another marketing plan. We had an experiment we could actually perform.

Discoveries

  • The website concept itself can be the sales pitch.

    We do not have to explain Studio Conners abstractly if we can simply show a business something made specifically for them.

  • Physical + digital feels unusually appropriate for local outreach.

    A hand-addressed package creates curiosity and seriousness; the QR page gives us the room to demonstrate the actual idea.

  • Five businesses is enough for the first experiment.

    The goal is not scale yet. It is to learn whether intensely personalized outreach can create the first Studio Conners customer.

  • $500 makes the Website Studio Day concrete.

    The prospect is not being asked to begin an undefined agency relationship; they can buy one bounded day of work.

  • The outreach itself should feel like Studio Conners.

    The restraint of the brown card, the line “WE MADE THIS FOR YOU.” and the single rust-colored logo dot became part of the experience rather than conventional marketing collateral.

Results

  • Mouser's Digging and Pump Service - Website Concept

    Completed a custom visual website concept created specifically for Mousers.

    Mouser's Digging and Pump Service - Website Conceptstudioconners.com/mousers

  • CJ’s Drive Inn — Website Concept

    Completed a custom visual website concept created specifically for CJ’s Drive Inn as part of the first Studio Conners outreach batch.

    CJ’s Drive Inn — Website Conceptstudioconners.com/cjs

  • Bill Ruba Cabinetry & Construction — Website Concept

    Completed a custom visual website concept created specifically for Bill Ruba Cabinetry & Construction.

    Bill Ruba Cabinetry & Construction — Website Conceptstudioconners.com/bill-ruba

  • Furnishings On Second — Website Concept

    Completed a custom visual website concept created specifically for Furnishings On Second.

    Furnishings On Second — Website Conceptstudioconners.com/furnishings-on-second

  • First American Pickers — Website Concept

    Completed a custom visual website concept created specifically for First American Pickers.

    First American Pickers — Website Conceptstudioconners.com/first-american-pickers

  • First Outreach Letter

    Finalized and locked the letter that will accompany the first five concepts.

  • STUDIO CONNERS Fictitious Name Accepted

    Iowa accepted the STUDIO CONNERS fictitious-name filing for SHAWN CONNERS, LLC.

  • Iowa Sales and Use Tax Permit Accepted

    Received confirmation that the Studio Conners sales and use tax permit application was accepted.

Open threads

  • Take the accepted STUDIO CONNERS fictitious-name filing to American Bank in Remsen and add STUDIO CONNERS as the DBA/fictitious name on the existing SHAWN CONNERS, LLC business account.
  • Finish preparing the first five outreach packages for CJ’s Drive Inn, Bill Ruba Cabinetry & Construction, Furnishings On Second, First American Pickers, and Mousers.
  • Make sure each business-specific QR destination is ready and correctly connected to its finished website concept.
  • Print/produce the letters, cards, envelopes, and QR materials needed for the first batch.
  • Deliver all five outreach packages.
  • Will the first five concepts produce Studio Conners’ first client?