What's Cool With Our Clients: Joe & Dom K.

Our clients have always been our why. Whenever we get a chance to highlight a glimpse into our clients’ lives, we take great pride in knowing the incredible relationships we share with you all! In this edition of What’s Cool with Our Clients, we look into the lives of a couple of our younger clients, twin brothers Joe and Dom.

For those who follow us on social media, you may have seen our post from this past August regarding the opportunity Lee had of speaking at an event called Creative Minds Think Alike. This organization is a networking community originally created to help young adults find their purpose while also trying to relinquish the anxiety that comes with the societal expectations that you need to have it all figured out. Joe and Dom are two of the founders of Creative Minds Think Alike, and like most young adults across the country, they both felt these societal pressures to have life all figured out by the time their high school diplomas were handed out.

Feeling this anxiety and knowing they weren’t alone, they ended up drawing inspiration out of the famous saying “Great Minds Think Alike” to create their community’s name. What started as a community name led to many ideas as part of the possibility of becoming a club at Stillwater Area High School with an emphasis on being a space “…where kids connect across careers whether it’s a creative field, corporate setting, or a trade.”. Ultimately, ideas were turned down and the brothers went a different direction allowing Creative Minds Think Alike to become what it is today: “A networking community for young adults in MN to connect and inspire creative and entrepreneurial careers” as their Instagram (@creativeminds.thinkalike) bio reads.

When asking the brothers about some of the more behind the scenes pieces of taking their leap as creatives, here’s what they had to share regarding the topics of how they tackle self-doubt, approach something new in their life, and their thoughts on the importance of authenticity.

Self-doubt: “Yes, we’ve dealt with self-doubt in different ways, the most common way is with imposter syndrome. We tend to highlight this at our events because it’s a common feeling that we all go through. There were and still are moments where we doubt how many people will show up to an event.”

For those that don’t know, imposter syndrome is commonly associated with when you tend to rationalize away your status and success. Instead of believing one’s accomplishments and others’ high regard of you are deserved, a belief can sink in that the reason for said successes is luck, the contribution of others, etc.

Approaching something new: “One message we could give to anyone looking to take a step towards something new in their life is to just start trying new things. The first step to starting something new is to always just try. A lot of people tend to give up on a dream or a goal without even trying, and we believe a big factor in this is the fear of being uncomfortable. Being able to go through the uncomfortable stages of trying something new is where we have found the most amount of growth. In order to take that leap towards a new life you have to first allow yourself to grow into that person you wish to become by going through those uncomfortable stages of trying something new.”

The importance of authenticity: “We both agree that authenticity and staying true to yourself is crucial to creating your best work. When you become so influenced by others’ opinions and self-judgment you disconnect from yourself. True authenticity allows a creative mind to reach its full potential because it does not limit itself. It’s ok to gain influence from people and your surroundings from time to time, but don’t forget what you like to see most. You can’t reach your fullest potential when you’re holding it back by limiting beliefs.”

The duo has held many events thus far with one of the more recent events being the one Lee and myself attended at Lake Monster Brewing in St. Paul, MN, in which Lee was one of two guest speakers. They find the most rewarding feeling to be the reactions at the events as well as the outcomes from the connections that they have seen people make at their events. In addition, “Being able to see people have meaningful conversations and make impactful relationships is a one-of-a-kind feeling. Through networking at the events, we’ve been able to connect creatives to help each other on projects such as music videos, photoshoots, etc.”.

In future events, they hope to continue to spread their message throughout MN and the many high schools that this state encompasses. Outside of Creative Minds Think Alike, Joe and Dom have been working on two other businesses called Kj Creativez and Lawless Skate Co. Kj Creativez is a creative media agency that has been in the works for the past couple of years. However, it really picked up traction this past summer through the production of a couple music videos and ad productions for The Freight House restaurant in Stillwater, MN. Lawless Skate Co. is an art-based skateboard company started in Chicago, IL, where the brothers have had the opportunity to creative direct, social media manage, and market the brand started by Columbia College Chicago alumni, Jade Bailey.

Thank you, Joe and Dom, for sharing how you choose to make a positive impact in this world with your creative entrepreneurial endeavors. All of us at Lee Stoerzinger Wealth Management look forward to seeing how your creative journeys progress! If you would like to learn more about Creative Minds Think Alike, don’t hesitate to check out what the twin brother duo is up to on their Instagram, @creativeminds.thinkalike !

If you would like to share your cool talent, hobby, or interest with our community, e-mail us at advice@leestoerzinger.com.

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