This is Glen Liberman.
Sophi’s comment: I met Glen through his hugely popular product, the Gear Ring. We met in a coffee shop in 2010 shortly after I had stopped working fulltime. The Gear Ring took him and a collaborator Ben Hopson over a year to finish. Glen showed me many prototypes of different versions. This long and expensive process would have made many people give up and I was impressed that they had kept pushing to finish the project.
In my conversation with Glen in 2010 we talked about the importance of “sticking with it” and seeing things through. We also spent about 4 super fun hours doing napkin sketches of potential products. Glen encouraged me to keep working on my product designs and told me if I kept at it long enough, I’d …eventually…be successful. These are the kinds of words everyone who wants to work for themselves needs to hear. So if you aren’t hearing this, go and find someone to tell you that. It’s true, too, by the way. Stick with it, finish your projects, don’t give up, IT WILL WORK OUT.
Check out the video for the Gear Ring below:
What did you do for work in your last full time/part time job?
I was a server at a party / wedding space, a camp counselor, and a retail employee at a local mall.
When did you leave your last full time/part time job?
I stopped working at 25 or maybe it was even a bit earlier than that.
What pushed you to stop working for other people?
I saw people in charge being innovative and creating things true to their own vision. I have so many ideas in my head and I wanted the same opportunity to be innovative and bring my visions to life.
Tell us about what you do to make a living.
Kinekt Design is my full-time gig. I also create music and do a bit of design work on the side. I’ve composed music for a national Toyota commercial as well as working on self-initiated art and design projects in my spare time.
How did you get started in your own business?
I had been a bit down and out for a while figuring out what I wanted to do. The only thing that made sense to me was to manufacture a product and be the sole retailer of it to keep things exclusive and unique.
When you worked for other people describe how you felt.
Often times when I had to work on a certain day, I’d feel anxious and nervous about having to go in. That feeling has disappeared since I left the job and began on my own.
Do you have health insurance?
Yes, I do have health insurance, but it’s not a company plan. I pay for individual health care out of my own pocket.
Looking at your work, it is really clear that you love what you do. I love what you do, too. 🙂
I absolutely love what I do. I’m passionate about the conceptualization and ideation of new things whether it be for an artwork, product, or service. It’s sort of the central theme of my existence.
Link to the Kinekt Design website (designed by Tina Roth Eisenberg)
Link to his personal website