Season 7 Recap
Building the business & back to writing
It’s almost been a year since I’ve written one of these season recaps.
I’ve been business building! In the summer of 2024, the seed that sprouted into LokBros Studio was watered by a few websites and social media reels for clients.
Once the three of us were full-time in January, we rallied around a vision of gathering people. Our first dive into the community building space was flockUp. It’s a product that helps hosts use SMS to invite their people to events.
We launched in February with many development hours and much excitement around the launch. But the market wasn’t clear enough. We kept learning, asking questions, and pivoting.
As we offered more video services, we found ourselves to be an engagement partner for events, conferences, and digital platforms. At the intersection of video, software, and gathering lies a trove of ideas for connection.
We help events come to life and stay etched in attendees memories. We have the bread and butter: conference apps, ticketing, recording, and livestreaming. But we have our LokBros secret sauce too. We’re a single vendor that handles traditionally siloed functions, and that gives us a bunch of creative ideas to play with.
From fully-branded virtual event sites, to analyzing event data, we also add gamification, community integrations, and immersive installations, building bespoke for each event.
And since we’re working with events, we’ve started hosting them too! Some of the tech we’ve developed will be on display at our next event in Boston. More details on that soon… 👀
The Recap
In keeping with the spirit of these recaps, here’s what I’ve published since Season 6.5.
Photo Journal: Sabbatical in the East
I was (read, am) experiencing writers block around capturing the changes my time abroad has brought about within me. Thanks to one of my best friends and fellow writer
, I was encouraged to start sharing my experience with a photo journal. Interspersed with my journal entries, this turned out to be one of my favorite pieces.Why I’m building a business with my family
This piece sets a personal backdrop for why LokBros Studio began. It captures the larger vision of this quest, distinct from any pivots the business might experience.
Poem: The Edge of Ability
I’ll leave the reader to decipher the vibe and inner meaning this poem holds. All I’ll say is that it captures this season of growing.
Onward
This season of life and work is one of practice. Some days the practice flows smoothly, and others it’s tough and confusing. But the practice continues.
That includes writing here. I may not post with a set cadence, but I aim to be reading and commenting more here on Substack.
We're working with incredible people who put on events and engage their attendees. We're embracing AI as a tool while focusing on the human elements that technology can't replace. We're learning the rhythm of service work while laying the foundation for the products we want to build.
The tension between aggressive monetization and sustainability is real. We want to grow through genuine relationships, partnerships, and ethics. This takes time, and requires patient relationship-building. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our eyes are on something more enduring.
Let’s talk! I love how unexpected connections lead to some of the greatest conversations. That’s why I’m opening up my calendar for curiosity calls: https://cal.com/saaliklok/curiosity-call
Grab a spot or send me an email if you want to jam: saalik@thespoonful.blog
Til next time,
Saalik
Signed up for a curiousity call! Been a while since the Pathless group call in December (I think ??)
What a lovely recap - spanning from the time we sat down together in Austin till now.
I am excited by the idea of this one-stop offering. Have you met @philchu WoP13? He does a lot work around the science of developing community.