For decades, society has instilled fear and anxiety in millions of micro to mid-sized business owners. Audits, budgets, and spreadsheets are scary and we definitely should continue to fear them. Marketing, creative, and design are elusive concepts to so many that they produce anxiety. Any item that has a barcode on it signifies that it is within reach. The SMLA Media logo is a barcode, to demonstrate that creative services are essential items and obtainable.

19-year-old Samantha Marie learned that NOTHING is impossible one morning while working at MTV in New York City. She had just gotten to her desk, a bit before 8 am, when she received a direct phone call from a senior executive in Asia. He told her that if she didn't get a Digital Beta PAL copy of episode#____ of ____ show, then MTV would lose their contract to relaunch MTV in Asia. The executive told her that the tape needed to arrive in Singapore in the next 36 hours. Digital Beta PAL tape conversions were done exclusively in New Jersey and normally needed 2 days to be made. The show title the executive needed didn't even exist, it was various shows comped together. It needed to be edited from tapes scattered around midtown. Six hours after receiving the phone call, Samantha put that videotape in the hands of a co-worker who had their passport at work that day, and they flew directly to $ Singapore. MTV Asia successfully launched with headquarters in Singapore 6 months later. Lesson(s): What may seem impossible, can be possible with lots of strategy.

What did the famed international hotelier do during a massive storm at his Sunset Beach property on Shelter Island? While the waves were crashing with high winds, André wasn't worried about the roof, windows, or power outages. André Balazs was displeased with the lighting in the cafe of the hotel. "Samantha, the cafe lighting must change on schedule throughout the day to create a mood for guests." He rolled up his sleeves, knew where every light switch was and began transforming the cafe from "normal" to a warm inviting space. The kind of place you'd like to be in if there was a treacherous storm outside. Lesson: Successful businesses and organizations don't press pause on branding...ever.

The English countryside is known for its historical architecture, environmental preservation, and ancient folklore. You'd expect to stumble upon Excalibur, or Hobbits before finding an Academy Award. American "Sam" was headed to the Glastonbury Festival with some English composite and CGI friends. At one point during the road trip, the Brits decided to make a pit stop in the middle of nowhere to catch up with some colleagues. Sam saw lots of sheep and even a few houses with straw roofs. It made her wonder what type of colleagues her friends had while driving through the sleepy village. A no-frills building in a remote setting housed a very successful production house. Sam couldn't keep up with their rapid tech talk, so she went to the employee kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. When she opened the cupboard, on the 2nd shelf next to a box of PJ Tips tea was an Academy Award-an Oscar! It has to be fake, thought Sam. She reached for it, felt its weight, read the inscription, and immediately knew that it was a real Oscar. While practicing her emotional acceptance speech for Best Picture, an editor walked into the kitchen to turn on the tea kettle. Sam asked him if it was real. He nodded yes before rushing back to his workstation. She gently placed it back onto the 2nd shelf and closed the cupboard door. The lesson: Awards and accolades shouldn't be the goal, making amazing products, services, and art for the people should be.