Chris O’Connor

      Hitting $1,000,000
      We’d always been right on the border, but it took us until our fifth year of business to hit the $1 million mark.

      Hitting that mark didn’t really change us; we still do the same work in the same way. But the outside world views you differently when you get to that point. There’s a certain amount of cache that goes along being a $1 million business. It’s as if when you hit a significant milestone like that, you are a “real business.” People look at you differently – more like a business and less like people just having fun. We like to think that we made ourselves more legitimate, while still being a fun place to work.

      When you get to $1 million, you also have the opportunity to work with more established businesses. They no longer look at you as a flash in the pan or just some goofy kids.

      While we didn’t make $1 million our singular goal last year, we did incorporate celebrating it into our holiday party. We made huge mention of it, and everyone took tremendous pride in reaching the goal.

      Setting the Goal
      Liquid 9, located in the heart of Kansas City’s historic Westport, is a creative multimedia boutique. Since L9 opened its doors, the inspiration behind the company’s success has been rooted in working with clients to bring their brands and ideas to life.

      L9 was created from a shared vision and burning desire to reinvent Kansas City’s creative arena. Like many ventures, it started as a risk and has turned into a business triumph. Established in 2003, L9 has managed to expand from a two-person endeavor with a few hundred dollars in the bank to a million dollar business.

      The success of Liquid 9 is in large part due to the collaborative efforts between its partners, Christopher O’Connor, Dan Gedman and Frankie Oviedo, as well as an indispensable crew. Housing all media creation services under one roof allows the team to concentrate and dedicate 100 percent of its efforts to each project. Not only does this model provide for cost efficiency and better project workflow, but also a better end-result due to creative collaboration.

      Within the past six years, L9 has slowly but consciously evolved from being just a post-production boutique. Today, L9 specializes in interactive Web solutions, motion graphics, video production, video editing, sound design and original music composition. Since its inception, L9 has altered the Midwest’s advertising landscape and has become a creative force. The company’s unique blend of professional swagger and client dedication, has catapulted us into the national limelight. 
      
      Second Million and Beyond
      It seems like once a company reaches the $1 million mark, the business grows exponentially. It took us five years to reach that mark, but will likely only take us 1 ½ to 2 years to reach $2 million. That’s not even really our goal – we’re looking at $5, $10, $20 million.

      Realizing the potential for growth within the existing L9 business model convinced us expansion was inevitable. Hitting $1 million gave us some credibility with financial institutions we hadn’t had before, so we were able to begin looking at expansion. In April, we launched our newest venture, :31.

      The :31 division targets the entertainment industry, specifically music groups looking to create and maintain brand awareness. The new division develops non-traditional advertising that extends beyond the 30-second broadcast spot.

      Liquid 9’s expansion into :31 has been a logical next step for its music-loving crew.

      :31 will be responsible for distributing the videos  through Web sites, social networking sites, DVDs and international broadcasts.
     

Christopher O’Connor is a partner with Liquid 9. You can reach him at (816) 960-6699 or