Meet Steven Sued | Creative Director & Brand Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steven Sued and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steven, how do you think about risk?

Risk is essential in everything we do as human beings and it’s no different when choosing a career path or building a business. That being said, being a creative entrepreneur is seriously risky. The market is very saturated and you’re bound to face uncertainty and adversity at every turn. This is because most people don’t see the world the way we do and it requires a lot of convincing to make work that goes against the status quo.

You need to truly embrace risk to do things worthwhile instead of playing it safe and trying to control how everything turns out. One route allows you to play and explore the endless possibilities available to you, while the other will make you and your business stagnant and frustrate you in the process.

Personally, my life and career has been filled with risk. I moved to Dominican Republic when I was young and barely spoke any Spanish, but persevered and made connections that would help me grow as an individual and would broaden my understanding of people, culture, and our divine ingenuity. This also instilled a greater sense of self-awareness which, in my opinion, is essential for every creative.

What should our readers know about your business?

At Four Quarters, we offer brand strategy and brand design services to orient founders through the creative process and build a truly standout business. We gather information surrounding your business and competitive landscape, then synthesize it into a brand roadmap with a core value and purpose that can galvanize your team and build lasting relationships with your customers.

The key differentiator is we bring in team members to meetings that are usually only had with c-suite executives. The reason being is they can provide insights that can only be found through the day-to-day work and bring to light information that can be used to highlight differences between competitors, tell unique customer stories, or solve problems that may restrict business development.

I came up with this process while working at in-house marketing teams throughout my career. The funny thing is I didn’t realize I was building something at the time. I just always worked in industries I didn’t understand and was relentless in my pursuit to understand. Learning from people who weren’t in our marketing team, I found their perspectives and experiences were useful tools to tell the story of a business to set the brand apart from competitors in a saturated market. It wasn’t easy. It required a lot of critical and creative thinking to come up with answers that were worth exploring. But the most difficult part was asking clients to be patient in our search for the “right” answer.

Above all else, I learned that communication is the most important tool you can have at your disposal. Knowing how to ask a question to get the answers you’re looking for can be the deciding factor in coming up with unique insights. It has also helped me gain more clarity about what problems I’m trying to solve and avoid assumptions that may lead to weak solutions.

It may sound silly, but anyone can be a brand strategist. If you can think critically and spend enough time thinking about a problem, eventually you’ll find a solution.

What sets us apart is our experience in dealing with creative problems and using past challenges to inform future decisions. So if you own a business, entrust it to an experienced brand strategist like me and take the guesswork out of it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Alright, here’s the plan. First we’re going to The Alchemist Cafe in Fort Lauderdale. It has the perfect setting for catching up with friends and their iced coffee is loved by everyone who’s had the pleasure to try it. They also have a thrift shop called Lola’s Market with a pretty expansive record collection that creatives like me love to go through. There are a couple of places that are a must to visit at night. The Davidoff cigar bar at the HardRock hotel is a great place for cocktails and an even better place for enjoying a cigar. You can enter for free once you buy a cigar or pay a fee if you bring your own. When we get hungry we’ll head over to Kuro which is near the casino. No need for entrees because all their appetizers are amazing and can be shared. I recommend the tuna crispy rice and the wagyu steak tacos. If drinking and cigars weren’t in the plans, consider going to Cafe de Versailles in Downtown Miami. It’s an iconic spot for great cuban food and a nostalgic coffee with tostada (buttered cuban toast). For Italian food lovers, Soya e Pomodoro is an ABSOLUTE MUST.

Next up, get day passes at The Ray in Delray Beach. They have a nice rooftop bar and pool area where you can reserve a cabana and reset. The food and drinks are great, but the service is top tier. Since you’re already in Delray you can walk down Atlantic Ave, which has some great night life and is located close to the beach.

If food and drinks aren’t really for you, the Perez Art Museum and the Frost Science Museum are really cool too. It gives you an opportunity to get inspired and learn about the people and world around you.

There’s plenty of other things to do. My advice is to avoid using Google to find activities and instead explore everything yourself. SEO is a wonderful thing, but many unique places go unnoticed as South Florida’s best kept secrets when all you see is “15 Must Visit Places in South Florida.”

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Multiple! The courage to start my own business was thanks to a book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. He wrote the best book for creatives and entrepreneurs who find it difficult to do the work you set out to do in the first place and helps you fight against your inner critic in the process.

My support and mentorship is thanks to my friends Karen Vick, Manny Toribio, Lawrence Chappe, Ryan Hall, David Sarmiento and many more. Together, we brainstormed and motivated each other to explore opportunities and grow our expertise to do things that challenge and impact the people around us.

Website: http://www.fourquarters.agency/

Instagram: Instagram.com/steven.suede

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensued/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Steven_sued