182: Russ Perry - Design Pickle

# Episode 182 **Summary:** In Episode #182 Ari – fresh off the Labor Day Weekend – interviews Russ Perry of [Design Pickle](http://www.designpickle.com/), the company that’s turning the world of graphic design on its head in favor of the consumer. Listen as Ari and Russ talk entrepreneurship, Optimized Dad, and discuss what makes outsourcing so effective. **Special Announcements:** ## [Rockefeller Roundtable](http://helmsociety.com/ari-meisel-ceo-roundtable-nc/) Come watch Ari regale a roundtable of avid [Helm Society](http://helmsociety.com/) listeners with the lessons of Less Doing on September 9th from 10AM to 2PM in New York City. ## [Freeing Finland](http://www.biohackersummit.com) Come watch Ari and a collection of other well-renowned biohackers free the people of Finland from their bodily limitations at the 2015 Biohacker Summit being held in Helsinki, Finland from September 23rd through September 24th. Those interested in attending can [buy tickets here](http://biohackersummit.com/#pl_areauf9k2sm). ## [Leave Us a Review!](https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ari-meisel-less-doing/id605938952?mt=2&uo=6) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already a dedicated follower. **Time Stamped Show Notes:** - 20:04 – Introduction of Russ Perry, founder of [Design Pickle](http://designpickle.com/) - 21:20 – Russ outlines the idea for Design Pickle - 21:48 – Design Pickle is a way to get graphic design done without the need to post jobs, etc. - 24:36 – The specialization of outsourcing - 25:55 – Complications drive up costs - 26:22 – How can Design Pickle afford to provide unlimited Graphic Design - 27:35 – Power users aren’t actually a huge problem - 28:00 – Design Pickle runs on 1) a custom software solution, 2) Stripe, 3) Fresh Desk - 29:25 – Design Pickle uses an “air traffic controller” to route the design need to the right designer - 30:32 – Russ uses graphic designers all over the world, particularly in the Philippines - 32:15 – The hope is that outsourcing can come full circle and companies like Design Pickle will be able to employ US-only workers - 33:02 – The future of Design Pickle - 34:30 – Russ’ _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_ - 34:47 – Know your core values - 35:18 – Delegate as much as possible to software and services - 36:12 – Enjoy what you’re doing - 37:15 – [www.DesignPickle.com](http://www.DesignPickle.com) **5 Key Points:** 1. Outsourcing is specializing and it’s a welcomed change. 2. Knowing your core values will help you run a business more efficiently. 3. Complications increases costs—avoid them as best as you can. 4. Expect frequently outsourced tasks like manufacturing to come _back _to the US in the future. 5. Life is short—there’s no point in doing something you don’t enjoy every day. **Resources Mentioned:** - [Butter in Your Coffee and Other Cons](http://vitals.lifehacker.com/butter-in-your-coffee-and-other-cons-stories-from-a-fi-1724843201) – Article attacked the Bulletproof Diet and other dietary/fitness phenomena - [Pull an All Nighter](http://greatist.com/grow/pull-an-all-nighter?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http--greatistcom-) – An article from Greatest highlighting ways to hack an all-nighter - [Get Graava](https://www.getgraava.com/) – This is a GoPro that automatically pulls out the “best parts” and creates a fully edited video - [Mobile Passport](http://mobilepassport.us/) – An app for the phone that lets you use your phone as a passport - [Tiny Nudge](http://www.tinynudge.co/pomello/?ref=producthunt) – Pomello turns Trello cards into Pomodoro tasks - [Enlighten](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/enlighten/id695298744?mt=8) – An app that uses GPS and math to predict when a red light will go green - [Ollert](https://ollertapp.com/?ref=producthunt) – Learn what your Trello cards aren’t telling you