Andrew Witkin

• President of StickerYou (asi/89791) in Toronto
• 11 years of industry experience
• Counselor’s Fastest-Growing Canadian Company in 2017

Hiking in Boulder, CO

What I Wish I Knew When I Started:
I didn’t quite appreciate how much the promo industry was built upon ideas and relationships. I thought since we had the ultimate offering in custom stickers and great prices, the business would just grow accordingly. Although product and pricing are important, there’s more value in partnering to help create marketing solutions.

What Frustrates Me:
You learn to roll with the ups and downs of running a company. However, there’s nothing worse than someone betraying your trust. I’m always in shock when someone chooses a path that completely erodes their integrity.  

I’ll Never Do That Again:
When we built StickerYou.com, it was based on a large plan that took a year to develop. There was a lot of unnecessary costs. Since then, we don’t make massive plans that don’t have reality checkpoints along the way to see if the plan makes sense as conceived. We’re big believers in iterative progress.

Biking in Boulder, CO

If I Were King of the Industry:
I’d throw a really big party mixing end-users, distributors and suppliers. The ideas that come out of a social environment are amazing.

What I Wish I Could Say to a Client:
We tell clients what we think. It’s usually pretty positive because we passionately want to help them. Ultimately, I believe people value you more for your honesty and insights as opposed to just telling them what they want to hear.

Best Advice I Received:
After raising some capital, our lead investor said to me: “Just do your best.” It’s such a simple concept, yet it works on so many levels. There’s less pressure to succeed according to traditional metrics of success as defined by industry or society – whether or not you’re successful according to these external metrics isn’t really under your control. The real pressure is to give your best effort. You can control that, and you can be proud that you gave your best effort, even if it doesn’t produce “successful” results.

Worst Advice:
“Go all in.” In other words, commit all of yourself to making something successful and don’t focus on anything else. I think having time for family, sports, travel, etc., makes me much better at work. At the very least, having hobbies and interests outside of work means you can relate better to the people you work with. Being focused on work is all well and good, but focusing only on work and not your life outside the office is a great way to burn out quickly and miss the point of being alive in the first place.

What Suppliers Can Do Better:
I believe that showing how custom products solve problems or inspire engagement is more important than just showing the product. Too often, supplier marketing is focused on a bunch of product photos.  

Stereotype About Salespeople I Hate:
I don’t believe salespeople have “out of sight, out of mind” memories, meaning that they will look for a supplier based on whatever ad is in front of them at the time. I think salespeople go to suppliers they remember and trust, and that relationship and trust is built over time.

I Attribute Most of My Success to:
Being passionate about business and life. Being passionate about both energizes the team I work with at StickerYou, as well as our partners.

I’m Always Looking to Improve at:
Staying healthy and building more knowledge that can grow our business. 

My Top Product Recommendation:
Stickers. I have yet to see a person (customer, consumer or anyone) who doesn’t harbor a deep fondness for stickers. They bring to mind positive childhood memories and are the ultimate form of self-expression.

Enjoying ice cream with family