Posted Under: Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Our Heroes

Today we are talking to Laurence Lafforgue the next guest under the “Our Heroes” series. Working as a top level ad-agency executive, Laurence made the employee to entrepreneur transition by utilizing her hobby of collecting art. Her passion began in 1999 with her first piece, a tribute to her childhood fascination with Japanese Manga. Today her company prides itself on bringing art to everyone by offering fresh and affordable works of art. Let’s dig deeper into her success story…

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

LL: My name is Laurence Lafforgue and I was a top-level ad-agency executive at Ogilvy and Mather.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

LL: In 1999, I began collecting art. My first piece, an indulgence of my childhood fascination with Japanese Manga, was a limited-edition print (263 of 300) of Takashi Murakami’s Into the Dream (Jumbo Corn Head Mushroom) acquired for just 100 Euros. Upon making that purchase, it dawned on me that too few artists were producing original, affordable, collectible limited-edition prints and that the deficit of entry-level pieces was hurting the contemporary-art world. I realized then I wanted to build a business around that need and could not do it within the corporate world. So I, along with Jonathan Vanasco and The Barbarian Group set out to democratize the access to the best of contemporary art by making it fun and easy to find up-and-coming art and artists. The result was the ARTWELOVE learning engine, which indexes thousands of important works, artists, art forms, and art venues in a smart and digestible format.  The engine, much like Amazons, gradually learns user preferences and recommends artwork users might just love. ARTWELOVE quickly became an art-world sensation and a leading art-education site, with more than 150,000 unique users and 15,000 monthly visitors. In 2010, the ARTWELOVE online store made its debut, offering over 10,000 affordable limited-edition prints by today’s most exciting artists, both established and up-and-coming. At last, discerning art lovers could put their money where their love was!

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

LL: I took a 3-month leave of absence to think it through and worked on a business and financial plan. I surrounded myself with a senior advisory board and ran the business plan by them.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

LL: Always plan ahead and raise double the money you think you need.

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

LL: Today, ARTWELOVE continues to bring fine art to everyone, with a fresh, new, affordable edition or series on an almost weekly basis, explained in ways that are accessible, understandable, and enjoyable. I feel like I’m living my dream!!!

DD: That’s Laurence Lafforgue of ARTWELOVE. Remember, if you are searching for a business idea; start with something you love doing or having, or working around, and work from there! Chasing your dream gets easier when passion is your ride!

Success to All!