Maker Division cover art

Maker Division

Maker Division

By: Ben Burns & Stephanie Owens
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Maker Division is a podcast for designers, illustrators, photographers, filmmakers, and makers building businesses they love — without burning out, selling out, or pretending we have it figured out.

Hosted by Ben Burns and Stephanie Owens, two creatives who've spent the last decade-plus in the trenches: freelancing for scraps, growing studios from zero, leading creative teams, and learning the hard lessons that nobody talks about at design conferences.

Each episode brings honest conversations about pricing, positioning, portfolios, lead generation, client work, hiring, and the messy middle of running a creative business. Sometimes we go deep on tactics. Sometimes we get into mindset. Always, we keep it real.

No hype. No gurus. No "take massive action today." Just real frameworks, hard-earned lessons, and straight talk from people who've actually built the kind of businesses you're trying to build.

New episodes weekly. Welcome to the Division.

2026 Ben Burns & Stephanie Owens Art
Episodes
  • Starting before you're ready | Episode 01

    Starting before you're ready | Episode 01
    May 8 2026

    Welcome to the first episode of the Maker Division podcast.

    Ben Burns and Stephanie Owens decided to start a podcast on Friday and hit record on Tuesday — which makes "starting before you're ready" the only honest topic for episode one.

    In this conversation, they get into why creatives stall out: the baggage we drag into new projects, the fear of being seen, the websites that don't need to exist yet, the capabilities decks that don't get sent, and the "good idea fairy" that inflates every project until it dies in the personal projects inbox. They share what's held them back personally — from cruel YouTube comments to expertise becoming a curse — and the actionable shifts that helped them ship anyway.

    What we cover:

    • Why "knowing better" can make starting harder
    • The real reason you haven't finished your capabilities deck
    • Why your website isn't the bottleneck you think it is
    • Sales as a "noble obstacle" — and why it's less scary than you think
    • Defining your Minimum Viable Perfect
    • The 15-minute rule (borrowed from Neil Gaiman)
    • Why your first version doesn't have to be your best version

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • John Acuff, Finish
    • Neil Gaiman's MasterClass
    • Chris Voss, Never Split the Difference
    • Mary Shelley, Hitchcock, and Crumbin all going back to revise their "finished" work

    If you've been sitting on a project, a portfolio, or a piece of content waiting until it's ready — this one's for you.
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    1 hr and 10 mins
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