4Walls.com is Cool!
During my interactions with tech companies as the Tech Czar, I was honored to meet so many men and women who epitomize the great American entrepreneurial spirit. There is, indeed, one entrepreneurial cat who stands out to me – Pat Walker, CEO of 4Walls.com. The company is based here in Cleveland, OH near E. 40th and Lakeside. Very cool space. Unbelievable lake views, good corporate dog (just like at FIT Technologies) and great open spaces for some amazing client and employee interactions. Pat has turned out to be a great, great friend and my spiritual Sherpa (he laughs every time I say this, but we chat about some serious existential shit when meeting up).
There are really two businesses at 4Walls.com – one being DLM Studios – which is the creative side of the business – and 4Walls.com – which offers custom wall coverings built through the Internet. DLM was started in 1984 and provides product design, graphic design and photography for the residential wall-covering industry. I remember Pat telling me that he bought the 4Walls.com domain back in 1996 because he thought the wall-covering industry was about to go through dramatic change (by the by – he was spot on, the industry has endured amazing consolidation – not always for the best). 4Walls.com is revolutionary, man, by designing, digitally manufacturing (it is always cool to see these massive printers produce custom made wall-coverings), and then marketing and selling their products to the retail consumers via the Internet. Brilliant strategy.
In an industry that has experienced twenty-years of tumult, 4Walls.com and DLM Studios are shining and growing. Pat has been able to canonize this growth by focusing on three key strategic issues:
1. Focusing on Product Quality – Pat focuses on leading the industry in color and design (and while not an expert in the wall-coverings industry I believe his designs do in fact kick ass).
2. Aggressively Embracing Technology – Not bleeding-edge but ahead of the curve in the slow moving wall-covering industry.
3. Managing Change – Pat really believes in taking the time to strategically manage change. Be strategic and think like, what Zen Buddhist writer Suzuki would call “Beginner’s Mind” (see what I am saying - Pat is a spiritual dude, man), being humble and inquisitive.
Pat wrote to me the following to me a few weeks back, “Nearly all of the companies that formed our client roster ten years ago are gone; bankrupt or acquired. Most of our direct competitors from ten years ago are gone. We’ve survived by creating a completely unique business – a ‘best in class’ design staff with 22 years of archives joined with a lean, efficient, high-quality digital ‘print on demand’ production department that has multiple channels for its products and services.”
Pat is the man. And that is why 4Walls.com is cool!
There are really two businesses at 4Walls.com – one being DLM Studios – which is the creative side of the business – and 4Walls.com – which offers custom wall coverings built through the Internet. DLM was started in 1984 and provides product design, graphic design and photography for the residential wall-covering industry. I remember Pat telling me that he bought the 4Walls.com domain back in 1996 because he thought the wall-covering industry was about to go through dramatic change (by the by – he was spot on, the industry has endured amazing consolidation – not always for the best). 4Walls.com is revolutionary, man, by designing, digitally manufacturing (it is always cool to see these massive printers produce custom made wall-coverings), and then marketing and selling their products to the retail consumers via the Internet. Brilliant strategy.
In an industry that has experienced twenty-years of tumult, 4Walls.com and DLM Studios are shining and growing. Pat has been able to canonize this growth by focusing on three key strategic issues:
1. Focusing on Product Quality – Pat focuses on leading the industry in color and design (and while not an expert in the wall-coverings industry I believe his designs do in fact kick ass).
2. Aggressively Embracing Technology – Not bleeding-edge but ahead of the curve in the slow moving wall-covering industry.
3. Managing Change – Pat really believes in taking the time to strategically manage change. Be strategic and think like, what Zen Buddhist writer Suzuki would call “Beginner’s Mind” (see what I am saying - Pat is a spiritual dude, man), being humble and inquisitive.
Pat wrote to me the following to me a few weeks back, “Nearly all of the companies that formed our client roster ten years ago are gone; bankrupt or acquired. Most of our direct competitors from ten years ago are gone. We’ve survived by creating a completely unique business – a ‘best in class’ design staff with 22 years of archives joined with a lean, efficient, high-quality digital ‘print on demand’ production department that has multiple channels for its products and services.”
Pat is the man. And that is why 4Walls.com is cool!
