21 Mar 2016

The Start of Something Good

Posted in Business, Coloring, Entrepreneurship, Life, Music, Parenting By Dieter Marlovics On March 21, 2016

Hello, Hallo, Salut, Ciao, Hola, Shalom, Ni hao, and a hello on behalf of the roughly 6,000 different languages spoken on this planet. Six…thousand…different languages! Whaaaaaaaat?

Anyway…it’s my utmost pleasure to introduce you to the ReallyColor blog! You have now entered the world of turning your photos into coloring pages. Are you ready? Go find your headphones. We’re going to kick things off with some music! Yup…really. Now…open iTunes, Spotify, or YouTube (whatever) and find the song “Start of Something Good” by Chris Daughtry. Listen to it on Spotify HERE. <Long Pause> Found it? Ok folks…let’s hit play.

ReallyColor is a concept and business that was born in fire. Probably not what you expected to read right? I was in the middle of an ugly divorce battle fighting for my life, battling my past, and fighting for the right to be the father I always wanted to be to my 3-year-old daughter. Don’t sit up too straight in your chair ok? I won’t be divulging the disappointing rage-inducing fallibility of the human condition behind this cataclysmic event in my life. It did, however, change me…for the better.

Everyone knows that life has its ups and downs.

One day you’re on top of the world, and one day you’re the clown.

Well I’ve been both enough to know

That you don’t want to get in in the way when it’s working out.

ReallyColor, as a concept, was initially something I started doing to feel connected to my little girl. Before we even had our prototype done and before ReallyColor even had a chance to actually exist, the business was already being dragged through the family law court system. While I was sitting up on the stand thinking back to the movie “A Few Good Men” (except in reverse), I was taunted, ridiculed, and bullied about the fact that I…somebody who had previously not only survived, but also thrived in the one of the most cut-throat industries on planet earth was going to start selling…coloring pages.

The invisible was begging to be realized. This HAD to work. It was time to at least try doing something remarkable with nothing but a prayer (Bon Jovi style) and set an example for my little girl on what it actually takes to fight for your dreams.

I don’t know where it’s going

There’s a part of me that loves not knowing

Just don’t let it end before we begin

I’m starting to believe that this could be the start of something good.

Let’s fast forward a few years. These days, things are very positive and inspiring in my own life and that’s especially true in the world of ReallyColor. Forgiveness and gratitude people…that’s what should make the world go around. Don’t ever underestimate the incredible power of those two emotions. Try it. Also remember that the most important person you sometimes need to forgive is the one you see in the mirror. Let the past go. Don’t do it with an entitled huff like “Screw my past. Those people or situations don’t deserve me.” Rather, try doing it with a sense that if you hadn’t experienced it, you would be dumber and more ignorant in comparison. Thank your past for kicking your butt! Then…well…go change the world. How you change it is totally up to you and nobody else can tell you how to do that. We don’t live forever and when we’re old and on the way out, we don’t want to feel regret for things we never tried just because we felt afraid. Ok? Write that down somewhere as a reminder…really…do it.

Anyway, the purpose of this blog is to inspire, inform, entertain, and educate. We may also throw in some updates or talk about cool things happening with the company, but the primary goal here is to stand out as a haven for when you find yourself interested in reading about teachers teaching, adults coloring, moms and dads parenting, life, music, movies, funny stuff, or just something that will widen your eyes and blow your hair back.

The ReallyColor team is a dream team. We are all pros with successful track records and have all proven that we can overcome the odds in our personal and professional lives. None of us shy away from our fears and we always fight for what’s right. We didn’t just build a hobbyist coloring page maker, we built the world’s best photos to coloring pages conversion engine…and we’re only getting better and adding more features.

Over the past 6 months, our customers have been generating tens of thousands of coloring pages each week from over 120 different countries. Our gift cards are available for sale at Toys R’ Us stores across the U.S. and our retail presence is accelerating dramatically. Large, well-known global brands have been calling us to discuss potential partnerships. So, things are looking…colorful.

Over here, we believe that good things come to those who believe while working their butts off and solving every problem that comes up. That’s the game…the startup game…the reinventing yourself game…the being a parent with no instruction manual game…the being a role model with your actions and not just your words game… the being a teacher who does whatever it takes to improve students’ lives game…the senior care specialist helping those with dementia and Alzheimer’s reconnect with their memories game…the helping those with autism through coloring pages made from photos game…the positive energy for everybody around you game…the creating something from nothing game…the walking the walk game…the being accountable game…and the over all game of life.

Let’s be good to the people around us. Welcome to my ‘father’s lullaby.’ Welcome to http://ReallyColor.com where you can turn your photos into coloring pages.