This as-told-to essay originates from an in-depth conversation with Guy Ailion, the cofounder and chief executive officer of Mattoboard, as well as the author of *SmallHuge*. The narrative has undergone careful editing to enhance its focus, clarity, and readability, while preserving the essence of Ailion’s reflections on creativity, entrepreneurship, and design.

Ailion explains that his fascination with the boundless possibilities of creative expression naturally led him to pursue a profession in architecture — a discipline that merges imagination with rigorous structural precision. His professional journey began in South Africa, where he undertook his foundational training and first encountered the intersection of art, form, and functionality. Eager to broaden his experience, he later relocated to London, a global hub for architectural innovation. There, he not only continued developing his craft but eventually became a partner at KSR Architects and Interior Design, a firm renowned for its expertise in creating distinguished residences for celebrities and high-net-worth clients. Within this demanding yet inspiring environment, Ailion’s curiosity about the creative process began evolving into a broader entrepreneurial perspective.

As KSR gradually expanded its focus beyond traditional architectural design into the realm of interior design, Ailion and his colleagues faced a challenge that turned out to be quietly transformative. The firm accumulated an ever-growing collection of physical samples — swatches of fabric, fragments of tile, slabs of stone, and countless other materials essential to client presentations. Over time, these items overflowed storage rooms and filled shelves, serving as tangible records of past and potential projects. Yet, Ailion observed a recurring inefficiency: designers tended to rely only on the materials immediately within reach, overlooking vast troves of inspiring alternatives. Many samples that could have sparked creative breakthroughs remained stacked, unexamined, and forgotten.

This realization became the catalyst for Mattoboard — a platform that reimagines how designers engage with materials in the digital age. Conceived as a virtual environment for exploring and organizing samples, Mattoboard enables users to visualize materials digitally rather than juggling bulky physical inventories. Founded in 2022, the company quickly gained momentum and attracted $2.7 million in venture funding. For Ailion, the experience revealed striking parallels between the principles of creative design and the strategies required to lead and scale a business.

**An idea not communicated well is an idea lost forever**
Ailion emphasizes that communication — especially through the art of storytelling — is the foundation of both successful design and sound entrepreneurship. In architectural practice, designers must imagine something that does not yet exist and then translate that vision in a way that others can fully grasp. Whether addressing clients, builders, or surrounding communities, an architect must convey conviction and empathy through narrative. The same principle applies to the world of business. As a founder, Ailion discovered that if he could not articulate his vision with clarity and persuasive energy, the concept would simply dissipate into obscurity. The power to describe an unseen idea compellingly enabled him to win investor confidence, inspire a cofounder to commit wholeheartedly, and unite a team driven by a shared purpose. In both architecture and entrepreneurship, storytelling becomes the bridge between intangible inspiration and tangible realization.

**Let a one-line description guide you**
While storytelling demands nuance, its foundation, Ailion believes, should remain anchored in simplicity and focus. Every new project at his company begins with a single guiding sentence — a concise statement that distills the entire initiative into its essential premise. By continuously revisiting that one-line articulation, the team ensures alignment across all discussions and decisions. At the start of each meeting, they reaffirm this statement to maintain a collective sense of direction. For instance, one current endeavor involves applying artificial intelligence to the design process. The concise guiding phrase for that project reads: “It will transform a brief into a cohesive collection of materials for a room.” This elegant simplicity, he explains, eliminates confusion and unites all creative and technical choices under one coherent objective.

**Embrace the great creative mess**
Ailion readily acknowledges that creativity rarely unfolds in orderly fashion; instead, it thrives within what he affectionately calls “the great creative mess.” Whether it’s an artist surrounded by discarded sketches or a sculptor’s studio cluttered with fragments of clay, every field of creation demands room for exploration, failure, and reinvention. This process of experimentation — often chaotic and nonlinear — serves as the crucible for genuine innovation. Within business, the same principle holds true. Ailion insists on maintaining an unwavering commitment to his overarching vision while remaining flexible about the specific means of achieving it. When certain paths prove unproductive, he discards them without hesitation. That ongoing willingness to adapt and refine ensures sustained progress rather than stagnation.

**Tap into your client’s desire**
For any architectural project, product, or business venture to succeed, it must appeal to human emotion and desire. Ailion observes that understanding those desires — which may stem from aesthetics, functionality, or the intangible sense of fulfillment a design evokes — is essential. People seek not only beauty but also experiences that enrich their daily lives. Once a designer recognizes what truly resonates with a client or user, it becomes possible to channel that insight into design or business choices that feel personal, meaningful, and enduring. Identifying and harnessing desire transforms a product or space from something merely functional into something that deeply connects with people.

**Just keep moving**
Finally, Ailion concludes with a principle that applies universally to any creative or entrepreneurial pursuit: progress, however incremental, is vital. Whether shaping a building’s blueprint or developing a startup’s next feature, momentum sustains both morale and motivation. Advancement does not need to occur in grand leaps — slow, steady iterations often lead to the most refined outcomes. In his view, true dissatisfaction arises only when motion ceases completely. As long as individuals and teams keep evolving, testing, and improving, energy and optimism remain alive.

In essence, Guy Ailion’s journey reveals that architecture and entrepreneurship share a core philosophy: both demand imagination balanced with discipline, storytelling infused with clarity, and creativity tempered by adaptability. From sketching the outlines of physical structures to building a digital company, his experience shows how design thinking — when applied broadly — can serve as the blueprint for innovation itself.

Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/i-turned-my-design-frustration-into-multimillions-startup-2025-11