Episode Summary
Omid Mousaei is the founder of Mad Mind Studios, a branding and web design agency based in Los Angeles. With over 15 years in business, he’s built a reputation for producing bold creative backed by strategic thinking. But his path wasn’t conventional.
Episode Highlights:
- Why Omid ditched templates early on and how that shaped his agency’s identity
- How his immigrant experience created a mindset of resourcefulness and action
- The role of design as utility, not art
- Why strategy, not AI, is what still matters most
Agency Info
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Company: Mad Mind Studios
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Guest: Omid Mousaei
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Year Started: 1987
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Employees: 11-25
One thing I was always a hundred percent sure of was myself and my capabilities and knowing, no one would do it better than I would do it.
Omid Mousaei
Key Takeaways
The Power of a ‘Have To’ Mindset
When there’s no fallback plan, your only option is to make it work. Omid’s “no backup plan” mentality didn’t just push him forward, it defined his business decisions. This kind of pressure can be a catalyst for resourcefulness, risk-taking, and long-term conviction.
Design Is Only as Good as Its Impact
Omid rethinks traditional design as more than aesthetic…it’s a tool for solving real problems. A brochure that lands in the trash is just clutter. A flyer that sparks action? That’s value. His advice: stop creating for approval, and start creating for outcomes.
Team Building Isn’t About Filling Seats
Hiring wasn’t about replacing hours for Omid, it was about extending capability. His first hires were people who could do what he couldn’t, especially in packaging and development. His growth came not from scaling fast, but from choosing the right people to add expertise and trust.
AI Can’t Replace Strategy
Omid welcomes AI but doesn’t confuse it for creative thinking. While it can save time, it can’t position your brand, make emotional connections, or challenge assumptions. For agencies, the real opportunity is integrating AI into a human-led strategy, not using it as a crutch.
Never Get Comfortable
Even as his business matured, Omid stayed in “startup mode”, not by necessity, but by choice. He credits constant discomfort as the fuel for new ideas and the reason his agency remains creatively relevant in an industry that quickly stagnates.
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