StellarFi Spotlight - Praxedis Blackhorn, Creative Director

Military veterans are often praised for the leadership skills they bring to the private sector and Praxedis is no exception. Praxedis Blackhorn 's depth and strength as a leader come from his richly varied professional life. As a 15-year Army veteran, media producer, entrepreneur, seasoned startup member, designer, and so much more, Prax brings innumerable skills to the table as StellarFi’s Creative Director. Enjoy the following Q&A to learn Prax’s philosophy around building cohesive teams.

Tell me what you do in one sentence.?

I do my best to translate the product into something the user loves, and uphold a standard of creativity for the company.

We basically have an in-house creative agency, which I’ve heard is really rare for startups, especially at this stage. Tell us about it.?

True. We’re lucky in that way. At most other startups, the creative team or agency is strictly a fulfillment team pumping out emails and ads. But here, everything we create is a direct response to the obstacles the rest of the company faces. The leadership team here wants us involved and allows us to provide creative input every step of the way. So we join their project calls, ad calls, product calls and we listen to their pain points and provide a way forward through effective copy and design.?

How does having an in-house team impact the company?

There’s usually a trade-off triangle when it comes to comparing in-house and external teams –quality, speed, and price. But what I believe is important for a startup is “speed to quality” – how fast can we create something that people won’t forget. I’ve worked with external teams and there’s always a tango of revisions that usually don’t meet my expectations. They can’t beat our “speed to quality.”? In contrast, I have an “Avenger” team of award winners, pandemic writers, side hustlers, and relationship builders.?

In our world, if you're not the first, you're the first to go out of business. Things move fast, and you have to be able to respond to the trends.

How would you describe the dynamics within your team? What do you believe contributes to a positive team culture?

I see myself as the cultivator: I lay out the lines, and grow the harvest. I try to empower my team to lead in strategy and decision-making. I listen, they create; I guide, they excel. Creativity is less about the perfect pallet or poetic prose. It's problem solving. It's about MacGyvering miracles out of a mere rubber band and paper clip. My team is stacked with former business owners and freelancers. That has given them the opportunity to solve a s**t ton of problems really fast throughout their career. So they know a thing or two about creative solutions.

It’s been noted that your team is extremely cohesive. What advice do you have for building cohesive teams??

First off, keep things crystal clear with your team. Practice transparency. Communicate openly, and make sure that your team members are informed and understand their opinions matter. If you don't allow someone to voice their perspective, they're not gonna be able to focus on the real task.?

When it comes to authority, everyone should have a piece of that pie. If people feel they’re just following orders all day, they won’t take the initiative. Make sure everyone knows what’s their domain, and how they’ll be evaluated.

And remember we’re all human, right? When things get crazy, like during hurricane season, I’m the guy asking if everyone’s okay before we talk projects. Show them you get that life happens, and they’ll step up when it counts. Keep it open, give them the reins, and treat them like people – that’s how you get a team that gets stuff done.

What do you find rewarding about being a leader and supervising a team?

In the Army, you're handed your squad, and you have to just make it work. Here, there's something pretty awesome about turning a group of strangers into your dream team.

I also love our morning gratitudes before our daily syncs. It's not just a feel-good exercise, but it's about getting real with each other, sharing a piece of yourself every morning. It sets the tone. When you're sharing what you're thankful for, it's like you're all starting the day on a high note, ready to kick the ass of whatever comes your way.

What’s your favorite thing about working at StellarFi??

Just last year, it was a handful of us and our laptops, and look at us now—we're a family of about 50! And we’re changing people’s lives. The success stories and reviews, oh man, they hit you right in the feels. We have users that are diving into credit for the first time in years because of what we've built, that’s huge. Buying their first car, their first home—that's not just an app, that's life-changing. It's wild, and it's all so worth it.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working??

I love immersing myself in work. But, in moments away from work, my curiosity takes over. Currently, I'm enjoying my time in the details of document authentication—understanding the legal standing of digital signatures. Fun. Earlier this year, I went down this rabbit hole about texting which led me to explore the regulations governing text messaging.

I just go on these little tangents. They could lead to a great idea one day. When I’m not being a robot, I enjoy watching horror films with my wife—the super freaky ones. The ones so intense that we end up binging funny shows so she can sleep. I’ve noticed the kids watching some Tim Burton movies, so it looks like they’re following in our footsteps.?

Is there anything you’d like to add??

I want to say something to my team. Huge thanks for putting up with my crazy ideas. I've got a good feeling that sticking to this path is going to pay off for us in more ways than one. Keep up the great work!

To check out the creative team's work, start by visiting https://stellarfi.com/.