Name: Rob Kaczmark

Company name: Spirit Juice Studios

What does the business do? Spirit Juice Studios is an award-winning production company based in Chicago that uses the beauty of film to elevate storytelling for Catholic nonprofits, religious orders, dioceses, parishes and other organizations for more than 15 years. Spirit Juice has produced videos and documentaries around the world for the Knights of Columbus, Word on Fire, the USCCB, FOCUS, EWTN, and many more. Through the transformative power of visual media, Spirit Juice crafts multimedia that engages the audience, amplifies the message, and inspires support. Through our nonprofit arm, Spirit Juice Entertainment Group, we create original free online content that promotes the truth, beauty and goodness of the Catholic faith to thousands of viewers each month. We also operate and manage several YouTube channels, including the second-largest Catholic YouTube Channel, “Juice Box.” We attempt to inject a little bit of the ever-ancient, ever-new beauty of Catholicism in the vast sea of content in the YouTube space.

Number of employees: 25

Website: SpiritJuiceStudios.com

The secret to your success: Persistent quality. We have a lot of repeat clients because our entire team — from the first moment when signing the contract to the last moment when delivering the finished product — are focused on providing the best possible customer-service experience and the highest-level quality of work. Since we have been around for a while now, we have built a reputation of trust for our positive working relationship with our clients, our creative approach, and our award-winning projects.

The hardest lesson you had to learn: Delegation. I started this business on my own, and I did everything. As the company became successful and my team grew, it was sometimes difficult to let go and trust others to do all the things I had previously done on my own. But if you hire the right people, delegation starts to get easier, and I have been blessed to work with a lot of talented people.

How faith fits in to your business life: I started Spirit Juice because I recognized a deep need in the Catholic Church for high-quality multimedia that would showcase the beauty of our faith and tell the compelling stories of the vital work that so many organizations and individuals are doing in the Church. My faith is the fuel that powers my love for this work and drives my creative ambitions. Without my faith, there is no Spirit Juice.

Do you have a patron saint? St. Joseph. By reflecting on St. Joseph's life and example, I found inspiration in his commitment to family, his deep faith, his love, and his humble, steady approach to life and fatherhood. His example shaped my own values as a dad and guided me in being the best father I can be. What I love about St. Joe is that he didn’t say a word but yet had one of the most important jobs on the planet, to raise the Son of Man, which goes to show me that my actions need to speak louder than my words.

What advice can you share with aspiring Catholic entrepreneurs? My honest answer is it’s not going to be easy; in fact, it might be hard for you because, if you were like me, you think because you’re doing the Lord’s work, he will make your path easier than others. That is not true; it’s going to be hard, really hard. But just like they say, “If he brings you to it, he will bring you through it.”

Be patient and talk to as many people as you can. Success doesn't come overnight — and there will be many long, sleepless nights — but there is a growing network of Catholic entrepreneurs, and you can find the support you need by reaching out to others who share your faith and your entrepreneurial spirit.