Host: Cristan Engelke
Guest: TJ Green
VIDEO
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DESCRIPTION
If you think “animation” is just for kids, today’s guest is going to flip that belief on its head. In this Southaven Business Beat, Kristen sits down with TJ, founder of TJ’s Animation Workshop, who’s quietly building a creative engine that helps schools, chambers, and businesses explain the hard stuff—clearly, visually, and memorably. From a scrappy school assignment to university partnerships and community workshops, TJ shows how smart animation can train teams, simplify complex topics, build trust, and close deals.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
•How animation becomes a business tool (onboarding, safety training, financial literacy, entrepreneurship education, public information, and more)
•TJ’s “explain it so a 6th-grader gets it” framework—story, stakes, solution, next step
•Why most brands don’t have a content problem; they have a clarity and repetition problem
•The mindset that keeps creators moving: “Get a reward for your pain.”
•Why over-promoting the right content beats sporadic posting across ten platforms
•The 100 NOs Challenge—a practical way to build boldness, book more meetings, and learn faster
Standout Story
TJ walks us through a favorite project: a Mississippi State University entrepreneurship series that teaches kids business using a lemonade stand narrative. The twist? Adults love it too—because it makes fundamentals obvious without dumbing them down. That’s the power of animation done well: it strips confusion, signals authority, and makes the next step feel easy.
Creator notes you can steal today
•Film or no film: hate being on camera? Use animation as your on-ramp.
•Scale without chaos: build reusable scenes, modules, and brand libraries.
•Make it bingeable: every video should end with a clear path—watch next, call, or download.
•Track the right metrics: tie views to appointments, form fills, and replies, not just likes.
Try this and report back in the YouTube comments:
Drop “I’m in for 100 NOs” if you accept TJ’s challenge over the next 30 days. Each day, initiate one uncomfortable ask (a meeting, a collab, a sale). Come back and tell us your biggest win—we’ll spotlight our favorite updates in a future episode.
Services: explainer videos, training modules, EDU partnerships, chamber campaigns
Shout-outs & resources mentioned
Eric Thomas (ET), Zig Ziglar, Grant Cardone, entrepreneurship education models, chamber collaboration stories, co-working/community workshops.
This month’s featured sponsor — DeSoto Athletic Club (DAC)
Ready to level up your energy, mindset, and consistency? DeSoto Athletic Club has flexible, build-your-own memberships so you only pay for what you’ll actually use—group fitness, recovery, team training, and more. Start strong this week: book a tour and ask about the intro options. www.dacsouthaven.com
Podcast sponsors — Pure Focus Media & Wisdom Integrators Wisdom Integrators: Systems, automations, and smart ops that give you time back—and make growth repeatable. See how your stack could run smoother: https://www.wisdomintegrators.com Pure Focus Media: Turn your brand story into leads with pro video, strategy, and social content that actually moves the needle. Free discovery call: https://www.purefocus.media/
Support the Show
• Like the video to help more local builders find it
• Subscribe + notifications on YouTube so you don’t miss new founder playbooks
• Comment your takeaway or your first NO landed
• Share with a business owner who struggles to explain what they do
About Southaven Business Beat
We spotlight Mid-South founders, creatives, and community leaders—delivering the playbooks, perspective, and partnerships you need to grow. Brought to you by the Southaven Chamber Foundation.
CHAPTERS
- Cold open: Animation for grown-up problems (00:00 – 01:03)
- Meet TJ — origin story (school project → studio) (01:03 – 03:24)
- What “business animation” looks like (use cases that pay) (03:24 – 04:34)
- Public info & education: chambers, schools, community (04:34 – 06:12)
- Early challenges: selling clarity, not cartoons (06:12 – 10:19)
- Mindset in the trenches: competition, consistency, courage (10:19 – 11:46)
- Rejection & camera-shyness—how to ship anyway (11:46 – 13:48)
- Favorite build: MS State lemonade-stand entrepreneurship series (13:48 – 15:19)
- Growing pains: timelines, feedback, and scope control (15:19 – 16:25)
- Mentors & influences (ET, Ziglar, Cardone) (16:25 – 19:21)
- Measuring success: annual targets → monthly milestones (19:21 – 21:18)
- Distribution rule: over-promote the right asset (21:18 – 24:03)
- Community impact: co-working and hands-on workshops (24:03 – 26:01)
- Action plan: 100 NOs Challenge (and why it works) (26:01 – 32:18)
- Chamber value: opportunities, support, and visibility (32:18 – 35:51)
- Outro + subscribe + sponsor CTAs (35:51 – 36:02)
YOUTUBE URL
