Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Kieran Dotti of Studio City

Kieran Dotti shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Kieran, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I wake up, read a small mediation or self-help book page or 2. Just enough to give me something to start the day with something inspiring or to ponder. Then I take my dog for a walk. Usually this is about 30 or so minutes. I’ll either listen to meditation music or an audiobook, depending on my mood and how hectic the day will be. If I’ve got a lot of meetings or a ton of work, I opt for the quiet time and reflection. Then I’ll come back, make breakfast and put on my current binge-watching show while I eat. The last 20-30 minutes are usually spent sipping my tea with my dog curled up in my lap. My whole goal is to ensure that no matter what the day will hold, I always get a little quiet time to myself and to do something I enjoy.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Kieran Dotti, owner of On The Dott Management. I help independent authors and coaches manage their businesses. I’ll oversee project and launch management, hiring, and strategic analysis and planning. What makes my business unique is not taking things too seriously. There’s a time and a place for seriousness, of course. When deadlines need to be hit, I do whatever it takes to get the job done. But we have fun too! When I first opened my business, I didn’t realize the niche I would end up serving. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some amazing and wonderful clients. We get sh*t done while laughing together. On Halloween, a client and I did an entire meeting using skeleton filters. 💀🎃 I appreciate that everyone is aware we’re not doing brain surgery, which means there’s no unnecessary pressure and stress (as there was in my previous jobs). It means a lot to me that I’ve been able to find the people that agree with me in this attitude so that I can continue to cultivate it as the company grows.

Currently I am running clients’ membership programs, managing 2 book launches coming out before the end of the year, as well as helping a marketing team restructure and rework their processes.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
When I was in college, one of the first courses I had to take was a 2 semester long set of classes called Culture and Expressions. The first block reviewed the world’s myths and religions. I learned how many societies over time have had origins in common. And, how much our current cultures and religions still have in common. Learning this (having only really been exposed to Christianity plus the Greek and Roman gods in world history classes) blew my mind. How can we all be so similar, strive to be the best people we can be, while at the same time hating and going to war with one another? It shifted my perspective on organized religion, on how history is shaped and altered by the victors, and left the door permanently open to really listen to someone else’s perspective.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t change yourself to fit in. It may be hard now, but you will eventually have the power to venture off and build a life that you fits around you. You’ll find other beautiful people who will be your kind of weird, and it’ll feel so normal!

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I have a couple of very lovable unique people in my life. And they have always been themselves — the heart on sleeve, goofy, fiercely loving, “do not mess with me or you’ll hear from them” type. From my advice to myself above, you may realize I have not always been able to achieve that. I admire these people so much, because I think there’s so much power in that self-confidence and I (like many others) am drawn to it, like a moth in a flame.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I think I have a pretty good grasp on what I am and am not capable of. If there are tons of terms being thrown around and topics I don’t know, I speak up. I see myself out of that space and look to the next place where I can be of use. I know there are many people out there who would sit there and pretend like they know what’s going on, that feel the need to prove themselves. I don’t care. I will never pretend to be the person who knows everything. I know a lot of things, and I am capable of learning when I need to. But to me there’s no shame or fear associated with raising a hand and saying, “I don’t understand”, or “I am not the one to help you”. That helps me to live and work with integrity. I remember on my first sales call, saying “I’ve never done that before”. I thought I wasn’t going to close that client, but the honesty was appreciated. We agreed to a lower price than they’d gotten a bid for previously, and I got paid to learn. Wins all around!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.onthedottmgmt.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onthedottmgmt/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kierandotti/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnTheDottMgmt

Image Credits
Photos of Kieran Dotti by Eric Boguslavsky | Photo of Kieran’s Clients, Renee Rose & Lee Savino, used with permission