Most can only dream of a life of marrying their high school sweetheart to running a successful business together. This isn’t just a dream for alumni Madeyln and Jacob Kablak, It’s reality.
“We immediately clicked and began a strong friendship. After another year full of switching lunches to sit with each other and not so subtly hinting for him to ask for my number, we finally started going steady my junior year and his senior year and we’ve been together ever since,” Madelyn Kablak said.
After graduating, Madelyn went on to study marketing and communications at the University of Michigan while Jacob studied business management at Macomb Community College. In 2020 while still attending classes at Macomb, Jacob started up an animation company called Pterobyt (terr-o-bite).
“We have both always been creative leaning, so when he took an animation course, the wheels began turning,” Kablak said.
Pterobyt is a marketing design company which specializes in 3D product animation, 3D product rendering, 2D graphic design and interactive online content. Like most new businesses starting up in the middle of the pandemic, it proved not to be easy getting their name out there.
“The absolute hardest part about launching a Business-to-Business company is finding customers who understand the need for animation and renderings. Through some networking and family ties, we were able to connect with a couple of businesses to get our foot in the door,” she said.
While the pandemic brought along difficulties with it, there were advantages as well. It gave the two time to research the principles of animation and creating hyper-realistic 3D models.
“There are endless possibilities and types of animations to choose from – which makes the job exciting and challenging,” Kablak said.
While the possibilities within their work life bring on new challenges, another side of their life is also balancing the family aspect.
“We made a point once we were engaged and then married to always set aside time for each other, even if on some busy weeks it’s only late at night or on Sundays. I’ve always acted as the “break manager” along with my other responsibilities to make sure he’s getting outside and taking time to have some fun throughout the week,” Kablak said.
The Kablak family also welcomed a new addition to the family, Veronika Kablak. With the challenges of running the company and their newfound parenthood, Madelyn and Jacob manage to intertwine the two lives while making sure to stay in an organized routine.
When working from home Kablak’s first priority is the baby. She manages caring for Veronika while still accomplishing tasks for the company, whether it be feeding Veronika and working on ad copy or working on designs after she’s fallen asleep. At the end of the day they’re still one step closer in order to reach their business goals.
“Not every couple should do business together, and that fact doesn’t determine whether or not they’re a good fit. We had many conversations about what each of our roles would be and how we would handle the workload for projects on which we’re collaborating,” she said.
From meeting in high school to growing a company together, Madelyn and Jacob Kablak raise the standard of life others strive to accomplish. The two molded both their family and work lives together and achieved only success.
“For us, I think it’s easier because we’re both good at what we do and value each other’s opinions,” Kablak said. “For example, at different places we’ve both worked, sometimes the supervisor would suggest changes that we simply did not agree with but would have to implement. Now, we trust each other’s creative eye and can bluntly point out possible improvements.”
