The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
The current recession has been my biggest challenge to date. With the rising cost of living, people are looking at cost cutting and their extra spend on marketing and design means that my business is often one of the first to be cut. I’ve been spending more time on my business and creating some educational pieces to help small businesses with their email marketing and branding.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
PROS:
- Making a real difference to someone’s small business
- Working with a very broad variety of businesses
- Meeting so many interesting people with some of the coolest ideas and offerings
- Having the freedom to take time off when and if I need to
- Being able to teach people about the power of design and how they’re able to use it
- Being able to work in my uggs and trackpants (it gets cold in Bathurst)
- I’ve been able to learn a massive array of new skills and knowledge to be able to keep my business running
CONS:
- It is harder to juggle workloads when you’re one person
- You don’t get paid for time off
- Being everything to your business can be overwhelming.
- Having difficult conversations with clients about money, unpaid bills and the potential of not working together anymore
Hopes and dreams: What next?
Ideally, I would love to craft a series of workshops together to help small business owners to learn and understand design principles. I’d love for them to be able to design their own collateral and branding for their small business.
Head to the Lauren Bird Design Services website to find out more about the services she offers, and connect with her on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
