The Transcript

Karthika: Welcome Hannah, thank you so much for joining me on CulturallyOurs today. A huge part of what CulturallyOurs is today is all thanks to you and so I am really excited to have you on board and listen to your entrepreneurial journey.

Hannah: Thank you so much. I’m honored to be here.

Karthika: Yes, absolutely. Like I said, CulturallyOurs couldn’t be what it is today without you. So before we begin, could you just tell us a little bit about who you are, where you are from, just to kind of help set the stage for this conversation?

Hannah: Yeah, definitely. So I am a designer and developer and I’m originally from California but officially live in North Carolina. Um, and I’ve been doing what I do for about eight years. I’m self taught and started my business in 2010 and it’s just been super fun and awesome to get to work with businesses like CulturallyOurs to help them achieve their goals through the visuals and through websites and their brand strategy and all of that.

Karthika: You said you do design and development, and you touched on websites. Could you perhaps elaborate a little bit on sort of what work do you do and what is it all about from a visual standpoint?

Hannah: Yeah, so the main focus of my business is branding. So essentially my job is to talk to businesses about what defines them as a business. What their goals are, what makes them stand out among their competition. And then to translate all that data plus a lot of other data and turn it into a visual brand that accomplishes their goals and also represents them in a unique way so that they stand out among their competition. And with some of those projects we’ve added websites as well, which is really fun for me because I really enjoy the artistic side and the more technical side of coding. And you know, with that being an extension of their visual brand. It’s just emphasizing what we’ve already created in a further way through their website and their content.

Karthika: I love the fact that you take the visuals and translate that into the tangible with the website too. I think it just kind of brings things full circle. I know for CulturallyOurs I had a vision for what the website was going to look like and you kind of took that vision, created graphics and also created the website and merged everything together so I didn’t have to go to multiple people and to multiple places. So for me, I know as a business owner that was great that I could get everything out from my head onto paper and you could take that and create a website. Now is this something that you went to school for or something you knew would always get into? How did all of this kind of start?

Hannah: Well, as a teenager I started a personal blog and I’ve always been the type of person who loves to do everything as much as I can. So I did as much as I could with the blog platform I was using. But that wasn’t enough. So I started googling how to Code and how to make my own manual changes. And it wasn’t an intentional process. Like it wasn’t something that I set out to turn into a career. It was more a gradual discovery of the love that I had for coding and for design. So for a couple of years I just kind of learned what I could and taught myself. And by the time I graduated high school, I had started a business that wasn’t profitable at that point, but it was a really good learning opportunity for me to start working with clients at a lower range as far as price went and get that experience to the point where I could have it turn into a profitable business a few years later.

Karthika: Wow, you said teenager, and I have a teen in my house, and let me tell you, her thought process is very different. But what I mean it’s one thing to be interested and curious and like you said google how to do things. It’s something completely different to kind of decide this is what you want to do, this is a business, you know, what, I’m going to create this business at such a young age. So what made you kind of take that leap?

Hannah: I think as I was gaining experience from working with people, I just realized how much I loved what I was doing. So I think it became pretty clear to me that career path made a lot of sense for my personality and then also the skills I was learning. And it was also a very practical choice for me because it gave me flexibility to travel whenever I wanted. I think that was probably the deciding factor for me. I made it something that I knew I wanted to pursue and learn as much as possible about because I just love the idea of being able to work from whatever location I was at. Being able to set my own schedule, either to pour a ton of time into my business or scale back if I needed to.

Karthika: Now branding, graphic design websites, a lot of people doing a lot of similar things and in a slightly different way. So from an industry and business standpoint, how competitive do you feel the space is and how do you differentiate yourself from the pack?

Hannah: I think it’s interesting right now because I feel like at this point everything that I do is online and being somebody who has traveled a lot, I don’t necessarily have people in my local area that I would view as competition just because the nature of my work is online. So it’s interesting having the Internet as the area in which you work because it’s so broad. And I do think the competition is pretty strong. I’ve seen a lot of businesses being created that are interested in providing branding and there’s been a big focus on that. I feel like in the last five to 10 years, especially with people on their own as individuals doing everything that they can on their own to create a brand for themselves. So there are a lot of people that are in this field for sure. For me, as far as differentiating myself goes. One of the biggest things that I believe is important for branding and for myself specifically is to focus on the strategic and analytical side of the process in addition to the visuals. I definitely know that for me the most effective products I could ever create for a business is one that is based on that knowledge of what their business is, what they’re trying to accomplish, what their market looks like. And how they can be differentiated in that group of people. So I put a huge focus on that and definitely want the visuals to be a product of all of that strategy in that analysis that’s done. And in addition to that, something that’s important to me is to create visuals that have meaning. Minimalism and abstract design are super cool. I love them. But it’s definitely kind of a trending thing right now. And I think the danger sometimes can be to create designs that are too generic or don’t have much meaning, or could easily be confused with somebody else’s design because of the simplicity. So something that’s very important to me is to create designs that are unique, that stand out, that are not just based on maybe fads or common styles, but more on, the definition of the business and who they’re trying to attract and to ultimately create something that totally stands out from the crowd.

Karthika: Yes, I absolutely agree. And I think what is super cool is like you said, having that minimalistic approach but also making it unique so that it translates to the strategy. What is it we are trying to kind of achieve and what is it we’re trying to communicate because it’s great to have a cool looking logo, but then that’s just what it is. It’s just a logo unless there’s something behind it that speaks to the vision, the mission, the strategy, all of that good stuff. Now, how long have you been in business and sort of how has the ride been so far? I think I know the answer, but I want to hear it from you.

Hannah: So I’ve technically been in business for actually nine years now. I started my business in 2010. But I’ve only been profitable for about maybe six years. And looking back, I’m so grateful for everything that’s happened, but it’s definitely been an interesting ride as I feel like all freelancers can probably agree with. I think for me, the most interesting part of the process has been just learning how to structure a business on your own and learn all of the elements that are required to do that, like taxes and even how to structure the work that you have so that you’re efficiently getting work done and also getting enough clients and um, balancing all of that. So it’s definitely been an interesting journey, but a great one.

Karthika: And I’ve known you for many years now. I think I’ve known you for almost five years. You’ve helped me in many different projects and it’s been amazing working with you.

Hannah: Oh, you’re so sweet. It’s been great working with you too.

Karthika: Now I feel like as a people, as a culture, especially as entrepreneurs, we don’t always celebrate the successes that we have. We are so focused on the next task and the next deadline, the next client. So before we go any further, let’s perhaps take a moment and celebrate some of the successes you’ve had. So what if some of your proudest accomplishments?

Hannah: I think looking back, one of the most exciting things for me was when I successfully created my first website. It was one of those situations where I was kind of handed a project and I didn’t exactly know much about how to accomplish it. And it was one of those low stress situations where it was a friend. So there wasn’t a ton of stuff riding on it, but when I was able to finish that website and presented, I was just so excited because I had accomplished this huge goal for me in my business. So that was definitely one of probably the biggest moments. Another one that was more recent, which was just super fun, was  a style blog that I followed for a couple of years called Style Bee the creator of it. Lee Vosburg had reached out to me and asked if I would rebrand her entire blog, which was super exciting because I’ve been a huge fan of her for years. And so we just recently finished up her entire visual brand and her blog that we restructured and redesigned. And it’s a site that is a WordPress blog, but it also uses ecommerce software to have a closet section and a list of companies that provide different types of clothing and that’s all in the form of a list and it’s searchable. So accomplishing all of that felt super good and it was really rewarding, especially to work with somebody that I’ve admired for so long.

Karthika: For sure. Now, just like anything in life, we have ups and we have downs. So what is some of the challenges that you face and I think more importantly how do you overcome them?

Hannah: So I think for me, one of the biggest struggles has been trying to figure out a client process that works well for both me and my clients. I think something for me as a freelancer that has been hard in the past and is getting easier now, but it was a struggle at first was putting myself in my client’s shoes so that I could, think about how they might be seeing the process and how easy or hard I might be making it for them. So for that, it’s been a lot of trial and error, just trying different things and also learning from other designers and seeing what their processes are. It’s been a great experience even talking to my clients themselves about what has worked, what hasn’t worked, what their opinion has been. It’s one of those things where it’s a development over time. And, and I’m really glad that I’ve been able to talk to my clients and get their feedback and talk to other designers as well. I think another thing that has been difficult, and again, it’s probably something a bunch of freelancers can relate to, but just taxes and figuring out that whole system. But I’ve gotten to a point thanks to turbo tax actually because of their system, but I feel like I’ve gotten to a point where I have a pretty good grasp of it. But that is something that I’ve, I feel like has been intimidating. Just knowing that you’re responsible for your business and the whole legal side of things and making sure you’re handling things responsibly. It’s definitely possible. It just, it’s one of those things that can seem a little overwhelming at first.

Karthika: Yes for sure. Sometimes I feel like we do less of what we love and a lot more of all the other supporting sort of functions and roles that we have to play as an entrepreneur, as sometimes even a solopreneur. Now I’m going back to the feeling of being kind of responsible for everything yourself. Sometimes it can get challenging, both mentally and physically. So have you felt that way and how do you find your sort of support system, those people or that person who kind of lifts you up and kind of helps you get back on your feet?

Hannah: For me that definitely would be my family. They’ve always been really supportive and, and even being a teenager and kind of starting the whole journey of starting my own business, my whole family and especially my parents were always really supportive, which was huge.And its one of those things where those things that you do in your day to day life that can sometimes be hard or a little overwhelming from a business standpoint. It’s always helped me to be able to talk to my family members and get their advice and help. And sometimes even just being able to talk about an issue can help you feel better and make you feel like you can handle things more efficiently. And I think ultimately, you know, I’m a Christian, so knowing that the Lord loves me and that he’s given me this opportunity and that he’s given me the ability to do what I do, that’s something that’s huge for me to just be able to take those moments that feel very overwhelming and thinking its okay. It’s not as dramatic as I feel like it is. I’ll be able to get through it. I feel like that’s definitely possible because of him.

Karthika: Now do you have a lot of support from community or government programs, perhaps non for profit groups that maybe you’ve kind of taken advantage off or even mentors? Has that been a part of your journey?

Hannah: Not exactly and I think that’s probably mostly because I am so much online based. They’re in my area in Winston Salem. There is a community that would kind of fit that description. But I haven’t been that much involved with them. But I definitely, as far as mentorship goes indirectly, I’ve found really great connections online with other designers who I’ve been able to learn a lot from both directly and indirectly. Even as much as from online courses that people have put out. But as far as the more organizational type of support, that isn’t something that I’ve really been that involved with.

Karthika: Now you said you started when you were a teenager, so obviously you had school and you had life being a teen and then you had this business that you are growing and even now as you’ve gotten older, how do you balance all of these lift different things that you are a part of?

Hannah: I think for me what has been super helpful is just to make specific time for the different things that I do. I try to be really regimented about how many hours I work per day and when I work. So I block out, you know, my entire work day and that’s just what I do for those hours. And then when I’m done, I’m done and I can go hang out with family or friends and relax. And I find that that really helps me to be fully invested in whatever I’m doing at the moment. In the past I’ve kind of let work, and I still do this to an extent sometimes, but I’ve let work kind of be that thing that’s always going on in the background. Maybe dealing with an email here or there and well that can sometimes be fine as far as efficiency goes. But it definitely makes it harder to relax and to focus on other things besides work. So yeah, definitely having that set schedule each day and then also making sure that I take weekends off. I tried to be as good about that as possible and I feel like that really helps keep that balance.

Karthika: Oh I want to learn this blocking off time thing from you because I think I suck at it. It’s always that I just get to this one email. Just check it one more time. And I’m a mom, I have kids, so I have to figure out a way to be better at blocking time. You give me hope. Now let’s talk specifics just because I think a lot of people when they listen to interviews like this, they always tried to put themselves in your shoes and figure out how relevant it is to them. So if there are specifics that it’s a little bit more relatable, so whatever you are comfortable sharing, we’ll kind of go from there. Now you said you’ve been in business for since 2010, so about nine years. How many of those have you been profitable?

Hannah: I’ve been profitable for about six years and that’s been something that has been a slow process. I’ve talked to a lot of other freelancers about the whole concept of pricing and profit and getting clients and the thing is like, there’s never any clear answer. Like do x, y, and Z and you will make x amount of dollars per year. And for me, I was in a really good situation where that was okay for when my business was starting. I didn’t have expenses. I was living at home and all of that. And so I didn’t need to be profitable at the start, so it gave me time to kind of build everything up. And I would say it’s really only been in the last three years that I would consider myself profitable at a level that I am okay with. Before that I was definitely making money, but not quite as much as I would’ve wanted to. And I think I would just say that that process has been due to experience with clients. That’s a huge thing. I felt like until you have projects that you can showcase that show your skill at its current level your likelihood of getting future clients is diminished. So being able to have that experience, build up projects, be able to showcase them on a website that is branded correctly and is reaching out to your target market. That’s kind of been key for me. And that is one of those things where it’s just a process. You, it takes time to build up those projects. But what’s so great about my field and what I’m doing is that it’s something where when you’ve built up to that point, as long as you keep working at what you’re doing,  your potential for profit is going to stay. Even though it was a freelancer, you’re kind of in charge of how many clients you take on and how profitable you are. You still have that foundation of your work in your experience and past clients and their positive opinions of you. And that definitely carries you far.

Karthika: Well said, and I have to agree, I think in a lot of times we take on jobs that yes, gets the money in, but sort of is not challenging or it’s not building up on our skills. And so understanding that and recognizing that when opportunities come, if its just another similar thing, it’s okay to say no to that because you’re going to focus on something else which is going to test you in many ways to build up your skills. So I think that is huge. And as a freelancer, I completely agree. Sometimes it’s hard to say no to those things because the money’s coming in. I mean, you need that, you needed it to pay the bills or you need it for a class or for continuing education or whatever it is.

Hannah: Yes, you know, deciding what you’re going to take on and what you’re not going to take on. Cause there is always that, that kind of that conflict between the potential profit and the efficiency of the project or how appropriate is for you and your business and what you’re trying to accomplish and also your skills. And that’s something for me that I’ve been changing a little bit in because I have offered websites as well as branding almost the entire time I’ve had my business and recently I’ve gone through a shift where I’m not doing websites anymore just to focus on branding because, you know, those two worlds are similar but also very different and you never want to get to a point where you’re stretched so thin because you’re doing so much that you’re not able to pour enough into each project. So I feel like that’s definitely something that everybody has to weigh out and figure out what the right path is for them.

Karthika: Yeah. It definitely can look different for different people, but I think you hit the nail on the head with what you said. Recognize as you get projects and just ask yourself that question if your trajectory is taking you in a different way if you want to grow. Now have you pivoted in sort of what you do, products and services, and if so, what was that pivot look like and what was the thought process? I mean, you kind of alluded to this a little when you said you stopped doing websites, but is that other like other things that you’ve kind of moved away from?

Hannah: Yeah, definitely. At the beginning I was doing blog designs for free. Then I started doing websites and charging for them. So that was a bit of change for me. And then it got to a point where I was doing any kind of graphic design that anyone inquired about which was awesome then because it gave me a ton of experience and it was fun to learn these different skills. But definitely there came a point where I knew that I needed to be much more focused with what I was doing because I could see that what I was giving clients was not as thorough or as effective as it should be. So definitely what I’ve been doing recently is just focusing on branding and part of that is to focus on the education side of things for myself. Even though I’ve never went to school for what I do. I invested a lot of time in learning everything I could at the start. And then also, that’s just been something that I’ve made a priority throughout the entire time I’ve had my business. And it’s something that I want to put even more focus on now to just provide my clients with the best product that I can possibly create for them. Being able to kind of set websites to the side and only take on an occasional project here or there is enabling me to just invest that much more into what I offer through branding. And I can see that it’s paying off for sure because what I’m giving to clients is just that much more effective and gets that much more of a positive reaction from them. So it’s one of those things where I feel like I feel like I’ll always be going through that trial and error process of doing something, seeing how it works, refining it. But it feels really good definitely to narrow the focus in and just end up with a product that’s much more refined.

Karthika: Now do you employ others if it’s something on a project basis or regularly, and if so, what does that look like for you?

Hannah: I don’t really have any employees. My sister has worked with me on a few projects which has been great. A huge part of every branding process is just the brand research side of things. So she’s been super helpful with a lot of different projects where she’ll just go through and looking at brands website, gather information about them, look at their social media, look at who they’re following, and give me writeups on the types of people that are following both the brand that I’m working with and then their competitors. And that’s been super helpful to have that information gathered because it’s one of those things where it’s kind of a time intensive process and for her to able to take some of that has been awesome. So that’s been probably the biggest employee type relationship that I’ve had. I have also in the past collaborated with other artists on projects like illustrators. And that’s been fun. I enjoy working with people like that and it is always really neat because it’s such a collaborative experience being able to see somebody else’s artistic process and be involved with it, you know, with your own process is really fun. So that’s something I’ve really enjoyed.

Karthika: Yeah, for sure. Now, where do you as in Hannah, where do you invest a lot of your time for your business? Is it in marketing? Is it financials, which I think you said no, or ideation or production or maybe a little bit of everything?

Hannah: Yeah, I would say most of it is probably in marketing. And specifically I think Instagram for me that’s been probably my best platform to market myself and to get potential clients. And you know, for me, I’m the kind of person where whenever I’m writing something out, I ended up taking a very long time to write it just because I want it to say exactly what I’m trying to say. And that takes awhile sometimes. So, you know, whenever I’m writing writing stuff for Instagram or even doing Instagram stories, it takes a lot of time, but it ends up being worth it for sure. And it’s also something I enjoy, so I definitely make that probably the biggest, the biggest part of my business that I do invest a lot of time. And besides the actual work that I do doing.

Karthika: Now you talked about Instagram and my next question was going to be around social media. I think you’ve said that Instagram is huge. What about the more traditional form of marketing? Do you kind of use that at all or is word of mouth and referrals and all of that still, does that still count for you?

Hannah: Definitely. That’s probably half of the clients that I get. It’s word of mouth for sure. And I feel like, you know, even though there might not be any technology or social media involved with that, it might just truly be word of mouth. I feel like it’s the most powerful form of marketing that I could ever use. Because it involves the trust of others and you know it’s been really fun to have clients that have become friends and who are just so kind and supportive of what I do. And then they tell their friends and there’s just already that element of trust. Whenever that person contacted me because they’ve heard from my former client about my work. So that’s definitely something that’s huge. And even from a social media perspective, I’ve had that happen as well where somebody who might know me online reaches out to somebody else or they come to my Instagram through that person.That’s always really cool to have those connections.

Karthika: Well you do amazing work and I’ve told you this before, I’ve had a lot of people who love the logo and the aesthetics. Or who see my business card and say thats a cool graphic and there is actually meaning behind that logo and aesthetic. And I am like Yup, I have a really cool graphic design.

Hannah: That’s awesome. I love that.

Karthika: Now let’s talk motivation, mindset growth for a minute. Unlike corporate where, you know, somebody is in charge. We have no boss here. We are our own boss. So how do you keep yourself motivated and excited for your future?

Hannah: I feel like it’s a multifaceted answer just because there’s so many different things that ended up inspiring me to go after new things or keep going with projects. And probably one of the biggest things is just getting excited and inspired by the clients that I work with. And whatever projects that we’re working on. It’s always the most fun whenever I’m working with a brand and I’m super excited for what they’re providing or what they’re going to be doing in the future that I can be a part of with creating the visual brand. And the cool thing with that is that’s always growing and changing. I am all for new clients coming in and me growing and exploring. Andthen also I think just being able to be inspired by the work of other designers and to see what they’re doing is something that helps keep things fresh for me. Every single morning I make it a habit of spending a certain amount of time on Pinterest which is, you know, just fun and it’s a great way to see what other people are doing and just get that inspiration because sometimes when you’re just seeing your own work, it can get a little old and repetitive.

Karthika: So right.

Hannah: To see another’s perspective is super helpful. And then also in a very practical way, I’m in California indefinitely at the moment and every single day I ended up going on an hour long walk run. And it’s so cool because I get to see mountains every single time and that’s like hugely inspiring for me. So to be able to do that and get outside and see the mountains and then come back in and focus on my work day is really awesome. It’s just a really good balanced work and being outside everyday.

Karthika: Oh for sure. I envy you. I love the mountains. I wish my backyard had mountains. I have just flat land. Perhaps lets start to wrap this up just in the interest of time with a few more questions. What has been sort of the most important part of your entrepreneur

Hannah: I think for me there’s actually one that has been very practical. Process in general like client process has been one of the biggest things that I’ve kind of struggled with and tried to develop as much as possible. And at a certain point I found a company called Hello bonsai and that answered a ton of my needs because they offer contract creation where,  you can send it to your client, they can sign it online, send it back and create invoices that are automatically sent. Essentially it just manages the more business side of a project. And that was a huge moment for me to find them and to start using those services because it allowed me to streamline those parts of my business that previously I had been doing manually. And because of that it had taken so much more time and it just wasn’t as efficient. So being able to essentially just realize that there are certain areas of my business that can be streamlined and that I can use somebody else’s system for it to allow me to be more effective overall, but also to spend more time on the things that I really want to spend time on. Like the actual work. That was a really big moment for me and it’s something that I’ve tried to think more about. As far as my business goes in general, just to be conscious of maybe things that I’m doing that might be taking too long or that need to be systematized, and just to speed things up and also just make it easier on myself because there are so often things in your business that maybe you don’t enjoy so much. They might stress you out a bit and sometimes that’s just part of life and you just have to kind of deal with it, But sometimes it’s more effective to find an easier solution and it can go really far and making your day more enjoyable and less stressful. So kind of being conscious of that moment has really impacted me to take that mindset into my whole business.

Karthika:  I have to change this interview from an entrepreneurial one to a life lesson. I mean, that was amazing. If you could go back in time to when you first started would do this all over again, knowing what you know now, would you change anything? And if so, where would that be?

Hannah: I would definitely do it again. I think the, the one thing I might do if I had to redo things, would be to have more focus at the beginning. When I started it, I didn’t exactly have a plan, which was fine, but, if I could do things over, I would definitely have more of a plan and I think I would focus on educating myself more on business in general and how to have a process for things, and even from a more technical standpoint, you know, taxes and how to handle the legal side of things. Just because at the beginning of things I was focusing on learning about design and development, which was great, but that meant that some of the business side of things came later and it would have been really cool to kind of develop a foundation of all of that at the same time. So that’s probably something I would change. But overall I’m just, really glad with how things have worked out for sure.

Karthika: Now, what do you do for fun besides running and looking at the mountains?

Hannah: Well, I listened to a lot of music. I drink a lot of coffee. I love watching movies. My family and I are huge into movies for sure. As far as hobbies go, I play the guitar, I play the piano. And that’s always fun for me to kind of, especially in the middle of a workday that’s maybe not super easy to take a break and just play the guitar and relax. I feel like it’s always fun to do something that’s more tactile and especially, to make music. It’s super relaxing and it makes it so much easier to get back into work later. And I think the same thing with reading. I love to read. But I don’t in the last few years, I haven’t made much time for it just because of work. But recently I’ve been trying to make more time for that and that’s been great because anytime you can make that time to do something that you enjoy and especially when it’s something that exercises your brain in a different way from how your brain is normally used. I feel like that’s super healthy and just really enjoyable.

Karthika: Yeah, for sure. I mean its like taking yourself out of that situation into something completely different. Like you said, to channel those creative moments and to channel that all that energy into something else. So you can come back to either the problem or the work at hand more energized now? What lies ahead for you, Hannah. Are you sort of fully living your dream or what comes next? If it’s okay to share with us?

Hannah: Yes just kind of doing what I am doing and continuing to grow in that. I actually just recreated my entire website, and finish that up the other day. And, so I’m really excited to just kind of be more focused online with how I’m presenting myself in the work that I’m showcasing. And just continuing to learn more and make education a priority for my business and continue to be able to help more clients and just see where it goes. Because what I’ve realized with my businesses that each stage has been so enjoyable and even with the pivoting that’s ended up happening with what I offer it’s just fun to be able to enjoy the different things that I’m doing.

Karthika: Well! I love you for everything that you’ve done for CulturallyOurs. It has been such an amazing discussion. Thank you so much, Hannah. It was fun getting to know a little bit of the  behind the scenes and I really appreciate all the kind of little nuggets of information that you’ve given us.

Hannah: Thank you so much for having me.