Meg and Ross came to me with an amazing business vision and big plans for their specialty coffee shop—Function Coffee Labs. They had no existing logo or visuals, and were ready to get serious about their branding. They wanted me to craft a logo that would bring their brand to life, attract customers, and build credibility for their new business. Sounds like a tall order, but I'm always up for the challenge and really believe in the power of beautifully strategic branding.

I cannot believe it's been two months since I officially quit my full-time job to take my brand design business full-time. It's definitely been a whirlwind, filled with personal victories and a lot more adjustments than I was anticipating. Much like my two week check-in, I want to take this time to pause for a bit and look back at my first two months of owning a creative business.

My Two Month Takeaways

So what's new since my last check-in? Where have I struggled? What's been going well? What have I learned? Read on and I'll tell you all about it, dollface.

Don't ever let anyone tell you print is dead. In this digital age, having something tangible to represent your brand is more important than ever. Designing stunning stationery is one of my absolute favorite facets of brand design. Not only is lovely stationery nice to hold, but it can make some powerful statements about your brand too!

Let's dig into some print terms, my favorite print methods, and what you need to know about them. When it comes to stationery and collateral, the sky is the limit and there are LOTS of variables to consider. So for simplicity's sake, let's limit the discussion here to business cards.

Letterpress, embossing, die cut, foil stamped—any of these sound familiar? You've probably heard of some of these specialty print methods before. I began my design career in the wedding industry, mainly because gorgeously fancy stationery is one of my most favorite things. However, when I shifted my focus to branding that's when I realized just how special it could be.

I know what you're thinking. Yes, these methods can be a bit pricey. But much like a quality logo and brand identity, these techniques do more than get you noticed. The magic of specialty print methods is that they make very powerful statements about your brand, without even showing your product or mentioning your service. So let's do a bit of digging into what makes specialty print methods so special.

Now that you've started your creative business, I'm sure you can't wait to share your magic with the world. The problem is that as a business owner, there are so many other responsibilities that now fall on your shoulders. Let's be honest, at first you'll be wearing all of the hats. As a result, it can be hard to find enough time to devote to the actual work you want your business to be known for.

What can you do to fight back? Save time wherever you possibly can. Hustle smarter—yes this means saying “no” a lot more so you can say “heck yes” to what's truly important. Another way to hustle smarter is to implement systems. There are tons of apps out there that can help your workflow work better. Use these systems to save time and make sure the facets of your business play nice with one another.

Saving on Systems

I know what you're thinking.

Melissa, I don't have the money to invest in fancy apps right now. I'm just getting started!

Believe me, I hear you. Being relatively new to business ownership myself, I've done a ton of research to find the best bang for my buck. What I've found is that many great apps are scalable for your business, meaning you can start using them with very little investment (or even for free!). Once your business and your needs grow, you can scale your subscriptions up too.

I started my business a little over a month ago. Before that, I'd always worked for someone else—always been an employee. First of all, there's nothing wrong with that. My family has always been successful and happy working for companies, so I never really considered starting my own business until about a year ago.

Whether you're starting something brand new or putting a fresh spin on an existing company, there are many considerations that go along with naming a creative business. While a name is only one facet of your brand, the right name can go a long way in helping you stand out and attract the right type of clients.

I know that with all of the pressure and expectations of this name needing to be just right, it's hard to know where to begin. Don't worry, I'm here for you! This guide will walk you through the process of finding that new name with a free workbook to walk you through the process step-by-step!