106 - Creating Her Dream Job and Life with Rose Lindo

Rose has an incredible story of leaving school in her last year, and then moving to Austin where she felt she would find her dream job in a design studio.  It took a few years to land her first job, but she was so excited when she finally landed her dream job.  It didn't pay well, but she was eager to learn.  While working three different jobs (so she could stay at her dream job), she found an ad in Craigslist for a photography assistant.

After calling the photographer, Rose discovered that they actually needed help with re-designing their branding material.  The photographer was really excited about meeting up, and so Rose sat down with her.  That launched her first re-design of branding, which started leading to other photographers help with theirs.

Her dream job was going down hill very quickly after her boss talked Rose into taking out a personal loan, and then they started bouncing checks!  Finally, after some other issues with this 'dream job', Rose got the guts to leave.  She had been helping so many photographers who were encouraging her to go out on her own.  They all loved their new branding so much, that she finally decided to start her first business.

Where did you begin when starting your first business?  Rose faked it til she made it.  She did have a portfolio on a website, but they were all fake projects.  She put together a portfolio of what she wanted to attract.  At the beginning she grew her business through word of mouth.

Her main focus when she first got started was wedding invitations.  She was creating everything by hand, and was spending so much time printing out everything and cutting out paper by hand.  She finally realized that although she liked the wedding invitations, the time she was spending on them, just wasn't worth it.  She really wanted to focus on the creative side of her business.

She then started focusing more on branding, and she already had the list of photographers who she had already helped.  She was creating branding for about six photographers at a time, and advertised on some websites which attracted more clients.

She then started noticing that photographers were going for more digital products versus printing.  Slowly her business evolved as she discovered new things about what she loved doing, and what she didn't like.  And she also discovered what was going to put more time in hands, and more money in her pocket.  She opened her first Esty shop, and people really started falling in love with her work.   She found that sweet spot for helping photographers with graphic design options.

After you started taking off, how did you really up-level the business?  Her Esty shop took off, and for a while, she kept her products exclusive to Etsy.  She started using more social media to grow her audience.  She tried out several different things like Facebook Ads and Twitter.  She realized a lot of it had to do with research.  Again, she wanted to concentrate more on the creative side, and decided to bring her husband in to help with the more technical details.  She loved doing all of this, but finally realized she needed help and couldn't do it all by herself.

Her husband was the one who loved doing all of that, so they set certain financial goals, and downsized to make it all a reality.  They were able to get to the point where he could quit his job, and they knew he could always go back if he needed to.  He is now allowed to work in his passion of technology, and Rose can concentrate on her love of being creative.

What's been a great site for your business?  Pinterest has been amazing for them because they're allowed to show case their work.  What's great about Pinterest, is that once it's up, it stays there forever.  They're now venturing into the promoted pin side, and they're getting noticed.   They saw a triple in their business after they started to really work the promoted pins.

[ctt tweet="Looking back the only thing I regret is that he didn't quit his job sooner. #podcast @thestartersclub http://ctt.ec/e7F51+" coverup="e7F51"]

What's one thing you wish you would have known?  It's okay to say no sometimes, and that you don't have to say 'yes' to everything.  And even that by being more selective you can attract the clients who really are a great fit.

[ctt tweet="I wish I would have realized that it's okay to say no, and that being more selective you attract your dream clients. http://ctt.ec/g0FBK+" coverup="g0FBK"]

You can find Rose at designedbybittersweet.com

More About Rose:   Rose Lindo helps professional photographers market their businesses affordably with beautiful designs. She is a natural at solving problems with creativity and loves motivating others to do the same.

As the youngest of eight, creative thinking and independence was encouraged at an early age. After dropping out of college and taking out a loan for a failing design company, Rose found herself inexperienced and jobless in her early twenties. Being young and naiive had its drawbacks, but Rose was determined not to let these obstacles stand in her way. She started designing albums & marketing materials for two local wedding photographers, who presented the need for affordable graphic design within the photography community. It didn't take long before other photographers started contacting Rose for branding projects, and at 24, she started her own design company.
 
Six years later, Rose has helped entrepreneurs all over the globe with their branding and marketing needs. She's been lucky enough to work with companies like West Elm, Minted, and Crystal Palecek of Rue Magazine. With her husband as a recent addition to the team, she believes anything is possible!