2021 Recap: Reflections + Insights From My Design Studio
Let me just start by saying that 2021 was a pivotal year for MY DESIGN STUDIO.
Although many things may look somewhat similar on the outside, my business feels completely transformed from the inside.
And I can’t tell you how good it feels. Here’s a recap of my year and highlights I’m excited to share.
At the end of 2020, I vowed to make changes in my business and get in alignment. I had spent the year feeling stretched way too thin as I tried to figure out “mamapreneur” life and couldn’t seem to get myself off the hamster wheel.
More importantly, I was having a hard time taking a step back and looking at my business from the outside. I was constantly working IN my business and although I already had been making some important changes that inched me toward where I wanted to go… I was still craving more harmony and simplicity in my days and weeks. I knew there were bigger, more life- and business- changing shifts I wanted to make. My wheels were turning but I couldn’t seem to get out of my own head and make things happen.
In November 2020, I signed on with an incredible biz coach Ashley Gartland with the goal of finally creating a life-first business… and that was the beginning of the transformational year.
The heart of my business is the same:
I still love working with passionate small business owners who are truly making an impact on the lives of their clients/customers and the world.
I’m still dedicated to bringing thoughtfulness, intention, and strategy to every project. It’s the small details that make a strong impression and the design decisions I make are never arbitrary.
Giving my clients a fun, collaborative, and personal experience and crafting meaningful visual brands that deeply resonate with them (and their audience) and shine a light on their values... that’s what it’s always been about for me. And it still is.
But now, I do all of the above with more ease and simplicity. I continue to focus on serving my clients + students well, while continually honoring my priorities and new boundaries I’ve put in place to ensure my business remains life-giving. I’ve been on the other side of the road, feeling like my business is running ME and I don’t want to go back there again!
Of course, this is all a work-in-progress. There were plenty of ups and downs this year, as there always are. I’ve had rough weeks (even months) where things feel hard. I’ll always be “figuring out” how to juggle motherhood and small business ownership (I've learned you just gotta embrace the constant state of change and chaos). I still over-complicate things from time to time.
But the difference is the strong foundation I now have. When things feel rocky and life doesn’t go the way I expected, I still have stability in the structure and flexibility I’ve put in place for my business. That may sound contradictory… but I really do think it takes both to run business that fits your life and how you want to spend your days.
Above all, I’ve completely changed how I operate in my business and fully embraced the freedom I have to run my design studio in the way I want to, in this season of life.
2021 Highlights:
I simplified my schedule, took on less projects, worked less… and still HAD THE BEST FINANCIAL YEAR TO DATE.
At the end of 2020, I made some big changes to help me run a more aligned business and serve my clients even better in 2021. The three big changes I made were:
I shifted to offering one Signature Branding Package and one-on-one branding experience to my clients.
I let go of website design completely and focused on branding.
I decided to take on only 8-9 new branding projects for the entire year, dedicating one month to each client.
If you’ve been following me, you know this is a subtractive approach to business. I went from having 3 branding packages to 1. I stopped offering all the design services and instead focused on branding and graphic design (my first love and where my best skills lie). I took on the least number of projects I ever have.
But friends, the results speak for themselves. In addition to raising my prices, these changes helped me:
Create a simplified schedule and project flow that felt good and gave me the freedom and flexibility I desired in my every day.
Ensure that I was giving everyone I worked with my best creative energy and the attention they deserve.
Decrease my working hours to 20-25 hrs/week and spend the rest of my time with my little one.
Be more available to support my clients with on-going graphic design needs via Design Days.
Take two months off from big branding projects, for family time and to focus on my own business development and marketing.
And…
I was able to increase my income by almost 25% and reach the 6-figure income mark for the first time.
Hitting this milestone feels huge for obvious reasons. But the excitement is more centered around how I got there. I made more than I ever have while working less and focusing on the projects and type of work that really lights me up. That’s truly where the magic is.
Speaking of…
I worked with some truly wonderful businesses this year!
More celebrations…
Collaboration with a local theater company
I also had the opportunity to jump back onto the Lyric Arts team, as the Twin Cities-based theater prepared for the grand re-opening of their stage in fall 2021. I’ve been designing for them for years (fun fact: I used to be a full-time staff member there before I started my business!) and it was fun to dive back in and help them create this season’s overall look and feel.
In addition to crafting a show logo and graphic for each live production, I designed their annual season brochure, a suite of promo postcards that are sent out throughout the year, and large-scale show posters displayed in glass cases outside the theater. I also have the pleasure of designing their playbills throughout their season. All this layout and print design work (and color!) makes my heart VERY happy.
Below is a peek at the final show imagery!
More 2021 highlights:
I OFFERED A new DAY RATE SERVICE… and it was a game-changer.
I love supporting my branding clients with ongoing graphic design work and helping them implement their new visual identity into their everyday communications, marketing, and client/customer touchpoints. Although in the past, it’s been tricky for me to figure out where to easily fit these projects into my schedule, especially since I book out branding projects 3-4 months in advance.
The onboarding process was also time-consuming (a custom proposal, estimate, and detailed timeline) and the back-and-forth during the project over the extended period of time started to feel inefficient to me. I knew there had to be a better way of serving my clients.
After taking a workshop on Designer Day Rates from the lovely Jamie of Spruce Rd., I knew this type of service could be a great fit for me. I started by opening up just 2 “Design Days” per month. After doing more regular outreach to past clients (something I didn’t keep on top of in the past!), I was easily filling those two slots every month and added a third day to my calendar.
Clients are LOVING it. They simply book me for the day and we efficiently work through their design to-dos based on their priority list. It’s really straightforward, allows them to get on my calendar faster, has no complex timelines, and all final files are delivered by the next day. It’s also a great combo of structured (e.g. flat fee, content submitted in advance via a form I put together, rough schedule for the day so they know when they need to be available, etc.) and flexible (e.g. we can use the time however they want and there’s no set number of revisions within that time). And since I’m focused fully on that one client’s brand for one dedicated day and we take the time to prepare in advance, it’s incredible how much we can accomplish in one day. Which thrills my clients!
*I’m* loving it because it simplifies my schedule a whole lot and it gives me more brain space on a weekly basis. All non-branding projects are booked via Design Days now, so the only long-term project I have is my monthly new branding project. No more juggling multiple projects at a time, like I used to. Honestly, the trickiest part is ensuring I have childcare all day! But we’re in a good groove with that now and I’ll take that one dedicated day of design as opposed to all the back-and-forth over multiple weeks ;)
Design Days for the win. Adding this service was a big change and with how well it’s going, I don’t see myself going back!
I DEVELOPED SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE DESIGN REFERRAL PARTNERSHIPS.
One year after letting go of website design (I talked more about this change in my 2020 recap), I can say that it was ABSOLUTELY, 100% the best decision for me and my design studio. However, I knew many of my clients would still be looking for the full branding + website package and it's super important to me that they're well taken care of once our work on their branding is complete.
So, in 2021, I developed referral partnerships with some incredibly talented website designers who can take the branding I develop and create a beautiful, strategic, and impactful online home for my clients that aligns with their goals and engages their audience.
These collaborations have been rewarding in so many ways. My clients are thrilled with the trusted referral and the seamless experience we give them (transitioning the focus from branding to website)… not to mention the final product! And I get to support my referral partners’ businesses by sending vetted clients their way that value what they do right off the bat. It’s truly incredible to see what these web designers create for my clients (I get so giddy excited when I get that first look at their sites!).
This also allows me to focus on my first love of branding and graphic design and streamline my schedule… which has dramatically changed how I operate in my business (for the better)! Can’t wait for more collaborations in 2022.
I BECAME more comfortable experimenting.
I’m an Enneagram One to the core and sometimes drag my feet starting something new or trying a new approach to business. I want evidence that what I’m spending my time doing is actually going to be beneficial or create the results I want to create. Part of it is not liking to fail, but I think it’s more that I don’t like to waste time.
With the encouragement of my business coach, I’ve exercised my experimenting muscles more this year and became more comfortable trying new things without having all the answers (I never did anyway, right?). Not that I started making decisions arbitrarily or without a thought about how it would affect my business and my everyday. But when an idea or approach felt aligned, I actually put pen to paper, made a plan, did the thing, and, after a designated amount of time, I evaluated whether this was something I wanted to continue.
If I didn’t want to continue, that didn’t mean it was a failure. It was good information to have — I knew it didn’t work well for me. So, I could then adjust how I was doing it or close that door completely and put my energy elsewhere. It wasn’t time wasted unless I started going down a road again that I know doesn’t lead where I want it to go.
Some things that worked out really well: hiring a VA for 5 hours/week, taking work email off my phone so I can be more present with my daughter, committing to monthly newsletters (without feeling guilt that I “should” send out more), offering Design Days as the only way for clients to work with me on-going
Things that didn’t work out so well: putting a lot of energy + resources toward Instagram content creation (even when repurposing, I found it energy-sucking for not much return), adding a second annual sale on my Design Spirit course.
I reached out for more support.
After 3-4 months of coaching with Ashley, I knew that I had simplified my schedule and services to a place that felt good to me. But looking at my marketing goals and new ideas I wanted to experiment with, it became apparent that getting some extra support may be a helpful next step to take.
I’ve always been mostly a one-woman-show and have been comfortable there. I’ve had a small team of a production designer and bookkeeper for the past few years, which has been absolutely instrumental in keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes. But then I started working with Madison of Keeping the Creativity and things really started to come together. Six months later, I don’t know that I’ll ever go back.
As a VA, Madison helps take so much off my plate in just 5 hours/week AND keeps me moving on projects that would undoubtedly fall the wayside (because, again, #mamapreneurship). Pinterest management, social media content creation, website updates, copyediting, putting systems in place for collecting feedback from clients and students, custom coding my client documents and workbook so they look prettier, automating Design Day booking, tech stuff that I HATE….
Madison has helped me with all of these tasks and more. I feel lighter. I feel more sane. I feel more supported. And although I consider myself a pretty motivated person, being accountable to someone else has been immensely helpful to keep the needle moving forward on marketing projects and other business goals.
And I’m learning a lot about myself. I learned that I’m not a good starter but I’m a good finisher. I (re)learned how overly detailed I can be sometimes and I’m working on distinguishing when to use that skill to my benefit and when to say, “good enough.” Madison has been oh-so-patient with me with all of this and I feel really lucky to have her on my team!
My biggest takeaways from the year:
Embracing that the lines are blurry in motherhood + small business ownership… but I choose this. As tough as some days can be, there are also so many beautiful days of this beautiful life I’ve built. And it’s important to take a moment to acknowledge them, appreciate them, and realize that this is what I’ve always wanted. I really can’t imagine life any other way.
I have the privilege of showing my daughter what it looks like to work hard and serve others well while supporting your family and being passionate in your work. I get to do both. So although I do want to stay as present as possible when I’m taking care of her, it’s okay for her to see me working. Once in a while, I may need to work while she plays (if she lets me) or watches the first 30 minutes of Toy Story for the millionth time. Again, the lines are blurry.
When life feels especially hard (or even when it’s not!), I can allow business to be easy and let it support my physical and emotional needs. I can focus on my must-do(s) and take arbitrary deadlines and anything else off my plate.
Sleep is, like, really important and I can’t continue ignoring it. I’m a much better mother, wife, designer, and human when I prioritize getting 7 hours of sleep. Now that Avery is (finally) sleeping through the night, I’m working on getting into a better routine which includes getting to bed earlier.
Looking ahead to 2022…
Here’s what to expect from me this year and how we can work together!
MY signature branding package
I’ll be offering my Signature Branding Package and one-on-one branding experience again this year! This package is perfect for small business owners who are ready to invest in a thoughtful and inspired full visual identity that shines a light on their mission, aligns with their values, and speaks to their audience in a meaningful way. In addition to your custom brand styling, you’ll also have the opportunity to customize your package with a set of marketing collateral and/or graphics that best fit your business needs.
I approach our time together as a true collaboration — we work together as a team and I provide you with choices throughout our process, so you walk away feeling like your fingerprints are on the design. Your brand will feel like you.
I’ll continue to take on limited clients this year, to ensure I’m giving each and every business owner the attention they deserve.
design spirit: my graphic design course!
I’m so excited to continue to help small business owners hone their design skills in my self-paced graphic design course, Design Spirit. I love seeing students hop into the course throughout the year and teaching them the design fundamentals, so they can improve their marketing visuals and create more polished and professional graphics that connect with their audience.
If this is peaking your interest, I’d love to see you inside the course!
My Design Spirit Referral Program is launching in early 2022. Interested in becoming a referral partner? Reach out to me at allison@alliemariedesign.com.
SIGNATURE DESIGN WORKSHOP
In 2021, I created a free signature design workshop for online communities and memberships to help small business owners feel more confident in their design skills and how they’re putting themselves out there.
In this workshop, I teach small business owners 3 key strategies to help them instantly transform and professionalize their marketing graphics and collateral pieces. They’ll walk away with improved design and layout skills, as well as actionable and strategic design techniques that they can start using right away to support their marketing goals. Students will also learn how to create marketing visuals with more ease and confidence - both for their own business and for work they do for their clients!
Interested in having me bring this workshop to your community? I’d love to chat!
Cheers to an impactful and transformative year!
Looking forward to what 2022 brings, including more of the same (which I absolutely love the sound of) and a brand new offering especially for designers that I’m so excited to share.
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