One of my friends is doing a paper on me for college. It's about a woman entrepreneur...which I happen to be. I was so flattered that she asked to do hers on me...so of course I said yes. I thought she had really good questions, so I wanted to post the Q and A here :)
-How did you come up with the name "Edub" for your company?
Edub is just my initials- EW :)
-How do you balance your priorities (family, business, leisure time, etc.)?
My family is always first. I plan work around Riley's naps and "play time." I don't work on weekends or when Sean is home, unless it's imperative that I get a design out. I work in the mornings usually and start cleaning and cooking around 4. I'm still working on finding leisure time, but I enjoy what I do, so I guess that is my leisure time!
-What kind of advice do you have for other women looking to start their own business?
For women starting their own business: Have confidence in what you are doing, and find a niche (something that people will want). Having said that, start small. I had big dreams, so it was easy for me to get overwhelmed. By just starting out with $10 jobs, I knew I could grow from there. I'm still in the growing stage, but I know I couldn't have done this if I didn't believe in what I was doing.
-How do you see the future of Edub? 5 years, 10 years down the road?
5 years- I plan to do websites in the near future, but I also want to be more knowledgeable, so I might put everything on hold to get a bachelor's degree in graphic design. I'm thinking it might take me a few years since I don't want to go full-time. In the mean time, I want to start a printing business to attract more customers (I lose some because I don't print :P) And I'm going to start a scrapbooking business.
10 years- By now, the kids will all be in school :) So, I want to do this full-time while they're at school. I also want to have a few employees to help me with the printing and designing. This is where the whole dream big thing comes into play!
-Also, could you give me a date/time frame of when you learned graphic design, then found out about etsy stores and started bidding, and when you made your own business?
Timeline: First off, I've been doing graphic design for forever, but I only used paint. My dad told me to go into graphic design, but I didn't listen :) Parents really do know what they're talking about!
February 2007- Started digital scrapbooking...realized I was pretty good at it!
August 2007- I started writing and designing my company's handbook. This is when I really got interested in graphic design.
April 2008- Moved to Arizona. My company still let me keep my job, but the business was really slow, so I mostly practiced designing while I was there!
July 2008- Lost my job with my company, so Sean and I lived off our savings for the rest of the year. I really started brainstorming about what I could do...
April 2009- Started designing logos for $10 on etsyI have since raised my prices (obviously), and I get about 2 or 3 clients a week!
If you have questions, or would like to know more, just leave a comment!!
This is a picture of my sister-in-law (janet's daugher, by the way!) and my niece. I love this picture, so I had to put it on her business card!
Will post more updates when I have my supplies ready!!
Clever Cupcake makes these cute pendants...all custom made with your design. Be sure to check her out! Right now she has her Halloween banner up...which I also designed :)
At first she wanted it to be mostly green, but after playing around with it, I really liked the turquoise color for the font...and she agreed. I LOVE the colors in this. I think it's perfect for dancing attire :)
Janet did my wedding pictures and they turned out AMAZING. She is seriously so talented. She is in the Phoenix area, so if you are there and need pictures, check her out!
