Graphic design has been my profession for over 20 years (resume) and I have enjoyed every step of the way and still do. I have even been my own client, as I created thehugbox™. Before making my soft launch to family and friends, I met with mentors along the way. They were well-established creative directors, colleagues, SBA, business owners, my accountant, a lawyer and entrepreneur family and friends. I shared with them, to get feedback, my concept, business plan, my brand, logo, tagline and more and still do. I read a lot, researched many hours and watched a lot of educational videos about everything from how to write a business plan, how to get a trademark, how to get a wholesale license to how to market on social media. I was overwhelmed many times, but excited and determined all of the time. It’s still ongoing and I am still learning. Although my business is new and I may not have loads of cash rolling in, I did realize I need to hire some experts in order to get to the next place. I hired an accountant, and a consultant and know that in the near future I will need to hire more experts and a team of people to help me get hugboxes delivered. However, I saved money in the branding and design department, because I am an expert in that field. And it sure was fun (and challenging), and hopefully I will get paid soon!
Since launching my new businesss, thehugbox, I have discovered that there are so many talented artisans out there. Some are already established and have done their research and business plan and have a name, brand, logo, website, social media, product brochures, signage, email templates, business cards, promotional materials and more. Others are just getting started, they have a name or are still undecided. They may have an etsy site and some social media, but they aren’t quite there with their overall branding. They work from home, or still have part-time or full-time jobs. But one thing they know is that they have a passion and a desire to create and share with the world their products. But unfortunately I didn’t choose some, that I would have otherwise, because there wasn’t an established brand, logo, website, etc. I wouldn’t be selling gift boxes out there in the world, if I didn’t have an established brand, something for people to trust, engage with, a website to go to, and look at in a professional manner. And honestly, consistency is key, even though things are constantly changing with your business, you need some consistency with your brand… to make it stand out, be noticed.
While I researched (and still do) for artisans for thehugbox, I had attributes already set in my mind and with those, they would fit under thehugbox brand. The artisans would have to be eco-friendly, natural, handmade, made-in-the-USA, professional, have a brand established and a major bonus if they ‘give back’ in some way. Sometimes, I would find artisan products that I really liked and they fit all of that criteria, except they had… no actual business name, no logo, no website, no brand. That could be for a few reasons. One, they don’t have a desire to grow as a business. It is a hobby. Or two, they didn’t realize the importance of having a professional art director/designer develop the brand, create a logo and other graphic needs. Or three, they did realize all of that, but they didn’t have the budget to hire a professional, so they put something together to the best of their ability.
Here is where I come in. I don’t work for free of course (although I take on a probono project for a nonprofit every year), but I can certainly provide a one-time, 30 minute, free consultation to those who fall under reason two or three above. Here is why I want to do this:
1. I love what I do, graphic design and thehugbox.
2. One of the visions of both vwahlacreative and thehugbox is to support artisans and help their businesses grow.
3. There could possibly be a bartering opportunity…if your product fits in with thehugbox brand.
If you are interested, please contact me. I’d love to chat with you.