Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiera Turner.
Tiera, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Greetings, I am Tiera LaVin. Mother of two handsome princes, lead designer and operator of T Styles Graphics, owned by God. I am 27 and reside in Detroit, Michigan. I was born in the Bay and come from a lineage of entrepreneurs. My grandpa owned his mechanic shop in Compton, my grandma owns her nail salon in San Francisco, Nails By LaVinia, and my mother owns her own graphic design company, SydGrafix. I have been designing since I had my first computer at the age of 10. I played around and made banners for Crushpot and MySpace pages. It wasn’t until 2016 when I was pregnant with my first son that I realized design was surely a passion of mine and to go after it. It’s been history ever since! I haven’t worked a full time job since 2018 and God willing, 2020 will be my last year working for someone other than myself fully. I love designing! I specialize in logos and branding packages for just about every industry; startups and established businesses. My job is to make other brands relevant.
I recently published my EBook, titled “It Takes More Than A Logo”. This book focuses on business and branding, mainly for beginners or entrepreneurs who may not have any guidance and need some further instructions. I wanted to make sure my clients knew what they were doing overall for their business, not just the branding side. I kept running into the same questions from my clients so I put all of the answers in this book! The book is available on Amazon and my website!
T Styles Graphics has opened up my eyes to so much as an entrepreneur and lead me to open many other doors. This year I’m putting my sonshine’s on the map with their own vending company, Vend Bros. I want to set the tone for their future now and show them the option of owning your own business. My oldest son was recently diagnosed with autism so I wanted to figure out something with structure and routine to help him! My goal in life ultimately is to raise healthy and happy children and to follow my God given passions and talents. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I believe that my struggle along the way has been a beautiful piece to my puzzle of life. For any entrepreneurs out there that may want to give up, don’t. Make it make dollars and cents. Never chase the clout!
Has it been a smooth road?
Ehhhhhh, smooth as in a roller coaster cranking to the top just to drop down at an accelerating rate?! No two days are the same when you are an entrepreneur. Perspective is a tricky thing. Everyone has one and usually they don’t align with the next persons! When I first began TSG my issue was gaining clientele, which didn’t last long, but then the second issue arrived… Maintaining consistent clientele. That along with folk always trying to low ball my services at cheap prices. I don’t do $50 logos and that’s what some expect from local designers. I know my worth and my ability, so never downplay yourself! Keeping consistent clientele, juggling life, social life, networking, and just mental health can struggle at any time, any day.
The entire 2019 I battled with postpartum depression and anxiety while I was pregnant. My children share the same father but the family picture we painted slowly started to fade away. Dealing with that, on top of copping with other issues from the relationship, my anxiety skyrocketed during my recent pregnancy. I started seeing a therapist immediately and she helped me blossom and grow into who I am emerging into daily. Battling postpartum was the hardest thing of my life because I still had to get up daily, tend to my children, run my business, go to work, and maintain a life! Who knew keeping your brain intact and happy was such a job! But I pressed through!
Tell us more about your work.
T Styles Graphics is your amplified provider of visual solutions, making your brand relevant to your target market! TSG does the graphic design of all kinds and print! I specialize in logo designs, branding packages, and web design to make your brand consistent and cohesive. I am most proud of the fact that TSG is approaching year four! Things have not always been good but they’ve been afloat and that’s what matters to me. I have great clients and they’re happy so I am happy! What would set me apart from other designers is my drive to get the job done, swiftly and efficiently. I love it when my clients love their brands! My job is to save you from constant rebranding and wasted money. Working with me is an investment that pays off.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think times are shifting back to the old days if that makes sense. Social media has kind of tainted the way service providers come off so going back to the basics of client relations, door to door and face to face so that clients can know who they are working with. Social media is so blurry because so much is fake, so the only shift I could see TSG making is becoming more personable. I have had clients come to me after being scammed by an “Instagram designer” and I hate that! But things like that also lead people to do more research and invest wisely.
Pricing:
- Logos start at $150
- Branding Packages start at $125, and we now offer payment plans
- Web Design start at $500
Contact Info:
- Website: TStylesGraphics.com
- Email: info@TStylesGraphics.com
- Instagram: @TStylesGraphics
- Facebook: facebook.com/TStylesGraphics
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