Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Young.
Lisa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was working as an Associate Art Director with a well known sports and entertainment company, feeling uninspired, VERY burnt out and creatively dull. After countless crying fits, sleepless nights, and tons of overtime, I took a leap of faith and went out on my own. My husband agreed to back me 100% in my venture and became my silent and then “not so silent” partner in the business 🙂
The business began in our tiny Burbank home in mid-2012 while I was still working full-time. After 8-10 hour days, plus my Downtown LA commute, I would freelance nights and weekends just to get my feet wet. To say it was one of the hardest times of my career is an understatement but my hard work paid off. I gave my notice and hit the ground running.
I started working full-time from our bedroom – Moving from our bed to my new, full-time, work station. With showers of course :). This set-up drained what was left of my creative energy, so I moved the office into the living room. Then the kitchen. To say the least, it was a pretty stressful time. I even had my Mom come Feng Shui the space!
During my transition from corporate designer to small business owner, I was more than scared. Everyday felt like I had made a HUGE mistake but I promised myself I would NEVER go backward, only forward.
Good luck or karma brought peers, friends and old job contacts into my work-life. Once hearing about my move, each reached out for design help or to pass on overflow work and even clients! I was blown away at the amount of support I received and the “you go girl” emails and calls. Now I had to fake it until I made it, which I did. Every. Single. Day.
After the first year of working from home and going a little stir crazy, I found my first office space in Eagle Rock, CA. This was the BIGGEST move I made to date. Well, other than leaving my corporate job! I was offered a year lease but was too freaked out to sign, so it was month to month for me. My husband was very pleased with that decision :). I stayed there for over a year, taking on more clients and feeling more confident. A year later, I moved back to our home town of Burbank to a small office inside a motion graphics company. I stayed for over a year until they grew in size and needed my office. Sigh. This left me with the option of moving back to our tiny home (heck no!) or finding another space. Thankfully, I chose the latter.
Last year my husband and I moved the office to Pasadena, added our company name to the door and an official directory listing downstairs. I had finally moved up in the world.
Today I run a thriving, one-woman business, with clients ranging from a county run organization to a sports app company. If you asked me in 2012 where I would be today, I never thought I would be this far ahead and making it work.
Has it been a smooth road?
Yes and No. Working and living in a small space can really be a drain on creativity. So can working by yourself all day. Once you adapt to each, things tend to smooth out BUT having freedom to come and go is truly worth the fight.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Olive + Spark Design Studio – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We specialize in print and some web design and are looking to add marketing and writing skills to our list.
I am proud to have made the business work for the last five years. Many people had told me that most small businesses fail within the first two years but I kept ours going. That’s a feat in itself!
I am proud to work with clients who contribute crucial services to their communities and care about their clients. Working alongside them daily makes my job more rewarding, every day.
Our willingness to become part of a team sets us apart from a lot of agencies. Other designers talk down to their clients – We listen, absorb and work together to create. We strive to stay connected to every project, from start to finish, no matter how long the project continues. We never lose focus and we truly care about each client and their project.
But I’m most proud of our big hearts 🙂
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Diversity is so important to me and LA brings that every day. Without diversity, life becomes stale and being a designer, stale is not where you want to be.
Traffic! I could definitely live without traffic.
Contact Info:
- Address: 959 East Colorado Boulevard, Suite 244
Pasadena, CA 91106 - Website: www.olivespark.com
- Phone: 626.486.2144
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/olivesparkdesign/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/OliveSparkDesignStudio
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/olivesparktweet
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/olive-spark-design-studio-pasadena
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
