Business Journal: a place to celebrate wins & reflect - 32nd Edition

August’s highlights included a brand photoshoot, ice-cream inspired design work, some fun travel, and co-hosting my first Sunnyside Chats.

The Big Wins

• Did a brand photoshoot with Kara Hoganson at Second Shift Coworking. Kara is a St. Louis based designer and photographer and a student of Self-Made Artist Academy. Hope you enjoy this sneak peek with more to come!

• Saw my new Sue the T. Rex and Plesiosaur Skeleton stickers at The Field Museum! And also got to visit the Field Museum’s gift shop in O’Hare terminal one for the first time on my way to Colorado.

• Designed a fun ice cream cake brand graphic for a local business. Those who know me well know that ice cream is one of my favorite things, which made this project with Bartleby’s Ice Cream Cakes extra sweet!

General Updates + Accomplishments:

• Created semi-custom stickers for an ed-tech company to give out at career fairs. Did you know that we can customize any stickers from our wholesale collection to match your brand colors and even include your website or social media handle on them?

• Traveled to Colorado for a bachelorette party in Breckenridge and a visit with my brother. My best friend from kindergarten is getting married and it was great to celebrate her with friends from all different phases of her life. I also enjoyed spending a few days with my brother outside of Denver.

• Enjoyed summertime in Chicago. I celebrated my friend Teresa of SugarBliss getting into 25 Walgreens stores, attended as many Sundae Mondays at Longman & Eagle as I could, went to the #Belonging event at the Hairpin Arts Center, caught the Lyric Opera in the Park, and enjoyed a Dawes concert at Chop Shop.

• Took a trip to Post Lake, WI to visit family. The long weekend was filled with endless laughs, a boat ride, lots of home-cooked food, canoeing, UTV rides, and a campfire complete with s’mores.

• Co-hosted Sunnyside Chats with Leigh of Indigo & Violet Studio. (I am subbing for co-founder Andi Mints while she's on maternity leave.) The morning was filled with lots of business problem-solving and a light stretching activity as we met at Free Mvmt Shop for a change of pace. Save the date: the next SSC will be Wednesday, October 19th.

• Featured as the Leaper in the Airport Minority Advisory Council’s Legends and Leapers event alongside Michael Svagdis, Chief Executive Officer of SSP America. I also shared my entrepreneurial journey with Bradley students studying entrepreneurship.

• Made progress on a new sticker collection designed with independent bookstores in mind. I’ve been enjoying using my new iPad Air and Apple Pencil as I add to my growing wholesale sticker collection. More to come on this next month!

August went by quickly as I spent nearly a third of it out of state and enjoying time with friends and family as well as keeping up with business.

In September, I am most looking forward to taking some time off and traveling to Spain as well as getting some new branding and custom design projects on the calendar. If you’d like to work together this fall, now is the time to reach out.

On August 22nd, 2022, we celebrated my dad’s five-year transplantaversary. He received his second kidney transplant on August 22nd, 2017 as part of a chain of donations which included Bob, a living donor from his church.

Let this be a PSA to register to be an organ donor and consider living donation as well.

Thank you for being here, for supporting me, and for following along with my entrepreneurial journey.

PS - Have a project you’d like to chat about? Grab your free 20-minute project consultation + ensure your project gets on my calendar in 2022. Bring on all the logos, branded merchandise, + brand identity projects… let’s make some beautiful + impactful things together.