Today we’d like to introduce you to Allie Beauchesne.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Allie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Well— I made my first website at age fourteen on a platform called Angelfire, and I’m pretty sure it included some bad, teenage-angsty poetry. I taught myself to code and use design tools in high school, mostly so I could be the cool kid to design you a custom label for that CD you just burned.
I graduated college in Boston with a degree in business and marketing right before the economy tanked. While many of my friends struggled to find a job, I fell backwards into a tech startup at the ground level that went on to be my employer for many years — there, I learned a tremendous amount about business, technology, and, most of all, myself.
I spent a decade or so managing strategic partnerships, overseeing ad campaigns, developing crucial relationships with Fortune 500 clients, and generally keeping things on track for my company. All the while, however, I was doing what we now call the side hustle. I was designing Save the Dates for my friends who were getting married. I was making websites for small businesses that I cared about. I was picking up a camera more, and more, and more, and I was learning something outside of my day job, or what I thought was my “career,” every day.
Oh. And then I learned how to cook.
Thus began this never-ending love affair with creating beautiful things— in the kitchen, on my computer, behind the lens— to share with the world. When I finally left the corporate world at the end of 2017, I knew I was ready.
I needed that experience to pave the way for me to go out on my own. Because of my corporate background, I’m more professional and knowledgeable. I got to lead meetings, and get raises, and go on business trips to places like Amsterdam. It was absolutely awesome— but it never lit that fire in me like my creative work does. It took some serious support from my husband, family and friends to realize I could really do this. That this could be the career.
And now it is.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a long, bumpy road to say the least. While employed by that aforementioned startup, they offered to move my then-fiancé (now husband) Matt and I to California from Boston in 2014. We were in Los Angeles for barely five months when my mom had a massive brain aneurysm and stroke, and I ultimately found myself traveling back and forth from LA to Boston to help my father oversee her care. A year later, beat down and stressed out, my dad suffered a heart attack. While he recovered quickly and incredibly, Matt and I knew we couldn’t be 3000 miles away any longer. We moved back to Massachusetts, a mile away from the house I grew up in, to help them out. My mom has made tremendous strides in the past four years, but still requires constant care.
It had always been the plan for Matt and I to eventually settle in Illinois to be near his big, supportive family. When everything happened with my folks, however, we realized that future was going to look a little different. We decided to move my parents with us so we could provide the kind of attention they both could really use at this point in their lives. We packed up the house I grew up in (and my dad grew up in before me) in Massachusetts and bought a big house with a barn in New Lenox.
Through all of this, cooking and creating was my solace. When my mom was in the hospital for weeks on end and I’d spent day’s bedside holding her hand—unsure if she even knew I was there— I would eventually head home, kick off my shoes, and step into the kitchen. I’d lose myself in making something that would, as cliché as it may sound, nourish both my body and my soul.
Ironically, it was moving in with my parents that has afforded me the opportunity to start my own business. Working from home was a necessity, doing what I love was an incredible bonus.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about AllieBeau Creative – what should we know?
AllieBeau Creative is comprised of two things: photography and design. I specialize in food, beverage and product photography and work with a wide array of brands to create stunning images of their goods. Food and beverage photography is undoubtedly my favorite thing to do. Whether I am in my home studio meticulously styling a cocktail, or standing on a chair in the back of a restaurant shooting their new menu; I feel like it takes a true foodie to create mouthwatering images.
I also love to capture candid, tender moments and occasionally photograph families, events and weddings.
The design facet of the business includes website design and development, graphic and logo design, and brand strategy. I help many fellow entrepreneurs and small businesses find their voice in this crazy digital world. From running campaigns on social media to building clean, beautiful websites– I want the world to see your business with those ever elusive heart eyes.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I’m real. I won’t give you a long sales pitch or waste your time.
I try to take on projects about which I am passionate– so naturally, some clients include a hot sauce purveyor, a distillery, and a beer shop– so the work comes naturally and the client can easily see I have their best interest at heart.
Pricing:
- Photography packages for restaurants, products and brands starting at $479
- Website packages starting at $1200
- Logo and branding packages starting at $355
Contact Info:
- Address: New Lenox, IL
- Website: alliebeau.com
- Email: hello@alliebeau.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliebeau/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alliebeaucreative/
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago 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.
