Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Lynn.
Angela, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I went to school for advertising and quickly learned the advertising agency world didn’t suit me. Working as an office manager, I shifted my way back to marketing for a few small tech firms in Chicago. Eventually, I decided I really wanted to work with independent business owners, getting them on their feet and feeling confident growing their businesses. I’m a big-picture thinker and I wanted to help them put all the pieces together to start making sense of marketing a small business. I started my company at the beginning of 2013, at first doing everything from coding website, to managing social media accounts, to designing catalogs. I’ve continued to educate myself and evolve my business. Now, I am empowering my clients through teaching, consulting and providing user experience design, a radically different approach to design. I started offering classes last year and will continue to offer more.
On top of empowering clients to grow their businesses, I also want to empower them to build a life for themselves that is truly their own. Knowing it is best to lead by example and wanting to design a life I love, I have been starting to spend my winters in Latin America. Hello from gorgeous Granada, Nicaragua!
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?
Getting my business started was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It was terrifying! I left my job with one client to call my own. I was going to give it about six months until I went back and got a “real job” if I couldn’t find a second client.
At about the six month mark, still with just my one client and feeling dejected, I met Heidi Massey. She was so impressed with me, told me, I was absolutely smart and talented enough to make it as a freelancer and encouraged me to keep going. I got two new clients a week later. Heidi and I are still great friends and often collaborate on projects together.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Make It Radiant – what should we know?
I teach small businesses how to do marketing in a way that is authentic and doable. The most brilliant marketing strategy will be useless if it can’t be implemented in a sustainable way!
I specialize in user experience design, which is all about viewing your marketing from your user’s perspective and testing your marketing whenever possible to constantly improve and evolve your message and offerings. I provide online classes, one-on-one consulting and graphic design services.
I think what sets me apart is that there really aren’t many freelancers or agencies out there offering user experience concepts to small businesses and solopreneurs. It’s definitely happening in the startup world but if you don’t have a venture capitalist backing your business, user experience design might not have even been on your radar! Though, it’s so perfect for small businesses because it’s a process of marketing that requires less up front investment and evolves through small iterations. It’s less expensive and it allows the business owner to learn in the process. Plus it teaches them to truly listen to their clients. So much good stuff!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Authenticity. I’m all about doing what feels right. I want my clients to feel empowered, I want my client’s clients to feel heard and validated and I want to go to bed each night knowing I’m doing some great work. I want to help my clients never have to get a “real job” again. I want to help them be independent and sustainable, to thrive, to live balanced, fulfilling lives. I believe this will lead happier individuals and more connected communities. I believe it will help create the world I want to see, at least in my own little way.
Pricing:
- Graphic Design Service or Marketing Consulting – $100/hr
- Weekly Online Classes – $30/each
- Monthly Class Subscription (4 classes/month) + Monthly One-on-One + Monthly Report – $250/month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.makeitradiant.com
- Phone: 312-772-2814
- Email: angela@makeitradiant.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeradiant/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakeItRadiant/
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