We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeanea Proctor-Mills. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeanea below.

Jeanea, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

It all started small – I mean, really small. Charging $50 to $75 per graphic, just trying to see who’d be interested. It was all about getting my foot in the door, making a name for myself, even when it felt like nobody was willing to pay what I thought my work was worth. There were days when it felt like more folks were saying no than yes.

After feeling a bit drained from low fees and high demands, I decided to shake things up. I began offering these full branding packages – talking logos, websites, social media stuff, the whole nine yards, for $250. It was a lot for little, but it was my way of showing what I could really do. I needed to prove not just to my clients, but to myself, that my designs were worth more.

I gradually bumped my prices from $250 to $750. That might sound like a big leap, but it was necessary. I started seeing my value and it was high time my pricing reflected that. And guess what? People were willing to pay for quality, and soon I was as busy as ever.

Success came with its own challenges. There were nights I’d camp out at Starbucks till 10 PM just trying to keep up with all the projects. That’s when I realized I couldn’t do it all alone anymore. I started to build a team, bringing on folks who shared my passion and vision. This wasn’t just about sharing the workload; it was about growing our creative family.

Joining a coaching program was a game-changer for me. It opened my eyes – I was selling myself short, getting played, and it was time to step it up. This helped me refine my offerings and finally start charging what I truly deserved. I wouldn’t say that I’d join a program again, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t learn something from it.

While I was on maternity leave in 2020, I decided to start a waitlist. Coming back to find over 100 people waiting was beyond my wildest dreams. It made my return not just a comeback but a real splash, raking in over $80K.

This journey’s taught me more than I could’ve imagined – from refining my craft to handling the business side of things. Every hiccup taught me something new and every success confirmed I was on the right path.

One thing that really helped me was learning the ropes of marketing. Getting the word out there was key. I pumped up my social media game, shared success stories, and really let my work speak for itself. It helped me connect with more people than I ever thought possible.

Scaling up MrsJDesigns wasn’t just about business growth; it was a personal journey, too. It was about staying true to my roots while learning to fly. It’s been real, with real struggles and real triumphs. And that’s what makes this whole adventure worth sharing.

Jeanea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I think it’s safe to say that I was destined to become an entrepreneur. I’ve always been a creative person: I draw, I write, and was even a poet (in fact, my mother and grandmother actually have some of my first drawings & poems). I was also the kid that was always trying to figure out how to make money on her own. And my very first business was taking lemons from my mama’s kitchen and setting up a lemonade stand.

I learned to design graphics using the OG Windows 98 + Microsoft Publisher, and I started working for my grandmother’s business, Mrs. Tate Fashions, at the age of 14 for $25 a graphic. Throughout college, I continued to work for my grandmother and supported organizations on campus.

Even after graduating college, design remained a consistent factor in my life so I decided to start my company. In September 2016, MrsJDesigns (a name given by my grandmother) was born.

The beginning days of business were hard. I would charge $50 – 75 per graphic, just to see who would bite. I gained several clients, although the folk weren’t trying to pay my fee (*in my Marlo Hampton voice, folk drained me). So I started to get more and more interested in building a business, and figuring out how I could do it better.

I made my first pivot in business and began selling full branding, design, coaching and creative direction pacakages: I’m talking logos, business cards, banners, social media graphics, full website design, coaching them through business pain points, and offering creative direction for brand shoots for the low price of $250 (I know, I was doing the absolute most for pennies.)

But the truth is—I didn’t think that anyone would pay more for my services and I didn’t see the magnitude and value of what I was doing. But I’d eventually increase my prices from $250 to $750 and boy was I was booked and busy.

But I was overwhelmed and overworked.

There were days I would be at Starbucks working with clients until 10:00 at night. I knew something was still off.

I eventually joined a coaching program that helped me realize I was getting played like a fiddle. I clarified and refined my offers, and finally started charging the premium price I knew I deserved.

Fast forward to 2020, while on maternity leave from my business, I created a waitlist and was surprised to see that there were over 100 people on it, and at my return I made over $80K in revenue.

I came back with vengeance and I’ve decided I’m not looking back. As one of the industry’s few triple threats, I help CEOs create stress-free brands through Brand strategy, Systems Development, and Brand and Web Design. Within the last year, I’ve began packaging my offers into Virtual Assistant, and Operations Management services as well. I LOOOOOVE working with people who really want to show up and position themselves as the only option in their industry.

It’s really about the impact more than the money and l value creating business relationships. I love where my business is headed—and the journey, well the journey got me here.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One major lesson I had to unlearn as I developed MrsJDesigns was the idea that “cheaper is more competitive.” When I started out, I thought keeping my prices low would bring in more clients and help me stand out in a crowded market. My initial pricing strategy was all about accessibility, charging $50 to $75 per graphic. It felt like a safe way to attract attention and get a foot in the door without scaring potential clients away with higher costs.

The backstory to this revolves around my early days in the business when securing any client felt like a win. I was eager, enthusiastic, and, admittedly, a bit naive about the true value of my work. This mindset led to an overwhelming amount of work for less pay, which wasn’t sustainable. I was hustling hard, but the returns didn’t match the effort and passion I was pouring into my projects.

It was a real turning point when I began to recognize that this approach undervalued my services and expertise. I realized that by setting my prices so low, I wasn’t just impacting my earnings but also how clients perceived the value of my work. It was a tough lesson in understanding that price often reflects quality in the eyes of consumers.

So, I took a leap of faith and restructured my pricing, first to $250 for comprehensive branding packages and later increasing to $750. Each increase brought a mix of fear and excitement. It was a test to see if my clients truly believed in the value I provided. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, my business didn’t just survive; it thrived. Clients began to see the work I did in a new light, and I started attracting a more serious clientele who respected not only my craft but also the business acumen behind it.

This journey taught me the importance of confidence in one’s value. Unlearning the “cheaper is better” mindset wasn’t just about earning more—it was about respecting my own skills and signaling to the market that good design is worth investing in. It was a game-changer for MrsJDesigns, allowing me to grow sustainably and focus on delivering the highest quality to clients who were now just as invested in their products as I was in mine.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I started MrsJDesigns, the path to gathering the initial capital was pretty grassroots and intimately tied to my day job at the time. I was working as a case manager in a nonprofit organization. It wasn’t a job that made me rich by any means, but it was fulfilling and offered a steady paycheck. Each month, I made a commitment to myself and my future business: I’d set aside a little bit of my paycheck to fund my entrepreneurial dream.

This method of funding was gradual and required a lot of discipline. Each cut from my paycheck meant tightening the belt elsewhere in my personal budget. I prioritized essentials and cut down on unnecessary expenses, keeping my eyes on the bigger picture. The money I saved went into purchasing the basic tools I needed to get MrsJDesigns off the ground—things like a decent computer, software licenses for design programs like Adobe Suite, and initial marketing materials to promote my services.

Starting small, I didn’t have the luxury of splurging on high-end equipment or fancy office spaces. Instead, I worked from my small home setup, learning to make the most of what I had. This lean approach helped me focus on building my skills and portfolio, rather than worrying too much about outward appearances.

This bootstrap method taught me valuable lessons in financial management and resourcefulness—skills that have been incredibly useful as the business has grown. It reinforced the idea that starting a business doesn’t always require massive capital; it can begin with what you have, as long as you’re willing to invest in yourself and your vision steadily.

By funding MrsJDesigns in this personal and incremental way, I maintained full control over my business, avoiding outside investors or loans. This approach allowed me to grow at my own pace and keep the business aligned with my original vision, ensuring that every decision was truly mine and reflected the core values I set out with.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mrsjdesigns.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mrsjdesigns
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/mrsjdesigns
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jeaneaproctormills
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/mrsjdesigns

Image Credits
Brand Photography by Merisa Humes Photography (www.merissahumesphoto.com)