We recently connected with Ashley Moore and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I 100% wish I had started my business sooner. When I was young it never really occurred to me that I could own my own business. I assumed I would grow up, have a family, and stay home with my kids because that’s the way I was raised to see things. It wasn’t until I was freshly divorced and a single mom that I realized I was going to have to go back to work. I ended up in a few different jobs, one of those being marketing and I really excelled at not only the marketing aspect, but managing others. Although I was excelling at work, putting my daughter in daycare was taking a big emotional and financial toll on our family. Juggling pick-up and drop-off, constant illness, and the sadness of missing out on a huge portion of her life made my job bittersweet. About 18 months into that position, my husband and I found out we were expecting. This was the final nail in the coffin for my traditional 9-5 job. The moment I saw I had a positive pregnancy test, I knew there was no way I would return to the workforce after having my next child.

I didn’t know how we would financially survive without me returning to work but I was willing to do anything to be able to stay home with my kids. This led me down the path of starting my own business so I could have the flexibility of staying home but also make an income. At the time, it was purely out of necessity. I don’t think I ever would’ve even thought of starting my own business were it not for that reason.

Now, nearly ten years in I am SO glad that I took the leap and I only wish I had done it sooner! Not only has it benefited my family financially, I love that my children (both girls) now see that owning a business as a female is an option for them. I’m so glad to be a small part of empowering our young generation to take risks and dream big!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Ashley Moore. I am a wife, mom, and small business owner. Our family is blended so I am a stepmom to two kids and mom to two other kids! My business is ACM Digital Design. We offer marketing services to other small businesses. Our core services are social media management and website design but we offer many other services like graphic design, email marketing, copywriting, etc.

The beauty of the services we offer is that you walk away with the best employee EVER (your online presence). Most small business owners would kill to have an amazing salesperson working for them 24-7-365. That’s exactly what a strong digital presence is. Think about it. Your website never calls out sick. Your social media profiles aren’t ever going to flake and not show up for work. They work tirelessly to promote your business EXACTLY how you want them to. If your digital presence is done strategically, you can legitimately get sales while you sleep! That is where we come in and help small businesses do just that.

Starting a business can be a very overwhelming process. My clients love knowing they have me and my team as a resource to reach out to as they are launching their business online. We guide them through it every step of the way, whether we are just offering advice or doing it for them.

When it comes to my business, I am most proud of the relationships I have formed with my clients. In fact, I still work on a monthly basis with my very first paying client (nearly ten years later). I become a partner with each and every one of my clients and love not only watching their businesses grow but being a part of that!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

In person local networking by far! I network in multiple local groups, especially female owned business networking groups. Beyond that, I make sure we provide excellent customer service to each client. In doing so, they are happy to refer their friends and peers to us!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The book Storybranding by Donald Miller. It is more focused on branding than entrepreneurial pursuits but I feel that branding often gets overlooked when people start a new business. This book is a foundational read in my opinion. It’s a fabulous guide to help you hone in on the story of your brand and how you can effectively reach your audience through powerful messaging. You really need to have a clear idea of this BEFORE you build a website, design a logo, create socials for your business, etc. Highly recommend for any new or struggling business owner!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.acmdigitaldesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acmdigitaldesign
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acmdigitaldesign
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-digital-design-llc/

Image Credits

Suzanne Barnes