We recently connected with Sheri Imbornone and have shared our conversation below.

Sheri, appreciate you joining us today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

Like many businesses, my growth was anything but overnight.

I launched my business in 1999 after the birth of my second son. Before that, I worked in marketing and design roles within the telecommunications and IT industries. At the same time, I was a working artist, creating paintings and handcrafted jewelry that I sold at local events and displayed in New Orleans businesses.

The turning point came when people who purchased my artwork while visiting New Orleans wanted a way to see and purchase more after returning home. To solve that problem, I built a website to showcase my work online. Once I did, friends, colleagues, and local business owners started asking if I could build websites for them.

The timing was ideal. The internet was rapidly becoming a necessity for businesses, and demand grew steadily through word-of-mouth referrals.

The biggest factor in my growth wasn’t advertising or a grand business plan. It was simply taking care of clients and adapting as technology evolved. As websites became commonplace, clients needed help with search visibility. Then social media emerged, and suddenly businesses needed Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Instagram strategies, Google Business Profiles, and digital marketing support. Rather than staying in a single lane, I continuously learned new platforms and services so I could continue helping my clients succeed.

One of the most important decisions I made was not chasing growth for growth’s sake. Many businesses scale by adding employees and building larger teams. I chose a different path. I intentionally kept my business boutique and highly hands-on. Today, I still perform the majority of the work myself while partnering with a small network of trusted specialists for advanced technical needs. This allows me to maintain quality control, provide personalized service, and build strong long-term relationships with clients.

The biggest challenge wasn’t finding work—it was managing the workflow that came with it. As referrals increased and client retention remained high, there were periods when I worked incredibly long hours just to keep up with demand. Learning how to prioritize projects, set expectations, create processes, and protect my time became just as important as learning new technical skills.

Looking back, the most valuable lesson is that sustainable growth comes from relationships. Many of my clients have been with me for years, and some for decades. Every website, marketing campaign, or problem solved led to another referral, another opportunity, and another relationship.

My business didn’t scale because of a single breakthrough moment. It grew through thousands of small decisions made consistently over nearly three decades: doing quality work, staying adaptable, treating clients well, and continuing to learn as the digital world changed around me.

Today, I have more work than I can handle, but that’s the result of 27 years of showing up, evolving, and building trust one client at a time.

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.

‘m the founder of NOLA Media & Design, a New Orleans-based web design and digital marketing studio that I’ve owned and operated since 1999.

My background is in marketing and design within the telecommunications and IT industries, but I’ve always had a creative side. Long before starting my business, I was an artist creating paintings and handcrafted jewelry that I sold at local events and displayed in local businesses throughout New Orleans.

Ironically, that creative pursuit is what led me into web design. New Orleans attracts visitors from all over the world, and people who purchased my artwork would often contact me after returning home wanting to see more pieces or make additional purchases. To solve that problem, I built a website to showcase my work online. Soon after, friends, colleagues, and local business owners began asking if I could build websites for them as well.

What started as a creative solution quickly evolved into a business. As the internet grew, so did the demand for websites. Then social media arrived, followed by search engine optimization, online reviews, Google Business Profiles, and digital marketing. I’ve spent the last 27 years continuously learning and adapting alongside the technology while helping my clients do the same.

Today, I help businesses establish, improve, and maintain their online presence through website design, website maintenance, social media marketing, content creation, local search optimization, and digital strategy. My clients range from restaurants and healthcare providers to professional service firms, real estate professionals, senior living communities, home service companies, and nonprofits.

At the heart of it, I help business owners solve a very common problem: they know their business, but they don’t always know how to effectively present it online. I help bridge that gap by creating websites and marketing strategies that are professional, user-friendly, and designed to connect businesses with the people they serve.

What sets me apart is that I’ve intentionally remained a boutique business. While many agencies grow by adding layers of staff and account managers, I continue to work directly with my clients and personally oversee nearly every project. Clients aren’t handed off to a junior designer or support team. They work directly with the person doing the work.

Because of that approach, many of my client relationships span years—and in some cases, decades. I know their businesses, their goals, and often their families. Those long-term relationships have become one of the most rewarding aspects of my career.

What I’m most proud of isn’t a specific website, award, or accomplishment. It’s the trust I’ve built over nearly three decades. Many of my clients have stayed with me through multiple business expansions, rebrands, economic downturns, industry changes, and technological shifts. The fact that so many continue to trust me with their online presence year after year is something I never take for granted.

If there’s one thing I’d want people to know about me and my work, it’s that I genuinely care about the success of my clients. I don’t believe every business needs the biggest website, the newest trend, or the most expensive marketing campaign. I believe they need thoughtful solutions that make sense for their goals, budget, and audience. My role is to help them navigate an increasingly complex digital world so they can focus on what they do best—running their business.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One thing I’ve learned after nearly three decades in business is that resilience isn’t a single moment—it’s a series of moments where you simply decide to keep moving forward.

Living and working in New Orleans, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to practice.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina changed everything. Like many local business owners, I faced uncertainty, displacement, and the challenge of rebuilding both personally and professionally. But I also witnessed something remarkable: the resilience of our community. Businesses adapted, people helped one another, and we found ways to move forward. That experience taught me that flexibility isn’t optional—it’s essential.

Years later came another challenge that affected the entire world: COVID. Many of my clients suddenly found themselves navigating shutdowns, changing regulations, staffing shortages, and enormous uncertainty. Restaurants needed to pivot to online ordering. Service businesses needed new ways to communicate with customers. Everyone was scrambling to figure out what came next.

During that time, my focus shifted from simply providing services to helping clients survive. Websites were updated overnight, new marketing strategies were developed, and communication became more important than ever. It was stressful, but it reinforced something I’ve always believed: when times get tough, showing up consistently for people matters.

And then there was my divorce.

Unlike Katrina and COVID, that wasn’t a challenge shared by an entire community—it was deeply personal. While I wouldn’t recommend it as a business growth strategy, it certainly taught me a lot about perseverance, priorities, and discovering strengths I didn’t know I had. Running a business while navigating a major life transition isn’t easy, but it reminded me that even when life feels chaotic, clients still need support, projects still need to be completed, and bills still need to be paid.

Looking back, each of those experiences taught me a similar lesson: you rarely have control over the circumstances, but you always have control over how you respond.

Today, when I encounter challenges, I don’t panic as easily as I once might have. I’ve weathered hurricanes, economic downturns, industry changes, a global pandemic, and a divorce that occasionally felt like it deserved its own disaster designation.

Those experiences gave me confidence that no matter what comes next, I’ll figure it out—one step, one client, and one solution at a time.

Have you ever had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots in my career happened before I ever intended to start a web design business.

In the late 1990s, I was working in marketing and design within the telecommunications and IT industries while also pursuing my passion as an artist. I created paintings and handcrafted jewelry that I sold at local events and displayed in businesses around New Orleans.

Because New Orleans attracts visitors from all over the world, many of my customers were tourists. They would purchase a painting or a piece of jewelry while visiting the city, then return home to places across the United States—and sometimes other countries.

Soon, I started receiving calls and emails from people wanting to buy more artwork. Often, they’d display a painting in their home or wear a piece of jewelry, and friends, family members, or coworkers would ask where they got it. Those people wanted to purchase pieces as well, but there was no easy way for them to see my work from hundreds or thousands of miles away.

At the time, the internet was still relatively new for small businesses and artists. I realized I needed a way to showcase my work online so people could view it and purchase it no matter where they lived.

So I built a website.

What began as a simple solution for selling artwork unexpectedly changed the entire course of my career.

Once friends, colleagues, and local business owners saw my website, they began asking if I could create one for them. Before long, I was designing websites not only for myself, but for other businesses as well.

That experience taught me one of the most valuable lessons I’ve carried throughout my career: listen carefully to what people are asking for. Sometimes your next opportunity is hiding inside a problem you’re trying to solve.

What started as an artist looking for a way to reach customers beyond New Orleans became a web design business that has now served clients for nearly three decades. Had those customers not continued asking how they could buy more artwork after returning home, I might have never discovered the career path that ultimately became NOLA Media & Design.

Looking back, that pivot wasn’t something I planned. It happened because I was willing to adapt, learn a new skill, and follow where the demand was leading me. Sometimes the best opportunities arrive disguised as a simple customer request.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nolamediadesign.com
• Instagram: /nolamediadesign
• Facebook: /nolamediadesign
• Linkedin: /sherimora
• Twitter: /nolamediadesign