We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lina Cordero a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Our mission at Onlychild is to help women founders and female entrepreneurs have a bigger impact with their brands. Because we want to see a world that’s built with women in mind.

The story behind it? Well, I am not really proud of it but let me paint a picture of the start of it all: It was 2018, I was on the cusp of a life-changing moment – not only was I nine months pregnant, ready to give birth any day, but I was also about to give birth to something else: Onlychild. I was working at a company that was, well, shall we say, a tad male-dominated and the challenges I faced during my pregnancy and early motherhood were the spark that ignited the fire within me.

I was on maternity leave, literally having contractions yet I was still tethered to my phone. My boss, blissfully unaware of the concept of maternity leave, was calling me, asking for “last-minute changes” to a presentation. And to my amazement, I was making those changes while in labor! It took my husband’s assertive call to the company to make them finally stop pestering me.

I look back at that story and of course, I want to punch little Lina in the face for not standing up for herself. But I also want to hug her. She and a thousand other women navigating a system that’s not made to support them. – a system where maternity leave is a mere three months, where we don’t have any type of child-care support and where there isn’t much support to navigate balancing motherhood and work.

But the challenges for women are not limited to mothers. Gender pay gaps persist, glass ceilings limit opportunities for leadership, and male-dominated industries remain tough for female entrepreneurs. And let’s not talk about societal expectations and biases that can hinder our progress.

Despite these obstacles, women are pushing boundaries, breaking stereotypes, and inspiring change. We’re lucky to call many of these women our clients. At Onlychild, we’re here to support their journey and rewrite the narrative for women in business because we know that when women succeed, the world becomes a better place for all.

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.

Onlychild is a female-forward full-service design studio.

Our goal is to help entrepreneurs bring their visions to life through powerful, authentic branding. As a female founder myself, I’m passionate about giving women the visibility they deserve. That’s why I pour my heart into crafting kick-ass visual identities that truly capture the essence of your brand. For me, design is not just a job – it’s a way to create a better world for all women, one brand at a time.

Our services allow us to build, grow and sustain brands of all budgets and sizes. We know branding doesn’t end at a logo and we offer all types of services to fit all your brand needs and beyond. Our offerings encompass everything from Brand Strategy, Visual Identity, Website Design and Development, to Packaging Design, Social Media Design, and beyond.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

One of the top sources of new clients for us – and the one that I am definitely more proud of – is word of mouth! We have a network of INCREDIBLE clients, many of whom are part of large entrepreneurial networks, venture capitals or incubators. We’re lucky to constantly be recommended by them.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One thing I’ve come to reevaluate is the notion of exclusively partnering with women or women-led businesses. While they still make up a significant portion of our clientele (and I love it that way!), I’ve also encountered outstanding men on this journey. Recognizing that male allies play a vital role in the larger picture of building a more equitable world alongside women.

Contact Info:

• Website: onlychildesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onlychildesign
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/licordero/
• Behance: https://www.behance.net/onlychildesign

Image Credits
(just for photography of Lina) : Photo by Jenny Ruiz