Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Lavigne.

Hi Hannah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The idea behind the start of my business was in 2019 when I had a co-worker who connected me with an older gentleman who was looking for someone to help him learn the ropes around social media. He owned a printing press card company with his fiance, who was trying to do the social media on her own but felt unqualified and uncomfortable navigating social media platforms. When I realized I could share my love for content creation, algorithms and social platforms, I knew it was time to bet on myself and take the leap. I was working as a server after many years in the corporate industry in a variety of admin and customer service positions but always felt unfulfilled- knowing my creativity was not flowing or being supported the way I yearned for it to be. I told my husband (boyfriend) at the time I was quitting my serving position and I was going to start helping small business owners learn the ins and outs of social media. Right around the time I quit my job, and started posting tips and tricks on my own social media platforms, Covid-19 began. The pandemic caused my business to BOOM because small business owners no longer had the option to be on social media, it was a necessity. With no website, no prices, no fancy marketing, I started getting inquiries from all sorts of business owners who needed help navigating a variety of social media channels. As time went on, about a year into business I started dabbling in website design & I fell in love with it- creating larger scale design projects and being given more creative liberty. I have continued to grow my business, from a name change, rebrand, and now I collaborate with other professionals who help me with social media, email marketing, branding and more! Today I no longer offer just social media, but have established myself in my community as website designer, brand strategist, and marketing expert. I have helped over 50+ small business owners in my area (Rochester NY, and surrounding areas) as well as out of state clients. I also have contracted clients I work with now and have been with for over a year. I have also started doing speaking engagements and workshops around all things branding, marketing, and design. I have now been in business almost 5 years and continue to grow my business thanks to my amazing community both in real life and online and my amazing clients who refer me to their friends and family.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No it has not. Between when I started my business and where I am today I have gotten through personal losses, a global pandemic, and all the uncertainities and fears that came with it. I struggled during the pandemic to find my joy in my work because of some personal things I went through (the loss of a child during pregnancy as well as the loss of my grandfather) and it took me a little while to find my spark again- and that is actually when I decided to make the change to my name, brand, and services- these struggles and the blessings (getting pregnant again after a 2nd trimester loss and having my rainbow baby, getting engaged, getting a home, getting married) have shaped me into the women and business owner I am today.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a website designer, brand strategist & marketing expert. I special in bespoke design and visual storytelling for women-owned, female-led small businesses. I am know for my eye for design, my opennness, my advocacy for maternal mental health, women’s health, design, creativity, community, family, being a mom/wife. I am most proud of my sobriety of over 10 years, being a mom to a beautiful almost 3 year old, a wife to my partner of 5 years and a women owned and operated small business. What sets me a part is my desire to educate and empower every client I work with, I want them to feel confident in their online presence, to not be afraid to find their voice and use it, to embrace their uniqueness and what makes them, them. I am also very open about all things grief, loss, motherhood, mental health, womens health, maternal mental health- I find it very important to share all the highs and lows, the real and the raw so people see that I am a human, I am a human just like them and how important owning our humanness is for building relationships and creating connections with others.

What were you like growing up?
Personality wise I was a goof ball, I was a diva for sure, I loved the attention on me, I was the definition of a girly girl, but also had this down to earth, get dirty and explore nature side of me- and being a mother to a little boy has really brought back that side of me. I was 1 of 5, I was the 2nd oldest and I very much love and admire the closeness I had with my siblings growing up. We were all homeschooled until we each entered 5th grade, at which point we were given the option to go to public school. I was interested in makeup, clothes, being outside, using my imagination, playing dress up or star wars or power rangers with my siblings and neighborhood kids. I loved strawberry shortcake, obi-won kanobi , betty spaghetti and all things 90s kids / early 2000s.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sagejamescreative.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sagejamescreative
• Facebook: facebook.com/sagejamescreative
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/sagejamescreative
• Other: www.sagejamescreative.myportfolio.com

Image Credits
NSP Studios