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

Alissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?

When I sat down to write this, it took me far too long to see a clear answer. I was trying to be insightful and was hoping for this “aha” moment to tell you all about. But honestly, it doesn’t happen that way. You don’t just one day wake up and say “wow, I get it”. It’s years of hard work, breakdowns, fear of failure, and constantly questioning yourself that gets you through to the next stage. And when we’re in it, we don’t realize it. But when we’re past it, it often takes something else just as tough to force you to look back and realize just how far you’ve come.

That being said, if I haven’t scared you off already, the most important lesson I learned from a prior job that stuck with me through my business was understanding the importance of wearing multiple hats. I think a lot of negativity surrounds this topic, especially in small businesses and startups, and is often linked to being overworked, burnout, and quite honestly just giving up altogether. But, in my experience, it can be such a powerful lesson to learn, and I’ll tell you why.

I started my career in smaller businesses, ultimately giving over a decade of my time to a small tech startup. I spent my time learning the ins and outs of the software space, designing for websites and applications, and furthering my knowledge in print design and marketing. But, what I found over time is that I was naturally taking on more and more roles. Partly because we were small and did what we needed to do to pitch in, but mainly because I WANTED to. I felt the desire to learn more about business, further my knowledge into the development side of things, understand how sales works, purchase office supplies, and ship out boxes to customers… it all plays a role no matter how big or small it may seem. I noticed over time that I loved being a part of how everything worked. It made me a better teammate, designer, business woman, and person, and I take that with me into my own business every single day.

Alissa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a designer and have been since 2007. It’s funny though, I still don’t know how to introduce myself to others when they ask what I do. I work with small businesses on their branding and web design, but I also have a line of local Charleston products I created to bring a fresh, unique twist on the usual CHS/Charleston accessories and apparel you’d see around town. In short, I just really love making beautiful things. I definitely have a niche when it comes to branding and web design for small businesses, and my clients know I’m extremely passionate about what I do. But I also really love the retail side of things and being able to create products that I can actually see people wear around town (don’t even get me started about the first time I saw someone wearing one of my hats. It was at a RiverDogs game and I made her stop and take a pic with me while I had actual tears in my eyes, hahaha).

My goal has always been to build a business that helps and brings joy to others, even if it is as small as making someone smile with a new hat or t-shirt. When I started my business back in 2007, I had NO idea what I was doing (tbh, some days I still don’t). I just want other small business owners to know that I have their back; whether it’s supporting them via social media, or buying their goods, or helping them with branding and design, I want them to know they’re not alone in this and have others around them to lean on when they literally don’t know what to do next. I think having that community of like-minded individuals is so, so important no matter what business or industry you’re in.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

To be honest, I didn’t put together any initial capital to get started. My business started slowly and organically and any money I spent was from what I was making at my side jobs in college. So many people wait until the “right time” to get started—I need the right camera, I need this printer, I need more inventory, etc—that they end up never starting. I came across a really powerful clip on instagram recently that talked about starting where you are and it made me reflect on where I started vs. where I am today in business. I realized there’s SO much I know and do now that I never would have been able to figure out if I didn’t just dive right in. So do I think you need to spend time raising capital and having a stash of money to start? Not necessarily, and everyone’s situation is different, but I do know from experience that it’s not a make or break situation and usually just getting started is the best first step.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

These resources weren’t available when I started my creative journey, but the creative communities and platforms to share work, inspiration, opinions, etc., have been the best resources in my career. Whether it’s a place to go and browse other work to find inspiration (or just take a break from the day-to-day) or connect with other like-minded professionals online or in-person, there are so many incredible resources today for creatives and business owners alike. I highly recommend getting in with your local community and making connections through other small business owners, organizations that support small businesses and creators, and other creators in your field. It makes a huge difference!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://graeficdesign.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/graeficdesign
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/graeficdesign
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/leaderofdesigns

Image Credits
Aneris Photography