We recently connected with Alyssa Menshausen and have shared our conversation below.

Alyssa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

Working in the design industry (or any art bases industry) for so long, you hear a lot of “I think I will just try to do it myself”, or “We are trying to cut costs and do it ourselves”. This can be so defeating to many people getting started, and still after 15+ years is something I hate to hear. Competing with all the DIY apps that aid in design has become a very large challenge for branding and design companies. Although helpful, these apps are missing the curtail part you need when branding your business….INDIVIDUALITY. Working with a designer one on one, will help you create a beautiful, cohesive brand that will not only help you to make a strong mark in your industry, but also represent your brands core values and mission. It’s all about helping you to create connections with your dream clients and target audience so you can take your business to whole new heights. This is something that a lot of people have a hard time understanding when they are getting started and are temped with the idea of designing a logo themselves and for free. The mass produced logos on these apps make it hard for any company to stand out, when there are hundreds of other people out there using the same logo in many different versions. Putting the time and money into your business will pay you back tenfold in the end. You logo and branding is the FACE of your company and working with a designer is worth every penny to help that face stand out in a crowd.

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.

I have always been an artist my whole life but my love for graphic design was not something that came natural. While double majoring in drawing + painting and graphic design in college, I quickly realized that I really didn’t love graphic design. It wasn’t until my first job out of college where my passion for it really grew. I started my career working for a smaller company designing logos, menus, banners, poster, and so much more but I was primarily designing wedding invitations. I absolutely fell in love with working with clients and helping make their ideas come to life. After working for that company and running their design sections for over 10 years, I deiced it was time to branch off on my own. Even thought the wedding invitation business was booming, I knew it was time for me to make a change and go back to what really brought me the most joy…branding and logo design.

Working with bridal clients is a much more intimate experience then working with most design clients. This is a feeling I wanted to cross over when dealing with branding and design. My unique approach to communicating and working with clients allows me to dive a little deeper into what they are looking for and help pull out ideas that they might not have thought of. Also my background in drawing and painting allows me to work throughout a wide range of mediums to really hone in and create the best branding for you and your company. This approached as granted me the ability to work with some fantastic and some very high end clients that are passionate about creating something that is unique to them!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Well my story of me starting my company isn’t as easy as it sounded. To keep it light, the company I had worked for so many years was supposed to be sold solely to me, instead it was sold to a new owner who had different plans for what the company was going to be. I immediately knew I need to stand up for myself and take my talents and build my own company from the ground up. With the support of my family, friends and full client base who followed me, I was able to hit the ground running! People were sending me business left and right and I had no time to think about the insane and scary choice I had just made. I immediately knew I had made the right choice and there was nothing left to do but get to work. I just kept going back to a quote I heard in a movie ; “Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, and I promise you something great will come of it”.
A split second decision to stand up for myself and do what was right, has turned into the best thing that could have ever happened to me.

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

For me, I was super lucky to have a client base that followed my over to my new business. Creating great relationships with your client base is absolutely crucial when trying to grow and maintain a client base. I have found that one of the best was to get new clients is by word of mouth. Having a great relationship and producing great work will only help clients want to support and recommend you as much as they can.

Contact Info:

• Website: pineandpark.com
• Instagram: @pine.and.park