We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ambrielle August. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ambrielle below.

Ambrielle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

I’ve been pretty creative my whole life. As a child, I loved to draw and paint. My favorite things to create were mandalas and fashion designs. Thanks to my loving family, I was always encouraged to try new things and follow my dreams, but the challenge was, that I always changed my mind about what my dreams were up until I was a late teenager. A few years after moving to Georgia from Louisiana, I went to a STEM magnet high school where I developed an interest in tech and started to wonder…does my dream have a place in tech? The enrichment I received from my mentors propelled me to enroll in Kennesaw State University to earn a Bachelor of Business degree in Information Systems where I continued to explore my passion for tech. While in college, I still had a love for art, but it was more of a hobby rather than a business venture. By my junior year of college, I had ideas for bridging the gap between my love for art and my love for tech, but I didn’t quite have the courage to act on my ideas at that stage in life.

Throughout my college experience, I had several internships at small and large tech companies and held roles in web development, email marketing, project management, and product management. At that time I didn’t realize it, but these professional experiences gave me the fundamental tools I needed to start and run my own side business! During my first internship in 2018 as a web developer, I learned how to build websites and maintain meaningful client relationships. My skills started to translate into helping my peers with projects that involved coding, putting together wireframes, and even some simple commissioned artwork. This was the start of a path to part-time entrepreneurship that I still didn’t fully acknowledge, but would soon embrace.

In 2020, I prayed to God one day and asked Him to show me my purpose in life and after that, people started reaching out to me for help with their websites, logos, video editing, flyers, and even resumes. It became clear to me that God was leading me down a path to helping others through technology and design, but I wasn’t fully ready to accept that gift. I also started my YouTube channel, Unbrelievable, making natural hair and product review content, while working full-time at a tech company. I guess I was so bored during the pandemic that I started learning all types of skills from pouring pressed flower mason jar candles, creating wood-burned coasters, and making wall art (anything creative you can think of, I’ve probably done it). Although it was a fun and exciting time, it was very overwhelming to balance it all. Clearly, ya girl was doing too much! I stopped marketing, putting in the time, and completely abandoned what I started.

I felt defeated in the respect that I was excited to call something my own, but I didn’t have a clear vision for the “why” behind my brand. I dived headfirst into the pool of being a business owner too soon and I started to drown, but I was saved. During the latter half of 2021, I spent most of my time focusing on my tech career at Salesforce and not working with clients for Unbrelievable Designs. I began to realize that I can not do everything at once and that multitasking is a myth. Taking a year off gave me the time and space I needed to truly consider what my “why” was, understand my values and goals, and develop a plan for achieving them. I studied what other businesses did to grow, I earned my Google Project Manager certification, and my Adobe Illustrator Certification. I strengthened my hard and soft skills while spending more time with God asking Him to give me the patience to move on His time, not my own.

After over a year of downtime, I finally relaunched my business on August 20th, 2022. Unbrelievable Designs is now Unbrelievable Designs & Media (UDM). I strongly believe that I got to where I am today because of my humble upbringing and my faith in God. All things are made possible through Him and I give Him all the credit for my success.

Ambrielle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a creative creole techie that developed my freelance business from a passion for technology and art. I have over five years of experience working at large tech companies and tech startups as a web developer, email marketer, project manager, product manager, and product marketing manager. Accompanied by a degree in Information Systems from Kennesaw State University, I have gained the necessary skills to be an influential business leader and creative partner to all my clients. I strive to produce precisely what my clients envision through customized consultations and a natural eye for design.

Unbrelievable Designs & Media (UDM) is a freelance creative media agency that produces exceptional content to capture the hearts, minds, and eyes of the community. UDM bridges the gap between customized assets and global accessibility grounded by our values; humility, integrity, creativity, and success. I provide affordable services to all, focusing on small businesses looking to grow their brand with quality designs that are produced quickly. I specialize in;

1.) Graphic Design:

Ads & Infographics
Brochures
Business Cards
Logos
Resume Editing & Copywriting
Social Media Posts
Branding Packages
2.) Website Design

3.) Social Media Content

I also have a YouTube channel where I create beauty and hair tutorials, lifestyle vlogs, product reviews, travel vlogs, and tech career advice. I offer video and photo editing services as well as social media posts.
4.) Real Estate Virtual Marketing

Real Estate Photos
Aerial drone shots
3D Virtual staging of property interior

My best seller is my branding package which includes, a website with SEO, a logo design, a business card design, and a brand identity toolkit with social post templates.

As a black woman-owned business, I value mentoring, enriching, and advocating for other black girls in STEM, so I joined the Kennesaw State University Information Systems and Security (ISS) Advisory Board to help shape current students’ curricula and provide advice on how to secure internships. I joined this leadership board to provide resources and share business advice that will help provide a better future for tech students.

I am most proud of my customer service and ability to effectively communicate. The services you receive from working with UDM will be customized to you and your needs, because we don’t believe in a “one size fits all” brand identity. You’ll feel like family after our first consultation and empowered to take on the world with assets that reflect the beauty of your unique brand!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Being creative allows me to think outside the box and really challenge myself to be better than I was before. My artistic style doesn’t follow a specific paradigm, so I like to make my own rules when it comes to designing. The most rewarding aspect is when someone says “wow” or “I love it” after seeing something I’ve made. Knowing that your work inspires others to embrace creativity is a humbling feeling. I love when clients come back to me saying that their customers love their logo, website, and/or branding. I’ve been able to help several small business owners grow their brands and maintain consistent marketing across all platforms. Seeing others thrive and grow from the projects I’ve created for them is one of the most fulfilling rewards of being an artist.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As a former project manager (PM), I’ve always focused on time management. I’ve tried several methods from using agendas, calendars, and the Eisenhower matrix, to just plain old sticky notes to manage my multitude of tasks. It wasn’t until I discovered Asana that I began to accomplish more work, more quickly. In my former role as the project manager for the employer brand marketing team at Salesforce, I introduced Asana to the business function and was able to use the PM tool in my full-time job, not just my side business. I wish I knew about this project management tool before I originally started UDM back in 2020, as I think it would have made being a business owner slightly less overwhelming and more enjoyable.

I enjoy being able to create timelines for myself, set goals attached to my tasks, and add due dates to projects to keep myself accountable. I also created a social media content calendar to keep me more consistent with posting, which is a work in progress.

I’ve been blessed to work with the team at Asana and was invited to speak at a Salesforce x Asana webinar to showcase the work I did for the employer brand marketing team at Salesforce. By creating project templates and customized workflows, I was able to increase new hire onboarding efficiency and overall business process agility for the team. I’m very thankful that I came across this tool and have been able to take advantage of its capabilities in my day-to-day life.

As a creative, it’s very easy to procrastinate as you wait for ideas to flow you, but I suggest all artists invest in a project management tool to keep them organized and accountable for completing work efficiently!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.unbrelievabledesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unbrelievable__/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unbrelievabledesigns
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ambrielleaugust/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/UnBRElievable