We recently connected with Annie Taylor and have shared our conversation below.

Annie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.

If I had the choice of starting the journey of entrepreneurship over, I wouldn’t. When I decided to pivot into the design industry from media, I had no clue what I’d experience along the way. I knew I’d have challenging days, and some days that were frequent reminders of why I started it in the first place. What I came to realize is that creating my own pace, and take the time I needed to learn, and gain the experiences I needed to grow. The challenge of being a sponge can be intimidating sometimes, but its the foundational piece thats often overlooked if you move to fast.

I wouldn’t want to move any faster because I’d probably had missed something.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Annie Taylor from Orlando, FL. I graduated Florida A&M University in 2016 with a Bachelors of Science in Public Relations which was a pivotal introduction to the world of branding. I spent my first career years in advertisement in New York. As a side-hustle I started to dabble in design for social and small businesses. I gained such a deep passion for learning the trade, and watching myself grow within it. When the pandemic started in 2020 I realized how unhappy I was with my day job, and knew that I needed to make a change. Eventually, I decided to leave my company and go into full time entrepreneurship at the top of 2021. Since then I have been able to develop my personal brand as a brand designer. I’ve worked with a multitude of businesses from small beauty businesses to assisting Googles Black Googler Network alongside designer, Joiya Smith, with a rebrand. The journey of freelancing has been a world win but through it all, I’ve grown as a person and a black woman in business. I am met so many amazing people who are just as passionate about their businesses as I am mine. Most people come to me when they’re starting so its nice to develop thought provoking and intentional brands that are steadily growing. Its such a privilege to be apart of so many journeys as I am on mine. I always say, what I do is take a blank or used canvas and make it into art. Something that tells a story, something that makes them and their audience feel something.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

When I first started designing it was mainly something I did to make my content more aesthetically pleasing on instagram. People were so impressed by my work, and it was more of favor I did for most. The joy I gained from the trade is what made me continue to learn more and lean into spaces that catered to that. I needed a real balance from my day job and it was the perfect outlet. Eventually, after growing and accepting clients on I decided to pivot into entrepenuership. Which to me is like walking through a new door everyday, but I have learned so much from it. The first step of it is really just learning how to trust yourself. I know that sounds weird but oddly, we have doubt in our own decisions which could eventually taint your plans. So I had to learn to stick with my instincts, make useful and confident decisions, invest in my craft, ask for help, and ride the wave when it comes….because it will come.

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

Word of mouth. I learned a long time ago, branding is not just how something looks but the way tou make people feel. In full honesty I do not market as much as I should, but I have has the privelege of connecting with amazing clients though either word of mouth, or through my personal brand. I do think the key to growing your clientele is just being confident in your work. I take great pride in my art, and I have been learning to share it more because people have a sense of confidence in you when you have it in yourself. I love what I do, and I love the people I work with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://annietaylor.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: annieetayy + @trippcomm
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anquinettetaylor/

Image Credits
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