We recently connected with Arielle Lackritz and have shared our conversation below.

Arielle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

I feel that designers and photographers are undervalued and that the consumers just don’t understand the work that goes into designing and photography. I feel that this misconception is due to the lack of customers and businesses not seeing the work until it is finished and that they are unaware of the steps that we as artists need to take to complete their logo or website, nor do they know what we do as photographers to make sure their photos come out beautiful. All they see is the finished product, not knowing what we did to get to that perfect finished product. It is one of the reasons I like to have a more intimate relationship with my customers if I am able to. If possible I update them every step of the way or… if they are interested, I let them sit and watch me do my thing. They ask questions and we get to know each other better; and if I do say so myself I really do love my work better by the end.

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 loved being creative, growing up I always had a cheap film camera from the drug store and that I filled with photos or if I was stuck at home I would be drawing. As I grew up that cheap film camera became a DSLR and those crayons turned into a stylus on an electronic drawing pad. In high school I came to terms with the fact that an art degree wasn’t what I really wanted, but I wanted to stay within the creative field. So, I was ecstatic when I found screen printing in high school. This led me to going for a more technical degree in print and design at California Polytechnic State University; all the creativity but with a more technical mindset. Today, after also achieving a Masters in Business specializing in Marketing, I now own a printing and shipping franchise. My store is growing everyday and I get to work with small businesses; helping them to grow with print, design, and photography. It’s my dream come true and I love it.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Customer service, customer service, customer service. I know it’s said a lot but I feel like many have forgotten what actually drives small business. Yes, other aspects are important, but I can say with great confidence that even when my store messes up, our customers still come back because we take care of them as best we possibly can. We are known as the nicest store within the franchise in our area, people drive the extra 20 minutes to come to our store instead of the one closer to them because we greet them with a smile and let our positive energy permeate the air of our store. If the customer is having a bad day we listen and maybe give them a recommendation on where they can get a good stiff drink if they need it or the best comfort food that they are craving. I feel that although customer service can take a lot out of you by the end of the day, there is no better feeling than turning a person’s day around.

Many small business owners get bogged down with customer service and I feel that it slowly makes them more and more jaded especially if they have been working on the front lines longer than they should have or do it all hours of the day, seven days a week. To them I say you need to hire someone to take over and give yourself a break; and I say that as someone who also needs a break but I am taking the steps necessary to get time off. I can tell you with great confidence that everyone needs a break, even just one or two days can refresh you. Take care of yourself, so you can take care of your customers.

Any advice for managing a team?

Be relatable. My team includes myself, two women around my age, and a young 20 year old. I make sure to be approachable, and if that means making a fool out of myself then that is what it takes. My current employees and ones that have left love working in my store. I hype them up, even when they don’t want me to in the wee hours of the morning, before they have finished their coffee. When mistakes are made within the store I don’t single them out, I go over or make an announcement to the whole team.
If someone on your team does something wrong, be patient and try to find another way to teach them. If they need to carry a notebook around, so be it.

Contact Info:

• Website: alackritz17.wix.com/senpaidesign
• Instagram: @senpaidesign
• Linkedin: Arielle Lackritz

Image Credits
Clients: @astringofgoldwaxingstudio @allofusproduction @senpaidesign