We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Briana Cain a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Briana , appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later
Starting a business was always a big goal of mine. I started my business in 2020 when I was sixteen years old. At that time I was in high school actively searching for part time jobs, but unfortunately I had no luck. Since I was having a hard time finding a job it motivated me to get serious about my goal of starting up my own business. My business has accomplished so much in the past three years and sometimes when I look back at my growth I wonder how much further I’d be if I would’ve started sooner. But, honestly if I could go back I still wouldn’t change anything. I would still start my business at the same time because I believe everything happens in the timing that it’s supposed to happen.
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.
The name of my business is Graphics By Bri. I create high quality designs, such as logos, flyers, websites, business cards, etc. I’ve worked with all types of businesses such as clothing boutiques, hairstylists, nail techs, estheticians, event planners, restaurant/food truck owners and many more. Starting a business was always something I knew from an early age that I wanted to do. I’ve always loved the freedom and flexibility of entrepreneurship. In the beginning I had no idea what I wanted my business to be. Until, one day I finally decided to get into graphic designing. I’ve always been pretty good at designing and creating things digitally. It was something that I really enjoyed doing, I would even find myself creating flyers and logos sometimes on my phone just for fun. That’s when I got the idea to turn my hobby into a brand. Not long after that, Graphics By Bri was born. I started my business in September of 2020 which now makes it three years since I’ve been in business. Something that sets me apart from other graphic designers is my customer service and my work ethic. I always make sure my clients have an exceptional experience when working with me and I always make sure they’re happy with their designs. Customer satisfaction is very important to me. So, I always try to make it an easy experience for the customer and I always make sure I do my very best with every single design I create.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
All of my graphic design services are offered on my website where clients can browse and book with me. Some of the pros of having a website is that it’s easy to stay organized. Having a website makes it simple to see all of your orders in one place. It also provides you with helpful insight and data about your business and how it’s performing. My website is where all of my services are offered and it’s how clients are able to book with me. But, I also recently created an Etsy store where I sell pre made flyer designs. All the customer has to do is purchase the flyer they would like, download it and use it. Customers can also edit anything they want such as the colors of the flyer, the fonts, the pictures, etc. I still create custom flyers for my clients which is available to book on my website along with the rest of my graphic design services. But I now sell on Etsy as well for my clients who prefer quick and easy pre made designs.
Any fun sales or marketing stories?
I have definitely had to take risks when it comes to marketing my business. I’ve spent a lot of money on social media ads in an attempt to reach new people and expand my clientele. This was a big risk for me because there’s always a chance that the ad could possibly not perform well. Which would result in me losing money. But, I always tell myself that without risks there’s no rewards. At the time I felt like the best way to get my business in front of new potential customers was to invest in myself and purchase advertising. So, I took the risk and I purchased an ad via Instagram to help market my business. Looking back I’m glad I took that chance because I definitely saw an increase in my website traffic and an increase in my orders. Now whenever I feel the need to take extra steps in marketing my business I always invest in advertising.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shopgraphicsbybri.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graphicsby.bri/
- Other: My etsy shop – https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopGraphicsByBri