We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Candace Parker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Candace, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

Have you ever felt this way? In 2019, I was working full-time doing what I love as a graphic designer, yet I was bored, wanted to grow and felt completely unfulfilled and unhappy. I knew I wanted more and that I was capable of more, but my environment was holding me back.

This is when I decided to pursue Big Bunny Creative full-time, no more side hustle! I believe it all happened in perfect timing – I had gained enough experience and had finally gained the confidence to focus on myself. I could either accept an OK life or bet on myself and live a life I was dreaming of. I was terrified but so ready. It was like a breath of fresh air for my mental health and my creativity!

Sometimes I wish I had gone full time with my business much sooner – the time flexibility I have now is priceless. When I look back on the stress I put on myself as a full-time working and single mom, it honestly makes me sick. Time is something that we can never get back, but moving forward, this lesson reminds me constantly to refocus on why I started and to never, never quit.

I opened my doors for business in October of 2019, just in time for the Covid pandemic to rock the world. This was a blessing in disguise – I was forced to learn so much about the intricacies of owning a business and of the promotional products world that I otherwise would have never known. I am proud that my business survived and know that now, I can do anything!

Candace, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Houston, Texas native with an education background in marketing and graphic design. I started my journey with a full-time corporate job and a side hustle Etsy shop to make some extra cash. This was a good creative outlet and I learned bits and pieces of what business ownership was like along the way.

I chose graphic design purely out of passion. Being creative made me happy and relaxed and I love seeing and being inspired by other artists’ work. The world of promotional products was introduced to me through an agency I was designing for – it really made the marketer in me nerd out and I knew I could create some amazing pieces if given the chance.

Through word of mouth and referrals, I gained enough clients to win some larger projects and eventually build a foundation that allowed me to leave the agency life behind and really grow my own business with Big Bunny Creative.

We provide branding solutions to marketing teams and individuals looking to organically increase brand awareness, brand loyalty and sales. Whether it is through employee retention, client retention or winning new prospects, our skill set in design combined with our product, apparel and print will grow the business.

What sets Big Bunny Creative apart from other branding studios is the creativity, care and passion we provide on every project. We over communicate, deliver artwork that we put our hearts into and make sure that we provide our clients with items that are modern, fresh and fun. We guarantee an ROI and lots of new brand ambassadors!

At the end of the day, I am most proud of having a company that is known for being built off of this passion. I am proud to show my kids what hard work looks like and I am proud to be able to offer a flexible lifestyle to Big Bunny employees where mental health is important and individual talents can shine!

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

I built my reputation within the marketing and design world by being 100% authentic. I have a hard time being fake or subdued, which has its pros and cons, but my clients truly appreciate my honesty and my work ethic.

I have found that most people find personalities refreshing – the business world can get routine and boring. Being myself is easier, more fun and has proven to be a business builder. Authenticity is attractive and will grow any business through those client relationships.

If you are looking for some real talk, pink bunnies and F-bombs, I’m your gal.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I create brand loyalty by practicing what I preach! We nurture our relationships with our current clients by showing them we appreciate their trust and their business – what better way to do this than through some Big Bunny merch!

Regularly gifting our clients with quality, functional items that are new and unique creates a memorable branded experience – Big Bunny will be top of mind for their next branding project and they will get all the Bunny feelz when they use their items.

We never show up to meetings empty handed and try to always have something new to showcase our abilities. We mail out merch boxes to clients outside of Houston and show the same love to our prospects and supporters by sponsoring events and providing plenty of giveaways!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bigbunnycreative.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigbunnycreative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigbunnycreative
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/53263096/admin/
• Other: SHOP: https://www.brandwithbunny.com/

Image Credits
Imagine Lauren Photography Rumer Creative Sugarfree Studio