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

Hi Caroline, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

A long long time ago, in the 80’s to be exact, my mother immigrated to the United States from Brazil. When she had kids, she wanted to give us names that would allow us to fit in but could still be pronounced by our Brazilian family members. So, my name is Caroline and in Portuguese it’s pronounced like “Cah-ro-lee-knee”. My whole life my loved ones have called me Lini, pronounced like “Lee-knee” and rhymes with panini.

For me, Lini is more than a lifelong nickname. Lini is my creative alter ego, my best self. Lini is expressive, fearless, and feminine. My middle name is Victoria. I combined the two, and Lini Victoria LLC was born!

I certainly have moments where I wonder if I chose well. People mispronounce the name of my business. Should I have chosen something more obvious, a name requiring no explanation? For me, the answer I hear louder than all those doubts is YES. I love carrying this part of my identity with me in my business. My inner child is absolutely delighted when I see her name written on checks. For me, the name is all part of living the dream.

Caroline, 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 have always been a very creative and ambitious person. Becoming a designer was the clearest path I saw to monetizing my skills. That whole starving-artist lifestyle terrified me! So, off to corporate life for me. I think most creative professionals would agree a typical office setting situation is literal kryptonite for creativity. When I started my career, I wondered why I never saw designers or creative directors stay in an organization for more than a year or two. With time, I started to understand. Many of us need something different. Being creative is not something people can do on command. It is special, magical, and deserves respect.

I wanted to create Lini Victoria LLC because I saw a huge need for agencies where creatives ACTUALLY wanted to work. I wanted to dazzle clients while also creating opportunities for talented, expressive individuals to feel fulfilled. I wanted to be the creative leader I never had the opportunity to work with in my early career. I am proud of the work I do. I feel fulfilled adding beauty to the world and also sticking with my values: integrity, excellence, and kindness.

Lini Victoria LLC is a Los Angeles-based WOSB + WBE certified small business specializing in branding identity, packaging, visual merchandising, and creative consulting services. Our clients include a range of private sector brands in beauty, fashion, and wellness spaces. We also are available to provide services to the public sector and government agencies nation wide. We offer services in English and Portuguese. We put amor into every detail- I believe this is what sets us apart.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn every single stereotype about being a creative person, a woman, and a mother. Creative work is subjective. There’s no official standards. I would never question my accountant or my attorney, but anyone can voice their opinion of creative work! Our work does not equal our value. I had to spend time learning to separate myself from my work. It is certainly an ongoing challenge, but I don’t spiral as much from negative feedback anymore.

The amount of limiting believe we all carry is truly soul-crushing. Often times, we do not even realize it! A few tools I used to reset my mindset are reiki, career coaching, EMDR therapy, and surprisingly- starting my own business. I have unlearned and learned so, so much on my journey as a business owner. I learned I am not lazy just because a 9 to 5 situation does not work for me. I am not annoying just because I am expressive. I am not weak or less capable because I am a woman. My softness is one of my superpowers.

Any advice for managing a team?

Ask people how they like to be communicated with. One of my mentors shared this tip with me and I never forgot it! Do not expect people to shape shift into your style. I also reject a lot of capitalistic ideals. I trust my team and I don’t micromanage. I put people over profit. I don’t play dirty to win.

The duality of people is how complex and yet how simple we are. People just want to feel good. They want to find some fulfillment and joy from their work. They want to be paid fairly for their labor. They want to enjoy their lives. I keep that in mind whenever I interact with everyone- including my clients. Empathy goes a long way. There is room for compassion in business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.linivictoria.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linivcreative
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lini-victoria-llc/

Image Credits
Ricardo Vivas Two Fourteen Photography