We recently connected with Chelsea Meagher and have shared our conversation below.

Chelsea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success can be measured in different ways depending on the goal, but what’s needed to achieve that success is the same across the board. It’s simple—you need grit. You need passion. You need unwavering drive in order to reach success, no matter what it looks like for you.

While I’m a big believer in the ‘hard work pays off’ mindset and chasing goals no matter what, there’s a balance that needs to accompany it. At my previous agency job, I was often working 16 hour days, putting time in on weekends, and stressing myself out to the point where I was ready to quit. Burnout is real, folks! I was creating amazing work that clients were thrilled with and I was growing and evolving in my design capabilities, but at what cost?

Taking the time to set a schedule and workflow for yourself is crucial. That schedule should include breaks, weekends, and time off because work-life balance is an essential piece of the puzzle in any professional goal or venture. Yes, there are weeks where I have to work into the evenings and put in extra hours on the weekend, but that’s not my norm. Ninety percent of the time, I abide by my scheduled working hours, take necessary breaks to refresh my brain and get my creative juices flowing, and have weekends where I can do what makes me happy (outside of my professional work).

The ‘Grindset’ that’s often portrayed on social media shouldn’t be your day-to-day norm—running at 110% for too long will ultimately cause you to burnout and lose that passion that’s so necessary to achieve the success you’re working towards.

Chelsea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Chelsea Meagher and I’m a creative entrepreneur. I’ve been curious and creative since I was a kid and now as an adult, have channeled it into my passion and career: design. Fast forward to now: I have over a decade of design experience spanning corporate, agency, and freelance settings. In 2023 I finally took the plunge and started my own brand identity studio, The Sole Circle.

The Sole Circle offers brand creation through graphic design, brand messaging, brand identity development, and more. My specialty is branding, whether that’s giving some love to a company in need of a refresh to building a new brand from the ground up by defining your audience and what pinpoints your audience’s needs. My brand identity services cover everything from graphic design and creative direction to website design to event flyers and packaging materials. Clients come to me seeking help to elevate their business and with a bit of thoughtful ideation, strategizing, and design work, I present them with a refreshed identity.

But The Sole Circle isn’t just a brand identity studio. It’s a place for creatives to come together and be a part of something larger than themselves. I’ve successfully built a network of insanely talented copywriters, designers, videographers—you name it—who now coexist in what I like to think of as my innermost creative circle. Everyone I bring into my circle is experienced, creative and ambitious, so even if you’re only looking for a recommendation, just know it will be a good one.

What makes me the most proud of my business is how I run it. I’ve taken my years of experiences working for other companies and agencies and have designed a streamlined business structure with processes that make communication and workflow easier for both my team and my clients. Lost files and unorganized inboxes don’t exist at The Sole Circle—we keep things tight, but fun, and that’s just the way I (and my clients!) like it. I built the foundation of my business on ethical marketing, focusing on quality, effective work. Know that when you work with me, you receive high quality design paired with a ‘next steps’ mindset—you’ll always know where a project is in the timeline, where the deliverables live, and how to best stay connected with me so everything stays on track.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I experienced the largest pivot of my life in 2023 when I decided to leave my agency job to pursue building my own studio. I was extremely unhappy in that agency. I was working an unhealthy amount, I was burnt out, and near the end, I started to lose my passion. I was mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. But, I was also lucky enough to have a great support system and network at the time. This is what helped me take the plunge and quit my full-time job to start my own business.

When I left that job, I had no savings and no income apart from one freelance client who was paying me enough to survive on. It was *terrifying*, but oddly enough, I never felt more alive than I did at that time. The basic need of ‘putting food on the table’ is what drove me to work hard and continue forward.

I took my first year of business to slow down and really build out who The Sole Circle is at the core. It’s not easy to go from a steady paycheck and already-established processes to building something from the ground up, but I took advantage of the fresh slate. I designed my business model and structure exactly how I wanted to and built my brand from the bare foundation.

I think it’s so incredibly important to focus on your brand in the beginning—I mean, how are you supposed to attract new business if you don’t know your own? By doing this, I was able to learn and pivot in my business practices and brand identity before I had a full deck of clients. Actually, it took me six months to realize that I was marketing to an audience that I knew nothing about, forcing me to pivot and restructure my target market.

Having that first year to really focus on my brand and what it is at the core is something that contributed immensely to my success. As I began to get a better feel for my business, clients slowly trickled in. Now, I’m two years in and business has skyrocketed. Pivoting is hard, but it’s absolutely necessary to grow. Know it will be scary at first, but if you persevere and stick to your goals (and pivot from some of your goals as you grow and learn), it will be 100% worth it in the end.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I’ve gone from 0 to 100 over the past two years with my side hustle! What started out as freelance graphic design and branding outside of my full-time job turned into a full-time business with 5 (and counting) employees and 5 major clients.

I’ve always been a go-getter and a ‘three job at a time’ type of person, so freelancing outside of my full-time job throughout my career was something I enjoyed and wanted to do. I love working with different industries and putting my design skills to the test… little did I know that would turn into a full time job for me.

Back in 2020, I branded my freelance design side hustle, created an LLC for it, and opened up an Etsy shop selling custom illustrated pieces. It was borderline more of a hobby—I didn’t make a ton of money from it and it was more time-consuming than it was profitable. I never saw the trajectory growing too much, BUT, it taught me the basics of structuring a business model and what it feels like to implement a business strategy and plan.

The catalyst for me to take my freelancing to the next level was feeling trapped at my agency job. I had so many ideas and felt I wasn’t being challenged enough (that, and I was ready to leave a toxic work environment that had me working 16-hour days). I took the leap—I quit my job to try the business route *for real* this time.

It took a solid 8 months to a year to get to a point where I was bringing in steady income and had all my internal and external processes nailed down, but once I hit that mark, it’s only been growth and excitement. Since starting The Sole Circle, I’ve had the pleasure of working with other entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even international-level restaurant chains. I’ve built a massive network and have met other creatives who are not only extremely talented, but also align with my values. I can see how much myself and my business has grown in just the past two years, and I can’t wait to watch as it continues to evolve in the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thesolecircle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.solecircle/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseameagher/
• Other: https://calendly.com/thesolecircle/15min