We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Desiree Stimson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Desiree below.

Desiree, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a customer success story with us?

Nothing makes me happier than assisting a new client, and even a few old ones, achieve their heart’s desire.

Recently, a new client contacted me for a branding project that needed to be done “yesterday”. There’s no greater feeling than creating a logo that fits my client’s needs and vision.

I generally begin by asking an array of questions relating to their business: What they’re looking to accomplish with their logo and brand, what their competitors are doing, and to make it extra personal, I try to find out a little bit about the client themselves and what makes them tick.

My initial design concepts are on paper. Once I narrow my ideas, I create them in Illustrator® in black-and-white and then run them by the client for their input. I’ve found that originating my ideas in black-and-white is the best way to start with design, so the client will not be bogged down with concerns of color, etc. This process has served me well over the years.

Next, I’ll take 3 to 5 of the client’s chosen logo concepts and provide various iterations for their input. Once they narrow it down to one to two logos, I’ll fine-tune them a few more times, and voilà, color gets to be introduced!!

Rinse and repeat with sending over color options a few times, and a logo and brand are born!! This process can take weeks, but sometimes I can accomplish this within days. Much depends on how many people are giving their input. Fortunately, for this particular client, we were able to shore up an awesome logo and brand within less than a week! (They needed one ASAP!)

Having repeat customers or clients interested in pursuing additional work from me and my business makes my job so gratifying. Over the years, I have created at least five logos for one client’s various companies. It’s always a joy to receive such a positive response with repeat business. When tasked with designing additional support items such as a trade show booth, presentation folder, handout, vehicle wrap, etc., it tells me that I’ve succeeded in doing my job and made my client happy.

Things that bring me joy are seeing my work in lights, on a building, on an outdoor board, or even on the NASDAQ sign. Quite frankly, it’s awesome!!

Desiree, 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?

Following college, I was offered a job in the PR department of a large retail chain. After working there for less than a year, I decided that advertising was where my heart was. Heck, my college degree was in Advertising, not PR.

So, where to go from there? I looked up on a job board at my alma mater and found a production artist job at a local ad agency. I had no idea what was in store.
And for the most part, it was a good experience. I learned a lot and did a lot of hands-on work. The one person who impressed me the most while I worked there was a girl named Ru Lin. It was remarkable how efficiently she ran the front desk and the entire office. She answered the phones, ran errands, coordinated schedules, dealt with vendors, paid the bills, and was the owner’s right-hand helper.

Although our boss was notorious for “stringing his vendors along” with his bill payments, Ru made sure all of them were taken care of. At times, our boss would tell her not to pay vendors and told her, not so politely, to “use a different vendor.” But Ru didn’t think that was right, so she would set up payment arrangements for them, against our boss’s wishes. Who does that? She did, because she cared.

Since our boss used his profits unwisely, the company eventually closed, and he later filed for bankruptcy.

Now unemployed, I had to pivot and figure out what to do next. I had the crazy idea of starting my own agency, and who did I want to bring along with me? None other than, you guessed it, RU! Fast-forward 30+ years, and we are still business partners! I count my lucky stars daily, I have her not only as my business partner, but as my friend and sister.

You never know who in your life will be there for life. I’m just fortunate and blessed beyond measure, I found Ru. Moral of the story: You never know who you’ll meet along the way that will have a profound and lasting impact on your life. Be vigilant, take risks, and be open to new possibilities. I’m glad I did.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Just because your client has a well-known name doesn’t mean they’re a good client. We learned that the hard way.

Early in our partnership, we were hired as a print broker to produce a large booklet for what we wrongly assumed to be an honest and reliable client. It needed to be done and delivered to a location for a large opening event. Against our better judgment, we foolishly delivered it before getting a final payment.

As it turned out, the client claimed a lack of funds, and we ended up with an unpaid bill of over $30,000. As a new small business, you can imagine how that deeply affected our bottom line. We were left, literally holding the bill. Thankfully, our amazing printers were willing to work with us until we paid it off.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

New clients can come from a variety of sources. Over the years, we’ve tried networking groups and various salespeople on staff, some remarkable and some not, yet we have found that word of mouth and client referrals are often some of our best resources.

If I can offer any advice in this arena, I’d suggest always being open to your options. You never know where that big whale will come from.

Recently, I had an out-of-state friend from college reach out for a new branding project for her husband. I also had someone I knew in healthcare who recently moved out of state and needed a logo for her new business. And, as of this writing, someone I’ve traveled with who owns an ecotour business in South Africa reached out for a rebranding job. Like I said, you never know where your next opportunity will come from.

Always be learning. Be kind. Be open. Do good work. Have fun!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dsyl.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsyladvertising/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desireestimsongreek
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dsyl-advertising-fullerton