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

Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

In early 2020, I was in the midst of a move to Seattle while also experiencing immense fear as the Coronavirus pandemic began. I was experiencing the gamut of emotions, and found myself turning to nature as a space that offered solace, balance, and an important perspective on my daily life. As I traveled in the mountains, forests, and parks, I found myself inspired by the slow pace, freedom, and simplicity that exists in natural life. I began creating keepsakes for myself that felt as colorful and meaningful as each place I had experienced – something I could never find among the cookie-cutter souvenirs in gift shops and travel stores.

This led me to believe that other nature lovers were looking for the same, so I started spending my days finding inspiration in podcasts, teaching myself e-commerce and sublimation printing, and learning how to run a successful business. I also spent a large chunk of time ruminating in self-doubt, making naive mistakes, and fearing total financial ruin (even after three years, it’s still a steady oscillation between these two extremes)!

I launched Human Nature Design’s online shop in April with a handful of National Park designs, and decided to pursue it full time by the end of July. I now manufacture and ship out of my home in Denver and have my products in 40+ stores across the country. The objective has always been to create high-quality nature-inspired gifts and keepsakes that help humans to celebrate the deep and inherent bond between themselves and the natural world.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Emily Backus and I’m a graphic designer living in Colorado! I run two separate businesses – a nature-inspired retail company (Human Nature Designs) as well as a brand identity studio for small businesses (Human Nature Studios). I started both of my businesses as a way to live out my creative dreams while also honoring nature and small business, two things that I believe serve critical roles in modern life. The “Human Nature” name and logo attempts to capture the inherent connection between humans and the natural world, and my studio helps small businesses create authentic and powerful identities that helps them compete. My hope is that the Human Nature brand can serve as much more than just a design studio or retail brand. I hope my products, designs, community, and impact can inspire people to live big, connect authentically, and find joy in the adventure.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As a business owner, I am bombarded with a constant influx of information on how to scale, how to make more money, how to outsource, and how to optimize. The equation in the zeitgeist seems to be simple: more money + more followers = more fulfillment. I find myself caught in this trap constantly and I am teaching myself to unlearn this daily.

Staying grounded in my true desires for my business means maintaining the aspects that bring me joy such as designing every day, working holiday events, manufacturing at home, and having the freedom to travel for three weeks and turn off my shop. It’s so easy as a business owner (and a human) to get caught up in the desire for money and power, and forget the importance of why you started, where you truly want to go, and what will bring you joy along the way. Instead of making the assumption that “bigger is better,” I ask myself “will bigger make my life better?”

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

In addition to running the retail aspect of my design business, I also work with small businesses one-on-one to design impactful marketing materials and brand identities. Having another revenue stream for my business allows me to maintain a steady stream of work in the slow retail months, as well as keep myself from dwelling on one side of the business for too long!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://humanaturedesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humanature.designs/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybackus7/
• Other: Brand Identity and Graphic Design Studio: https://www.humanature-studios.com/