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

Alright, Grace thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

I was one of the many college students who graduated in the midst of the pandemic disturbing typical workforce norms, and who had experienced some remote learning environments during my collegiate career. I started out in an in-person office position, working over 60 hours a week – slim space for creativity and a whole lot of time with my butt in an office chair. As much as I have ambition, that just did not fit with my past lifestyles or my passions.

I had the opportunity as a young creator to start my own business, I prayed for the vision and determination to get it off the ground, and it’s been almost a year since launching. I can’t say that this was the absolute best timing in America to start up a small business – but when you prioritize doing what you love, the slow building up of a portfolio, the learning curves, getting your name out there – It’s just worth it.

Over a year ago I had the vision for an online storefront and doing web design and some social media consultations. I spent 2 months getting the equipment I needed, researching, building my own brand, and all the details before launching. Then spent about 10 months gaining traction, adding services like podcast production and physical marketing material creation, and purchasing the equipment I needed along the way.

It takes a minute to feel like a professional when you branch out on your own, especially at a young age – but if you don’t have confidence in yourself to at least try, you’ll never get to be one of the few who get to enjoy what they do for a living, who get to see their passions become realties.

Grace, 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?

I grew up in Northern California, went to school at Texas A&M on an athletic scholarship, and discovered that my flare for creativity and organization seemed like a good fit for the communications department there. Some wonderful classes, internships, and part-time jobs later, I realized that I enjoyed a lot of different things. The different things I applied for were all over the place, but God placed me in a hedge fund office job after college (to everyones surprise including my own). Nothing convinced me more to start a business than being a part of some billion-dollar operation where I realized the most successful people were just winging it with confidence and wits and the rest were content to sit doing the minimum to make a living.

So I did. Hope Media Creative Design is my business. I provide services for graphic design, web design, social media marketing, podcast production and publishing, copyediting, virtual events, custom apparel, stationary, and other items – and I have an online storefront that started off as a way of showing what I could do, but now is just a creative outlet that can make a profit (the best kind).

I love it. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

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

The most recent lesson I had to unlearn was remembering that I have to talk about my business if I want a business. Being young is exciting because I have a long future ahead of me to build up my professional legacy, but as someone who looks younger than she is, I was having this tendency to just assume that people wouldn’t take me seriously. I graduated with honors and have professional experience and skill to do what I do, yet instead of moving forward with confidence in my abilities I would be almost shy about it. What makes that so funny is that I am not a shy person.

I recently had a pep talk by one of my mentors that it was time to drop the enemy’s thinking and take myself seriously. To no one’s surprise, I’m on track to grow my business by 300% this year.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I just want to be a helping hand to other small businesses, to get to grow and improve in my artistic abilities, and to earn a living in the process. My faith also means that my overall mission in life is to glorify God in the process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hopemediacreative.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopemediacreative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopeMediaCreative
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/83318015
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hopemediacreate
• Other: hopemediacreativedesign@gmail.com