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

Alright, Hannah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

If I was to start all over today there is so much that I would do differently.

The biggest thing though, is that I would put more faith and trust in myself and make sure I was making me a priority. I spent so much of my first year in business second guessing myself, feeling like I wasn’t good enough because there was always someone out there who knew more, and investing in courses I thought were going to make me “worth” more to clients.

Looking back I wish I would have focused in on my own process and how I needed to structure my business to meet my family’s needs, not base everything off the framework a coach or course provided.

Now, years later I see the importance in setting up workflows and getting a solid system in place, being intentional about my processes, and getting solid contracts and boundaries in place that work for ME. In the beginning I was just so grateful for the work that I ran myself ragged for the client and I was left feeling exhausted and unfulfilled. Trusting in myself to do what I do best, along with establishing solid operations made for happier clients and has made me a much happier business owner as well.

Hannah, 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 accidentally stumbled into the world of marketing over ten years ago, after receiving a fine art degree with a focus in sculpture. Honestly, my dad could not have been more stressed out by my choice of major. Jokes on him though, I use that art degree every darn day!

Though my time in the studio taught me so much about process, revision, and translating emotions into a tangible product, it was my first job out of college working in social media that had me falling in love with strategy. What ensued was a full-blown love affair with helping passionate people turn their dreams into a brand that will become the industry go-to.

I worked my way up to the Director of Marketing title that I’d dreamed of only to discover that I was freaking miserable.

Shortly after starting that job, everything fell apart. When the world shut down in March of 2020 I was a mom to a newly one year old son and three months pregnant with my second. (Oops.) Working full days to help the operation “pivot” to serve clients in those “unprecedented times” while caring for a one year old and growing a baby kind of broke me. I had my second son in August and was dreading maternity leave. Nine weeks later I went back to work with a nasty case of post-partum depression and a whole lot of stress over how to catch up and get back into my job.

I’ll never forget the day I decided to quit. After confiding in a coworker that I was feeling overwhelmed with jumping back in, she said “I’m not sure why you’re so stressed out. Your job isn’t that hard. I did it the whole time you were on leave.”

Aaaaannd I was out.

I was just a body there but to my family I was the one that kept the house running and the tiny humans alive. I was needed elsewhere. I wanted to be elsewhere.

In December of 2020, a whopping 72 hours after leaving my job, I dug through my sketch book for a little scribble of a lightbulb I’d done years ago. That was it. Novel was born.

I’m working to transform my community. My clients are truly extraordinary (mostly female) entrepreneurs who work every day to make a difference in the lives of others. I’m proud to work along side them to tell their brands story and share their genius with the world.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love the process and the journey. Following the project through from initial concept to final product is such a rewarding thing. Plus, knowing that I’m helping my clients achieve their dreams feels pretty great.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

I’m an avid reader and I always have been. I mean, I even named my business after my love of books. There has really only been one time that love of books was problematic though and that’s when it almost resulted in a missed discovery call for a client that I realllllly wanted to work with.

If you’ve ever read A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas you may understand why I was so caught up in the book that I didn’t hear my alarm go off signaling that it was time to prep for the call.

Thankfully, my phone going off knocked my out of my book-haze and I joined the call at exactly 2pm on the nose.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.novelmarketingco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/novelmarketingco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/novelmarketingco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-luiz/

Image Credits
All photos by Alyssa Flood Photography https://www.instagram.com/alyssafloodphoto/