We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jermaine & RJ Johns a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jermaine & RJ, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One deeply underappreciated facet of being an entrepreneur or creative is the kind of crazy stuff that happens from time to time. It could be anything from a disgruntled client attacking an employee or waking up to find out a celebrity gave you a shoutout on TikTok – the sudden, unexpected hits (both positive and negative) make the profession both exhilarating and exhausting. Can you share one of your craziest stories?

This is a story about knowing your strengths. Many times, we want to do it all – attend every meeting, take every phone call, but God has put partners and help in place for us to complete tasks and move forward in excellence. Take the help.

My husband Jermaine and I own and operate a design agency in Atlanta. We specialize in brand design, custom websites, consulting, and photography. I started the company in 2016 after leaving my $85k 9-5 and stepping out on faith. After meeting my husband later that year, it was clear that he was the missing piece to the puzzle. He was great at math (not my forte), a natural problem solver, and bonus…he could ideate and then design a bomb logo in his sleep!

Well, three years ago another agency reached out to me regarding subcontracting work that would involve designing a custom logo and some accompanying marketing materials. After listening to their proposal via phone I was ready to give them a verbal price estimate, but something wouldn’t let me speak. It was like I had an invisible muzzle on. Wild. So, I yielded to the muzzle and let them know that Jermaine would get back with them later that week to discuss pricing. In my mind I thought this should be a quick project and had assigned a price of $800 to the work. I spoke with Jermaine, and he said that we were not requesting prices equal to our skill level. We were not charging what we were worth. His constant quote is that “We are not compensated by the hour; we’re compensated by our POWER! The power of professional insight, influence techniques, resources we’ve acquired over the years, and proven success. It bothered him to see me working from 8am until 11pm night after night for pennies all because I “loved” doing the work.

Long story longer, Jermaine took the call later that week and I stayed in the back room so that I wouldn’t be kicking him under the desk while negotiating. At the time I had a ‘fear of loss’. This is when entrepreneurs take less than they need or know they’re worth because income is not always consistent. So, they take jobs for exposure, or for less money because they’re afraid that bills won’t be covered if they don’t except the pay. I now know that at some point, you must cut this off and charge what you charge, unless of course you’re led to reduce a rate for a special project, group, etc. However, this shouldn’t be the norm.

I sat in the back room nervous. Stressed. I wanted to intervene badly, but I knew that he was the right man for the job. He’s a straight shooter and not afraid to make the ‘ask’. I could hear him laughing on the call, making a connection with the agency so I knew that everything was going well, I just didn’t know how well. I heard the Zoom call end, and I stayed in the back room anticipating the follow-up. He walked to the back, opened the door, and just smiled. He asked again how much I wanted for the job, and I told him $800. He laughed and stated that the contract would start next week and that we would be paid $45,000. What?! That’s right, an entire $44,200 more than I was going to charge. And listen…once we started the work, I was elated that he had stepped in because it was a lot of work!

So don’t be afraid to let your partner shine. Let them lead when one of their strengths is the clear winner. You can’t and shouldn’t do it all. You’re human. Also, every entrepreneur needs a partner, whether it’s an official 50/50, or an accountability partner. We weren’t made to do this work alone; God has gifted us with each other. Take the help and watch your business grow!

Jermaine & RJ, 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?

We’re a couple of lovebirds who work to become better people each and every day. We’re believers, faith walkers, and lovers of all things ‘creative’. We specialize in photography, brand design and consultation, and web design.

Born in Atlanta, I (RJ) am inspired by contemporary design and striking, bold colors. Behind Twenty and 3 for more than 15 years, I have been blessed to become an inspirational entrepreneur, partner, and mentor to many creative businesses. I graduated in 2005 with a Master’s in Photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design and love to share my affinity for personal branding with both large and small audiences.

Jermaine is a true mastermind. Have a vision for a business? He listens, absorbs, and after a brief pause can download an entire plan of action including a unique business name, sales outlets, and marketing strategies; it’s actually quite amazing to watch. An amazing photographer and graphic designer, Jermaine hails from Starkville, Mississippi and absolutely loves to help businesses grow.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Yes! Outsourcing is your friend. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other entrepreneurs and professionals to assist you with projects and deliverables. Sites like Upwork and LinkedIn are full of experts who are ready and willing to help expand your business. Again, you can’t do it all. Well, you can but sleep will elude you.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

Jermaine and I met in December of 2016. We were both attending an art show, reluctantly. His friend told him that he needed to get out of the house and asked him to help hang his art. I was prodded by a family member to “live a little” and actually leave the house on a Friday night. I’m so glad I did. Shortly after I walked in, we locked eyes, talked about art, graphic design, business, God, and then explored the art show together. The rest was history! We started collaborating on projects the following week. When we design together, magic happens.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://twentyand3.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/twentyand3
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/twentyand3
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rj-johns
• Other: email: [email protected] /// [email protected]