We recently connected with LaTricia Morris and have shared our conversation below.
LaTricia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?
In 2022, I was working in real estate and really feeling the strain of the market. I was incredibly stressed and feeling like I just couldn’t keep up. To be sure, I was internally panicked and over-the-top with anxiety over how far the lack of income was setting me back.
I started thinking about what skills I could leverage to help my family while maintaining the time freedom I needed to handle my real estate clients as things would pick back up. I found myself combing through listings on indeed only to stumble across a posting by a local company looking for a freelance graphic designer. I thought “I can totally do that. I’ve been running Adobe Creative Cloud since they launched it in 2013. I can do design all day long.” So, I crafted this beautifully customized resume tailored specifically to that company’s niche. I don’t believe in bragging but that thing was ON POINT.
I packaged it with a nice letter and sent it on its way but then I got to thinking – “you know what, I don’t need their darn permission.” After the last traditional job I’d had, I promised myself I was never working for another person again. Recognizing that they were only going to give me a small cut of whatever the clients were paying them for me to do the work, I decided to go a different route and do it on my own. I figured I would offer graphic design as a side-gig while I waited for the real estate market to rebound.
Being that I was then terrified of losing out on real estate prospects who knew I was working side gigs, I initially did a “silent launch” of my company. I simply told people in my inner sphere that while the market was in the state it was in, I was turning my attention to helping other businesses with graphic design projects to help them reach more of their own prospects. But, what would I call it?
After several days of toiling with the name, I decided to lock in on Ox & Iron. I didn’t realize then just how perfect the name would be but the more my company has continued to grow, the more I’ve seen how perfectly suited it is.
People often ask me what the name even means. My response:
If I were to give you a bag of seed and you took to a field sowing by hand, you might be able to sow a decent crop. But, what difference does it make when you have the help of the ox to break new ground and pull that vision forward? You end up with a far greater harvest than you could have ever realized on your own.
When you look at the origin of “branding,” it’s said to come from the word “brandr” referring to branding livestock (typically with a hot iron). This surely being all the more significant as my company evolved from simply offering graphic design to being a comprehensive branding agency.
Why branding?
Launching with graphic design, I kept seeing an ongoing trend. Most people would reach out saying they need a logo, a website, or help with their marketing. The more projects I took on, the more I realized many of these incredible companies struggled because they didn’t really have a firm grasp on the many facets we explore in brand development. Many were trying to sell to whoever would buy but that’s not how brands are built. I decided to dig even deeper and get back to the books, taking courses and picking up all the content I could on branding and marketing.
I fell in love with branding as a way to really help my clients get positioned for success. Ox & Iron now gets to work with start-ups and rebranding clients from the ground up. We work with them to develop solid brand guidelines that bring a unified voice to their company that speaks much more succinctly to their ideal clients and customers. We then take those guidelines and articulate their branding through cohesive brand collateral that resonates at every touchpoint – from logos to websites, digital media, business cards to billboards. I cannot tell you how much I love seeing a company’s branding come alive.
But, what about real estate?
Oh, baby, I let that license go. I knew the gift being placed in my hands with this company was one I would need both hands to take hold of. I decided to let go of all the extras and side gigs to focus just on building my company and position as “The Brand Revivalist.”
I’m happy to say that what started out of incredible pain and financial strain has grown into a business that ever exceeds anything I could have imagined. I would have never guessed this is where I’d be but as life’s turns have led me here, I’ve come to see the blessings birthed through hardship. After years of trying to make too many things fit where they never would, I’m grateful beyond words to have found my thing – my place where I come alive in my work and get to use it to build a legacy I love while helping others amplify their impact in this world.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Originally graduating Magna Cum Laude with my degree in Paralegal Studies, I wanted to go to law school. I grew up hearing phrases like “starving artists” and bought the lie that if I wanted to make it, I needed to forget creative work and focus on getting a more formal job.
Fast forward to motherhood and I shifted to working remotely for the attorney I’d started under so I could be a stay-at-home mom. This led me into a season of being severely overweight with a number of chronic health conditions. I desperately needed a change and decided to kick that change off with an 11 week raw food initiative. Coming out of this, my health was radically improving and I decided I wanted to help others also overcome these obstacles. This started with the writing of a series of kids books aimed to get families hands-on with healthy eating.
But, I had a problem: I couldn’t afford to outsource the work. Determined to see it done, I setup my Adobe account and got to work. Working to get the books to the publisher, I illustrated them then used Photoshop to clean-up and color the drawings. Being that I couldn’t exactly send the publisher a bunch of images, I then worked my way through InDesign. I got the first two books submitted for publishing then realized “I need to actually be able to promote these things.” That was back when Adobe was still running Muse for website builds. Piece by piece I started learning how to use the software to build out all of the assets I would use to promote those efforts, doing live workshops, you name it.
Over the years, I had my own first experience with rebranding as I realized in order to better help children with healthy eating, I needed to pivot my messaging to supporting the moms feeding them. I started taking courses on business and marketing, all with the intent of helping others overcome obstacles in their health to realize more of their true life potential.
As I continued doing my own projects, people started reaching out for help with theirs – flyers, websites and just about anything. This gave me the opportunity to practice applying my skills across very different aesthetics and messaging as the work was tailored to these different companies.
I’ve since continued to refine my design and copywriting work as I work with my clients to develop solid brand foundations along with logos, websites, print and digital media assets. While I love what I do, I find it most rewarding because of how I admire the clients I do this work for. I see people who are truly gifted in their respective fields, people who are already coming to the market with incredible products and services but who struggle to communicate that value to the people that need it the most. That’s why I love working with them to craft a brand that speaks more succinctly in the marketplace, better resonating with those that need and want what they have to offer.
I’m always saying “amplify your impact” because that’s truly the heart of what I do. I want to see the world made better. I don’t need to be front and center. By helping my clients reach more of those their gifts are meant to serve, I get to help them each amplify the impact they can have on this world. That’s a win for us all.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Running with my business demanded me letting go of so many lies I’d accepted growing up. Lies like “you’ll never make it in creative work” to all the horrible things we tell ourselves to cut ourselves down. I had to stop believing I was a failure and a disappointment. I had to let go of the lies that life was always going to be that dark place I hated but could never leave.
Day by day I have to remind myself of the truth that I was made on purpose for purpose. I will leave a legacy and be a game-changer in my generation. This is my truth.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
My business has been bootstrap from the ground up but I found that implementing a solid strategy made a remarkable difference in ensuring all the boxes get checked. Much of my inspiration for the financial structure of my business came from the book “Profit First.” Being Christian and holding to those values, mine is a tithe first model but follows the same principles of creating separate accounts to give every dollar a place. This ensures I always get paid, taxes get set aside and there’s always money to cycle back into my business to help it grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: oxandiron.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.brand.revivalist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandrevivalist
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latricia-morris-447a35199/
Image Credits
Luis Raul of TRPhotography.co