Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mallory Durrick. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Mallory, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

Of course I’ve felt this way, since I wasn’t always a business owner. Also, thank you so much and I’m happy to be here to share my story. I had regular jobs and decided in 2015 to be my boss. I was working for a company (30 hours/week), and I started to feel they lacked appreciation for my efforts and work. I decided that maybe I was beginning to lose my excitement for the job and wanted to be a designer and not so much a marketer. I couldn’t unlearn marketing but embraced design and went for it. I only sometimes think about going back to a job full-time. While the money and benefits provide security, I’m much happier doing my own thing, running my show. I have made some sacrifices, like how I live and what I own (or don’t own), but it’s worth it to love getting up in the morning and doing what I want to do while doing an excellent job for clients at the same time.

Mallory, 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?

Absolutely. My career started as a salesperson, something I loved at the time. I sold cable advertising for what is now known as Comcast. But we were the pioneers of cable advertising back in the mid-80s. We were secondary to big media buys on network and affiliate TV. We were a great team, and I learned much about myself and my work ethic. I stayed in that field for four years, then had a baby, then another, and decided being a full-time mom was best. I should also mention I made and sold antique button jewelry during that time, so I suppose that was my first introduction into being an entrepreneur. But after 15 years, I returned to work in the ‘real world’ and only knew about sales. So I went from job to job, selling, never happy, and decided I wanted to be in marketing. I loved it at first. When I took a position with a creative agency, I was more interested in what the graphic designer was doing. The video editor fascinated me. The web designer/developer was the most intriguing. At the same time, I was working for the agency, and someone asked for my help with a food packaging design – I wondered why. I wasn’t yet a graphic designer; just something I dabbled in as a hobby.

I accepted the opportunity but wasn’t paid a lot for it. Then another business opportunity came to me with someone that needed a website. I said sure. I had no idea what I was doing, but if nothing else, I am resourceful. I also remember someone stating that if I could learn WordPress, I could make a living at it, which shocked me. I knew I could figure it out, but I needed more confidence.

When you believe in yourself, confidence comes. I learned by watching others. It always amazes me the things I realize I don’t know until I do, and then it hits me. I imagine many people feel this way. When you don’t know something, it is indeed frustrating. But nothing today makes me happier than figuring out something I couldn’t do yesterday.

What may set me apart from others is my tenacity. I’m not sure that other people aren’t as committed, and I’m sure they are – but when I decide to tackle an assignment, I almost can’t sleep until I figure it out. I only answer to my clients or myself. Not a boss.

I’m equally proud of all my client’s websites and logo designs. I’m proud of my attention to detail and appreciate the clients who tell me how they feel. And at the end of the day, I am very proud of myself for knowing what I want, believing in myself, and working hard to achieve my personal and professional goals.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media – that’s a tough one for me. I’m intensely private, and when we utilize social media, we open doors that we might want to stay closed.

In January 2021, the app Clubhouse came on the scene for me. It was an invite-only opportunity, and I wanted in! I got the invite from someone I admired and respected in a Facebook group, and she extended the invitation when invites were few and far between. This was a new and exciting audio-only app; people were up day and night talking, listening, building friendships, and networking business connections.

The early days of Clubhouse were terrific. I’m still active on Clubhouse and run a gratitude room with a few other people every morning. Anyone can join – and I’ve made great friends and business connections.

I also utilized my skills to record a Podcast in 2021. It’s about my life. The Podcast is titled Don’t Lose Your Balance with Mallory Durrick and is available on all Podcast platforms. I utilized Instagram to market the Podcast and advertise the weekly episodes. Because of Clubhouse and the Podcast, my social following increased, not considerably, but by enough.

My social media presence helps me better understand how social media can work for my clients. There is a bit of ‘if you build it, they will come’ going on, but also, to be truly authentic to your brand and what it means for you, you need to show up. Even a little bit can make a big difference.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I love this question because the resources I tapped into, especially during the pandemic, significantly impacted my personal and professional growth.

I started watching Behance live – this is Adobe’s live streaming. I learned so much about Adobe software like; Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and Audition. I made connections to people all over the world and found them inside of Clubhouse as well.

I started to listen to audiobooks when I went for my daily walks. People like Brene Brown (Daring Greatly), James Clear (Atomic Habits), Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic), and Blair Enns (The Win Without Pitching Manifesto), to name a few. I invested in a BootCamp in the Summer of 2022 with Chris Do (from The Futur)  and other creatives. I learned so much from the audiobooks, the video streams, and the live online Zoom calls, and it made a huge difference. I grew exponentially in confidence and applied what I learned to develop my creative and entrepreneurial skills even faster.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://durrickdesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mallory_durrick/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/durrickdesigns
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorydurrick/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mallory_durrick
• Other: https://dontloseyourbalance.com https://instagram.com/dontloseyourbalancemsd

Image Credits
These are all selfies. No credit required.