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

Alright, Marisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in a creative career or as an entrepreneur is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

As a creative, I’ve come to realize that one of the hardest things for me is time management. It’s easy to get caught up in the flow of inspiration and creativity and lose track of time. For me, inspiration is not something I can turn on or turn off “on demand”. It requires breathing room and time to make a mess and explore ideas. I’m working on giving myself the space I need in my schedule to be creative, while also keeping on top of my day to day tasks and big picture leadership. I would say the best solution I’ve found to help with this is getting a solid team in place. It’s something I’m continuing to learn and improve upon as I go, but having team members who are collaborative and have strengths that I don’t have is the key to success in this area. I don’t know where I would be without them!

Marisa, 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’m the founder and creative director at November Design Studio, a boutique agency with a multidimensional creative team that elevates your presence across platforms.

Early years of observing the entrepreneurs in my life led me to working with inspiring founders who struck a spark in me for something more. I’ve honed my discerning eye for design throughout my career, which started with a degree in graphic design, and included working at noteworthy creative companies and non-profit organizations. Inspired by creatives who grew businesses, I’ve come to value work rooted in collaborative efforts, curiosity, and shared causes.

We work with ambitious entrepreneurs who are ready to take the brand they’ve outgrown to the next level. We’re here to take away some of the overwhelm, so our clients can move forward with confidence. Telling our clients’ story is at the heart of everything we do; offering full-service strategic design and implementation for your brand; from identity to websites and marketing.

Every design studio has their own special sauce. A carefully cultivated blend of approach, experience, and results. I’m honored to have the most incredible, talented team. Each and every person at November brings a unique perspective, talent, and passion to what they do. We see it like this: our clients are experts in their field, and we are experts in ours. I’m proud to have multiple specialists who share their expertise to make sure our clients reach their potential. Our specialists are skilled at a range of areas, from brand strategy to creative direction, graphic design to website development, social media and content strategy to SEO and data-driven marketing. We all bring so much value to the table, and conceptualize, compile, and converse—because we believe better things are built in collaboration.

Through our creative process, we refine the mundane, ground you in what matters, and weave together the timeless and the unexpected to tell your story.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Throughout my career, I’ve been surrounded by inspiring and empowering people who love to share connections and networks, and to these people, I am forever grateful. For us, the best source for gaining new clients has simply been word-of-mouth referrals. We’re intentional about establishing authentic connections with our clients — it’s near impossible to effectively serve our clients without getting to know them personally. We work closely with them to gain an understanding of their business, goals, pain points, and audience. It’s amazing to think about how every professional connection you make can lead to a new opportunity (even people who don’t directly hire you). It has also been helpful having site credits in the footer of our clients’ websites, as that has been the second most effective source of referrals.

ZAS

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I’d realized sooner how much better everything would get when I started bringing on team members. This has been a massive game-changer for me and my clients. While I enjoy the freedom and flexibility of working for myself, it can get lonely and overwhelming. Having a team to collaborate with, brainstorm, process solutions to issues, and divide and conquer tasks allows us to do even greater things than any of us could do on our own. I was intimidated about leading a team at first. I also thought my team would have to be “in house” employees, but many talented people prefer working as a contractor now, which works great for my company in these early building years.

I’m the first one to admit I need people around me who have skills that I don’t personally have. My virtual assistant keeps me organized. My junior designers bring fresh ideas and creative solutions that I wouldn’t have thought of. My brand strategist clarifies the brand positioning and focuses on metrics like KPI’s and ROA’s to ensure we’re on track. My e-commerce specialist knows exactly which tool or app will improve back-end operations and increase conversions for our clients. My developers pay attention to detail so that everything is pixel-perfect. My marketing teams ensure that we drive traffic to our client’s websites and profiles. I could keep going, but I think you get the idea — it’s a team effort and we’re able to accomplish so much more together!

Contact Info:

• Website: novemberdesignstudio.com
• Instagram: @novemberdesignstudio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisa-mangum/