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

Melissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents were hard-working, industrious people. They weren’t extravagant or driven by cultural trends, but instead opting to focus on being prepared for the future. I learned a lot from watching my parents work and run our household, namely how to focus and work hard, and how to avoid the traps of going into debt for short-lived cultural pleasures, and instead how to be content with what I have.

Melissa, 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 am a graphic design strategist first, and an product developer and artist second. I have been running a boutique design studio called Strong Design Studios for the last 20+ years (half of that moonlighting, half of that as my full-time business) where I help small-to-midsize businesses develop their brands.About 5 years ago, I launched a second business called Phoenix Supply Co. where I design and creating desert-inspired art, stationery, accessories and gifts. Being a designer, I tend to approach everything as a design challenge, including my art and products, and I find it really fun to get to “be my own client” for Phoenix Supply Co.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

This probably sounds cliche, but Covid was definitely a challenge. I had just placed my largest orders for Phoenix Supply Co. that I’d ever placed just days before the shutdown down and all of the artisan markets in the valley were canceled. While I felt really discouraged for several days, but eventually decided to really try to leverage Instagram stories as a way to connect in a face-to-face manner with my audience, and since then it has become one of the most important and delightful parts of my business!

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

I always tell freelancers who are just starting out that some of the best money you can possibly spend is to hire a CPA. This is clearly not a fun expense, because they are not cheap, but they can help you make much smarter tax-related decisions that can save you thousands. Similarly, I’ve found it invaluable to have a financial advisor in my corner. It can be very tempting to focus only on the work, but at the end of the day, most businesses don’t necessarily fail because they can’t do the work, but more so because of poor financial decisions and struggling to run the “business” side of the business. I believe you have to get as good at the “business” side of the business as the “work” side of the business to be successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.strongdesign.co AND www.phoenixsupply.co
• Instagram: @strongdesignstudios AND @phoenixsupplyco

Image Credits
Kharisma Photography LifeCreated Photography