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

Olivia , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

After graduating from University in New York, I immediately moved out to California to start my life as an adult. I was so excited to start making money in my career path and to live by the ocean. Up until this point, I had done everything “right”. Graduated High School, got into a good college and then pursued a career in a path I’m interested in. I was, by society’s standards, “living the dream”. But once I started working in corporate America I was extremely unfulfilled. My position at the company was not creatively stimulating, I didn’t feel aligned with the work I was doing and I was definitely not into having only 2 weeks off for vacation every year.

About a year at my company I started exploring different jobs on the side. Also during this time, I started working with freelancers at my job and was learning what it meant to be an entrepreneur. Up until then, I had never considered starting my own business, but with meeting these freelancers it started to seem like a good option, so I started experimenting with different business plans and what my life and business could look like. My position at the time was a Graphic Designer on a Marketing Team, so I was learning new skills and getting more experienced in my design skills. My original business idea was a marketing agency that helped with Graphic Design skills, but quickly realized I enjoyed the branding side of design much more, which led me wanting to create a graphic design studio.

For over a year I continued looking for new jobs, while also creating a website and dreaming up what it would look like to have my own business. So, I guess I came up with the idea through trial and error, pursuing my passions and just going for it. The business I originally started 5 years ago is much different than it is now, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without going through the trial and error. I think you have to just start and figure it out along the way because that is how you get better and know what you actually like and don’t like to do.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Olivia is the founder of Current Design Studio and Motive Deck™, the host of Behind the Design Podcast, and both mentors and teaches emerging designers as they grow and scale their businesses. If the list of businesses didn’t make this clear yet, Olivia is a multi-passionate entrepreneur who’s sick of watching the endless hustle get in the way of you living your best life… She does whatever she can to help fix this problem for emerging and inspiring entrepreneurs alike.

Olivia believes that you don’t need to live in the weeds, spiraling into the messy middle of trying to grow and scale a profitable business. And you deserve to learn from someone who’s done what you want to do. Combined, her businesses generated $1 million in revenue in just 5 years since quitting her corporate job.

But everything Olivia teaches isn’t just about building an online business. It’s about laying the foundations for your entire career, so you can really enjoy your whole life. Because that’s why you work for yourself, isn’t it? Let your business energize your whole life.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I love this question so much because I don’t think it’s something that’s talked about enough in business (especially as creatives), that it’s okay to pivot your business! Too often we overthink things which keeps us from even getting started, so once we start we think that it’s the end-all-be-all and we can’t change our minds, but this is so not true! As creatives especially we are always learning and exploring new passions and I think it’s important our businesses grow in that direction with us too.

I experienced a big pivot in my business last year when after 2 years of scaling my design agency from solopreneur to a team of 5 I was super burnt out and felt creatively blocked within my business. I had essentially become a Creative Director/Project Manager and was approving designs from my team and making sure all client communication was going smoothly. While this had been the goal in mind as I was growing and hiring, once I achieved it, I realized it was not for me. I missed doing the actual design work and coming up with the concepts on my own – it was time to scale down.

I went through a lot of ups and downs emotionally thinking I had somehow failed, but realized that it was just a pivot to reposition myself in my company. I decided to let a few of my team members go and take on more client tasks so I could get back to doing what I love. This was hard because I had to have tough conversations, but ultimately I am much happier in my day-to-day tasks within the business. I realize now that scaling down is not a failure, but a sign of efficiency because it caused me to realize what was and wasn’t working within the business.

As business owners it’s very easy to just stay on the trajectory of where you’re going because you’re so immersed in the day-to-day, but you always want to pick your head up every once and while and make sure it aligns with the bigger vision you have for your life.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Current is a go-to design studio for coaching and wellness-focused businesses. Over the last 5 years I’ve grown this reputation by being known for one thing: high-converting brands and websites. I believe having honed in on this one service and being really known for overdelivering in this department made it not confusing for potential clients because they know what we can give them.

I don’t think as a creative it’s that important to niche down since our work is what sets us apart from other designers, but I do think that having a core offering is what helps build your reputation and make you known for something.

Contact Info:

• Website: currentdesignstudio.com / byoliviaaustin.com
• Instagram: @current.designstudio / @byoliviaaustin
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-design/id1490880944

Image Credits
https://kiely-photography.com/ https://fieldsandfreckles.com/