Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel Olson-Pruneda. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I was a single mom on a very limited income. I had wanted to have a published book for years, but never realized it could be a reality until I started seeing others talk about self-publishing. The more I researched, the more I discovered that there were other elements that I simply could not afford. So I began to teach myself very basic design. My first several covers were HORRIBLE, but I spent countless hours researching and practicing until I finally felt confident enough to use my learned skills to help others in similar financial predicaments.
Rachel, 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 wife and mother of three living in Western Nebraska. I’ve always had a passion for art and writing, with memories as far back as grade school, dabbling in children’s stories and poetry. I became a designer simply by necessity, but quickly realized that I truly have a passion for it and find an immense amount of joy and fulfillment in helping others in the writing industry. If I could provide graphic design services for free, I would, but that doesn’t pay my bills. I genuinely want to see all aspiring writers succeed in reaching their dreams as authors, whether self-published or through a publisher. As a fully self-taught designer, I still have limitations in my abilities, but it’s something that’s ever-growing and always changing. It never gets old or boring because there’s always something new to learn.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In November 2021, I lost my day job. I had worked at a credit union for over 2 years, and right before the company planned to merge with another, they let me go. It was completely unexpected, and to say I was unprepared for the loss in income would be an understatement. At that point, I had only been doing graphic design as a side gig; something to bring in a little extra cash flow. But within one weekend, I chose to jump head first into full-time self-employment and see if I could make graphics and formatting successfully work for me. It hasn’t been easy, and I even tried to take on a day job again last year, but it didn’t work out. I love what I do and I want to continue designing full time for as long as possible.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I didn’t start my business in a traditional sense. Because of this, funding literally came from my own pocket, and only when I had a few extra dollars to spare. In a lot of instances, I had to charge 50% up front just to make sure I had funds on-hand to create the project. As a new designer, I struggled with requesting funding for a project I hadn’t even started yet. Once funds started coming in a little at a time, I was able to slowly transition to a business plan that I personally felt more comfortable with. I didn’t charge until the project was complete AND approved. To insure that payment would still be made, I always made a small version of the images/files and only provided those for review and approval. I wouldn’t provide the full, high-resolution files until payment was received. It was rare to have a client fail to pay, and business continues to run in this manner.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nosweatgraphics.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nosweatgraphics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nosweatgraphics
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RachelOlsonauthor
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nsgraquel https://www.facebook.com/groups/nosweatgraphics
Image Credits
DepositPhotos