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

Rosetta, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is 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?

When I first started working with clients I had no contract in place. When we think of contracts we often think about the big disasters which could arise and easily think, oh that won’t happen to me, but actually it’s the smaller stuff which creeps up on you and why you need a contract. To begin with I woud only charge the client when the work was finished and handed over. I had no timelines in place so that left me wide open. The result was that the project, a rebrand, took almost five months and in that time I didn’t see a penny. But it wasn’t anyone behaving badly, it was that we had no boundaries in place. Now I take a monimum 50% deposit with a clear timeline, scope and expectations. I also ask for the final balance beofre releasing final files and have cancellation clauses in my contracts so if a client has to pull out part way through a project I will be compensated for the work I’d done and the remaining work lost. In order to get a watertight contract I researched legal teams in my local area, called around and eventually found a fantastic female founded law firm who helped many small businesses and startups. It was an investment but unlike many things in business you can train yourself to do, legal matters wasn’t one I was going to shortcut.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Rosetta, an illustrator, designer and crafter living in the city of Exeter in the UK. I have developed a very bold, colourful style which is the signature thing I’m often commissioned for. I take a lot of risks with colour, which is a bit Marmite, but for those who want to stand out in the market, that’s where I help them visually take off. For the last 18 months I have been helping business owners of all sizes with their visual marketing by integrating illustration and graphic design to create unique, stand-out pieces. I have worked on packaging design, editorial, book covers, public art, social media and digital design. I have also worked on private commissions doing house portraits and bespoke illustrations. I’ve always loved crafting with my hands and so this year I’m pivoting my business to expand into paper and felt analogue illustration, following in the footsteps of some contemporary artists I adore such as Naíma Almeida and Owen Gildersleeve. This year I’ll also be working on a pattern collection to licence, setting up an online shop and actively applying for more public art commissions.

Here’s how it all started. I studied History of Art and Architecture at undergraduate level and upon graduating I moved to London to pursue a career working in art galleries. Well, as things never quite turn out the way you planned, I ended up working in the property industry within marketing. A big part of my marketing role required me to create all sorts of graphic designed assets such as social media artwork and brochures. As a creative all my life and a keen graphic designer at home, I knew I could do it. Five years later I had built worthy skills in graphic design, digital design, marketing, managing a team and PR. It was about a year before that I got the itch to set up on my own, first a dream, then with more research a concrete plan. I had savings and determination so I said goodbye to employment and started.

At the end of 2023 I was nominated for Best New Business and shortlisted for the Runway Award at an Exeter based Awards Ceremony. I didn’t win this time but I was so proud to be recognised and nominated. I also had my first magazine feature last summer after being contacted by the editor which was another proud pinch me moment. One of the things I’d like to be known for, as well as my style, is my commitment to community. To celebrate my one year business anniversary last year, I threw a party and asked the attendees to anonymously write a compliment about someone else. I’ll be turning those compliments into a piece of artwork to help raise money for a local charity I volunteer with. There is power in art and power in community. I’m lucky I get to work with both everyday.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

My clientele have largely come from word of mouth recommendations and connections through my network. When I first started my business I leant heavily into networking because I knew meeting people in real life was going to be crucial in building genuine connections and most importantly, trust. I was terrified, walking into a room full of strangers was anxiety inducing but I went in open minded, friendly and was honest that I was new to it. I owe a lot to one particular woman who has become a good mate, who introduced me to lots of people. Then at the next networking event I knew one or two people, who in turn introduced me to more people and so on until I felt like one of the group. Through my network I have connected with so many more people than I would if I’d tried to do it online from scratch.

I also adopted a consistent approach to posting on LinkedIn and Instagram and over a year, I’ve started to see the results. It’s slow going, so start at the start and keep going. Always imagine no one is seeing your posts and keep going anyway. The reality is people are noticing all the time, even if they don’t comment or engage. My biggest client to date came from seeing my work on LinkedIn, qualified by following up on my website.

This year, I will be entering the world of e-commerce so I will be expanding my focus towards Pinterest and being more active on Instagram, and who knows, maybe I’ll finally get my Millennial head around TikTok.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest things I’ve had to unlearn is around money and boundaries. I can’t speak for everyone but as a female born in the 90s, societal messaging around money and work boundaries has been rooted in the patriarchy. Since starting my business I’m re-learning that money isn’t icky, nor do I need to compromise in order to be paid fairly. I’ve also been putting in stronger boundaries around time and scope and taking more time to look after my health and wellbeing. It’s important to me this year to be healthy, resilient and as creative as possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.getthezestcreative.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/rosetta_getthezestcreative
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rosettawestbrook
• Other: www.pinterest.co.uk/rosetta_getthezestcreative