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

Shalanda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success is a personable measurement. I would like to see my craft evolve, be published, and be shared worldwide. I’ve seen how corporations can invest in their brand firsthand. I started Elevation In Design to elevate creative assets for everyday people and entrepreneurs. Scaling isn’t a core target, just evolving. I succeed when I’m growing creatively, and the people I touch are also.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When you see me, you don’t immediately see a creative. But work with me. You will see how I think and put things together. I find joy when I produce something tangible that’s tied to creativity. It can be as simple as creating a flyer for my sorority, an invitation for a surprise party, or save-the-dates for an upcoming wedding. I enjoy working through designs on behalf of the client, bringing their vision to life.

I wasn’t using my creative energy in my corporate job. I knew I had to do what I tell others and find joy in something outside the day job. Elevation In Design was the beginning of my leaping into the pool. My core offerings include customized invitations, thank you, and everyday cards for special moments. They can be sent digitally (sustainability does matter) or printed on recyclable paper. I added a do-it-yourself element for those wishing to take on the challenge themselves while still leveraging my creative spirit. When I launched, I had potential clients ask to produce entrepreneur collateral (i.e., business one-pagers, product information, and thank-you cards). I recently expanded to make this an offering, entrepreneur brand identity kits. I’m dabbling in logo and social media design elements and loving the experience.

When I worked for one of the big brands, I realized how important it was to showcase your work well. People see the tangible before hearing anything that comes from your mouth. I produced presentations and collateral for strategic initiatives that touched several business areas and pulled insight together to tell an impactful story. The information had to be concise, and the visuals had to be meaningful. The future phase of Elevation In Design would be to share this wealth of insight by working with clients who need assistance with their pitch decks. If you haven’t had to do either before, your first thought is to throw everything in it. I will help my clients focus on producing intent and impact.

I’m in the early stages of this journey. I’ve been stretched and changed my approach to focus on where I thrive. I’m proud of it! For me, that shows growth and allows me to understand the direction I can flourish with the ability to decide where to spend the most energy. I will only offer my clients services where I thrive. I’m about evolving and want to ensure my clients do the same. My clients will always receive my best!

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I initially discussed my business desires with another friend-entrepreneur, and she said, “Shalanda, you have to invest in yourself first to give yourself the confidence to dive in.” I agreed. I’ve been blessed to leverage personal savings to fund the initial capital to purchase foundational graphic design software, training, and equipment. I don’t believe we have to go at it alone! I had friends with businesses that asked me to help them update collateral and provided access to their product suite to do so. I researched programs for small business use. High-end specialized graphic design software and training are investments without small business pricing. I will continue investing in more tools as my business expands. A few goals for 2023 are to join a design challenge and apply for small business grants that I can leverage to help start-ups for little to no cost.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I always say my career found me. I did not limit myself to a specific path but always fought for opportunities I would enjoy. I have been part of a few restructures in my corporate career and sometimes settled in what I would call a “foreign land,” where you may not be fully adequately equipped. Still, transferrable skills can showcase your capacity and promise. A few times, I found myself in subjective roles, so I made them my own. I was a product person put in finance. Where is the similarity there? Pivoting in general and in “foreign” areas may seem challenging. I could learn and draw from skills I did not know I had. I had to be a student and a performer at the same time. It’s okay! There is nothing wrong with learning in motion. I learned from experience. I’m learning from this experience!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elevationindesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevationindesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElevationInDesign/
• Other: https://bit.ly/m/elevationindesign

Image Credits
Personal photos taken by me.