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

Alright, Simone thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

I found my first clients in a way that I never would have expected. As a new business owner, I was struggling to narrow into my niche, and I felt like I was trying everything I could without any real results. I had played around with social media, but I hadn’t had any real success.

However, one TikTok was about to change the trajectory of my business. I was working on a series called “Design with Me,” where I used my followers’ initials to design monogram logos. One follower had commented on a previous video, asking me to use the initials of a bride and groom. I chose her comment without thinking about the fact that I was about to design a wedding logo.

I went about my usual routine, designing the logo and posting it to TikTok, then closing the app for the day. I wasn’t expecting an unusual amount of views, as I had been doing this series for a couple of weeks already and had not had a crazy response. However, when I opened the app three hours later, the video had over 30,000 views!

I was shocked. I began to read the comments and realized that they were all asking me to design wedding logos. What began as a fun design series had quickly become a possible revenue stream, and I realized that wedding branding was a niche I had never considered.

I immediately added a new section to my website’s services page – wedding branding. I began to promote this on TikTok by continuing the Design with Me series, and within two days I had several new client inquiries. I was ecstatic – of all the social media outlets, I had never expected TikTok to generate so much buzz for my business.

Since I posted that video, I’ve had many wedding branding clients, who now make up the majority of my client base since my launch. I am so thankful for the success I’ve found on TikTok, and am now looking towards Instagram reels to reach new clients.

This experience has taught me not to give up on social media, and to take new opportunities as they come! You never know where your next client will come from.

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 Simone, a Brand and Print Designer specializing in the minimalist style. This year, I launched Studio Terrae, a woman-led, strategic brand design studio. We craft purposeful and human-centered brands built to last.

We specialize in visual identity, brand strategy, and print design. Our passion is creating beautiful, timeless, functional brands that are people-oriented. Our creative process is tailored to the client, with the goal of crafting an engaging and lasting brand identity. Services include brand identity design, print and digital collateral design, and wedding branding.

This studio is an extension of my passion for strategic, sustainable design. I knew I wanted to pursue design when I was 14 years old after I founded a small greeting card business. Selling my cards at local maker fairs, I met inspiring and trailblazing creatives who were fearless in their pursuit of their passions and artistry. Over the years, I’ve learned to appreciate the people behind each business. Leading with a human-centered approach, I love being able to weave storytelling and ethos into each design and helping my clients craft a brand that feels like them.

As a current university student, I’ve learned a lot in terms of juggling a business alongside academic commitments. Launching Studio Terrae has enabled me to hone in on my skills, refine my craft, and perfect my ability to work with clients. I’ve already learned so much through this business, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next!

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

Social media! In the past, I was skeptical of social media platforms for business. I thought they were saturated, and I was under the impression that it would be extremely difficult to break through all the noise.

However, social media has recently become my main client acquisition funnel. I think that consistency, along with a well-defined mission, really helps businesses grow on social media.

I would also recommend defining your target clients right away and thinking about how to best reach them/communicate with them over social media. Which platforms are they on? What content do they like? What calls to action do they respond to?

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I’ve found that adding a personal touch to my projects is the best way to maintain brand loyalty and establish a connection with my clients. I always like to schedule a preliminary Zoom call when kicking off a project, so my client and I can speak candidly about their vision for the project and any questions or concerns they have.

I also like to send custom proposals to my clients, where I outline their project, goals, and deliverables, as well as a timeline with specific steps that I will complete throughout the process. I think this adds a personal touch to the project and helps the client feel at ease about the process as a whole.

Finally, I always send a thank you packet to the client after the project end. This includes a personalized thank you message, as well as a link to my client feedback form. This allows the customer to review their experience with me and helps maintain loyalty for future projects!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studio-terrae.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studio.terrae/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonevaillancourt/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@studioterraedesign