We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tomi Banks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tomi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

-In the beginning… I’ve always known I was a creative. As a child, I drew all of my favorite things and interests. Drawings of horses, flowers, vines, and people ensued in multiple variations in crayon then pencil. In junior high school, I realized that I could make things and those things would get me extra credit or a letter grade up. If a classmate needed help with anything ‘artsy,’ I was the go to kid.
-On my journey, my love for ‘all things creative’ grew into a love for fashion, design, photography and technology. I started an event planning business for client’s weddings, parties and even baby showers. I created everything from stationary to centerpieces making sure items were customized for each client. Along the way, I was introduced to Adobe (ok, publisher first) and discovered an ever vast digital world. I fell in love.
-So how did I exactly come up with my current business? While I was part of a women’s entrepreneur mastermind group, the organizer recognized all the different skills I shared with the group. I noticed that many of the women were not familiar with or had knowledge of many techy platforms or programs. They would often ask me for help to complete our projects or assignments. As a result of this mastermind, T. Banks Creative was ignited.
-T. Banks Creative would be a space to craft a personalized visual of a business through graphic design, photography and video. It would help the small business owner (especially those with no tech skills) build a visual foundation and have a polished and professional online presence. My next thought was to incorporate social media and it’s evolving platforms. Today, I intentionally provide the entrepreneur, business owner or ministry leader branded media and custom strategies for their socials.
-Am I a success? I would dare say ‘YES!’ But my success is definitely fueled by my clients. At heart, I love to help others and it makes my day when someone is ecstatic over a design or photograph. Or when they are relieved when automation or strategy is applied to their social media and their time is freed up knowing the posts are finally scheduled.
-I believe that God has gifted every business owner, artist and leader with ‘Gold.’ That Gold is the service they offer, the product they create or the encouragement they share. And I’m happy to share my gift to help them make that ‘Gold’ shine even brighter.

Tomi, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

-Hello and Howdy! I’m Tomi Banks, the creative graphic stylist-photographer-remote digital producer and speech language pathologist. To be transparent, I’m definitely the introvert who would rather work at home on my computer designing and immersing myself in the latest techy program or platform.
-I honestly didn’t originally desire to own a business. It just evolved over the years. You see, I really enjoyed creating, taking photographs and learning how to utilize programs like Adobe. I also loved the reaction people displayed when I would custom create the ideas that they envisioned. With each individual, I attempted to capture their personality and their vision. Thus creating custom media for their events or digital projects.
-Many of my friends and clients did not use or understand programs from publisher to Adobe, Canva or social media platforms. They were frustrated with just the simple steps required to utilize the programs and platforms. So I stepped in to help. Some clients understood my simplified instructions while others just wanted ‘it’ done and offered to hire me for my services. Referrals became a welcome recurring event and T. Banks Creative developed into a real business.
-Providing genuine personal attention, custom designs and innovation for my clients has set T. Banks Creative apart from other businesses.
-Every business owner, creative and ministry leader has God given “Gold.” Their ‘Gold’ is the product, service or guidance that they provide. And I believe that my ‘Gold’ is to help them shine visually. I’m proud to be apart of their journey.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I’d like to share more of how T. Banks Creative evolved. There was a time when I could only afford to watch Youtube videos on how to use Adobe Creative Suite. But I was determined to have the skills required to create beautiful digital products whenever I could afford the program. And then seven years ago, while taking photos of a friend at a church conference, my journey started a new creative turn. The AV technician at the church introduced himself, shared all his creative interests and skills. He eventually became a mentor for everything I loved to do which included graphic design, photography and videography. After he recognized my passionate interest in pursuing graphic design, he gifted me the entire Adobe Creative Suite. What a Blessing! And he also trained me on whatever I couldn’t figure out. I then learned how to use a camera off manual mode, lighting and editing. Eventually, we started working together and providing numerous successful events for clients. I believe it’s so important to have a mentor, teacher or like minded friend on what ever goal driven journey you are on. We all need a support system to help us figure things out, offer sound advice, explain the techy stuff and celebrate our wins. So a sincere shout out and forever grateful Thank You to C. Hauser and CHJMEDIATECH!

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

I believe it’s imperative and advantageous to have multiple streams of income at this time in the world. Life changes everyday and sometimes moment to moment. Perhaps I feel safer knowing that I have many ways to produce income especially when my speech therapy business took a hit (like so many other therapy businesses) during the pandemic. After lacking income because of the changes and effects of the Covid Pandemic, I was able to utilize my creative skills to secure income. Many entrepreneurs were turning to online and social media marketing to drive their businesses or products. I was able to provide photography and social media management services. These skills truly sustained me during a time of uncertain job security and world changes. At T. Banks Creative, a branded media boutique, clients can secure social media management services, personal brand photography, marketing videos and graphic design.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tbankscreative.com
• Instagram: @tbankscreative
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/tbankscreative

Image Credits

CHJMEDIATECH
TBANKSCREATIVE