Today we’d like to introduce you to Loren Allardyce.
Hi Loren, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was working for a large restaurant group that had no online presence, including a live website. This was in about 2011. They asked me to add their business online. I had no experience in this other than as a consumer, so I went on the hunt for a web development company. Once that project started, I began adding their social media pages to the web. I knew NOTHING! The first Facebook page I started for the business was a regular personal page. Ha! I didn’t know any better, and in my defense, Facebook wasn’t what it is today for businesses. So, I got that changed out, added an Instagram page, and got to work. Again, I knew nothing, but tried to run the businesses on my own and did a pretty mediocre job at the start. Fast forward, after working with two social media management companies, I came back around and ended up running all of the creative and organic posting myself, including setting up photo shoots, creating content, and graphic design. I had a great friend tell me one day that I should start a side hustle running a small business social media management company. So, I was hired on by two clients right away. One was a non-profit, and the other a service industry HVAC company. I created content and did graphic design for their businesses. As you could guess it, each company wanted more than just social media management, so I was doing print, ads, vehicle wraps, a billboard, and more! I was a full-blown marketing manager for each company. As time went on, I realized this business could grow. After 19 years at one company, I was now running my own business. In a period of 12 months, I had grown from managing two companies to creating brand logos for two medical clinics, a commercial HVAC company and creating a digital presence for small-medium operations.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The hardest thing about going from working a 9-5 to working remote and traveling to clients was the schedule adjustment. The 9-5 hoarded my time. It didn’t matter if I had a lot of work, a little work, or no work; I had to sit in that chair and be physically present. The inefficiency of a “9-5” is another subject, but let’s just say, for some people, it is not good time or work management. So, once I was running my own business, I was working a lot, but it wasn’t traditional in terms of time. I might work all day Saturday or Sunday and have a light Monday morning. I might work until 10:00 at night but not get started the next day until 10:00 am. My personality is very task-oriented, so once I’m on a project or a job, I’m going to get it done. It’s priority, and procrastination is not my style. I never felt like I needed to be chained to a desk to complete work. I was going to complete the work regardless if it was there, home, or in a coffee shop.
Another struggle has been the isolation and loneliness. There is a huge part of me that LOVES working quietly at home when my children are at school, and my husband is at work. I can get so much accomplished in that scenario. I may get up from my desk, eat lunch in 5 minutes, and get back to work. It’s a hustle I love. But there is much less human interaction – for now – than I was ever used to. It’s great for productivity but hard on my mental stability. I miss my friends and colleagues that I enjoyed being around, but I work diligently on my own. I will also say, in tandem with that, is that building a business is not only difficult but there’s no one pushing you but you. You may have friends or family that support you, but no one will actually control how quickly or slowly you grow. That is part of the isolation challenge. Personally, I don’t struggle being motivated, but when you own your own business and you do not have a team, you are the only one that can do every single task. It’s wonderful, challenging, and a great way to grow personally – but it’s not easy.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I do graphic design, creative content, and digital marketing management. My absolute favorite thing to do for a client is completely onboard their business from brand development to their online digital presence and then create regular content for their social media feeds. I get to know the client and their business wholly and play a role in their aesthetic development while they concentrate on their area of expertise. When I create a brand logo for a client, I try to get a feel for what the client has in mind. Some people are very simple, clean aesthetics, and others like flare and fire! I love to do both. I love developing brand and ad decks for clients as it shows off the very best of what they do. Most business owners have a great vision of what their company “looks like,” but they can’t put it on paper or in a design. That’s what I’m there for – is to bring their ideas for their business to life. At this point, I’m probably most proud of how far I’ve come in graphic design. I’m still learning – I still have a TON to learn! But what I know about myself is I have the grit to figure it out and be a consistent wing of my client’s businesses. Marketing is a broad term, and often, firms overcharge. The amount of money businesses spend on marketing is… Well, it can be a scam. It’s wildly expensive to do basically anything, but I try to keep each client in their budgeting zone while doing the most for them that I can.
What does success mean to you?
That’s a broad question, but at this point in my career, I would say that success is retaining a client and gaining a new one by word of mouth. If my client likes my work so much that they suggest me to another business owner, I’ve succeeded.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lorenallardyce.com
- Instagram: @allardyce_creative
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllardyceCreative
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loren-allardyce-73912369/
