Small Business Stories - ELE Design Video

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Small Business Stories - ELE Design

Ivy Hartman: Hi, there I’m Ivy Hartman, thanks for joining us at SBTB.com coverage for the vision adventure and opportunity here in Saint Luis. I’m with Elizabeth Erickson of ELE designs and Elizabeth is a graphic designer. Talk about your graphic design business, ELE designs. Elizabeth Erickson: Well I recently launched ELE designs in October of 07 and I originally was working for a small business in Saint Luis doing account management and graphic design. And when I first went to that company, I knew right away that I would want to have my own company and so I quickly learned both sides of business. From how to deal with client, how to do the financing as well as being a good designer and so I spent three years there and when I left the company and launched my own. For a while when I was there, I was working at the office full time and then going home and work until two o’clock in the morning and I knew something have to give. So I took the risk and I started my own company. I hoped small and midsized business in Saint Luis and Chicago get their brands started, their marketing and their advertising. So with the small business as I focused on their branding or their logo, make sure that its up to date, it’s with the industry standard. The medium sized businesses usually have that brands already started, its in the public eye but we go ahead and clean it up and we also try to strategically market them in their area or if they need to go national. We try to do that as well. I do both print designs, web design, all the above so it’s been going really well. Ivy Hartman: Now are you doing all this thing single handedly still? Elizabeth Erickson: Most of it yes from sales to the designs to the billing, everything but I am currently in the process of getting some freelance designers from my Alma mater Maryland University. They have a great graphic design program and so I’m employing new students from there. Ivy Hartman: The vision adventure event here in Saint Luis, what brought you to this? Elizabeth Erickson: Well my sister, she’s up in Chicago emailed me. The html invite and I read it and I was like, “Oh my gosh, I have to go to this.” I’m so excited it’s in Saint Luis because sometimes I want to think of things like this and I knew it was going to be good. It was sponsored by Microsoft and it just fits my life plan exactly, so I’m so excited to be here. Ivy Hartman: Speaking of a life plan and planning on your business. What are you taking—what are the few things that you’re taking away from today’s event that so far that you’ve learned? Elizabeth Erickson: Susan earlier did a great job, making me feel more comfortable who I am as a businesswoman. Recently I’ve been in some conversations with some pretty high up businessman in the Saint Luis area about having a storefront in a retail location and it has been a very intimidating being around that business side that I haven’t really experienced. And so just listening today that you know there is a team out there, I realize there is a game and it has been a challenge to learn it but it’s also been really a good process. So let’s say this retail thing doesn’t happen. I have learned so much through it but I can take away and know that I’m still a powerful businesswoman. Ivy Hartman: What are perhaps two or three things that you wrote then go ahead and do after this vision adventure thing, what are the next steps for your company? Elizabeth Erickson: I actually have on my notebook. One is that I have my mentors in the area that have been helping but I haven’t been doing a very good job following up with them and scheduling some monthly meetings with them. So I want to start you know getting those planned. Having an advisory board because I’m growing quite rapidly and so I need to be able to obtain a group of people that I could just shoot ideas off and get their honest feed back on, so those are a few things that I need to do so— Ivy Hartman: Good, lots of luck to you with ELE designs, actually you’re doing a great services to small businesses just as SBTV.com is. You’re helping them with your branding and getting their name out fast. Elizabeth Erickson: They’re more than welcome. Ivy Hartman: How can we get a hold of ELE designs? Elizabeth Erickson: You can email me at Elizabeth@ELEdesign.com or you can visit ELEdesign.com and you can get an email right from there. Ivy Hartman: Oh wow the owner of an important branding and marketing can be in our small business so good luck to you and you know where to find Elizabeth now. Keep it right here on SBTV.com with the coverage of vision adventure here in Saint Luis.

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Ivy Hartman: Hi, there I’m Ivy Hartman, thanks for joining us at SBTB.com coverage for the vision adventure and opportunity here in Saint Luis. I’m with Elizabeth Erickson of ELE designs and Elizabeth is a graphic designer. Talk about your graphic design business, ELE designs.

Elizabeth Erickson: Well I recently launched ELE designs in October of 07 and I originally was working for a small business in Saint Luis doing account management and graphic design. And when I first went to that company, I knew right away that I would want to have my own company and so I quickly learned both sides of business. From how to deal with client, how to do the financing as well as being a good designer and so I spent three years there and when I left the company and launched my own.

For a while when I was there, I was working at the office full time and then going home and work until two o’clock in the morning and I knew something have to give. So I took the risk and I started my own company. I hoped small and midsized business in Saint Luis and Chicago get their brands started, their marketing and their advertising. So with the small business as I focused on their branding or their logo, make sure that its up to date, it’s with the industry standard.

The medium sized businesses usually have that brands already started, its in the public eye but we go ahead and clean it up and we also try to strategically market them in their area or if they need to go national. We try to do that as well. I do both print designs, web design, all the above so it’s been going really well.

Ivy Hartman: Now are you doing all this thing single handedly still?

Elizabeth Erickson: Most of it yes from sales to the designs to the billing, everything but I am currently in the process of getting some freelance designers from my Alma mater Maryland University. They have a great graphic design program and so I’m employing new students from there.

Ivy Hartman: The vision adventure event here in Saint Luis, what brought you to this?

Elizabeth Erickson: Well my sister, she’s up in Chicago emailed me. The html invite and I read it and I was like, “Oh my gosh, I have to go to this.” I’m so excited it’s in Saint Luis because sometimes I want to think of things like this and I knew it was going to be good. It was sponsored by Microsoft and it just fits my life plan exactly, so I’m so excited to be here.

Ivy Hartman: Speaking of a life plan and planning on your business. What are you taking—what are the few things that you’re taking away from today’s event that so far that you’ve learned?

Elizabeth Erickson: Susan earlier did a great job, making me feel more comfortable who I am as a businesswoman. Recently I’ve been in some conversations with some pretty high up businessman in the Saint Luis area about having a storefront in a retail location and it has been a very intimidating being around that business side that I haven’t really experienced. And so just listening today that you know there is a team out there, I realize there is a game and it has been a challenge to learn it but it’s also been really a good process. So let’s say this retail thing doesn’t happen. I have learned so much through it but I can take away and know that I’m still a powerful businesswoman.

Ivy Hartman: What are perhaps two or three things that you wrote then go ahead and do after this vision adventure thing, what are the next steps for your company?

Elizabeth Erickson: I actually have on my notebook. One is that I have my mentors in the area that have been helping but I haven’t been doing a very good job following up with them and scheduling some monthly meetings with them. So I want to start you know getting those planned. Having an advisory board because I’m growing quite rapidly and so I need to be able to obtain a group of people that I could just shoot ideas off and get their honest feed back on, so those are a few things that I need to do so—

Ivy Hartman: Good, lots of luck to you with ELE designs, actually you’re doing a great services to small businesses just as SBTV.com is. You’re helping them with your branding and getting their name out fast.

Elizabeth Erickson: They’re more than welcome.

Ivy Hartman: How can we get a hold of ELE designs?

Elizabeth Erickson: You can email me at Elizabeth@ELEdesign.com or you can visit ELEdesign.com and you can get an email right from there.

Ivy Hartman: Oh wow the owner of an important branding and marketing can be in our small business so good luck to you and you know where to find Elizabeth now. Keep it right here on SBTV.com with the coverage of vision adventure here in Saint Luis.

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