Welcome back to the HerHub blog for another feature of a talented, local, woman-owned business! Today we are introducing you to Kerri and her business, Brimming Design. Kerri has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the entrepreneurial world. With her love of learning and the knowledge gained in a past business, Brimming Design has blossomed into a go-to resource for assisting businesses with branding, email newsletters, digital art, social media and much more.
We love a woman who is willing to learn and then excited to mentor and help other women. Because of that, she is our featured member this week! Keep reading on for our interview with Kerri. You can also sign up for Kerri’s Monday Marketing newsletter to get a useful tip each week at this link: https://brimmingdesign.com/email-signup/
Tell us about yourself! What makes you, “you”?
I am an endlessly optimistic, tenacious worker bee. I love all things visual and get the biggest kick out of small details.
Describe your business/services and then tell us about what brought you to creating this business and why you’re passionate about it.
I help organizations stay on top of their branding, assisting with the tasks they want to delegate. My capacity includes all things printed, digital art, websites, social media, and email newsletters. My first business started in 1997 making custom invitations and announcements sold online. As the mailed-cards business slowed, I switched to doing design and marketing for small businesses, charities and organizations. It is not my job… it is me! I get so much joy from my work — solving the puzzle of how to get a message across. I also love helping and connecting people, and having long-term relationships with my clients. I am part of their team.
What goals do you have for your business in the future?
I would like to mentor 9 more women before I retire in 9 years. I hope to provide encouragement and training to help them launch their careers, as I slowly grow my business.
What is your proudest achievement?
Besides three wonderful young adult children, my biggest success was building an incredible team and happy work environment in my previous business. My business partner and I worked hard to build the company and culture.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a business owner and how did you overcome it?
Our biggest challenge was definitely letting employees go as our first company shrank. As our product inched toward the end its lifespan, we said one sad goodbye after another. To deal with that, we attempted to create a fresh start at each stage.
What advice would you give to a woman looking to start a business or get into a leadership role? Is there one thing that has helped you specifically?
When asked, I recommend starting your business slowly while you have another income source. Jump in with a product. See what happens. Refine. Repeat. Don’t let perfectionism stop you from launching.
What made you want to join HerHub?
I enjoy learning other women’s stories, and sharing ideas. Like the mentoring I do, I believe it helps me to learn and grow.
Why do you feel it’s important to collaborate and empower other women?
Everyone needs encouragement! Sometimes when you feel like you are at ropes end, a kind word can keep you going.
If you could recommend one resource (book, podcast, quote, class, website, etc.), that has helped you in life or in business, what would it be and why?
BNI and the Connext Nation networking course helped me tremendously. I also enjoy working with a business coach to keep me accountable.
We love spreading love to other woman-owned businesses and we bet you do too. Give a shout out here to your favorite, local, woman-owned business (besides your own)!
Women of Toledo (Nina Corder is an inspiration!), Michele Kipplen (Photography) and Jennifer Panczyszyn (Edward Jones) for their focus, Food for Thought, Nicole Quinn (Bellagio Windows), Arianna Anderson (AFC Wellness), Debby Peters (Connext Nation), Sarah Krafty (Krafty Travel), Teresa Boyer (Provisional Pen), Kelley Webb (Matching Peace), Crystal Taylor, Leslie Zalecki (Designer Shades), Michelle Pommerantz (LCS)
We hope this week’s blog post inspired you! Thank you Kerri, for taking the time to answer our questions, we are so happy to have you in our community!
For more information about Brimming Design, visit the website below.
