If you're a brand designer that wants to start offering web design but doesn't know where to start, just press play—we got you! I sat down with Olivia from Olive St. Studio, the creator of Slayin' Showit (a course I just joined) and website wizard! In this episode, we talk how to start, choosing a platform, mistakes to avoid, pricing, and more! Check out Olivia's socials and her course! @olivest_studio Slayin' Showit Course...
Apr 07, 2025•47 min
Instagram is always changing, and it feels like as soon as we figure it out, it's been updated again . But fear not —I’ve got you covered! The Design Diaries is BACK — In this episode, I’m breaking down the six key strategies you need to know to grow your brand, connect with your audience, and actually enjoy the content creation process, all based on what’s worked for me and what I’ve learned the hard way. From why quality matters more than consistency, to how micro-selling can help you land cli...
Feb 10, 2025•25 min•Season 14Ep. 38
Brand designer Alyssa Nguyen shares 3 strategies for booking clients after a slow period in your business that helped her go from slow quarters to booked out 2 months in advance.
Dec 14, 2023•17 min•Season 3Ep. 45
Brand design studio owner & designer Alyssa Nguyen shares why professional liability insurance is essential for creatives and some tips on how to get it and what to look for.
Dec 07, 2023•14 min•Season 3Ep. 44
Brand designer Alyssa Nguyen talks 3 key things to consider when approaching growth strategies for any part of your design or creative business. These tips will allow you to make actionable steps towards building a sustainable growth plan that won't overwhelm you.
Nov 20, 2023•18 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Guest speaker and Business & IP Lawyer Ivy McNeill joins us to discuss legal strategies for assessing legal risk and avoiding legal issues. We discuss questions to ask your clients to minimize your chances of trouble and questions to ask a lawyer when considering hiring representation as a brand designer. This episode will help you understand what a designer-attorney relationship can do for you and how to take the first steps with forming one. You can sign up for the FREE questionnaires that...
Oct 12, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 6
What types of projects should I put in my portfolio? How many? What do I put on my about page? What do I put in the case studies? I'll answer all of these questions and more to help you build the best graphic design portfolio possible.
Sep 14, 2023•15 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Figuring out if a client will be hard to work wit, if a contractor will be reliable, and if a coach will be worth it is hard! Here are 3 red flags that I look out for in each to maximize my chances of a good match.
Sep 07, 2023•20 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Let's talk about finding a design style! In this episode, I break down the difference between a design style and a design aesthetic and then share my journey with finding my own. I'll tell you all about my strategies for figuring out your signature and give you 3 tips to start.
Aug 31, 2023•18 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Let's talk about how lonely it is to be a self-employed creative...and then let me give some tips for finding community when you work by yourself! It's so important to take the time to connect with people in our industry, but it can be hard to figure out when, where, and how to do it. My best tips are in this episode!
Jul 27, 2023•22 min•Season 3Ep. 1
"What am I missing???" I know it's stressful leaving for the holidays not knowing if you've done *everything* you were supposed to, so here's a checklist of things I recommend doing at the end of the year to help you prep for the new year! In this episode, I'm talking accounting, improvement, planning, marketing, and more, so give it a listen and let me know what you think! This is the last episode of season 2, so leave us a review and DM us on Instagram to let us know what you're thinking of th...
Dec 27, 2022•23 min•Season 2Ep. 17
I spent HOW MUCH?? I spent almost 40k this year, and in this episode, I break down all the categories for my expenses and tell you exactly how much I spent and on what!
Dec 20, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 16
It's a little early, but I'm sharing some of the goals that I have for the new year!
Dec 13, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 15
In this episode, I'm giving you my top 5 tips for optimizing your content for TikTok because YES it's completely different from Instagram.
Dec 06, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 14
In this episode, I'm sharing my best 3 tips for avoiding burnout to plan your year more intuitively and give yourself a break.
Nov 29, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 13
I'm covering my tips for figuring out how to budget yourself as a self-employed freelancer or creative! I discuss tracking expenses and income and figuring out how to pay yourself!
Nov 15, 2022•20 min•Season 2Ep. 13
In this episode, I cover how to decide if a course is going to be worth your time and money and how to go about deciding if one is right for you!
Nov 08, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 12
In this episode, I asked you, my listeners, to submit some struggles that you need help with for this new advice column-style episode "Dear Diary." I'm giving advice to 3 different submitted situations: saying no to working with friends and family; holding yourself back from starting a business; and struggling to balance work and life as a freelancer without a formal schedule.
Nov 01, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 12
I'm listing the top 5 sections that I always look for in a contract that I highly recommend you have in yours!
Oct 24, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 11
I'm talking through 4 major legal mistakes I've made in my business and giving you the tips and honesty to help you avoid making the same ones!
Oct 18, 2022•20 min•Season 2Ep. 10
I'm talking about the progress I've made with self-perception, productivity, self-worth, and achievement as someone who struggles with feeling satisfied!
Oct 11, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 9
I'm talking all about the steps I took to rebrand my studio and tips for making it *easier* for you!
Oct 05, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 8
I'm sharing my biggest 3 tips for how to approach large business changes like restructuring, scaling, etc! We're talking figuring out what to change, how to find a solution, and how to approach executing it.
May 17, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 7
I'm talking all about what it's been like taking a mental health break from the business and how I'm approaching getting back into the swing of things!
May 10, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 6
With all the content I've been putting out recently over Instagram, Close Friends, TikTok, this Podcast, and now my YouTube, I've been struggling with the question of whether or not I'm sharing too much and how to deal with that uncertainty.
Jan 18, 2022•18 min
I give a lot of advice on what to DO, but now I'm trying to show you what NOT to do through sharing my regrets and things I wish I knew when I was growing and starting out.
Jan 11, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 3
I'm covering early termination as both a client and a creative: when to know, how to do it, and how to cope!
Nov 16, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 3
What brands do you hate? Do you have anything cringey to admit? I ask my friends @bymatthewmiller, @helloimwilda, and @m.b.i.r.d some juicy questions that you sent us in a long, candid, and fun conversation!
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this episode I'm talking Imposter Syndrome and some tips on how I've dealt with it over the years!
Jul 27, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 20
This episode covers some tips for what to do once you've decided to increase your rates!
Jul 21, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 14
