We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brooke LeBeau. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brooke below.
Brooke, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
Being a solutions-minded person helps me to stay focused and positive. I spend the same amount of time solving problems that I do making improvements. The journey can be, and often is, rough. If I get a flat tire on my way to the Grand Canyon, it doesn’t change the view. A couple years down the road, I won’t remember the flat tire. The journey is always worth it and the feeling when we’ve reached our goals is addicting. I focus on that feeling, not the obstacles.
I also celebrate everything. We cheer on our children for every little milestone and we owe it to ourselves to do the same. You’re growing, always, and it’s something to be proud of. I find that I do a better job of championing myself when I’m making sure to champion others. Everyone around you is doing an awesome job at something and they deserve to hear it. Once I started observing and verbalizing specific things that my colleagues and friends do extremely well, I found that I got better at appreciating myself.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Artfully Creative is a full-service creative marketing agency that specializes in a total coverage branding approach. With experience ranging from website development to event planning, our clients have access to everything they need for a complete marketing plan. We craft a holistic strategy that cohesively applies a client’s brand while consolidating assets and programs in a way that focuses on the customer experience.
Artfully sets itself apart with the belief that adapting to existing workflows takes priority over introducing new technologies and systems. We strive to get programs up and running quickly and efficiently, without upending our client’s processes. To date, Artfully has proudly served over 20 clients and delivered hundreds of projects.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Think big and plan small. Make big, elaborate, ridiculous goals and then write a plan with bite-sized and tangible tasks. The big picture is always overwhelming when we’re starting something new. I find that giving myself smaller accomplishments helps to keep me motivated.
Lean on your community. I struggle with this one, especially when it comes to asking for help, but it is the single most important thing you can do when starting a business. When I branched out on my own, I called just about everyone I know and the level of support was overwhelming.
Don’t worry about what everybody else is doing. Be aware of the competition, understand relevant trends, but don’t sweat it. I’m pretty sure everyone compares themselves to others in some way. It’s a very natural thing to just admire someone, or want to imitate them, or even collaborate with them. I don’t worry about admiring other people but I am careful to not let it lead to feelings of inadequacy.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
Working in an agency-capacity is great because I’m helping a lot of clients grow and improve but it means that I’m never fully integrated into the day-to-day minutiae. Over the years, I’ve practiced business roles that were outside of my “job description”. Things like speaking directly to customers in a sales capacity or helping out a software engineering team. I’m a pro at all things creative marketing but I was asked to function in ways that didn’t seem the least bit related to being a Design Manager. At the time, it was easy to think “that’s not my job” but being able to function in a variety of business roles has had a direct impact on the quality of service that I’m able to provide my clients today. I don’t have to be involved in my clients’ day-to-day to understand how sales might use a piece of collateral or the kinds of things developers need to complete a project. The opportunity to not only learn but to practice these skills is how I’m able to work quickly and efficiently. It’s something I encourage anyone to do and has been a crucial part of my growth as a business owner.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artfullycreates.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artfully_creates/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artfullycreativestudio/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-lebeau-19211bba
