We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christy Beving a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Christy with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
Christy –
My dad. He was one of the hardest working men I knew. He was never satisfied working for someone else. So he worked hard to be his own boss. Watching him start and run his own businesses, for all my growing up years, made a major impact on me. It has translated into the work I do today. The determination and drive to be a success is helpful, but the drive to help my clients is stronger. When they succeed, I succeed.
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?
I grew up in a small town in South Dakota. But I was not content to stay there. With a passion for both art and computers, I set out to become a graphic designer in 2001. This quickly morphed into Website Design due to the growing World Wide Web.
In 2003, Downtown Design was born. What began with only a few graphic design clients, has turned into hundreds of website design, graphic design, digital marketing, and digital hosting clients.
Downtown Design desires to have Big City Quality & Small Town Service. When you work with us, you get the individual attention to your project, but also the knowledge and experience of a team that has studied and grown to use the same tools that large companies use.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. First and Foremost – Be willing to learn always. One of the best things I’ve ever done was hire a business coach. My coach walked me through some of the tough stuff of being a business owner. He helped me create action plans and stepped goals to achieve success.
2. Education – Don’t underestimate or overestimate the power of education. In my field, I learned so much through getting an associate degree for graphic design. But truth be told, I’ve learned way more from post schooling education, such as conferences, webinars, and other forms of learning, as well as staying up-to-date with the ever changing world of internet.
3. Relationships – there is power in relationships. My best and longest clients have become friends over the years. We’ve built trust with one another. And be sure to become part of business groups in your community, whether is a chamber of commerce or a BNI group, or another organization. These are great places to develop relationships. Within your business, be sure that your employees care about your business too… I’ve learned the hard way that even your best employees don’t always put their best foot forward for “your” business. These are very important relationships.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
the Bible
Codependent No More
Boundaries
These books shaped me as a person, and have given me the tools needed to be a healthy person in business. but as far as business books go…
Rich Dad, Poor Dad and other books by Robert Kiyosaki
Anything by Dave Ramsey or Donald Trump
Their business principles have been foundational in building my business over the years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://downtowndesignweb.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downtowndesignllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DowntownDesign
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christyhuisenga
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
