We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Wendy Ruyle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Wendy below.
Hi Wendy, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I have to chalk this up to my history of strong women bosses from an early age. I worked part time for a friend’s mom in high school and she believed I could figure out pretty much anything. I was a people-pleaser, (and she wasn’t my mom) so I attempted whatever she asked me to do. And what do you know, I could usually do it. So, I started to believe I could be a problem solver. A parking lot needs to be leaf blown? Ok, let’s strap this machine to my back. The bookkeeper quit and you need me to be accounts receivable and payable? Ok, let’s learn how to do that. Figuring out how to solve small problems methodically and being allowed to fail, helps you solve bigger problems later in life.
I continued to have strong female role models within and outside of my family through college, internships, first jobs, and throughout my career as friends and colleagues. Surrounding yourself with people who support you in many different ways—whether it be lending an ear, giving advice, being a cheerleader, making you laugh, and telling you when to not sweat the small stuff—is the best way to grow as a person and in your career.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
5 by 5 Design is a brand strategy, marketing, and graphic design firm. We’ve been in business for 18 years. We have three employees and a wide network of contractors, freelancers, and other small businesses with whom we collaborate to create the best team for each project.
We believe design leads to emotion, which leads to action. Good design uncovers the parts of your brand that will connect, inspire, and delight. It requires asking the right questions and then truly listening to arrive at practical answers. We lay out smart strategy, manage the details, and deliver useful tools that breathe life into our clients’ brands.
Our clients include iconic commercial brands like MillerKnoll and Deli Express, philanthropic leaders like McKnight Foundation and Northwest Minnesota Foundation, large nonprofits like United Women in Faith and the State of Minnesota, and small vibrant business like Nwyze and Sagiliti, among dozens of others in various locations, sectors, and industries.
What’s exciting about working in this field is I get to learn about all kinds of different businesses and sectors. We do a deep dive into our client’s brands, so I get to find out about all the inner workings of many different organizations. My business partner and I always say we can talk to anyone at a cocktail party about anything because we’ve probably had a client in that field. Want to know how semiconductors are made? How about what it’s like to visit a cadaver lab? The history of Pullman Porters? I got you.
Our next chapter involves planning for growth, both our company’s growth and my personal growth as a designer. We’re currently implementing EOS and a new project management system within our business and we’re always trying to push ourselves to become better at our craft. I’ve challenged myself to learn After Effects by animating a client logo every two months for the next year.
It’s always exciting to learn new things and that’s what I love about my job.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I’d have to say having persistence, being willing to learn new things, and building a good network. Studies have shown that the number one quality of successful people is that they didn’t give up. You must have persistence to learn a craft and become an expert at it. You have to deal with rejection, roadblocks, and all of the other things in life that distract you from your goals. Being stubborn can pay off!
Learning new things is essential, particularly in design. There’s always a new software to learn. We need to learn about our clients’ businesses and our own to help them be successful. I’d advise folks early in their journey to embrace learning how to learn. Take a class in something you’ve never done before. What helps you get to the next level? Do you need early success to keep going? Do you need a partner to encourage you or to set up some competition? Build those things into your process so you enjoy it and keep going.
And a solid network will bring you so much support along the way. Find people who share your values about work and life to build you up, connect you to opportunities, and teach you what you don’t know. And do the same for them. Volunteering for your local professional organization is a great way to meet people and build your work skills at the same time.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
I take a breath and make a list. I love breaking seemingly unsurmountable tasks down into micro tasks and then prioritizing them. I know a lot of productivity experts say to tackle the task you want to do least first and then the rest of your list becomes easier. That doesn’t work for me. I need to see progress, and quick. If a few tasks on my list can be accomplished in a half hour or less, I do them first. Now I have a list with some checked off items. That motivates me to keep going. If I did the hard task first, I’d have to wait an hour or more for that dopamine hit.
And cleaning your office before you start your task list doesn’t count as procrastination for me. You’re making a clean space for your creativity to bloom. And you are probably mulling over the best way to solve that harder problem in the back of your mind. Win-win.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.5by5design.com
- Instagram: @5by5design
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/wendyruyle/
- Other: Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/5by5design
