Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in digital marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nadine Chalreson, Founder of Center Stage Design, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Center Stage Design is a web design and branding studio for performing and creative artists. We focus on building sites on Squarespace as it's the most user-friendly builder we've found, and one of our goals is to help creatives have a simple and easy-to-maintain website that they can update themselves in the future.
Tell us about yourself
I'm an actor by training and got into web design by building my own sites. After years of DIY'ing, I finally enrolled in a proper web design and branding course in 2021 and haven't looked back.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Helping my clients take their careers to the next level! Web design can be daunting and is a whole other specific skill in addition to being an actor, voiceover artist, author, etc. I feel so lucky and blessed to help these creative people build websites that properly reflect their talent and passion.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The admin side of things. I didn't realize when starting out that 50% of my time would be on non-design tasks. Dubsado (a CRM that I highly recommend, or Honeybook) is a great tool to help reduce the time I spend following up and scheduling things with clients. Always be training and learning. Most industries are ever-evolving, and if you don't keep up, you'll go the way of the dinosaur.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Take the time to train and set yourself up for success right from the start. It can take a bit of $ upfront to subscribe/purchase all the tools you need, but the investment is worth it.
- Always be training and learning. Most industries are ever-evolving, and if you don't keep up, you'll go the way of the dinosaur.
- Start before you're ready. This is kinda counter-intuitive to point 1. But at some point, you've just got to take the leap. You won't feel ready, but we learn by doing, and if you start, you'll be surprised at what you can accomplish.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://centerstage.design/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Design.CenterStage/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerstage.design/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadinecs/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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