Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in graphic design but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alexandria Batchelor, CEO & Creative Director of Foxee Design, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm a freelance art director and go by the moniker Foxee Design. I specialize in branding, comics, and illustration. My services include but are not limited to graphics creation, brand therapy sessions, and vendor coordination. As a Jane of all trades, I can make quite an impact on your brand in ways that surpass the visuals. Having roots in publishing and content creation, I work best with creators (i.e., YouTubers, musicians), presses, imprints, and production companies (i.e., animation). I value working with underdogs, visionaries, minorities, nerds, and weirdos that you've probably never heard of.
Tell us about yourself
I graduated college without a job in graphic design waiting for me at the finish line. I had to wait tables at the Cheesecake Factory for a year before I would have my first job as a designer. I didn't want there to be a gap in my resume, so I started freelancing on the side. I had my first gig during my junior year of college, where I ironically created a logo for my 8th-grade English teacher's entrepreneurial endeavor. Over the past 10 years of my freelance career, I've been blessed to have gotten work primarily through word of mouth or social media.
For half a decade, I ran my business while working as a corporate designer. While I always had my issues with corporate, I would still consider working for a company again. Actually, my dream job would be as an art director at a prestigious design firm like COLLINS or TBWA/Chiat. Since I haven't had the best luck breaking into the industry, I reluctantly embraced my full-time freelance journey after losing my job during the pandemic.
I'm gonna be honest: I don't love freelance. I don't hate it, either. Pursuing this path is stressful but allows you to reevaluate what's important to you. I don't have to take on projects that don't align with my beliefs. I don't have to work with repeat clients from hell. I can take a whole month off to play Stardew Valley and recover my mental health. So I'll keep pushing until I end up at my dream job or create it myself.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I'm proud of making a decent salary as a freelancer while I learned to stop over-working myself. I've always had a hustler mentality, even when working a corporate job. But this year, I pushed myself too far and ended up in the hospital. I was forced to slow down (which is the complete opposite of what I wanted to do as a solopreneur). I spent the year beating myself up for not taking on every project that came my way and worrying if I was going to make a profit.
But I had to accept my situation and come to terms with the fact that my mental health was much more critical than working myself into oblivion. I worked as much as I could mentally handle each week, forgave myself for unproductive days, and am still learning not to associate my self-worth with productivity and society's definition of success. And not only did I make more money than I did last year, I like myself a whole lot better than I ever have in my life.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The hardest part of being a business owner is loneliness. I'm a solopreneur, so I don't have a team. I'm a one-woman show which occasionally gets to collaborate closely with clients or subcontract colleagues.
One of the reasons I miss the corporate track is that I've never had the opportunity to work with a team of designers. I've always been the lone wolf with the workload of a pack. I wanted a mentor in the workplace. To observe talent in their natural habitat and absorb their superpowers. I will say that I've definitely romanticized the design agency experience, but I'd still like to work for an agency at least once in my career. That way, I can recruit for part two of my business: I would love to form a creative collective similar to Pentagram, where I would partner with other solopreneurs and have equal roles, incomes, and stakes in the company.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Establish your LLC as soon as possible. Set up a business bank account, build up your savings, hire an accountant, and write off all your expenses.
- Have multiple revenue streams. Sell prints, make content, get royalties, and do affiliate marketing. Sell stock photos and icons. Get an art booth at a convention (split the costs with a creative friend).
- Invest in a website and post on social media consistently. Make sure you always display your links. Update your LinkedIn and be active on the platform.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.foxeedesign.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxeedesign/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/foxeedesign
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriadbatchelor/
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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