Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in advertising services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ramon Peralta, Founder of Peralta Design, located in Shelton, CT, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
At Peralta Design, We Launch Brands® We help launch and grow businesses through creative branding, web development solutions, and digital marketing strategies that raise brand awareness and increase sales. Our customers range from solo ventures to tech startups to non-profits to Fortune 500s looking to launch a new product or service in the digital space.
Tell us about yourself
I've always loved art and design. I'm a classically trained painter with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts. I started my business way back in college when I used to draw caricatures on campus to make money. As a young dad, I quickly began to chase a career path in graphic design, which ultimately led me to become the Senior Art Director on the team behind Priceline.com, and that's where I really fell in love with the process of taking an idea and turning it into a business. As Creative Director for Jay Walker, the inventor of Priceline, I received a valuable education from him by taking hundreds of his patents and trying to make them marketable. When the Great Recession of 2008 happened, I found myself unemployed and unable to find a new job. After some soul searching, I decided to take my skills in design and business from the startup world and dedicate them toward helping others launch their own companies. I saw great opportunity in adversity and learned that an economic downturn could also be the catalyst of new business creation.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Separating myself from the business. As entrepreneurs, we want to control everything that is happening in the business. In order to grow and scale, you really can't do that. Last year I published my first book: Launch Your Brand, The Fastest Way to Supercharge Any Business, and I produced my first Ted Talk. I could not have done either of those things had I not developed a full-time staff that could run my business without me. I'm very grateful for what we've built at Peralta Design, and I could not be here without the support of my family and my team.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Letting go. There are many types of decisions that CEOs make. Knowing which decisions you make on your own, which you seek advisement on, and which you let your team decide will truly dictate how far your business will go. If we make all the decisions, we're going to make a lot of people around us, especially our staff, feel unheard and unappreciated. They will not stick around for very long if they feel that their input is not needed. Places where the CEO makes all of the decisions, will have a high turnover rate. As your team and company matures, you have to learn what to let go of, and that, to me, is the hardest thing to master as a business owner.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be Yourself. Authenticity is the fastest way to differentiate your brand and your business.
- Fire Yourself. Too many business owners want to do everything. Even the things they hate to do.
- Invest in Yourself. Stop listening to the social media talking heads telling you to sleep when you die. You need to not only get plenty of rest, but you need to eat right and exercise. You'll be a better speaker, leader, and partner when you feel good about yourself.
** Please watch my TEDx Talk - it's geared toward entrepreneurs!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://peraltadesign.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peraltadesign
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peraltadesign/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeraltaDesign
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peralta-illustration-&-design-llc/
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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