Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Firnberg.
Hi Paige, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Hi, I’m Paige! I own my own graphic design studio in Savannah, Georgia. Let me start from the beginning: After graduating with my first BFA in Photography from Birmingham-Southern College, I worked in web design and quickly realized that I needed a degree in Graphic Design. I applied to SCAD, my dream school, and after two years of hard work, graduated with just that.
From there, I worked in advertising for a couple of years, then moved on to designing for events heavy on both print and digital, then got a promotion and conquered the world of merchandising and facilities design. Throughout that time, I continued doing design on the side for friends, family, and anyone who was referred to me. I designed many a wedding invitation and got seriously into hand-lettering; Opened up an Etsy shop and grew my following on Instagram.
All of a sudden it is 2020 and I’m a newlywed who just got furloughed from her 9 to 5 because of the pandemic. As summer came and went, I was laid off and my life changed. As the daughter of two entrepreneurial families, my father encouraged me to pursue my side-hustle full time, and actually bet on myself. Without the comfy salary of my previous employers, I took the leap and applied for my LLC in January of 2021. Since then, I’ve multiplied my monthly income by almost eight times and I’m never looking back!
Today’s daily life looks a lot like marketing on Instagram, playing HR, using accounting software, and of course, designing. My main client comes to me for branding. I cater towards creative, female small biz owners like myself. I love a good story, and I want everyone who was as brave as I was to feel more confident, feel more trusted by their audience, and look like the experts they are. I also love any custom design jobs, whether that be for social media, t-shirts, websites, print materials, and beyond!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being laid off during a pandemic was pretty rough, not going to lie! At that point, there wasn’t nearly the hiring surge there is today. In reality, it was a blessing in design (pun intended). If I wasn’t laid off, I don’t know if I ever would have been motivated enough to start my own business. I felt super comfortable in my 9-5 job and really liked the people I worked alongside. Why would I want to leave that and risk starting my own business?
If it wasn’t for being semi-forced into trying on my entrepreneurial hat, I would probably still be at that job. I know I’m less than a year into business ownership, and there are definitely high highs and low lows to come, but so far, my lowest lows have still been incredibly fulfilling and educational.
Navigating owning my own business has made me a stronger designer and more confident in my negotiating skills. There are always two big milestones for entrepreneurs:
1. raising your prices, and 2. hiring on a team. I’ve just recently hit my monthly revenue goal and brought on a Junior Designer.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The majority of my business works on branding with creative, female small business owners. But I also do custom projects like print collateral, social media, and packaging! A huge part of my design journey in the past decade has also been consumed with hand-lettering and calligraphy. I even opened up an Etsy shop (https://www.etsy.com/shop/paigefirnbergdesign/) that sells hand-lettered apparel, cards, and prints.
I am most proud of all of the amazing clients who have worked with me so far on my own entrepreneurial journey. I know my job is to help and support them as fellow small business owners, but they help support me, too! My attitude, knowledge, and urge to learn more set me apart. I always tell people that working with me is like hiring your best friend.
I truly believe if you know your clients on a personal level you will create not only strategic designs but something incredibly authentic to who they are.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I’d say a fair amount of both! You probably have assumed that after getting to know my journey a bit more. But I truly believe that owning a business is equal parts talent, hard work, and luck. And also, that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. I’m nothing if not a hard worker.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: paigefirnberg.com
- Instagram: @paigefirnbergdesign
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paigefirnbergdesignllc
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/paigefirnbergdesign/
