Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
I am a graphic designer and illustrator, but only recently have I been able to call myself that. After working as a contemporary dancer in Toronto, Canada, I decided to go back to school to pursue my other interest, graphic design. Transitioning from a life of dancing into the world of kerning type, spending hours in front of a Mac and staying up way too late working on projects was completely exhilarating. I loved being in school and learning new things that were so different from what I had spent my life up to that point studying, dance. I was just about to complete my first year at school when my boyfriend (now fiancé) was offered a position in Vienna, Austria. Of course, an opportunity to move to Europe could not be passed up, and at the end of my school year I joined him in Vienna. We have lived in Vienna for almost three years now, and during that time, instead of letting my graphic design fingers grow old and cobwebby I decided to start my design company, English Muffin.
I have worked with children for the past ten years, teaching dance in Toronto and now, teaching English in Vienna. English Muffin is the place where my passion for design and education meet. Although still in its infancy, I have great hopes for my company and the wonderful things it can do. I recently wrote a manifesto for English Muffin on my blog, if you’d like to read it you can see it here.
The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
To be honest, the decision to leap into the self-employed life came about quite organically. I was in a new country, barely spoke the language and needed an outlet for my creativity. Both my fiancé and my mom were incredibly encouraging towards the idea of starting a company and things just grew from there.
Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
think I handle all of those stresses pretty well. I’ve never worked a normal 9 – 5 job. My work has always been closely connected to who I am and what I believe in, so the idea of switching off at the end of the day is not something I am used to. Currently, I am working three days a week teaching English to students, and spending the other four days (yep, I work on weekends) on English Muffin. My fiancé is completing his PhD at the moment, so between him and his stacks of papers, and me attached to my laptop, we have been known to be a bit hermit-ish at times. In terms of money, yes, there are times when English Muffin is bringing in a nice little sum of money and times during the year when it’s not. I am incredibly lucky to have a partner with a steady income and a generous heart. In general neither one of us spend money easily, so I am confident that as I transition into working for myself full-time over the next few months we will be financially sound.
What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
7:30 am: wake-up, get dressed, take our dog out for his morning stroll
8:30-9:30: eat breakfast, take care of emails and Etsy convos. My inbox is usually pretty full in the morning from stuff that came in overnight from Canada and the US.
9:30-12:00: work on whatever project is on my desk. This could be Custom Names Designs or other custom orders from the shop, freelance work, web design work, or new designs for English Muffin.
12:00-12:30: lunch time. I usually watch a TED talk or one of my other favourite video podcasts while eating my favourite sandwich
12:30-1:30: work on that day’s blog post. This is when I really appreciate the time difference between North America and Europe.
1:30-5:00: continue working on the day’s projects
5:00-8:00: walk the dog, eat dinner, hang out with my better half
The rest of the night I usually prep for the next day, tie up any loose ends or immerse myself in the blogosphere
Do your work from home? Or offsite?
At home, in a sunny corner of our apartment.
It can get lonely working for yourself. Do you find yourself missing the companionship of a bustling office? How do you make sure you get social interaction throughout the day/week?
I’ve always been good at working on my own. I like the quiet and calm, and I could never get lonely with my trusty companion by my side (our dog Tyke). I often listen to podcasts to add a little noise to the background. I usually go out for dinner with friends once a week. I get outside for a walk at least twice a day (thanks, Tyke!) and on weekends we really enjoy visiting the neighbourhood markets and exploring our city.
Finding a work/life balance can be difficult with any job, perhaps more so with self-employment. Do you think you’ve found that balance?
I think I have a lot of room to improve in this area but compared to my last career, I’m much better. There is a lot more freedom working for yourself, so I can take off the morning and go out to brunch if I like or continue working well into the evening if I’m on a roll. What we loose in salary and benefits as self-employed artists and designers we certainly gain in time, freedom and overall quality of life.
What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year. Let’s start with the worst.
Hmmmm… Don’t go ahead and print a large order before the customer has paid you. But, if that happens find a creative way to re-use those products so you don’t lose out completely. When confronted with grumpy emails, write your witty and biting reply in your head but never send it. Instead, always meet grumpiness with extreme politeness and solutions to the grumpy person’s problems.
And now the best.
The online community is a real community and a great place to find friends and like minded individuals to keep you inspired and moving forward with your own goals. There is no magic potion, there are no chosen ones, there is only hard work and dedication to what you are striving for. You have to ask for what you want.
Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?
I don’t know if I really feel qualified to give advice since I myself have yet to make the full-time self-employment leap. But here’s what I tell myself when the seeds of doubt creep in: After dipping your toe into the pool of design, you can objectively say that people are interested in and like your work. You have made a good number of sales with minimal advertising and marketing and have received positive feedback from your clients and customers. You have both a business plan and a financial plan about how to grow your business in the future. You love what you’re doing and have new and exciting ideas for the future of your company. So, what are you waiting for?
ENGLISH MUFFIN ELSEWHERE
Website | Shop | Blog | Twitter | Flickr
Older posts