Procreate & Adobe Illustrator

In a small business like ours, you may not think there’s room for growth, but boy is there!

As the owner, I’ve started from making chocolates in the kitchen, washing dishes and prepping packaging, to working the shop in retail, learning social media , website coding, to sales with corporate accounts and marketing, to the “office” working on finances, bookkeeping, reviewing reports, HR, and operations. As I got the hang of something, I either taught someone else or found someone else better at it, then kept learning the next thing.

This worked well until the person I had, was no longer available and no replacement in sight. Then I had to learn how to pick it up and give it a shot.

That’s what happened this year. First our photographer went on maternity so I picked up a camera and went at it just trying and not being afraid of so so photos for now. Later, one of my talented designers switched to a medical career and I was left trying to figure out how to edit files and got Adobe Illustrator. Then another designer we worked with decided to go back to school and I found myself in a free Apple Procreate class at Kahala Mall learning how to design.

I always envisioned what I wanted, sketched it out horribly on a piece of paper then gave it to a real designer to make into a better digital version. But now, here I was buying my first Apple Pencil and figuring things out (thankfully with Tori by my side).

I am constantly a student. Right now, I am learning a lot about design and though at times get really frustrated, I’m also enjoying learning another aspect of my business where I can at least understand and do something if needed or appreciate someone else who does it in the future even better!

It’s like all areas of this business as it grew. Had to learn it, then find someone better who could do it, then hired them and let them go at it as I tried to figure the next thing out.

And the best part about this whole process, is I am not doing it alone. I recruited a former designer now friend that meets with me to teach me tricks of the trade and helps me with the basics. In turn, I share with her everything I know about starting a business as she sets off to start one on her own.

And my Production Manager, Tori, who is always by my side for the past 6 years, came with me to the Procreate class, then actually took off having a blast drawing, and taking my ideas to design as she learned (faster than me) and is having fun figuring things out too!

It’s a process, but technology and tools now-a-days amaze me that we can create on our own like a pro, and you’ll get to see the first of it on our January packaging!

erin’s tip

Keep learning. No matter how small your business, there’s a lot of ways you can grow!

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Tips for JOPs (Junior On-tra Pro-new-ers)

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Collaborating with College Students