Welcome back to another episode! This week I’m so excited to be hanging out with Destinee and Aisha from Creative Label. This powerhouse duo started Creative Label when Aisha was getting ready to graduate from law school and Destinee was working in production for Dr. Phil, with HGTV, YouTube, and more. But it just wasn’t filling their cup. They were both also dating professional athletes at the time which caused them to relocate frequently.
They began doing small projects on the side like logo and website design. They decided to pitch their business to a few people who had approached them to do marketing work for them in-house. Despite not having officially launched their business, they decided to take the chance. They pitched them both, and both gave them a resounding ‘YES’.
They hadn’t officially even put together a scope of work, rates, etc., and made decisions as they went along, but the companies both recognized them as people they wanted on their team.
Aisha and Destinee have learned many lessons along the way in their business journey, including difficult lessons (like needing to open a business banking account before depositing a business check), but that is what I love about their journey, that they didn’t let these small things set them back from taking huge steps forward. Building a business is anything but perfect and their story demonstrates exactly how much we can do without having all of the logistical administrative tasks finished before we take that first step.
After almost 5 years in business, their team has grown to include several key team members including assistants, accountants, attorneys, and more. They have learned as they went along and are still learning and pivoting as needed every single day. Their business continues to thrive and are consistently being referred to new potential clients.
Looking back, they remember times in the first few years where they were resistant to hop on calls with new potential clients. While those uncomfortable conversations are so much easier via email, they have learned that they are essential. Sales calls aren’t comfortable to most people - how do you just ‘ask’ people for money? This was something Destinee and Aisha navigated through, along with so many other high-level elements of building a business.
During their second and third years in business, they navigated through things like boundaries. Setting, maintaining, and respecting them. In years three and four they learned how to manage their team in a more effective and efficient way (including firing employees) and also learned the legal ropes of owning a business.
When they first launched their business they recognized that they were very much ‘green’. They went in with no business plan, no financial goals, etc. They just started doing it because it was something they genuinely loved (and bonus, were amazing at!). They were willing to figure it out as they went along in the process. That made it really easy to just continuously go with the flow each step of the way, propelling their business forward.
In hindsight, they realized they needed a business plan but at the same time it gave them the freedom of owning their mindset. They went full force from their passion and just enjoyed the process.
“We had no expectations, so we weren't being let down.”
Since then, Creative Label has grown from a small scale Etsy shop selling Snapchat Geofilters to a full service agency, specializing in branding, marketing, and public relations, helping their clients to execute their vision in the digital space.
They have also learned how to divide and conquer - trusting each other fully along the way. Additionally, they allow one another the autonomy to make executive decisions for the good of the company to ensure their boundaries are maintained while still providing a high-level service. They step away when needed and respect one another by keeping their friend time and business time separate and always maintain a united front for the team.
Want to hear more from Destinee & Aisha? Check out The Label Podcast. You can also connect with them individually (Aisha + Destinee). You can also text POD to 310-982-2662 to get high-level tips right from these incredible ladies! Lastly, you can head over to their website to learn how you can work with them.
Until next time, keep doing it your way!