Meet Madison Grant of Green Hills (Lipscomb University)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Grant.

Hi Madison, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
As a young kid, I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I started a small business at 16 called Lavender Design Co and continue to build my business. Lavender Design Co was one of my first entrepreneurial endeavors before entering the film industry. Lavender Design Co is a digital design business where I create and sell stickers, magnets, t-shirts, and more. I primarily sell on my Etsy [email protected] and in local Johnson City and Nashville TN shops. Many people don’t realize that being a small business owner is hard work. When I started, it was very difficult to balance the responsibilities of owning a business with school work and friends. It takes a great deal of commitment, responsibility, and determination. Although I have enjoyed owning my small business for many years, my ultimate dream is to be a videographer. I am a natural-born storyteller. I love being able to inspire people by telling a story through pictures and music. I have been a videographer for about 10 years now. It all started when my dad took out our little Nikon camera and started filming. I watched how the moving pictures created a story, and it inspired me. I soon learned I loved making movies. I would spend hours playing outside with my iPod, filming everything I saw. As I got older, I realized I had the experience but not the quality footage I was looking for. At age 17, that’s when I purchased my first Canon Camera. Taking high school and college classes made it hard to focus on my videography dream. During my last semester of high school, I decided to take a college-level film class at ETSU. In the film class, I learned how to use a real film camera and other film equipment necessary for production.

Later that semester, I and a team of high school and college students teamed up to enter the 52 film fest in Johnson City. Our film was shown at a theater for all locals to see. After people saw my work at the film fest, I got my name out there, and suddenly I started to have clients ask me to film videos for them. I realized I needed to get my name out there to the world. At this point, I was still thinking about where to go to college. I had discovered many colleges I liked, but none had a great college atmosphere and an incredible film major. Then I found it. Lipscomb University was located in the heart of a big city. I knew that was where I wanted to go. I wanted to pursue my dreams in Nashville. Although I was well known for owning Lavender Design Co, no one knew that I did film and photography. I soon created an Instagram (@film.by.madison) and YouTube (FilmByMadison) to share my work publicly. One of the main reasons I wanted to move to Nashville was to get my name out there. I’ve lived in the small town of Johnson City for all 18 years, so anything different is a huge transition for me. By being in Nashville, I will make more connections than ever before. For me, being an entrepreneur through videography isn’t about the money. I know it sounds cheesy, but I love being able to travel, meet new people, and share my story. Put simply. It is about the feeling I feel whenever I can put a smile on someone’s face. Knowing I can be an inspiration to someone is more than enough!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running a small business (Lavender Design Co) has been challenging while starting another business (Film by Madison). Although it has been hard to juggle friends, school, and business responsibilities simultaneously, hard and determined work truly pays off.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I currently own 2 businesses. Lavender Design Co is a handmade digital design business where I create and sell stickers, magnets, t-shirts, and more. Today, I primarily sell on my Etsy, lavenderdesignshopco.etsy.com, Johnson City, and soon-to-be Nashville local shops. Although I’ve had much success and love running my business Lavender Design Co, my ultimate dream is to be a videographer with my business: Film by Madison. I am a natural-born storyteller. I love being able to inspire people by telling a story through pictures and music. I am most proud of my film fest submission to the 52 Film Fest. We had 52 hours to create a 5:20 second film, and our films were displayed publicly in a theater. That event allowed me to get my name out there locally, which has greatly helped me spread the word. In the end, being an entrepreneur isn’t about the money. Put simply, it is about the feeling I feel whenever I can put a smile on someone’s face. I know it sounds cheesy, but I love being able to travel, meet new people, and share my story.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
As a young entrepreneur, risk-taking has been a part of my way of life. As soon as I would make a paycheck, I would put every ounce of money back into building my business. When I started my business, every action I took was a risk. I first spent more than $5000 on basic camera equipment, which was a lot of money for me then. Starting with little to no money, it was a struggle to get my business in the air. Every single risk I took was well worth it in the end.

Contact Info:

• Website: Lavenderdesignshopco.etsy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/film.by.madison/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCip331rDdFQMZWUyZVd3fjw

Image Credits
Madison Grant