Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Bayne.
Hi Becky, 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 backstory with our readers?
Growing up in Central New York, I’d always created my own path and never felt it necessary to follow the crowd. Maybe my dad taught me that. His independent spirit in life and business defines “thinking outside the box.” He set an example of entrepreneurship as an independent salesman and I learned from him the value of hard work. I loved the freedom and challenge that creating a business offered and I was determined to find a way to build my own.
My childhood dreams included being a wife, a mother and an artist – but a profitable artist, not a starving one! I taught myself calligraphy in high school and anticipated emulating a local business creating art with pen and ink– but the early 90s digital revolution occurred and the bottom fell out of the hand-lettering market very quickly.
To adapt to this new technology, I changed my business name from “Becky’s Brushes” to “Becky’s Graphic Design.” Since this was before the internet, I taught myself through magazines and books how to use a desktop computer and the software necessary to operate a design business. My calligraphy design and layout skills translated well to the screen even though I wasn’t dipping a pen in ink anymore.
As I built my business, I made a conscience decision to put my family first and to keep my business in my home. A home-based business wasn’t considered credible back then, but in 2004 I won the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Home Based Business Champion Award, recognizing the accomplishment I had achieved in developing a successful business from my home.
In 2009 as the economy was heading downhill my husband and I decided it was time to leave New York State and look for new opportunities. When a job opportunity for my husband opened, we moved our home and my business to Nashville, Tennessee, but the internet has allowed me to work with clients across the globe.
Since moving to Nashville, I’ve built a strong network of collaborative partners to meet the needs of my clients and the complex technical world we live in. Working with talented people in marketing, editing, content writing, website development, SEO and social media allows us to offer our clients a wider range of services with outstanding results. I also brought on a talented designer to work directly with our clients and have additional resources available when we need them.
As we approach the 30th year of business our focus has shifted to serving authors choosing to self-publish their manuscripts. Our author services include self-publishing consulting, cover design, interior layout, marketing assistance and we manage the upload of the final files to the book retail distributors. This client base needs all the design and technical skills we’ve accumulated over the years and as an award-winning book designer and published illustrator we have the experience and the credentials.
My husband and I will be celebrating 40 years of marriage this year. He retired from IT Service Management and now operates his woodworking business Bayne Custom Woodworking full time. We enjoy frequent visits with our two married children, their spouses and our five grandchildren.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a self-taught designer I have made learning new technology a mission. Attending conferences around the country has been a necessity to keep up to date with the changes in my field. Every year I try to attend a local or national conference that will push me through the challenges of keeping up with it all. I’ve attended design, photography, book publishing, blogging, and small business conferences. Each of these has offered me the opportunity to discover additional ways to serve my clients and grow my network.
We’ve been impressed with Becky’s Graphic Design, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Graphic Designer, Book Designer + Creative Entrepreneur – We work with Authors + Entrepreneurs to build their brands, format their books and share their stories with the world.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
My favorite thing about Nashville is the collaborative spirit of the people. I have been given so many wonderful opportunities as I’ve grown and developed my business.
Contact Info:
- Email: becky@beckysgraphicdesign.com
- Website: https://beckysgraphicdesign.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beckysgraphicdesign/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeckysGraphicDesign
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeckysGraphicD
Image Credits
Judith Hill Photography
