Today we’d like to introduce you to Jocelyn Burks.
Hi Jocelyn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always known I wanted to be a creative entrepreneur. Growing up, my dad ran his own custom home building company and included me on creative decisions even at a young age. I remember having silly little business ideas in elementary school and hand drawing my own business cards to match. In high school, I made money over the summers as a photographer, taking senior portraits of my fellow classmates.
I ended up going to Belmont University and studying entrepreneurship. And while the business ideas I was dreaming of changed from year to year, my love for women in business, creative problem solving, and beautiful branding continued to grow.
After graduation, I ended up landing a job at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. I wanted to be surrounded by passionate entrepreneurs and learn from their success and mistakes. I ended up working at the EC for two years before leaving to start my own venture.
My love of aesthetics and design paired with business strategy has led me to where I am today, running a brand strategy + web design business. We mostly work with female entrepreneurs, personal brands, and online educators. I love what I do because I get to work with people that are just as passionate about their business as I am every single day.
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?
Nope! It never is with entrepreneurship. But the bumps in the road are lessons learned and opportunities to pivot. When I first started my business, I originally thought I was going to do brand and web design exclusively for professional athletes. And while I know that’s still a really great niche, my business organically grew in a different direction. I’ve learned to hold my plans a bit more loosely, and learn and iterate based on what my audience is telling me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about what you do?
We offer custom brand strategy and web design for growing businesses. We help our clients find the marriage of strategy and aesthetics, because a strong brand should always bring a return on investment.
I’m passionate about running a business built on systems and processes. I think it can be challenging for creatives to stay organized in business, but I find it so important in providing an excellent experience for our clients. I’ve never considered myself a designer, but rather an entrepreneur that runs a design business.
I want people to know that investing in quality brand strategy and design work is incredibly important in growing a business. Why would we expect our customers to invest in our product or service if we haven’t made investments into our own business first? Design is more than just something pretty to look at, it serves a really strategic purpose in business.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@jocelynburks.com
- Website: jocelynburks.com
- Instagram: byjocelynburks
Image Credits
Jessica Steddom
