“Under Promise, Over Deliver” and Other Lessons for New Business Owners

Episode Transcript:

[Designing Growth introduction plays]

[00:00:00] Sam Chlebowski: Happy Thursday everybody, and welcome back to Designing Growth. My name is Sam Chlebowski, joining you for another episode, and this week we have Megan Weeks joining us on the podcast. Megan is the owner of Megan Week’s Design Co, which is a graphic design and brand consultancy based in Nevada who helps wellness businesses create, refine, and develop strong brands that work across all platforms.

[00:00:26] Megan, how are you doing?

[00:00:27] Megan Weeks: I’m doing good. Thank you. Thanks for the intro. I love how you got every little piece of my like bio in there, that’s awesome.

[00:00:34] Sam Chlebowski: Being a podcast host is a skill that I’ve been slowly trying to hone in, so I appreciate it.

[00:00:41] Megan Weeks: Already impressed

[00:00:43] Sam Chlebowski: So, Megan. What I typically like to start off with asking all of our guests, and a question I wanna ask you is what led you into starting your own business

[00:00:54] Megan Weeks: So basically seven years ago I was still in college and it was like my junior year of being in college. And that’s when I first sort of got introduced to like using Photoshop for graphic design. cause I remember one of our school projects and I majored in journalism, so it was kind of unusual to be doing design projects, but one of our.

[00:01:17] Allowed us to create a flyer for like a local business in our city. And that’s when I first got like a taste into graphic design, but I still didn’t really understand that it could like become a full time career. So I didn’t dive into it as much as I kind of wish I did back then. but I definitely like found myself loving it and it felt.

[00:01:40] a passion for me, like from the get go. and I even remember like when I was really little, just always being drawn to like creativity and crafting and projects. I first got a little bit of a taste in a graphic design and then I started going down the photography career and that’s what I really wanted to start doing was like wedding photography and being a full-time photographer.

[00:01:59] But I think that passion of mine in photography so much now, because that’s what. Allowed me to learn Photoshop and the Adobe programs, And then right after college I was working at a marketing agency and that was when I really started using graphic design, I was able to create websites.

[00:02:17] I was able to create logos and I was still using Photoshop. I wasn’t even like super comfortable with Adobe Illustrator or any of the other programs yet. But that agency that I was working for, they ended up going under. it was kind of interesting to see cuz I, learned a lot with like the project management situation at that company.

[00:02:34] it opened my eyes just how to work together as a team with clients. when they went under, that’s when I got on Upwork, which was that freelancing platform. And that’s when I started doing freelancing on my own. So seven years later, I finally took the leap into running my own business.

[00:02:50] So this is only my first year as a full-time graphic designer. I’ve always been doing it as like a side hustle. Um, but this is my first year being full-time with it.

[00:02:59] Sam Chlebowski: And I actually didn’t know that until right now, and that is super exciting. So, I mean, reflecting on your first year of, full time running your own business, what are the big things that you’ve learned?

[00:03:11] Megan Weeks: I’m actually kind of glad I waited to take the leap into doing it cuz I could have three years ago probably done this. But I really set myself up before going full time with Understanding how to manage clients, having the right contracts and proposals really having the client management process down so that I wouldn’t be wasting months and months figuring that out instead of actually designing.

[00:03:33] I learned a lot in that way that that’s so important to have. The project management stuff figured out before running your own business. but then also just like finding a good balance with yourself because when I did go full time, I did not give myself any sort of break.

[00:03:48] I just jumped right into going crazy with it. Like from the moment I woke up to the moment I was ready for bed. and that I quickly realized you can definitely burn yourself out even if you love it. finding that balance of still taking care of yourself, but also, having your business. So I definitely learned that lesson very quickly.

[00:04:06] Sam Chlebowski: And the way that you approach that I think is super smart that you were very intentional about setting up some of these systems and processes before you went ahead and kind of jumped in, both feet into the deep end. How have you organized your process for working with clients? Because I think that this is something that really helpful for other folks to know who are considering making a similar jump.

[00:04:29] What did that process look like for you? What tools did you end up using for that?

[00:04:33] Megan Weeks: when I look back on, when I didn’t have any sort of tool, I definitely had a lot of like trial and error and figuring out like how many projects I can handle at a time and how to communicate with my clients the best way. a good friend of mine was using Dev Soto and that’s when I first got introduced to programs online that can help you organize everything and have everything in one place.

[00:04:53] Um, so that’s where I have it currently. I have different areas of where I’m organizing things right now. Like I have my Google calendar and I have, dub sodo for the contracts and proposals and more of like the forms that I need.

[00:05:05] Sam Chlebowski: Very cool, very cool. getting clients, something we talk about a lot on this show. What have you been doing to get clients? Are you still on Upwork or are you getting also, you know, a stream of clients? just like through your own marketing?

[00:05:17] Megan Weeks: When I was working at the agency, I always made sure to like, never burn a bridge and make sure that I was showing up as my best self. And I think that was what really helped me when I first kicked off doing it on my own because, Word of mouth is so huge, especially where I live.

[00:05:31] Like our city is pretty small and people talk and you’ll be surprised at how many people need graphic design help. so that’s what really helped me in the beginning. And then Upwork was so successful for me four years ago. I feel like it’s gotten so saturated now, and unfortunately there’s a lot of people on there that charge nothing for a logo, so it’s hard to compete with.

[00:05:50] On Upwork. Um, so right now it’s honestly social media. I try and make content every single day and get on TikTok, get on Instagram, get on YouTube, and that’s been huge for me cuz you’ll reach people from all over the world, which is awesome.

[00:06:05] Sam Chlebowski: you know, You’re pretty active on YouTube, as well. Is that a marketing channel for your business as well or is it something like maybe just entirely different that you’re doing?

[00:06:13] Megan Weeks: Yeah, I feel like so lucky that it’s turned into what it has now because when I first started on YouTube, it’s so embarrassing. I have videos that like are way old that I would do like fashion halls or like show the clothing I bought online and I was just doing it for fun. Like I never thought YouTube would.

[00:06:30] Grow for me until I posted a video like three years ago about my logo design process, and that’s when I reached the whole graphic design community and I realized that there’s a need for more voices in the community. and that’s when I got more and more consistent on YouTube. And at the time, I really wasn’t doing it for.

[00:06:48] Financial benefits or anything like that. I just loved making videos. I have like a passion for that too. but I’m so thankful that I kept up with that because YouTube is in my opinion, the best platform for shelf life for your content. I have content from three years ago that are still getting a ton of views and that’s been so helpful for me in my business, and I would recommend it for.

[00:07:10] Sam Chlebowski: It’s funny how those things, if you are like the entrepreneurial type, how those little passion projects either evolve into something you didn’t expect it as the case with your YouTube video.

[00:07:21] Or provide you the skills for something that you need later on down the road. couple months ago I had a food podcast I was doing with my friend.

[00:07:28] Megan Weeks: That’s awesome.

[00:07:29] Sam Chlebowski: of talking about food and food stories and that was how I really learned like the ins and outs of podcasting. And that didn’t go anywhere, but it set me up to be able to record this show each week and to suggest it

[00:07:40] Megan Weeks: yeah. No, I’m a huge believer in that. Like some of the things I’ve said yes to in the past, definitely like. Could be considered a failure or whatever, but it, led me to more opportunities. yeah, I’m a big believer in that too.

[00:07:53] Sam Chlebowski: So I wanted to switch gears completely and ask you, as someone who is a designer, a brand consultant, What are some of your favorite brands out there,

[00:08:05] Megan Weeks: Well, I definitely have some dream brands. I was thinking about that the other day, like dream brands I wanna work with. I’m always drawn to minimalism and simplicity in abl in a brand. and I love Lulu Lemon, of course. I love their clothing, but I also love just how simple everything is.

[00:08:21] It’s just so like attractive to the eye. And I find that so cool that it’s just so minimal yet effective. So that’s definitely a brand I’ve always been drawn to. There’s so many brands that I honestly just buy because of the look of it. of course there’s makeup brands that I like, At Sephora, if you go in there, I’m always drawn to the ones with like the simple labeling. I just find that the most beautiful in my opinion. but I would say Lululemon is definitely up there for me in terms of a brand that I would love to work with one day.

[00:08:47] Sam Chlebowski: So we can talk Sephora for a little bit because I am very familiar. I’ve been in there. Way too many times with my wife. Uh, but the shampoo that she uses all of Plex has some really nice packaging in my opinion. I don’t know if you’ve seen that before, but

[00:09:02] Megan Weeks: Oh yeah,

[00:09:03] Sam Chlebowski: packaging.

[00:09:05] Megan Weeks: I would agree. Yeah, that actually reminded me too. This isn’t in Sephora, but it’s a brand called Pros. it’s p r o s E and I recently purchased shampoo conditioner from them, cuz one of my friends was talking about it and when it got delivered to me, it. The most impressive packaging I’ve ever seen.

[00:09:22] They had like personalization all over it. Like they had my name on the box

[00:09:26] Sam Chlebowski: Whoa.

[00:09:27] Megan Weeks: this whole printout sheet of where I live and how that’s affecting my hair health. I just thought that was so cool. I’m like, wow. They like really took their time to, to present everything to me.

[00:09:36] Sam Chlebowski: That type of stuff can be so powerful sometimes. the folks that really. Change the game with their packaging of course is Apple. everybody’s saving all of the Apple boxes that

[00:09:46] Megan Weeks: Yeah.

[00:09:46] Sam Chlebowski: a reason why you do that cuz it’s not just a cardboard box. You’re like opening an experience.

[00:09:51] And I don’t know about you, but I have, I think, reused one of those boxes a single time

[00:09:57] Megan Weeks: Oh yeah. Same

[00:09:58] Sam Chlebowski: a phone by myself one time out of dozens by now Apple device.

[00:10:03] Megan Weeks: no, same here The other day, like I had my Apple Watch box that I’ve had for like years. why do I not wanna throw this away? And it’s still in my desk drawer. Like I don’t know what I’m gonna do with it, but it’s nice.

[00:10:14] and same thing for that hair brand, the card that they put in the box with the details of where I live and the environment, how it affects everything. I literally use it as a bookmark in my book. So yeah, it works.

[00:10:27] Sam Chlebowski: I know that within your business you have kind of defined your niche as like wellness, businesses. How did you decide on that? Was that kind of a slow evolution or was that something that you just said, Hey, this is where I want to be, so this is what I’m going to kind of associate myself to? How did that process of kneeing down, come about?

[00:10:46] Megan Weeks: Yeah, that’s a good question. So actually this is the part I skipped over, but before. I majored in journalism in school. I was going for a nutrition major. I’ve always been passionate about just wellness, nutrition and everything to do with that. but I’m terrible at science. So , I changed my major quickly, but I always knew that was also a passion of mine.

[00:11:09] Before I niche down, I was like really afraid to niche cuz I was afraid I was gonna miss out on other people, not in the wellness industry I really like working with everyone. but I just found myself saying yes to projects that were below my benchmark pricing and that just weren’t really fulfilling me, as much as wellness companies were So that’s when I decided, why don’t I just combine those two passions and show up as an expert in that industry, visually for the wellness companies. so far it’s been great and I feel like it’s allowed me to connect with, more wellness companies. So ultimately it ended up working in my favor.

[00:11:46] but it took me a long time to take that leap into nicheing cuz it is a. Thing to do when you are afraid you’re gonna miss out on things. But I still get inquiries that aren’t sometimes wellness companies, and that just proves to me that you’re still gonna talk to people that aren’t specifically in that area no matter what.

[00:12:05] Sam Chlebowski: The process that you described and kind of how you found that niche over time is something that I’ve seen personally. when we were running brighter vision and is something that I’ve kind of openly told people You have to look at the people that you have worked with and the businesses you’ve worked with previously, and see what made that work, but also understand, the type of business that I want to work with as well.

[00:12:29] And when those two things kind of synergize that, Is the moment that it seems like at least most of the people I’ve asked this question to where they’re like, yes, this is what I should be doing. this is my niche. So it takes a little bit of time and I think that the example you had shared, how you would were doing, work on Upwork originally.

[00:12:45] That’s like a great way to build a portfolio if you are a new designer. But I do think. That moment where you have to decide to change the messaging on your website, change your positioning, maybe alter the services you’re providing It can be scary and it’s been scary for me. I know you said that it’s, it was a little nerve-wracking for you,

[00:13:04] Megan Weeks: Oh yeah.

[00:13:05] Sam Chlebowski: I guess what I’m trying to say is if you make the jump, it’s gonna be fine and there’s a lot of benefits you can get.

[00:13:10] Megan Weeks: Totally. like you said, I recommend that new designers to not come out the gates with a niche. If you don’t really know if you like working in that area, I think a lot of times it might sound really awesome to work for a certain industry and then it just isn’t as great as maybe you think it might be or.

[00:13:27] It just might not live up to like what you thought. So I think experimenting and getting that experience before deciding is really smart. like I said, you’re not really gonna miss out on clients they’re not gonna be like, I’m not talking to her cuz she’s only wellness. They’re most likely still gonna reach out to you if they like your work.

[00:13:43] And that’s something I had to kind of learn too.

[00:13:45] Sam Chlebowski: I wanted to talk a little bit further about client process. Within the first year of your business you shared some kind of lessons that you had learned and that was one of the big things having a process for that.

[00:13:55] What are some of the challenging hurdles that folks who are going full time into their design business might face when they’re managing multiple client projects at once that you’ve experienced lately? And how did you solve those things?

[00:14:12] Megan Weeks: there’s definitely a lot of things that can happen and I feel like something that you can’t always plan for is the project not going exactly through the timeline as you wanted it to. cuz there’s been lots of times where. I know how many projects I can handle at a time, but if that branding project goes past the three week mark that we planned for, it might run into my other projects, which will require me to be a little bit overwhelmed and have a lot on my plate.

[00:14:39] So making sure that you account for additional time that could potentially happen that you might need is important because I used to tell clients oh yeah, I can do your logo in like two. , but now I tell them like four weeks it’s better to provide it sooner and surprise ’em that like we finished it early than to have to tell them it’s gonna take another two weeks.

[00:14:59] that’s something I had to kind of learn is it’s okay to tell them it’ll take some more time. And also to let them know the amount of time it will take is dependent on the feedback I get and how quickly you respond. that’s something. Really important too, because that can quickly get outta hand if everything gets run into each other and you have 10 projects at once.

[00:15:19] that’s happened to me before and it’s overwhelming. So

[00:15:21] Sam Chlebowski: Under Promise and over deliver was something that we basically had written on the wall of Brighter Vision, where like it’s exactly what you just said tell a client it’s gonna take longer and surprise them, that’s gonna be a lot easier and you’re gonna get a lot less pushback than if you’re consistently, setting up these deadlines for yourself that are unattainable.

[00:15:42] Because when you are the business owner, You ultimately control the timelines and if you are too busy, that’s a change that you can make.

[00:15:49] Megan Weeks: exactly. So important. The worst news to tell them like, oh, it’s gonna be Another month now. Sorry.. that’s definitely a part of the process that I had to kinda learn as I went. but then also making sure that you have a good communication style set up.

[00:16:04] I remember in the past I didn’t really tell them I only like emailing or maybe we should just hop on calls. So there was clients in the past that would text me and talk about work on text and that just also would get overwhelming. So I think having a good process up front of how you prefer to communicate setting those boundaries in your business too is I.

[00:16:23] Sam Chlebowski: I love that point that you’ve made, and it’s something that Seems like on the surface pretty simple, but once you get into it is something that complex to an extent, but the reason why it’s complex is because it’s so incredibly important If you’re not controlling.

[00:16:37] The medium of communication and communication is happening across all of these different systems. you can’t track anything. You can’t log anything. You can’t know where there’s holes in the ship that you need to patch within your process,

[00:16:52] Megan Weeks: I just actually was making some content about making sure that you never start a project without a contract. Because even if it’s like your friend or a family member or someone that you really trust, I think it’s important to have that process no matter who it is you’re working with, because you just never know, like you never know what can happen and contracts just protect both of you two, and it makes sure that you’re on the same page.

[00:17:14] And, that’s important to have referring to my old experiences when I didn’t have a contract and things happened where maybe the revisions went past the amount that I usually let them go past. another month down the line, still working on revisions and you’re not getting paid for that.

[00:17:29] it’s just important to have that contract, from the get go no matter who it is you’re working with.

[00:17:33] Sam Chlebowski: In your contracts, how intentional and how much detail do you have to provide to the scope of the project to avoid that sort of scope creep.

[00:17:44] Megan Weeks: Yeah, I’ve been adding to my contract every year for the past like seven years. mine, I would say mine’s actually probably smaller than most people’s. , I just kind of go over the basics of this is the scope of the project. and then I also go into the details of like how many revisions before additional charges.

[00:18:01] and then I also have an area for them to initial under the important parts so that I make sure that they’re actually looking at it and reading it. another important, uh, line item on my contract is that they’re paying, on the payment plan due. and if they don’t pay on those payment plan due dates, that there could be an additional fee for a late fee.

[00:18:19] Because I’ve had clients in the past where they think that since the project isn’t moving along as they thought it would, that they don’t need to pay until they get that next deliverable. But in reality, it’s just, that’s the payment plan that’s set up and that’s what they need to follow. So I have like line items that kind of go over those types of.

[00:18:38] Sam Chlebowski: When I’ve had to like, bring contracts into conversations that, there was an issue for whatever reason, a contract is almost like a. Third party arbitrator for that conversation between the client, you’re basically calling over your manager to explain the rule to

[00:18:54] Megan Weeks: Yeah,

[00:18:55] Sam Chlebowski: you don’t have bear that blame, but you can say, yes, hey, I put it here. I clearly explained you need to pay even if this isn’t, going to the schedule you had in mind because of X, y, and Z delays on your end. So yeah, it’s, it’s some really phenomenal points about that.

[00:19:10] Something I even really talked about recently, but is so incredibly important to your business

[00:19:15] and the health of it,

[00:19:17] Megan Weeks: yeah, definitely. Definitely an important part of the process that I recommend doing before you even start the designing. Super important.

[00:19:24] Sam Chlebowski: and in the future, our goal of what we’re trying to do [email protected], just a shameless plug, is, you know, right now we’re focused on like what happens. Directly after the contract to the end of that project. But within a couple months we hope to build out full, know, contracts, invoicing, proposals, right into the platform.

[00:19:43] So all of that can be managed in like a streamlined system.

[00:19:46] And you can do things like how you mentioned where, you don’t have all of these communication channels, you just have one, which is, what we hope motion.io will become.

[00:19:56] Megan Weeks: awesome.

[00:19:56] Sam Chlebowski: outside of work, what do you like to

[00:19:59] Megan Weeks: I actually play soccer , I play on a indoor soccer team and then so I’m not a reader, I usually hate reading, but I’ve been reading the Colleen Hoover books. I dunno if you’ve been hearing about that,

[00:20:11] Sam Chlebowski: No, I haven.

[00:20:12] Megan Weeks: They’re addicting. Like I’ve been reading those in any free time I can get.

[00:20:16] And sometimes that’s hard to come by, especially when you have your own business. It’s you have to kind of make the time to go do those hobbies and do those things. But her books are so good. So I’ve been reading those a lot. And, honestly just hanging out with my boyfriend and my cat making sure that I do step away from the computer and, you know, just.

[00:20:34] Live your life too. Cause I think what I said in the beginning of not knowing how to find that balance at first and just working all the time, it definitely was catching up to me and I felt like I wasn’t showing up as my best self every day because I wasn’t allowing myself to go get my workout in or go enjoy my time with my boyfriend and my cat and like doing those things that fill you up and make sure that you can show up your best self.

[00:20:59] It is important to have those hobbies and get outside and step away. And actually I have realized that stepping away and doing things that aren’t related to my work makes me more creative. So I’m a big believer in finding those hobbies outside of work.

[00:21:14] Sam Chlebowski: Yeah, and it’s a a really interesting point to me because yeah, you are a creative professional and you need to have the energy to put that creativity into your business. I feel like if you’re caught up so often in the day to day, uh, that you don’t have a time to step away, it’s like, you know, you’ll just get beaten down day after day trying to rack your brain for new creative.

[00:21:36] Megan Weeks: I’m sure a lot of creatives can totally resonate with this, but not every day. I’m feeling my most creative, I get creative at certain hours of the day and I’ve had to kinda learn what hours those are and really just diving into those times of the day.

[00:21:51] When I quit my nine to five job and took my business full time, I would feel so guilty not sitting at my desk from nine to five. And it was like the weirdest mental thing I had to get over. Cuz I can work on my own schedule now and if I design. From like three to five o’clock, I can just work during that time if I’m my most effective.

[00:22:09] because in the morning, I’m still kind of waking up and I’ve had to learn that over time too. it’s okay to have my morning to do the things that make me show up the most creative later in the day.

[00:22:20] Sam Chlebowski: As a business owner, it’s like you have that freedom and you’ve done the hard work to create that freedom for yourself. And I think that if you’re not leveraging that to a certain extent, Why are you doing it in the first place? But I do resonate with that a lot, that wanting to sit at a desk from nine to five, from like normal working hours. But then after time, and this is something I’ve recently gotten over, you realize that if I want to go do something else, if I have like stuff I need to go do around the house or just wanna take a break, I can come back to this and work on it later at nine or 10 o’clock if I want.

[00:22:52] So, two final questions before we sign off here. One kind of fun. Second one, just more business. the first one, the fun one. So I saw that you have this video series that you did for a little while, the wine and design series.

[00:23:05] Megan Weeks: Yeah,

[00:23:06] Sam Chlebowski: Somebody who is, you know, really just getting into wine like over the past year.

[00:23:10] Megan Weeks: yeah,

[00:23:11] Sam Chlebowski: what are your favorite types of wine to drink? Any, any Go-to bottles. Go-to regions, flavors, let it fly.

[00:23:20] Megan Weeks: Yeah. I have a favorite. It’s a little more pricey at the grocery store, but it’s Naomi. The Miami Pinot War. So good . Um, but that’s usually like an occasional bottle cuz it is a little pricier.

[00:23:34] But I also really like the Trader Joe’s brand of the organic wines cuz I’ve been trying to do like more of the organic wines cuz I’ve heard that it has less like soul fights and it’s supposed to be better for you. trader chose organic wine is so good and it’s really affordable too.

[00:23:50] Sam Chlebowski: Naomi is one that I’ve had before. actually a bunch of my in-laws like really love it

[00:23:54] Megan Weeks: Oh, really?

[00:23:55] Sam Chlebowski: wine prices where they live. It’s like, you know, kind of deeper in Colorado are, you know, there’s a bigger markup out there, so come down to, here in Denver and buy it because it’s, you know,

[00:24:06] Megan Weeks: That’s awesome.

[00:24:06] Sam Chlebowski: four or $5 cheaper.

[00:24:08] Megan Weeks: I need to do that. . Fly to Colorado and bring a suitcase.

[00:24:13] Sam Chlebowski: Thanks for answering the fun question. Final question for this episode if people want to learn more about you, they wanna see your content, where should they go?

[00:24:20] Megan Weeks: Yeah, so I am the most active on YouTube, and you can just type in Megan Weeks and that’ll come up on YouTube. But I’m also on Instagram and TikTok at Megan Weeks Design Co. And yeah, I’m active on all of those platforms and I’d love to connect with everyone there.

[00:24:38] Sam Chlebowski: Amazing. And we will put links to all of that in the show notes, uh, of this episode. Thank you everybody for listening and joining in on this episode of Designing Growth. Megan, any final things to add before we sign off here?

[00:24:52] Megan Weeks: Thank you so much for having me on. I really appreciate it. And if I could tell anyone anything, if they feel the pull and the drive to take their business full time. I say take the risk and do it because there’s no such thing as failure. You’re gonna learn no matter what.

[00:25:07] Sam Chlebowski: I love it. Go do start that business, make that leap grow to that next level. I think that that is a perfect way to sum. This episode. Megan, thank you so much for sharing your time and your expertise today. Can’t thank you Take care everybody, and talk to you next week. Bye-bye.

[00:25:24] Happy Thursday everybody, and welcome back to Designing Growth. My name is Sam Chlebowski joining you for another episode, and this week we have Megan Weeks joining us on the podcast. Megan is the owner of Megan Week’s Design Co, which is a graphic design and brand consultancy based in Nevada who helps wellness businesses create, refine, and develop strong brands that work across all platforms.

[00:25:56] And a lot of what Megan does is just rooted in simplicity and having the brand speak for itself and developing, uh, you know, these beautiful brands that can tell the story. So, Megan, how are you doing?

[00:26:09] Megan Weeks: I’m doing good. Thank you. Thanks for the intro. I love how you got every little piece of my like bio in there, . That’s awesome.

[00:26:19] Sam Chlebowski: Being a podcast host is a skill that I’ve been slowly trying to hone in, so I appreciate

[00:26:26] it

[00:26:26] Megan Weeks: already impressed

[00:26:30] Sam Chlebowski: Very cool. Very cool. Well, so Megan. What I typically like to start off with asking all of our guests, and a question I wanna ask you is what led you into starting your own business from, you know, maybe your background in design to where you are now?

[00:26:52] Megan Weeks: Yeah, so. Back in. So basically seven years ago I was still in college and it was like my junior year of being in college. And that’s when I first sort of got introduced to like using Photoshop for graphic design. Um, cause I remember one of our school projects and I majored in journalism, so it was kind of unusual to be doing design projects, but one of our.

[00:27:20] Allowed us to create a flyer for like a local business in our city. And that’s when I first got like a taste into graphic design, but I still didn’t really understand that it could like become a full time career. So I didn’t dive into it as much as I kind of wish I did back then. Um, but I definitely like found myself loving it and it felt. Like, not easy for me, but it just felt like a passion for me, like from the get go. Um, and I even remember like when I was really little, just always being drawn to like creativity and crafting and projects. So, It was really cool for me to like see how you can be creative in an actual like career. Um, so that’s when I first got a little bit of a taste in a graphic design and then I started going down the photography career and that’s what I really wanted to start doing was like wedding photography and just being a full-time photographer.

[00:28:20] But I think that passion of mine in photography so much now, because that’s what. Allowed me to learn Photoshop and the Adobe programs, um, like super well. And then right after college I was working at a marketing agency and that was when I really started using graphic design, um, for like clients. And I was able to create websites.

[00:28:44] I was able to create logos and I was still using Photoshop. I wasn’t even like super comfortable with Adobe Illustrator or any of the other programs yet. I was still like very new into. But that agency that I was working for, they ended up going under. Um, they actually, it was kind of, yeah, it was kind of interesting to see cuz I, I learned a lot with like the project management situation at that company.

[00:29:08] Like, it opened my eyes to like just how to work together as a team with clients. And um, when they went under, that’s when I got on Upwork, which was that freelancing platform. And that’s when I started doing freelancing on my own. So seven years later, I finally took the leap into running my own business.

[00:29:29] So this is only my first year as a full-time graphic designer. I’ve always been doing it as like a side side hustle. Um, but this is my first year being full-time with it.

[00:29:43] Sam Chlebowski: And I actually didn’t know that until right now, and that is super exciting. So, I mean, reflecting on your first year of, you know, full time running your own business, you know, what are the big things that you’ve learned?

[00:29:57] Megan Weeks: Yeah, so I’m actually kind of glad I waited to take the leap into doing it cuz I could have three years ago probably done this. But I really set myself up before going full time with like, Understanding how to manage clients, having like the right contracts and proposals and like really having the client management process down so that I wouldn’t be wasting months and months figuring that out instead of like actually designing.

[00:30:25] Um, so I feel like that really, like I learned a lot in that way that that’s so important to have. The project management stuff figured out before running your own business. Um, but then also just like finding a good balance with yourself because when I did go full time, I did not give myself any sort of break.

[00:30:45] I just jumped right into going crazy with it. Like from the moment I woke up to the moment I was ready for bed. and that I quickly realized you can definitely burn yourself out even if you love it. Um, and finding that balance of like still taking care of yourself, but also, um, having your business. So I definitely learned that lesson very quickly.

[00:31:10] Sam Chlebowski: And the way that you approach that I think is super smart that you were very intentional about setting up some of these systems and processes before you went ahead and kind of jumped in, uh, you know, both feet into the deep end. What? How have you organized your process for working with clients? Because I think that this is something that really helpful for other folks to know who are considering making a similar jump.

[00:31:36] What did that process look like for you? What tools did you end up using for that?

[00:31:42] Megan Weeks: Yeah, so when I, when I look back on, when I didn’t have any sort of tool, it was, I definitely had a lot of like trial and error and figuring out like how many projects I can handle at a time and how to communicate with my clients the best way. So I actually, a good friend of mine was using Dev Soto and that’s when I first got introduced to programs online that can help you organize everything and have everything in one place.

[00:32:10] Um, so that’s where I have it currently. And, It’s a little bit like, I have different areas of where I’m organizing things right now. Like I have my Google calendar and I have, um, dub sodo for like the contracts and proposals and more of like the forms that I need. Um, so that’s what I am using right now and it does help a lot to have everything in one place sort of so,

[00:32:36] Sam Chlebowski: Very cool, very cool. And with clients and, you know, getting more clients, something we talk about a lot on this show. What have you been doing to get clients? Are you still on Upwork or are you getting also, you know, a stream of clients? Um, just like through your own marketing?

[00:32:54] Megan Weeks: Yeah, so I. I really thank a lot of my like success in getting clients to saying yes to like so many opportunities in the very beginning. Like when I was working at the agency, I always made sure to like, um, never burn a bridge and make sure that I was like showing up as my best self. And I think that was what really helped me when I first kicked off doing it on my own because, Word of mouth is so huge, especially where I live.

[00:33:21] Like our city is pretty small and people, people talk and you’ll be surprised at how many people need graphic design help. Um, so that’s what really helped me in the beginning. And then Upwork was so successful for me like four years ago. I feel like it’s gotten so saturated now, and unfortunately there’s a lot of people on there that charge like nothing for a logo, so it’s hard to compete with.

[00:33:44] On Upwork. Um, so right now it’s honestly social media. Like I just, I try and make content every single day and get on TikTok, get on Instagram, get on YouTube, and that’s been huge for me cuz you’ll reach people from all over the world, which is awesome.

[00:34:03] Sam Chlebowski: Amazing. Yeah. Something I’ve been seeing as well. Um, you know, you’re pretty active on YouTube, um, as well. Is that a marketing channel for your, for your business as well or is it something like maybe just entirely different that you’re doing?

[00:34:16] Megan Weeks: Yeah, I feel like so lucky that it’s turned into what it has now because when I first started on YouTube, like it’s so embarrassing. I have videos that like are way old that I would do like fashion halls or like show the clothing I bought online and I was just doing it for fun. Like I never thought YouTube would.

[00:34:36] Grow for me until I posted a video like three years ago about my logo design process, and that’s when I reached the whole graphic design community and I realized that there’s like a need for more voices in the community. Um, and that’s when I got more and more consistent on YouTube. And at the time, I really wasn’t doing it for. Financial benefits or anything like that. I just loved making videos. Like I have like a passion for that too. Um, but I’m so like thankful that I kept up with that because YouTube is like, in my opinion, the best platform for like shelf life for your content. Like I have content from three years ago that are still getting a ton of views and that’s been so helpful, helpful for me in my business, and I would recommend it for.

[00:35:28] Sam Chlebowski: It’s really cool, especially like, you know, and I’ve had this a couple times with things that I’ve done where like I started them as just like this passion project and it fizzled out. But it’s funny how those things, especially if you are like the entrepreneurial type, how those little passion projects will like either evolve into something you didn’t expect it as the case with your YouTube video.

[00:35:50] Or provide you the skills for something that you need later on down the road. Like a couple months ago I had a food podcast I was doing with my friend.

[00:35:59] Megan Weeks: That’s awesome.

[00:35:59] Sam Chlebowski: of talking about food and food stories and that was how I really learned like the ins and outs of podcasting. And that didn’t go anywhere, but it set me up to be able to like record this show each week and to suggest it when we’re talking about like marketing and initiatives for, uh, motion dot, I.

[00:36:16] Megan Weeks: yeah. No, I’m a huge believer in that. Like some of the things I’ve said yes to in the past, definitely like. Could be considered a failure or whatever, but it, it led me to more opportunities. So yeah, I’m a big believer in that too.

[00:36:34] Sam Chlebowski: So I wanted to switch gears completely and ask you, you know, as someone who is a designer, a brand consultant, What are some of your favorite brands out there,

[00:36:49] Megan Weeks: Like,

[00:36:49] Sam Chlebowski: that you’ve worked?

[00:36:51] Megan Weeks: Okay, well, I definitely have some dream brands. I was thinking about that the other day, like dream brands I wanna work with. Um, so I’m always drawn to like minimalism and simplicity in abl in a brand. Um, and I love like Lulu Lemon, of course. I love their clothing, but I also love like, just how simple everything is.

[00:37:14] It’s just so like attractive to the eye. And I find that so cool that it’s just so minimal yet like effective. So that’s definitely a brand I’ve always been drawn to. And then also like there’s so many brands that I honestly just buy because of the look of it. And I’m trying to think of another one.

[00:37:33] Like of course there’s makeup brands that I like, like. At Sephora, if you go in there, I’m always drawn to the ones with like the simple labeling. I just find that like the most beautiful in my opinion. Um, but I would say Lululemon is definitely up there for me in terms of a brand that I would love to work with one day.

[00:37:51] Um, that’s definitely up there,

[00:37:56] Sam Chlebowski: So we can talk Sephora for a little bit because I am very familiar. I’ve been in there. Way too many times with my wife. Uh, but the shampoo that she uses all of Plex is, has some really nice packaging in my opinion. I don’t know if you’ve seen that before, but

[00:38:14] Megan Weeks: Oh yeah,

[00:38:14] Sam Chlebowski: packaging.

[00:38:16] Megan Weeks: I would agree. Yeah, that actually reminded me too. This isn’t in Sephora, but it’s a brand called Pros. Um, it’s p r o s E and I recently purchased shampoo conditioner from, from them, um, cuz one of my friends was talking about it and when it got delivered to me, it. The most impressive packaging I’ve ever seen.

[00:38:36] They had like personal personalization all over it. Like they had my name on the box and like

[00:38:43] Sam Chlebowski: Whoa.

[00:38:43] Megan Weeks: this whole printout sheet of like where I live and how that’s affecting like my hair health. And I just thought that was so cool. I’m like, wow. They like really took their time to, to present everything to me.

[00:38:55] So yeah, that one’s really cool.

[00:38:58] Sam Chlebowski: Yeah. That type of stuff can be so powerful sometimes. I mean, I think the, like the folks that really. Change the game with their packaging of course is Apple. You know, everybody’s saving all of the Apple boxes that

[00:39:14] Megan Weeks: Yeah.

[00:39:15] Sam Chlebowski: a reason why you do that cuz it’s not just a cardboard box. You’re like opening an experience.

[00:39:20] And I don’t know about you, but I have, I think, reused one of those boxes a single time

[00:39:26] Megan Weeks: Oh yeah. Same

[00:39:27] Sam Chlebowski: a phone by myself one time out of like, you know, dozens by now Apple device.

[00:39:33] Megan Weeks: Yeah, no, same here The other day, like I had my Apple Watch box that I’ve had for like years. I’m like, why do I not wanna throw this away? And it’s still in my desk drawer. Like I don’t know what I’m gonna do with it, but it’s nice.

[00:39:47] Sam Chlebowski: Yeah, just like in inherently tied to this, this just cardboard box that you could totally throw.

[00:39:55] Megan Weeks: Yeah, and same thing for that hair brand, like the, the card that they put in the box with like the details of where I live and like the environment, how it affects everything. I literally use it as a bookmark in my book. So yeah, it works. I mean, I think it’s just nice when, especially the personalization, it’s like you don’t wanna throw that away when it looks really cool.

[00:40:18] Sam Chlebowski: Yep. Totally agree. Totally agree.

[00:40:21] Megan Weeks: Yeah,

[00:40:25] Sam Chlebowski: So I know that within your business you have kind of defined your niche as like wellness, uh, businesses. How did you decide on that? Was that kind of a slow evolution or was that something that you just said, Hey, this is where I want to be, so this is what I’m going to kind of associate myself to? How did that process of kneeing down, uh, come about?

[00:40:48] Megan Weeks: Yeah, that’s a good question. So actually this is the part I skipped over, but before. I majored in journalism in school. I was going for a nutrition major. Um, I’ve always been like passionate about just wellness, nutrition and everything to do with that. Um, but I’m terrible at science. So , I changed my major quickly, but I always knew like that was also a passion of mine.

[00:41:14] So, Before I niche down, I was like really afraid to niche cuz I was afraid I was gonna miss out on other people, not in the wellness industry because I, I really like working with like everyone. Um, but I just found myself saying yes to projects that were like below my benchmark pricing and that just weren’t really fulfilling me, um, as much as like wellness companies were because I did have that additional passion for it and I understood it better.

[00:41:46] So that’s when I decided, why don’t I just combine those two passions and show up as like an expert in that industry, visually for the wellness companies. So, so far it’s been great and I feel like it’s allowed me to connect with, with more wellness companies. So ultimately it ended up working in my favor.

[00:42:06] So, but it took me a long time to take that leap into nicheing cuz it is a. Thing to do when you are afraid you’re gonna miss out on things. But I still get inquiries that aren’t sometimes wellness companies, and that just proves to me that like you’re still gonna talk to people that aren’t specifically in that area no matter what.

[00:42:32] Sam Chlebowski: It’s really nice for me to hear the story too, because the process that you described and kind of how you found that niche over time is something that I’ve seen personally. Um, when we were running brighter vision and is something that I’ve kind of openly told people is like, Hey, You have to look at the people that you have worked with and the businesses you’ve worked with previously, and see what made that work, but also understand, hey, this is the type of business that I want to work with as well.

[00:43:07] And when those two things kind of synergize that, Is the moment that it seems like at least most of the people I’ve asked this question to where they’re like, yes, this is what I should be doing. Like this is my niche. So it takes a little bit of time and I think that the example of what you had shared, how you would work, were doing, uh, work on Upwork originally.

[00:43:28] That’s like a great way to build a portfolio if you are a new designer. But I do think. That moment where you have to decide to like change the messaging on your website, change your positioning, maybe alter like the services you’re providing a little bit. It can be scary and it’s been scary for me. I know you said that it’s, it was a little nerve-wracking for you,

[00:43:49] Megan Weeks: Oh yeah.

[00:43:50] Sam Chlebowski: I guess what I’m trying to say is like, if you make the jump, it’s gonna be fine and there’s a lot of benefits you can get.

[00:43:56] Megan Weeks: Totally. And I always, like you said, I recommend that for like new designers to not come out the gates with a niche. If you don’t really know if you like working in that area, because I think a lot of times it might sound really awesome to work for a certain industry and then it just isn’t as great as maybe you think it might be or.

[00:44:18] It just might not live up to like what you thought. So I think experimenting and getting that experience before deciding is really smart. And yeah, like I said, you’re not really gonna miss out on clients that they’re not gonna be like, I’m not talking to her cuz she’s only wellness. They’re most likely still gonna reach out to you if they like your work.

[00:44:38] And that’s something I had to kind of learn too.

[00:44:42] Sam Chlebowski: Very. Very cool. Yeah, and it’s, you know, it’s all a process. I wanted to talk a little bit about, you know, a little bit further about client process. And I know, you know, within the first year of your business you shared some kind of lessons that you had learned and that was one of the big things that, you know, having a process for that.

[00:45:02] What are some of the challenging hurdles that folks who are going full time into their design business might face when they’re managing multiple client projects at once that you’ve experienced lately? And how did you solve those things?

[00:45:19] Megan Weeks: Yeah, so there’s definitely a lot of things that can happen and I feel like something that you can’t always plan for is maybe the, the project not going exactly through the timeline as you wanted it to. Um, cuz there’s been lots of times where. I know how many projects I can handle at a time, but if that branding project goes past the three week mark that we planned for, it might run into my other projects, which will require me to be a little bit like overwhelmed and have a lot on my plate.

[00:45:54] So making sure that you account for like the additional time that could potentially happen that you might need is important because I used to tell clients like, oh yeah, I can do your logo in like two. , but now I tell them like four weeks because you never know. Like it’s better to provide it sooner and like kind of like surprise ’em that like we finished it early than to have to tell them like, oh, it’s gonna take another two weeks.

[00:46:19] So that’s something I had to kind of learn is like, it’s okay to tell them it’ll take some more time. And also to let them know that like that the amount of time it will take is dependent on the feedback I get and how quickly you respond. Um, that’s something. Really important too, because that can quickly get outta hand if everything gets run into each other and you have like 10 projects at once.

[00:46:44] Um, that’s happened to me before and it’s overwhelming. So

[00:46:49] Sam Chlebowski: Under Promise and over deliver was something that we basically had written on the wall of Brighter Vision, where like it’s exactly what you just said where, hey, tell a client it’s gonna take longer and surprise them, that’s gonna be a lot easier and you’re gonna get a lot less pushback than if you’re consistently, you know, setting up these deadlines for yourself that are unattainable.

[00:47:12] Because when you are the business owner, You ultimately control the timelines and if you are like too busy, you know, that’s a change that you can make.

[00:47:22] Megan Weeks: Yeah, exactly. So important. Cause yeah, that’s the worst news to tell them like, oh, it’s gonna be another. Another month now. Sorry. Like, it’s better to just be like, okay, this is typically how long. Um, and yeah, that’s, that’s definitely a part of the process that I had to kinda learn as I went. Um, but then also making sure that you have like in the process, like a good communication style set up.

[00:47:50] Because I remember in the past too, like I didn’t really tell them like, I only like emailing or maybe we should just hop on calls. So there, there was clients in the past that like would text me and like talk about work on text and that just also would get overwhelming. So I think having a good process up front of like how you prefer to communicate and like setting those boundaries in your business too is I.

[00:48:15] Sam Chlebowski: I love that point that you’ve made, and it’s something that is, Seems like on the surface is like pretty simple, but once you get into it is like something that is, you know, not only, you know, it is complex to an extent, but the reason why it’s complex is because it’s so incredibly important If you’re not controlling.

[00:48:35] The medium of communication and communication is happening across all of these different systems. It’s like you can’t track anything. You can’t log anything. You can’t know where there’s holes in the ship that you need to patch within your process, and there’s no way of like streamlining everything.

[00:48:53] Megan Weeks: exactly. Yeah, it’s very important to do. And then also, I just actually was making some content about making sure that you never start a project without a contract. Because even if it’s like your friend or a family member or someone that you really trust, I think it’s important to have that process no matter who it is you’re working with, um, because you just never know, like you never know what can happen and contracts just protect both of you two, and it makes sure that you’re on the same page.

[00:49:24] And, um, yeah, that’s important to have because I, I’m like re referring to my old experiences when I didn’t have a contract and things happened where like maybe the revisions went past the amount that I usually let them go past. Then we’re like another month down the line, still working on revisions and you’re not getting paid for that.

[00:49:44] And it’s just important to have that contract, um, from the get go no matter who it is you’re working with.

[00:49:52] Sam Chlebowski: In your contracts, how intentional and how much detail do you have to provide to the scope of the project to avoid that sort of like scope creep.

[00:50:04] Megan Weeks: Yeah, I’ve been adding to my contract every year for the past like seven years. Um, but I, mine, I would say mine’s actually probably smaller than most people’s. , I just kind of go over the basics of like, this is the scope of the project. Um, and then I also go into like the details of like how many revisions before additional charges.

[00:50:26] Um, and then I also have like an area for them to, to initial under like the important parts so that I make sure that they’re actually like looking at it and reading it. Um, and then another important, uh, line item on my contract is that they’re paying, um, on the payment plan due. and if they don’t pay on those payment plan due dates, that there could be an additional fee for a late fee.

[00:50:49] Um, because I’ve had clients in the past where they think that since the project isn’t moving along as they thought it would, that they don’t need to pay until they get that next deliverable. But in reality, it’s just, that’s the payment plan that’s set up and that’s what they need to follow. So I have like line items that kind of go over those types of.

[00:51:13] Sam Chlebowski: And some of the things you pointed out are just, you know, a highlight for me, like why contracts are so important

[00:51:18] Megan Weeks: Yeah.

[00:51:19] Sam Chlebowski: a contract to me, and when I’ve had to like, bring contracts into conversations that, you know, there was an issue for whatever reason, a contract is almost like a. Third party like arbitrator for that conversation between the client, where you call this other, you, you’re basically calling over your manager to explain the rule to

[00:51:43] Megan Weeks: Yeah,

[00:51:44] Sam Chlebowski: you don’t have to like bear that blame, but you can say, yes, hey, I put it here. I clearly explained it like, Hey, you need to pay even if this isn’t, you know, going to the schedule you had in mind because of X, y, and Z delays on your end. So yeah, it’s, it’s some really phenomenal points about that.

[00:52:01] Something I even really talked about recently, but is so incredibly important to your business and the health of it,

[00:52:07] Megan Weeks: yeah, definitely. Definitely an important part of the process that I recommend doing before you even start the designing. Super important.

[00:52:19] Sam Chlebowski: and in the future, our goal of what we’re trying to do [email protected], just a shameless plug, is, you know, right now we’re focused on like what happens. Directly after the contract to like the end of that project. But within a couple months we hope to build out full, you know, contracts, invoicing, proposals, right into the platform.

[00:52:38] So all of that can be managed in like a streamlined system. And you can do things like how you mentioned where, you know, you don’t have all of these communication channels, you just have one, which is, you know what we hope motion.io will become.

[00:52:53] Megan Weeks: awesome. Definitely important.

[00:52:58] Sam Chlebowski: Very cool. So outside of work, what do you like to do?

[00:53:04] Megan Weeks: Yeah, I, I actually play soccer , I play on a indoor soccer team and then I love to right now, so I’m not a reader, like I usually hate reading, but I’ve been reading the Colleen Hoover books. I dunno if you’ve been hearing about that, but.

[00:53:22] Sam Chlebowski: No, I haven.

[00:53:23] Megan Weeks: They’re addicting. Like I’ve been reading those like in any free time I can get.

[00:53:27] And um, sometimes that’s hard to come by, especially when you have your own business. It’s like you have to kind of make the time to go do those hobbies and do those things. But her books are so good. So I’ve been reading those a lot. And, um, honestly just like hanging out with my boyfriend and my cat and like making sure that I do step away from the computer and, you know, just.

[00:53:50] Live your life too. Cause I think what I said in the beginning of like not knowing how to find that balance at first and just working all the time, it definitely was catching up to me and I felt like I wasn’t showing up as my best self every day because I wasn’t allowing myself to like go get my workout in or go enjoy my time with my boyfriend and my cat and like doing those things that fill you up and make sure that you can show up your best self.

[00:54:18] It is important to have those hobbies and get outside and step away. And actually I have realized that stepping away and doing things that aren’t related to my work makes me more creative. So I’m a big believer in finding those hobbies outside of work.

[00:54:36] Sam Chlebowski: Yeah, and it’s a a really interesting point to me because yeah, you are a creative professional and you need to have the energy to put that creativity into your business. I feel like if you’re caught up so often in the day to day, uh, that you don’t have a time to step away, it’s like, you know, you’ll just get beaten down day after day trying to rack your brain for new creative.

[00:54:58] Megan Weeks: Totally. Yeah. And just looking at a screen too, it’s like not good . It’s not good for my eyes, not good for anything for a long period, and I feel like, I’m sure a lot of creatives can totally resonate with this, but not every day. I’m like feeling my most creative, like. I get creative at certain hours of the day and I’ve had to kinda learn what hours those are and really just diving into those times of the day.

[00:55:25] And I used to feel so guilty, like if so, when I quit my nine to five job and took my business full time, I would feel so guilty not sitting at my desk from nine to five. And it was like the weirdest mental thing I had to get over. Cuz I’m like, I can work on my own schedule now and if I design. From like three to five o’clock, I can just work during that time if I’m gonna be like my most effective.

[00:55:50] Um, because in the morning, like I’m still kind of waking up and I’ve had to learn that over time too. Like, it’s okay to like have my morning to do the things that make me show up the most creative later in the day. Um, so that’s definitely been something I’ve had to learn too.

[00:56:10] Sam Chlebowski: You, you know, as a business owner, it’s like you have that freedom and you’ve done the hard work to create that freedom for yourself. And I think that if you’re not leveraging that to a certain extent, Why are you doing it in the first place? But I do resonate with that a lot, that wanting to sit at a desk at, you know, from nine to five, from like normal working hours.

[00:56:33] But then after time, and this is something I’ve like recently gotten over, you realize that like, hey, if I want to go do something else, if I have like stuff I need to go do around the house or just wanna take a break, like I can come back to this and work on it later at nine or 10 o’clock if I want.

[00:56:48] Megan Weeks: exactly. Yeah. And I’ve had to kind of realize like, what’s the point of me sitting at my computer from nine to 12 if I’m not gonna be productive? Like I’ll be more productive if I just dive into. The certain hours of the day where I’m gonna be like completely focused and in my flow state. So that’s been helpful.

[00:57:06] And this kind of just made me think of something cuz I, for a while, for the past two months I was struggling with like productivity and like cuz when you are your own boss and when you’re at home alone working by yourself, it can be hard to like stay true to like your time block schedule. Not get distracted and stuff.

[00:57:25] And I was finding myself like feeling that way for a while. So I started implementing some new productivity things that have helped me so much. So I got this little like time block cube where it like times you for 30 minutes and then it goes off. And for me, like the 30 minute mark was perfect cause then I could get up and go on a walk or like do something else and come back and change to the next. So finding that like kind of flow too has helped me too. But yeah, getting over that guilt of like, it’s okay that all these other people are working at nine o’clock. And I also, sorry I’m jumping all over, but I remember hearing this one girl say that she’s like solar powered, like she needs like the sun and like just nature and outside to like sit down and have that energy to work.

[00:58:12] And that resonated with me too, cause. I need to do something before I just set up my computer.

[00:58:20] Sam Chlebowski: Yeah. Yeah. I also, I love this, uh, time block cube. Just like looking at pictures of this, I think I need to get one of these. This

[00:58:27] Megan Weeks: Yeah. They’re so helpful. I saw someone on TikTok with them. I’m like, I think I need that

[00:58:34] Sam Chlebowski: Oh, that is great.

[00:58:35] Megan Weeks: Yeah, it’s helpful. Cause I originally, I was just like time blocking on my Google calendar, but like, It’s nice to actually have like an alarm right in front of you, like go off like, okay, now you can move to the next task. And then I can see the time like ticking. So I feel like, okay, I need to focus, need to get to work and yeah, it’s so helpful.

[00:58:57] Sam Chlebowski: I love it. I love it. So, two final questions before we sign off here. One kind of fun. Second one, um, you know, just more business. Uh, the first one, the fun one. So I saw that you have this video series that you did for a little while, the wine and design series.

[00:59:16] Megan Weeks: Yeah,

[00:59:17] Sam Chlebowski: Somebody who is, you know, really just getting into wine like over the past year.

[00:59:21] Megan Weeks: yeah,

[00:59:23] Sam Chlebowski: what are your favorite types of wine to drink? Any, any Go-to bottles. Go-to regions, flavors, let it fly.

[00:59:32] Megan Weeks: Yeah. I have a favorite. It’s a little more pricey at the grocery store, but it’s Naomi. The Miami Pinot War. So good . Um, but that’s usually like an occasional bottle cuz it is a little pricier. Um, but any of the mi wines are amazing. Um, and then that’s m e m o I, I think that’s how you spell it. Um, so those ones are really good.

[00:59:56] But I also really like the Trader Joe’s brand of the organic wines cuz I’ve been trying to do like more of the organic wines cuz I’ve heard that it has less like soul fights and it’s supposed to be better for you. So the trader doors trader chose organic wine is so good and it’s really affordable too. I like their like Chardonnay, their swab blanc. Those ones are really good.

[01:00:23] Sam Chlebowski: Amazing. Yeah. Uh, Naomi is one that I’ve had before. It’s um, actually a bunch of my in-laws like really love it

[01:00:30] Megan Weeks: Oh, really?

[01:00:30] Sam Chlebowski: The, like wine prices where they live. It’s like, you know, kind of deeper in Colorado are, you know, there’s a bigger markup out there, so they’ll like come down to, you know, here in Denver and buy it because it’s, you know,

[01:00:43] Megan Weeks: That’s awesome.

[01:00:44] Sam Chlebowski: four or $5 cheaper.

[01:00:45] So, yeah.

[01:00:46] Megan Weeks: I need to do that. . Fly to Colorado and bring a suitcase.

[01:00:51] Sam Chlebowski: Because you are in, uh, you’re in Reno, right?

[01:00:54] Megan Weeks: Yeah. Yeah. Nevada. Yeah. Yeah.

[01:01:01] Sam Chlebowski: I love it. Well, thanks for answering the fun question. Final question for this episode is if people want to learn more about you, they wanna see your content, where should they go?

[01:01:11] Megan Weeks: Yeah, so I am the most active on YouTube, and you can just type in Megan Weeks and that’ll come up on YouTube. But I’m also on Instagram and TikTok at Megan Weeks Design Co. And yeah, I’m active on all of those platforms and I’d love to connect with everyone there.

[01:01:31] Sam Chlebowski: Amazing. And we will put links to all of that in the show notes, uh, of this episode.

[01:01:37] Megan Weeks: Thank

[01:01:37] Sam Chlebowski: Until next time. Thank you everybody for listening and joining in on this episode of Designing Growth. Megan, any final things to add before we sign off here?

[01:01:48] Megan Weeks: Thank you so much for having me on. I really appreciate it. And if I could tell anyone anything, if they feel the pull and the drive to take their business full time. I say take the risk and do it because I mean, there’s no such thing as failure. You’re gonna learn no matter what.

[01:02:08] Sam Chlebowski: I love it. Yeah, you heard to hear her, to hear first folks go do it. You know, start that business, make that leap grow to that next level. I think that that is a perfect way to sum. This episode. So Megan, thank you so much for sharing your time and your expertise today. It has been, you know, really awesome to hear about your journey and get all of these tips that you have learned, you know, along the way firsthand.

[01:02:32] So can’t thank you enough.

[01:02:34] Megan Weeks: thank you.

[01:02:36] Sam Chlebowski: Take care everybody, and talk to you next week. Bye-bye.