Hello! I am so, so glad you’ve stopped by. :) I just want to officially introduce myself to you, share why I’m here and what I want for myself and my business in the future.
WHO I AM
So, to start off, my name is Brittany Nicole Russell (previously Ehlers), and I own Letter Lane Design Studio where I offer hand lettering, calligraphy and design services to other creatives and small business owners. The previous name of my business was Brittany Nicole Design, which you may or may not recognize. I recently completely rebranded my business, and this is my very first blog post! I am so excited to share with you some things about myself and my business.
I am originally from Nebraska City, Nebraska, a small town of about 8,000 people, one where everyone knows everyone. I currently live in Omaha, Nebraska with my new husband, Matt (we just got married last month) and our two kitties, Sebastian and Bella, and I work at a large newspaper as a graphic designer. Matt and I have been together since high school, and we will be hitting the 8-year mark this March! :)
I graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in May of 2014, with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Advertising, which is basically graphic design with an emphasis on advertising. Throughout my time at Northwest, I constantly held down at least two jobs, was on the leadership team of several on campus clubs, and completed four internships, all while tackling a full load of classes. I’m not one for sitting still or not having something to do, so having a full plate was pretty much a necessity for me, even if it meant often getting very little sleep and sometimes having to miss out on the fun stuff with friends. Right after I graduated college in May of 2014, I received an offer from the current company I work for, and I've been living and working in Omaha ever since (and LOVING it!).
In my free time, I love reading, renting or going to the movies with Matt, spending time outside, traveling, writing, exercising, eating (who doesn’t?), crafting, browsing Pinterest and shopping for art supplies (this is seriously an addiction, and in an upcoming post, I’ll share my favorite art supplies with you!).
WHY I’M HERE
I started Brittany Nicole Design in the Spring of 2015 after attending a webinar about starting a side business (I can’t remember what it was now or who was running the webinar), but it got me thinking: one day, I want to be my own boss.
So, I started to do some digging on entrepreneurship and I came across The Shelancers Club, which is run by Nesha Woolery of Nesha Designs. After a bit of reading, I knew right away I wanted to join her club, and truthfully, it opened up a whole new world for me – there were other women out there starting their own businesses and being successful at it. There a variety of other awesome groups I've joined since then that have provided me with the tools and the confidence to start my business, but that's a post for another time.
I started writing down as many ideas as I could come up with that I could base my business around. I first started my business with the idea that I would only be offering graphic design services, such as posters, business cards, postcards, digital graphics, etc. But after a very short time, I realized there were a bunch of other services I could offer, such as branding, wedding invitation design, hand lettering and calligraphy. I now offer all of these things in my business, but I eventually want to narrow it down to just wedding stationery design, hand lettering and calligraphy. Like I mentioned above, I recently rebranded my business, and the new name is Letter Lane Design Studio. I decided I didn't really want my name to be in my business's name, and my new brand suits me so much better anyway!
For now, I still have my full-time job in Omaha as a graphic designer, as I plan to stay there until I am financially secure enough to go completely on my own. I can’t wait for that day! :)
WHERE I WANT TO GO
I’ll be honest, I have some pretty big goals I’ve set for myself. Here are a few of my goals for the upcoming year:
1. I want to be my own boss full-time by the end of 2016.
2. I want to be blogging on regular basis (hopefully twice a week) by the end of 2016.
3. I want to start an Etsy shop and create steady, passive income through printables, e-courses and e-books that cover topics such as hand lettering, calligraphy, design and entrepreneurship, as well as custom hand lettering/calligraphy and design projects by the end of 2016.
4. I want to be financially stable enough to buy a house in July and also begin traveling frequently with my husband by the end of 2016.
As you can see, 2016 is going to be a big year for me :) I am trying to hold myself accountable, but I would love any encouragement you can offer as well. I hope you’ll follow along on my journey! Feel free to check out my stuff on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook! I'll be going more into depth on my 2016 goals in my next post, so stay tuned! I would love some feedback!
Before you go, I would love to hear some of your goals for this coming year! What are some things you want to work on in the next twelve months, whether it’s in your business or in your personal life? I’m over here wishing you lots of love and success!
xoxo, Brittany
Interested in learning something new?
Well, I want to tell you about one of my absolute favorite resources for doing just that - and it’s at a totally affordable price! Plus you can get two months FO’ FREE right here :)
I’ve had a Skillshare subscription from the very beginning of my business, and I can honestly say that a lot of the skills I’ve learned throughout my five years of Letter Lane have been from taking a variety of classes on Skillshare.
I’ve taken classes ranging from topics of business and entrepreneurship to learning hand lettering and calligraphy to creative writing to watercolor, and so much more.
And the best part? It’s SO. AFFORDABLE!