Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Joseph.
Hi Jacqueline, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I kind of fell into this industry by accident and it’s kind of a funny story.
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and I knew from a very young age that me working for someone else wasn’t the move for me. My first venture was selling Mary Kay (or attempting to), and while that business model wasn’t for me, I knew that ultimately I wanted to work for myself.
But after an unexpected pregnancy at 19, I felt like I had no choice but to set those dreams on the back burner and do what I had to do to take care of my baby. This was also back in 2008 during the recession so honestly, I was just happy if we could pay our rent.
I fell into the trap of believing the only way I could ACTUALLY do that was to work a job because a job was guaranteed income.
So I did that and ended up in a career that truly sucked the life out of me. I was miserable, burnt out, stressed out, and it was affecting every part of my life.
Then in 2016, I kind of had a bit of a quarter-life crisis. I was depressed, unhappy, HATED my career. I got to my breaking point and decided it was time to start taking control of my own life, so I slowly started learning how to do that, changing my habits, and changing my mindset and remembering who the hell I am.
On that journey, I transformed into a much better version of myself and was inspired to help others take control of their own lives. So naturally, I decided to become a life coach and start my own coaching business on the side.
Financially, I couldn’t afford to hire anyone to create my branding and website, but I’ve always understood the power of great aesthetic and brand positioning, so I turned to youtube and google and figured it out myself.
When I finally launched that business, I ended up getting more inquiries about who designed my branding and website than I did for my life coaching services, so I decided to pivot and start offering logos, branding, and web design services and started my journey to becoming a brand designer.
I’m self-taught and I have learned so many lessons along the way. I finally quit my job and went all-in after four years of working as a freelance designer on the side and learning everything I could about branding and design and mastering those skills. Last year in 2021, I made my dream really come to life and opened my own design studio, Studio Minelle.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not haha. I’ve learned the hard way that entrepreneurship is anything but smooth sailing. I think the biggest struggles I’ve had are learning to let go of the feeling that I need to be in control of everything at all times and giving into self-doubt.
Businesses, like anything else, have ebbs and flows. When it’s flowing, obviously it feels amazing and you feel successful and life is good…but those ebbs can get to you sometimes.
In those moments where it feels like nothing is going right, you’re failing at everything, you’re having setback after setback, the only thing you can do sometimes is release control and have faith that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing, that you’re supported, and you open yourself up to receive the lessons so that you can come back better and stronger.
Imposter syndrome is also very real and something that I’ve personally struggled with. Because I’m a self-taught designer and didn’t go to design school or formally study business or marketing or branding…getting over what I thought that meant about my ability to be successful in this industry has been one of the biggest struggles of all. It’s so interesting how many roadblocks we create for ourselves sometimes because of the silly thoughts we allow ourselves to believe are true when they’re not. They’re just our perception of the truth.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a brand designer and strategist. I work mostly with women-led businesses, developing and designing brand and website design backed by strategy to help you share your unique perspective with the world, attract your dream clients, and stand out among your industry.
Where I feel like I really thrive is elevating existing brands. I LOVE a good rebrand project. There’s nothing more satisfying to me than taking something that is outdated or no longer working and recreating it into something truly unique, beautiful, and special, and when you see it, you instantly feel connected and have almost an emotional reaction.
I have a lot of intuitive gifts as well, so I use them to infuse my designs with elements that truly reflect what the brand is about and the message they are trying to convey. Every aspect of a brand that I create – from typography to color and layout to patterns, textures, and design elements – is infused with the energy the client wants their audience to receive from their brand. It’s hard for me to put into words what this process actually looks like, but the end results speak for themselves.
I feel like the combination of knowing the right questions to ask when it comes to brand strategy and development and my intuitive abilities that I use in my design work are what really set me apart from other designers out there.
I think I’m most proud of the fact that I am 100% self-taught and self-made. Every time I’ve come across an obstacle, I’ve figured out how to move past it and usually end up surprising myself with the outcome because it always comes out even better than I imagined.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
So I’m of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. My mom never really felt a desire to visit Puerto Rico again after she left and Cuba was off-limits to us at that time, so my parents decided to take us on a vacation to Cancun. We all fell in love with the area and my parents ended up getting a timeshare after our first visit. We continued to visit the same resort for 11 years. The resort staff became like family…they literally watched us grow up, and my most treasured childhood memories are from Mexico. I think my favorite out of all of them was our first visit to Chichen Itza. I had to be around 6…maybe 7 and I still remember that day like it was yesterday.
Pricing:
- Brand Strategy packages start at $2,500
- Branding packages start at $4,500
- Branding + Web Design packages $10k+
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@studiominelle.com
- Website: studiominelle.com
- Instagram: @studiominelle
Image Credits:
Photography – Katie Johnson Photography www.ktjohnsonphotography.com @ktjohnsonphoto
