Today we’d like to introduce you to Ta’Ron Joyner.
Hi Ta’Ron, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story is a long one but true adventures are never linear, are they? For as long as I can remember, my parents have been entrepreneurs and I think that’s where it really started for me. Seeing them go for everything that they talked about, dreamed about, were crazy about — super inspired and lit a fire in me, whether I knew it or not at the time. About 13 years ago, I began my career in my early twenties working for my mother’s business in the beauty industry. It remains one of the most challenging and rewarding positions I have ever held in my life, aside from being a mother myself. My mother’s business is very successful, but her team has always been pretty lean — mostly consisting of family members. What that meant for me and some others is that we had to wear multiple hats. For me, that was holding roles on the product side of the business and the trade show/event side of the business.
I was learning so much about event planning over the years working under my mother’s tutelage and that of the trade show manager at the time. I got to a point where felt that I already had enough experience under my belt and my foot in the door connection-wise because I worked in nightlife as well. One day, I decided that I would host my own event and really show my parents and peers what I was made of. The first thing I thought to do was hire a graphic designer because I couldn’t possibly take on planning AND graphics. Sure, I knew a thing or two about working in Photoshop and on an Apple computer; after all, I’d watched my parents design their business cards, flyers, brochures and style books in that program. However, I was taught (at work) that it was best to delegate that task to someone else. So, I found someone on Instagram and hired them to do my flyer. Surprise surprise, he turned out to be a flake and I was devastated. What would I do? How was I going to promote my event?
Now, around this time, I’d just been enrolled in the four-year Entertainment Business degree program at Full Sail University. Due to the degrees the school offered, they would send out “Launch Boxes” which included tools and technology to help you in your degree program; Each Launch Box came with a MacBook. So, here I find myself with no graphic designer but I had a brand, spanking new MacBook AND subscriptions to Photoshop, Illustrator and everything else Adobe offered. I’ve always been resourceful so I did what anyone with ambition and drive would do and started designing my event collateral by myself. Was it the best? Not by a long shot. Did it fan that little fire I spoke about earlier — HELL YES. It was like I became addicted to design. I watched Youtube videos, I started signing up for sites that had design freebies and eventually, I changed my major to Graphic Design.
Naturally, my worlds began to collide. People who I knew in the nightlife industry started to see the work I was putting out, so they began to hire me. My mother’s business continued to grow and of course her marketing needs with it, so there came times where I would have to design collateral for a rollout. I was extremely busy but I didn’t care because I was being fueled by passion. I remained at my mother’s business, supporting her dream in whatever way she needed but I always kept design as a secondary income. Come 2020, a defining moment for us all, the pandemic hit and suddenly we were all home…indefinitely. The business office closed, our events were canceled, but online sales were stronger than ever. Being home allowed me the freedom to take off some of those hats I always wore and pour a little more into my design side hustle. I started a podcast and really became more intentional about the possibility of this becoming a “real” business. I started networking with other creatives and entrepreneurs online. I created content that was design-focused. I began curating an image that would position me as a thought-leader and the go-to person for design work. My efforts were noticed because I received a call from a rep at OkayPlayer (QuestLove’s online community and hub for everything hip-hop & culture) and at first I thought it was a joke. That “joke” pushed me well past $100K a year in design work and that it when I knew that I needed to go harder. Like all good things, my relationship with OKP ended after a year and a half, but by that time. I’d doubled my client list. I was confident that I could really take this all the way and that’s what I planned for.
Now, this may sound like a fairytale and super easy but it wasn’t. There were times (and there still are) times I want to call it quits, but I don’t. If I did, that would mean everything I experienced prior to this moment would be for…nothing? No way. I’m taking the gold! In 2022, I began mapping out what it would look like to leave my mother’s business after spending most of my adult life working for her. Often times, I felt immense guilt but I knew there would come a time where it would just be the natural progression of things. That time came last year. Work strained me, there were disagreements more than ever, things just didn’t “fit” right anymore. I knew that if I stayed longer, things would just deteriorate even more. Last August 2024, I turned in my resignation and I took the biggest leap of my life. This past August marked one full year of entrepreneurship and I am so excited to see what the next year holds. I have gotten the pleasure of working with so many interesting people and notable brands, so I know the sky is the limit.
In this season, I am being more intentional about making connections and really cultivating my community. I no longer want to just “know” people but I want to bring people in and really curate an environment where we can lean on each other. I also want to educate and empower up and coming Black and brown creatives so that they know there has always been space for us in this industry, even if its not shown at the forefront. What’s next? I’m not sure but I’m sure life won’t fail to surprise me!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road.
There were days where I wanted to give up. Sometimes I still have those days. The days I’ve gone without clients were brutal. The days that a client took too long to approve a design and it set me back in my schedule — crazy. Learning lessons the hard way because maybe I didn’t do enough research or maybe I didn’t listen to my mentors. Most of this has not been easy but it has been worth it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Over the years, I’ve done pretty much “everything”. I was young(er) and hungry in my earlier, side hustle days. Now, I have niched down with my offerings so that I can continue to attract premium clients who know what they want. Currently, we specialize in branding and experiential design. Branding is how a business shows up consistently to consumers. Experiential design can be anything that is designed with the intention to garner attention and physical interaction. You see this a lot at trade shows and events which is of course, right up my alley.
I am known for graphic design, generally. The content I am producing now is helping people to understand exactly what it is that I do and what industries I service best.
I am most proud of my ability to bring people together. That may not seem like a “creative” ability, but it is.
The ability to anticipate needs is what sets me apart from others. For years, it was my job to know what another person needed before they knew it themselves. It helps me in my business because it has sharpened my listening skills, my research skills and the way I ask questions to really get to the “meat” of the topic at hand.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
First, I’d like to thank me. I am the one in the driver’s seat. I may have divine direction, but the fact that I am choosing to go that path deserves to be recognized. Showing up for myself deserves to be recognized. I think a lot of times we feel that thanking ourselves makes us sound snooty, but if not you then WHO?
My children — my daughters deserve credit because I look at them and I know that I have to keep going. Raising girls has been the highest honor. They love me unconditionally and I want to always be deserving that.
My customers and clients deserve credit because in the early days, a lot of them just took a chance on me. Their trust is the reason why I am still able to do what I do today and to get more work.
Finally, my family deserves a big chunk of credit. I know that I’ve always been a wildfire—moving fast and spreading wide. Their support has been unwavering and their belief in me fuels my passions even more. My mother was and is hard on me, but I am grateful because it has toughened me up. The things I learned at my time within her business and under her wing are priceless. No amount of money could’ve taught me what I learned about myself and business.
Pricing:
- Full Branding Packages start at $3,000
- Packaging Design starts at $700 per SKU
- Decks/Presentation Design starts at $500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.1991design.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uloveronnie
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taronjoyner
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UloveRonnie
- Other: https://bit.ly/1991PortfolioDeck
Image Credits
Unposed Photography (photo with 1991 pillows)
Raphael Simien (b&w photo)
