Exploring Life & Business with Melanie Grandoit

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Grandoit.

Hi Melanie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I graduated from Georgia Southern in 2004 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Computer Information Systems. Upon graduating, I entered into the corporate world doing technical support customer service, training, user experience, and instructional design. I spent 15 years in Corporate America learning a variety of skillsets from learning how to provide exceptional customer service, creating training videos, and understanding how to improve a user’s experience on mobile apps and software programs. I also learned skills such as web design, marketing and communications, and branding.

In 2019, I transitioned out of corporate America. My corporate experience was a great journey, however, I began to find myself in a place where I had become exhausted and burned out. I’d attached my identity to my corporate title and my salary and I didn’t really have personal dreams besides climbing the corporate ladder. I wanted the upcoming years of my life to be spent outside of a gray box, aka gray cubicle. I wanted freedom…..freedom of time, freedom to dream, freedom to be me.

After resigning, I took time to rest and heal from the burnout and mental exhaustion. My husband, Rey Grandoit, inspired me to start my own business. He encouraged me to use my web design skills to help others build their website. I coupled this with my skillsets of branding and photography.

Today, I build brands for working moms who have left Corporate America due to burnout and exhaustion. The moms I work with have goals to use their gifts to positively impact their community. Together we work on brand strategy, business identity, logo design, website design, and brand photography. I love helping women build confidence in themselves and their brand and show up as an expert online, all while having freedom of time to set their own schedules and spend time with their families.

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?
It has been a bumpy road for me as an entrepreneur. I came from corporate where I was used to consistent income, high paying salary, and having things work out the way I expected for the most part.

Entrepreneurship can be unpredictable. I was actively working in my business about three months before the 2020 Covid pandemic hit. March of 2020 was the beginning of a silent period for me in business. Business started to pick back up one year later. I also encountered a season where the business was unable to keep up with recurring expenses and I had to cancel subscriptions and temporarily pull my website offline. This was discouraging because as a web designer, it’s important for me to have a website. I learned how to utilize free resources from my county library, local workshops, and other experts online. This helped me to keep business going even when the revenue was not there.

There have been a few times where I felt like I needed to quit because the business wasn’t operating the way I expected and desired. The times when I wanted to quit, God would show up and give me a reason to keep going. I know that my gifts and talents can be used to positively serve other entrepreneurs. I continue to work towards this vision.

My business is in a much better place today and I am very grateful. I know there is so much more to learn about operating a successful business and I look forward to the opportunities ahead.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I build brands for working moms who have left corporate America. I help them to execute their vision online so they can thrive in their purpose and have freedom of time. I collaborate with small business owners to build a solid foundation for their business by strategically planning and executing brand identity, logo design, web design, and professional photography.

After working with me, business owners have clarity on their vision, target audience and brand messaging. They also have a strategically designed online presence that attracts the ideal clients they want to serve.

My services include:
– Brand Strategy
– Brand Design (Mood Board, Color Story, Logo Collection)
– Web Design
– Brand Photography

Anyone who is interested in working with me can complete a quick request application to get started. https://www.honeybook.com/widget/melanie_latrelle_grandoit_197997/cf_id/616389efd61b4300350a4be0

We will meet virtually to discuss your business needs and the transformation I can provide. Upon booking, we will have strategy sessions as follows – Goal Strategy, Brand Strategy, and Website Strategy. These sessions allow me to communicate with you in detail so we can get clarity on how to build your brand. You can choose to do brand strategy only or combine brand strategy + web design, or get the full experience with my signature package – brand strategy + web design + brand photography.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I believe that we all have been given gifts and talents that we are meant to use while here on this Earth. I love to see people use their gifts, whether it be as a hobby, volunteering for a charity, on a job, or in their business. There is a happy place we can experience when we can do the things we enjoy doing. Being a part of someone’s journey to help them use their gifts to make a positive impact in society is a blessing.

Contact Info:

• 
• Suggest a Story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.