Hidden Gems: Meet Sarah Harkleroad of Daor Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Harkleroad

Hi Sarah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
We have always been drawn to small business and have developed a passion for helping small businesses succeed through effective logo design, website design, and marketing services. When small businesses thrive, our families, communities, and country are better for it—that is why we do what we do.

When my husband and I started the business in 2011, I was doing freelance graphic design projects and he was fresh out of law school. We knew we’d most likely be moving for his job, but didn’t know where, so it was important to us that our team and clients could be anywhere in the country. Fast forward several years, and we have team members in 6 states and have served over 600 small businesses across the United States.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Anyone who goes into small business thinking it will be easy is in for a rude awakening. I tell people they should not start a small business unless they have a deep, burning desire to do so. So many people wander into entrepreneurship enamored with images of being their own boss or becoming an overnight success only to find themselves deeply in debt, discouraged, and deflated a little while in. If your reasons to start a small business include making a lot of money or creating an easy life for yourself, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

When we started Daor Design, we were prepared to work hard and expected some challenges along the way. However, if we had foreseen issues like the never-ending staffing cycle, some hard-to-please clients, Covid-19 shutdowns, seasons of self-doubt, and many sleepless nights—we might not have had the courage to ever start. I’m so thankful God only lets us see a small stretch in the life of the business at a time. That way we can focus on the challenges at hand in any given season of the business.

As you know, we’re big fans of Daor Design. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 65% of small businesses fail within the first 10 years. If you’re looking to start a small business, the odds are literally stacked against you. But there is hope. After making it past the 10 year mark at Daor Design stronger than ever and working with over 600 small businesses spanning several industries, we’ve identified some telltale signs of sustainable small business success. While several factors play into the success or failure of a small business, we’ve identified a few factors that typically accompany small business success:

An Engaged Business Owner
Nobody sees the details of your business the way you do as the business owner. While it is important to your long-term success to put healthy boundaries on your business, you’ve got to be an engaged business owner to succeed over the long haul. Our clients who are passionate and present have a better pulse on their businesses.

An Aligned Team
As a small business owner, you’re only as good as your team. If you are your team, there’s no shame in being a solopreneur—just know the number of people you can help through your small businesses will be limited to your personal capacity or your ability to leverage technology to multiply yourself.

If you have a small team, you’ve got to clearly communicate your vision and make sure each team member understands their role in helping bring that vision to life. It does you no good if each one of your team members are rowing in a different direction, so alignment is key. The smaller your team, the more you’ll feel the effect of a rogue or underperforming team member. Books like Ken Blanchard’s The One Minute Manager and Peter Drucker’s The Effective Executive are well worth the read if you’re looking to more effectively lead your team.

A Client-Focused Business Model
As a small business owner, are you more interested in solving your clients’ problems in meaningful ways or in creating a nice life for yourself? If you prematurely jump to “easy buttons” like delegation, automation, and sales gimmicks so you can step away from your business, you’re setting yourself, and your clients, up for disappointment. Typically, small business owners who are focused on squeezing every last ounce of value out of their clients for as little investment of their own time as possible do not last. When you treat your clients like a piggy bank you come shake to hit your latest revenue goal, they feel it. Instead, when you truly care about your clients and their long-term success, yours will almost surely follow.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
The name “Daor” is the word road spelled backwards. Our last name is Harkleroad and we wanted our business name to be a nod to our last name.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://daordesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daordesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daordesign/