791
8 min 36 sec

Ad Agency Rep Designs Wedding Stationery

After helping out her sister, this Nebraska advertising agency employee learns that her creative skills are far from stationary.
Arts & Crafts Events Low Startup Potential Product Weddings

Subscribe Now For A Free Five Step Tutorial

What It's About

Wedding stationary design helps an ad rep scratch a creative itch.

Business Model
Arts & Crafts
Skills Required
Design & Creativity
Complexity
Low
Profit Potential
Medium

Words of Wisdom

In a visual-based job, you need a portfolio. Fill it up by finding people around you that you can create for and build a body of work. If you have nothing to show people, nobody will trust your vision.

Fun Fact

Wedding invitations can really set the tone of your wedding. When guests receive your invitation, they get a small glimpse of what the wedding day will be like. Will it be elegant or rustic? Will it be fancy or intimate? Nobody knows, which is why your guests can only base it off their impression of the invitation.

Notes from Chris

Episode 791
Anyone who has ever planned for a wedding knows that it is no easy task. Brooke Sankey, who works at an advertising agency during the day, discovered this first-hand three years ago when she was roped into her sister’s wedding preparation.

It all began when Brooke’s sister found herself approaching her budget with wedding stationery and programs yet to be made. There was also the problem of style—almost all the available designs looked like carbon copies and fresh off a template. Nothing suitable was available.

When Brooke learned about this, she thought that it couldn’t be too hard.

Although she had only taken a few college classes in design, she knew enough to work from video tutorials on YouTube. Sure enough, Brooke was able to put together a draft program that her sister loved. At that moment, Brooke realized how fulfilling creative design was, and she knew that she wanted to help others bring their visions to life as well.

That marked the start of Brooke’s journey into wedding stationery design.

One of the first things she did was to reach out to local businesses and ask if there was any work she could do. She offered to do work for free, knowing that any experience she gained would be valuable. This proved to be a good move, as Brooke was able to showcase all the work she had done for clients on her website. In fact, a few friends reached out to her for help with their own wedding designs and became her clients as well.

Since then, Brooke has never looked back as more people hear about her services through word of mouth. (And she doesn’t do it for free anymore.)

Last year, she had to design the stationery for her own wedding. You’d think that with her experience Brooke would have no problem, but the stakes were never higher, prompting her to start her design from scratch numerous times. … she says she was her pickiest client.

Today, Brooke’s designs include everything from wedding programs, menus, welcome signs, to seating charts and even table numbers. It’s not just weddings either—she also gets clients who want her to design invites for bridal and baby showers, Christmas cards, wall art, and other personalized gifts. With her startup costs consisting only of Adobe software and other creative assets, Brooke made $5,000 in profit in her first year. As she tells us, she knows that if she challenges herself, she’ll continue to grow and nudge that number higher.

Speaking of that, she has made marketing her number one business goal this year and hopes to eventually match the salary of her day job. Having already designed the perfect wedding for herself and so many others, she’s now working on designing her ideal career.

 
  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Brooke Jacobi: Learn more about the work Brooke is doing over on her website!
  SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter


Download Episodes By Months:

Season 6 (2022): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 5 (2021): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 4 (2020): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 3 (2019): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 2 (2018): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 1 (2017): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️


Learn More

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for my past 5 websites. It's cheap, flexible, and you can get support 24 hours a day.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!


Learn More

Quote of the Day
"If you don't have work to fill that portfolio, create it. This is so important—especially in such a visual-based job. People won't trust you with their vision if you don't show them what you're capable of!"
—Brooke Sankey #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳


Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!





To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau