Conversations with the Inspiring Laurie Petrone

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie Petrone.

Laurie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My journey to working professionally in marketing and design began all the way back in high school, believe it or not. I was inspired by my journalism teacher to pursue the layout and design of our high school yearbook – and that’s where it all started. While studying journalism in college at Indiana University, I interned at a local alternative newsweekly doing advertising design and newspaper layout and loved everything about that experience. Beyond that, I worked my way professionally through many realms of design and marketing including book publishing, agency work, publication design for a private college and layout of proposals and training materials for NASA contracts.

During all of these positions, I also worked regularly with freelance clients on the side. As time went on, I found and married the love of my life, moved from Indiana to Florida where we started our family. Raising children has been a big part of my identity, along with my professional career and finding the balance between both is ultimately what led me to Meraki Marketing & Design. When my children came along, my priorities began to shift. While marketing and design are a big part of my identity, so is being present for my family. When my firstborn son came along I made the decision to work full-time from home for the first year of his life. That was definitely the toughest decision of my life and finding the balance of both roles was even more challenging. As time went on, raising young children meant my career took the back seat. But, my creative side has always been a strong presence yearning for more, so even during those years, I continued professional pursuits working with freelance clients and on contract projects and campaigns.

After living in Florida for almost ten years, my husband was recruited for a new position in Colorado and we jumped at the chance to move to the mountains. After settling into our new environs, I began freelancing again, and as the years have gone on and the kids are growing up, I have focused much more energy into my home business. Meraki Marketing & Design has been a real dream come true. I am able to be present for my family and the kids when they get off the bus from school every day, all while fostering the creative side of my being that needs a continual outlet to thrive and be happy.

Great, 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?
All that to say the road to Meraki Marketing & Design has been a long and winding one, and not without its challenges. In this era of raising a family, it is a constant struggle as a woman to live up to society’s standards. Early on I struggled immensely with the decision to quit a full-time job to be home for my children. I always felt like the grass was greener on the other side. Working outside the home meant making more money for my family’s financial betterment. But, at what cost? Having someone else raise my kids? Ultimately, I’ve found peace with my decisions along the way and I know I will never regret being home with my kids. I also know the creative side of my being needs nearly equal attention for my ultimate happiness. And that is my biggest advice to other young women out there. Don’t be so hard on yourself when your kids are young. Society puts a ton of pressure on women to be both professional and maternal. If often feels like we should bring home the bacon and fry it up too! My advice is to find the balance between home and work that is best suited for you and your family. For some, there is no way of being at home is even an option. The financial burden is the end all be all. Many other women are fulfilled by full-time professional careers for their ultimate happiness. That’s what makes them the best mothers and wives they can be. Others like nothing more than being a stay-at-home Mom. It takes all kinds. I am thankful for the path I’ve led and look back with zero regrets. It took me way longer than it should land in a place of peace. My hope is other women in similar positions find their balance with much more ease.

What should we know about Meraki Marketing & Design? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The name of my business says it all. If you aren’t familiar, Meraki is a word that modern Greeks often use to describe what happens when you leave a piece of yourself (your soul, creativity, or love) in your work. When you love doing something, anything, so much that you put something of yourself into it. And THAT is what I do every single day, for every single one of my clients. My specialty is helping small businesses find their voice and visually communicate their goals. I love to dig in, dig deep and get to the meaty guts of understanding a business and its owners. Then translate those findings to all things marketing and design. And, in the 25+ years of working in a crazy evolving landscape, I’ve done it all. Logos, brand identity, print collateral, signs, banners, websites, social media, advertising, promotional products, presentations, proposals, training materials, sales collateral – you name it. And, I’ve had the great privilege of meeting oh-so-many interesting people and businesses along the way! Storytelling for a business is a great privilege, one I take very seriously. Tapping in and understanding the way I do takes a unique perspective, and awareness, and that is what sets my process apart. I’m incredibly grateful for the work I get to do and I couldn’t love it more.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
Being taken seriously professionally and financially is often a huge barrier in this industry, especially as a woman. Conveying to clients the value of the work I do to leverage their business goals is greatly misunderstood. How can you put a price tag on a logo? You may not see the results of the work I do from first publish, but the value added to a brand by way of professional marketing and design is ultimately priceless in the long run. The work I do is more than just billable hours. I can invoice for the hours completed on a job, but the value received by my clients beyond that time heeds tremendous results in building a reputable, credible business. Whenever I send out an invoice to my clients for work completed I usually take a deep breath and remind myself that I am worth every single penny – and more. Clients often tell me their budget is on a shoestring. And believe me, I do understand it takes a ton of resources to start and run a business. But, the real lesson comes in educating clients that I have the knowledge, understanding and more than 25+ years experience in visually communicating businesses to their greatest success. More than my expertise in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, I have incredible intuition, a strong sensibility and keen awareness around building a brand. Any Joe-schmoe amateur can create a logo in Microsoft Word and make some posts on Facebook about their business, but more often than not, you can tell that’s just what it is. My greatest strengths come from being a woman – mother – entrepreneur. I have a strong understanding of how to build and maintain relationships, an incredibly strong work ethic, the value of timeliness and adhering to deadlines, not to mention keen eye for design and a fluid marketing brain that rarely shuts off. Many of those things can’t be taught. They come by way of years of hard work, staying on top of trends, honing my craft and truly an innate sensibility that can’t be found in any classroom.

Contact Info:

• Website: merakimarketing.org
• Phone: 321-223-6071
• Email: lpetroneus@yahoo.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/madammeraki
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/merakimarketinganddesign

Image Credit:
Laurie Petrone

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