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Meet Ashley Slater VC of Nibby Ink in Centennial

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Slater VC.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a stay-at-home mom, I have been freelancing in Marketing for years. I started my design career at the New York School of Interior Design where I worked for some incredibly talented designers like Eric Cohler, Mark Epstein and Genevieve Gorder. Design has always been my passion and I love playing with ideas, textures and colors. Gradually, my love of interiors began playing into a Marketing career. Whether it’s furniture and floor plans or typefaces and web layouts, the same principles can be applied. The primary difference between Interior Design and Graphic Design has been learning the technology to support a new discipline. I began working on an iPad pro in spring of 2018, gifted to me by my cousin, and just started playing around with illustration and lettering. I would do the occasional art project for a friend, but I was busy raising my girls and not thinking about running a business.

Over Christmas of that same year, our lives changed dramatically when my husband had a major Ischemic Stroke. Suddenly, I was faced with the very real possibility that I could be the only provider for our family. With the encouragement of my dear friend Jessie, I took a hard look at my skill set and determined a new road that would allow me to be at home to care for my family while also utilizing my design abilities and Marketing experience.

My first client was Susie Robb, who was incredibly gracious with me every step of the way. She was crucial in launching my career and continues to be incredibly supportive of my work.

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?
It definitely has not been easy! Learning new skills and starting a business from home with young kids is challenging, but it has been rewarding too. I was surprised to find that there was a market for my unique skills set. By the end of 2019, I had taught myself Adobe Illustrator, was frequently using Creative Cloud and had already been working quite a bit in Adobe Sketch, SketchUp and Procreate. I had the advantage of working in Marketing and Branding on and off since 2011 and found that web design was a natural next step for me. It made sense to learn the necessary technological skills that would complement my design background, and I committed myself to learning them through courses on SkillShare, YouTube and Udemy.

Nibby Ink – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What makes my business unique is that I combine fine art, creative thinking, analysis and technology to help my clients visually embody the heart of their businesses. I’m deeply empathic and feel that I’m able to draw my clients out and help them find their visual identity and voice. The process begins with business coaching and analysis where we deep dive into understanding their personal brand. That lays the building blocks for building out their website, designing stationary and letterhead and even putting together a five-year plan to achieve their big goals. By the end of this process, my clients and I form deep bonds and they leave with a greater understanding of where they’re going and how they’re going to get there.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moments are always watching my clients succeed and achieve (or exceed!) the next big goal. I know my job has been done well when I see positive response to their web and brand work. To invest in yourself and your own business is an investment of faith. When it’s done carefully and with pride, your audience notices. Have faith in yourself and the process. When you do the work carefully and pay attention to the details, the rest has a way of falling into place.

Pricing:

  • Branding Packages start at $999 and include everything you’ll need to launch (or re-launch) your brand successfully.
  • Web packages start at $2199.
  • Contact me at nibbyink@gmail.com for a quote.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Pictures of Susie Robb, Ben Shabahang and Aspen VanHoorebeck were photographed by Cortney Dani Photography, Pictures of Brittany Groux were photographed by Captured by Kirsten, Pictures of Ashley Slater VC were photographed by J. Santala Photography

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