Today on the show we got to connect with local entrepreneur and Maryland native Cathy Sell. Cathy is a dental hygienist turned graphic designer who has always had a love for art. This innovator doubled down on this passion in 2017 when she launched her business Pink Sheep Designs when she was in her mid-30s. Join us for an engaging and educational conversation today as Cathy shares how she grew Pink Sheep Designs from the ground up, transitioned from free to paying customers, built and sharpened her skill set, and learned excellent time management skills from Ironman training.

Links from today’s show:Pink Sheep Designs: https://pinksheepdesigns.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PinkSheep-Designs-112411353662684

Music Attribution: Jane Fonda by The Grand Affair is licensed through the YouTube Audio Library.

Episode Breakdown:

0:00 Start1:59 How this dental hygienist turned back to her love of art in her mid-30s6:13 How she cut her teeth designing medals, posters, shirts, and swag for free12:10 Balancing the vision of the customer with intentional design14:02 Key tools and processes during the early stages of Pink Sheep Designs16:27 Building and sharpening her graphic and web design skills19:15 How to build up your support network22:28 Being able to share this experience with her girls24:34 How she always wanted to work for herself but got cold feet about the process27:36 Setting costs for design services29:16 Transitioning and modifying processes to move from free to paying customers33:52 How a year training for an Ironman was key for her time management skills39:52 How COVID has impacted business and the need for more ecommerce41:56 Final questions and thoughts50:31 End

Other links from today’s podcast:

Southeast Minnesota SCORE- https://seminnesota.score.org/Skillshare- https://www.skillshare.com/Design Cuts- https://www.designcuts.com/Rochester Rising survey- https://airtable.com/shr9xqxwNtPIvVXbM