Meet Alison K Mason | Entrepreneur, Strategist & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alison K Mason and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alison K, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve wanted to be an entrepreneur since I learned what it was in middle/high school when my dad started his own tax preparation business. Since I was always an independent kid, I loved the idea of setting my own boundaries and not answering to anyone at work. I started as a teacher through Teach For America after undergrad and that started a 18 year long career in or around education but I never lost the itch to work for myself… I even named and created the branding for my company a full 10 years before I started working it full time.

When I got laid off in the spring of 2020 shortly after the pandemic began, I had also just gotten married and that provided me with something that was always on my mind when I dreamed about being a full time entrepreneur…. INSURANCE. So after I spent about a day searching for jobs — finding only things I COULD do but definitely didn’t WANT to do — I decided to dust off my long held dream of working for myself and give it a try. I’d been doing design work for friends, colleagues and others via referral for many years so I knew that if I really threw myself into it, I could turn that side hustle into a livelihood. I started simply with what I was good at… graphic design, publication design and branding. I quickly added communication strategy (writing/storytelling) and web design when I saw how neatly they fit together.

I love getting to serve other entrepreneurs and organizations with having clean and beautiful documents, sites, and branding because I know how important that is to sharing their impact and ensuring that they get to do what they do best.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a business owner and as a designer, what really sets me apart is my ability to build, foster and maintain connections. From coming into entrepreneurship with a pretty big network that has led to consistent referrals to being able to connect with new potential clients very quickly to building and retaining a strong team, this skill has served me really well and makes the hard work of building a business from the ground up a bit easier and a lot more fun. In my work, I also understand that clients want more than just designers to execute on a design brief. More often, they’re looking for experts to make a connection between design/storytelling strategy and their initial ideas to take them from good to great. I’m really proud of the fact that at every level, I’m exceptional at being able to understand the root of something and translate that into solutions that just work… and I do it with humor and humanity so clients become friends and I get to work with them in true partnership.

I am where I am in my career because of my willingness to tune into and follow my inner voice—which, I believe, is deeply interconnected with Spirit. Prior to starting my business, I took some moves that might not have looked like they were the most strategic ways to climb the ranks or make more money. As I look back, though, I can clearly see how each step has gotten me where I am today. I have a really big and supportive framily so it has never felt hard to go against the grain of “typical” paths to success because the people around me empowered my decisions with the best kind of strategic yet supportive energy. The safety and love I received from them allowed me to follow my intuition and chase alignment and purpose—not money.

There are seven big lessons that I’ve learned over my life and career that I follow pretty religiously. For me, working on living/doing/being these things ensures that I stay in touch with myself, my Spirit guides, my community and my path through life. Even when circumstances feel hard, some combination of these orientations continue to keep me grounded and energetically aligned to my highest good.

+ Learn yourself + Give yourself what you need + Take care of your people + Listen to your inner voice + Know how to tell a good story + Be scared and do it anyway + Pay attention to the lessons life is teaching you.

Both my personal and business brands sit at the intersection of strategy and style. I’m proud to live my life in a way that will hopefully inspire others to know and be their truest selves.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’re definitely eating at some if not all of these places: Pollo Primo, Revolution Donuts, Big Softie, Southern National, Little Bear, North China Eatery, Tai Chi Bubble Tea, Muchaco, Deer & Dove, Ela, Nuevo Laredo, anywhere in the Chattahoochee Food Works, DelBar, and Firewall Food Stop. (I’d also look up some new places I hadn’t been so we can try them together!)

Depending on what’s playing, we might go see a play at Horizon Theatre or at the Alliance.

We definitely need to get a drink some where at Lee+White and walk a bit on the Beltline.

We’re gonna do a bootcamp on Saturday morning at I Am/I Can Strength and Conditioning.

Then, we’re gonna do some shopping and bopping at some combination of: Southern Thrift Market, the Goodwill on Northside, City Thrift, Westside Provisions and Ponce City Market.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I dedicate my success to my parents – who are both watching over me now as ancestors. My dad was the first entrepreneur that I knew and he taught me the concept in word and in deed. He is where I get my instinct to work really freaking hard and to ALWAYS move with excellence. Through the way she lived her life, my mom gave me permission to fully embrace my creativity and to bravely write my own rules. She moved through the world with color and flare that I aspire to everyday. They made me who I am and I’m so grateful.

Website: https://www.lilacsonyork.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/alisonkmason

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonkmason/

Other: https://www.alisonkmason.com

Image Credits
Headshot: Jasmine Smith Photography