We had the good fortune of connecting with Emi Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emi, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
To just go for it! Starting a business is so overwhelming and I initially kept getting caught up in the details of it all … am I doing this right? What is the right way to start? Where do I start? What products/services to offer? What if I fail? What if I mess up? After being in business now for almost 14 years I learned that sometimes the only way to figure out how to do it right, is to do it wrong! Sounds crazy, I know. But, I wouldn’t trade all of the mistakes I went through, because 14 years of perseverance later, I’m now able to offer successful consulting to others starting small businesses. Helping others take their business ideas and turn them into successful businesses and save them the time and grief I went through is one of the most fulfilling parts of my business!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business is Emi Lee Design. I specialize in graphic design, marketing, marketing & print consulting, printing and promotional products. What’s unique I think about me and my business is that I started at such a young age. I started doing graphic design at age 13 and learning the printing industry at age 20 and by age 28 I started my business. I’ve been in this industry during the most transformational time and that has allowed me to have the experience and knowledge to be able to serve as a consultant to others in the industry now. It feels so good to be the person that other professionals are coming to to help guide them on their way in their businesses and professions! I not only get to live out my success but watch others success as well and that is so gratifying to be a part of.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m so lucky to live in the neatest little town, Cartersville, Georgia, located about 30 minutes from Atlanta. We have several Smithsonian affiliated museums here. My favorites are Tellus Science Museum and The Booth Western Art Museum. We also have an amazing historic downtown area with lots of little shops and locally owned restaurants. The Ate Track is one of the neatest little locally owned restaurants and atmosphere, decorated with old rock n’ roll music memorabilia. They have amazing cocktails and a life size mermaid over the bar! We also have a brewery called Drowned Valley Brewing Co. that has open air seating and adjoins an ax throwing venue. Beer and throwing axes…what could go wrong? My little town is home to several famous people (Trevor Lawrence, Butch Walker, Eddie Lee Wilkins) and is also the location of lots of tv and film shoots (Ozark, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, Devils Knot, The Red Road, Powerpuff Girls)!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Wow! There are SO many! I never set out to be a graphic designer, it was just an elective class I started taking in 9th grade of high school at 13 years old. I ended up taking the class all 4 years of high school and it being something I became really good at but still never had any thought that it was something I would later come back to as a means to make a living! It wasn’t until after college and getting into the corporate world and years of working for a large company as a Marketing Director that I found my way back to graphic design, as a fluke really, because the company needed someone and I was ready for a change from the “boardroom life”. I started then apprenticing in graphic design further under a gentleman named William Durham. He was an amazing artist that had been doing graphic design before computers! I would say he played the biggest role in the designer I am today because I learned the process from him and an appreciation for the process and the trade from its very beginning when graphic design was specific to printing and presses before web design, social media and the digital world came along.

Website: emileedesign.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emileedesign

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