Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Backo.
Leah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I think I always wanted to do something “good” with my creative talents, something that really mattered. After I received a Bachelors’ of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, a school (fun fact) that’s known for being the place where John F. Kennedy announced the peace core, I moved back to my hometown in Cleveland and worked at various nonprofits until I landed a marketing job at a small animal shelter. While I’ve been fulfilled with that career — I even moved to Dallas this year for it — I wanted to do more in the little spare time I had to make an even bigger impact. So I started Good Heart Creative, a freelance creative services business specifically designed for nonprofits, small businesses and individuals. Good Heart Creative offers design, photography, hand lettering, and marketing services on a smaller scale to people and organizations that just need a creative boost. Pricing and services provided are always upfront and affordable.
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 has definitely NOT always been a smooth road. Because I have a full time 9-5 pm job doing marketing at an animal shelter and Good Heart Creative is only a side hustle right now, it’s been hard to balance it all. I always wish I could pour more time into GHC, take on even more clients, and do more outreach about it, but right now, because I also have a full-time job, it’s been challenging.
Good Heart Creative – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Good Heart Creative offers creative services to nonprofits, small businesses and individuals with “good hearts.” That can look like a lot of different things: designing an event invitation for a nonprofit, branding for a freelance yoga instructor, lettering for a social media influencer, even photographing a wedding. The primary services Good Heart Creative specializes in include graphic design and branding, photography, hand lettering, and marketing and social media strategy.
I’m upfront with all of the services and pricing for those services upfront because working at various nonprofits, I’ve seen first hand how freelancers can slam you with a bill larger than expected later. I’m also willing to work with clients and utilize payment plans or tailoring services so that they fit your budget. I’m really proud of the clientele Good Heart Creative has had so far. It has all truly been organizations or people doing amazing things with their lives and that’s what makes the work I do really rewarding.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m still really early out in this whole thing so I think I’m mostly just proud of not giving up and sticking it through. I moved to Dallas in September to further my full-time career in marketing at Dallas Animal Services, an animal shelter with the third-largest intake in the country. At first, I considered just giving up Good Heart Creative when I moved. But I didn’t. And I’m really proud of myself for even trying to continue this little side hustle in Dallas and really fighting for it to be successful.
Pricing:
- Event Invitation: $400
- 1 Hour Photo Shoot: $250
- Mural: $15 / Square Foot
- 2 Hour Social Media Consultation: $150
- Email Design (3 emails): $300
- Month to Month Social Media Content & Strategy: $1,200 / month
- Branding / Logo Design: $500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.createwithheart.com
- Email: info@createwithheart.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/goodheartcreative
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/goodheartcreative
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/createwithheart
Image Credit:
Good Heart Creative, LLC
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