Building a Creative Business from Scratch with Jen White, Founder of Drawing from Memory

Join me as I sit down with the remarkable Jen White, founder of Drawing from Memory, a thriving creative agency she's been running for over 20 years. In this captivating conversation, Jen takes us through her unconventional journey from a rural Vermont childhood to becoming a successful entrepreneur who built her business from the ground up.

Jen shares her early experiences growing up in a traditional New England family where money was never discussed, her bold decision to attend boarding school at 14, and how she pieced together her first business while bartending in Vermont after graduating from RISD. We explore her strategic move to Colorado with just one cornerstone client, her savvy real estate investments that started with only $1,500, and the creative partnership with her husband that has shaped both their personal and financial decisions.

Throughout our discussion, Jen opens up about the realities of entrepreneurship, from learning to price her services to navigating the challenges of raising two kids while running a business. She shares valuable insights on teaching financial literacy to her children, experimenting with alternative wealth-building strategies, and her surprising contemplation of leaving her successful 24-year business to work for a corporation.

This episode is packed with practical wisdom for creative entrepreneurs, insights on building wealth through strategic investments, and honest reflections on the intersection of creativity, business, and family life.

Key Topics:

1. How to price your creative services when you have no experience or market reference points
2. Building a business through word-of-mouth marketing while working other jobs to support yourself
3. Making strategic real estate investments with minimal capital and turning small investments into long-term wealth
4. Navigating finances as a couple when one partner is an entrepreneur with irregular income
5. Teaching kids about money through transparency and real-world budgeting exercises
6. Alternative wealth-building strategies beyond traditional employment, including buying and scaling small businesses
7. When and why a successful entrepreneur might consider leaving their business for corporate employment

Connect with Jen online:

Website: https://drawingfrommemory.com/

 

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