Female Founder Name: Sonja Meyer
Business Name: Ethical Design Co.
Website: ethicaldesign.co
Tell us about your business. What products or services do you offer?: I am co-founder of two brands: Ethical Design Co. and Ethical Print Co. Our design business works with ethical companies, non-profits and social organisations to provide graphic and web design solutions that amplify their impact. Our printing business offers sustainable printing solutions for our design clients and other customers who run an ethical business.
What inspired you to start your business?: I always had an entrepreneurial, creative spirit as a child and whenever I tried to conform to social norms or conventions I felt like I wasn't myself. I sat up in my bedroom as a child drawing fantasy figures and designing house plans, for no reason other than pure joy and dopamine. As soon as I was old enough to leave home I pursued design and have been a graphic designer ever since. I worked in printing when I was first starting out and was overwhelmed by the waste produced - so I then studied sustainability to try and work out a way to integrate all the things that mattered - and to become a designer who would not produce waste or contribute to consumer-led problems in the world.
How long have you been running your business?: The design business started (in freelance capacity) in around 2009. I spent 3 years dedicating myself to finding freelance clients so that I could work remotely. I then ran that business for 10 years before meeting my now co-founder. With the help of another strong female, I was able to turn it into a small design agency and scale up the types and size of projects we worked on. Ethical Design Co. has now been running for 8 years and our printing brand has been around 2 years.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a woman in business, and how did you overcome it?: Being confident enough to push for things and sell. I always had the mantra 'my work will speak for itself' and have had a lot of success with referral work. But at some point, I realised I was being naive and needed to shed my ego and learn how to run a business, not just work in it as a creative. As a female, we aren't taught to market ourselves confidently, we tend to use humility too much and that doesn't work in the cutthroat world of business. Now that I have a team, I have motivation outside myself to make sure we succeed - and that's helped a lot in taking bigger risks.
What has been your proudest moment as a business owner?: Probably when I was in Spain at around the age of 25. I sent my very first invoice for design work from overseas. I travelled Europe for 3 years on that same trip, funded by my work. I realised then that I was truly free and would protect it at all costs.
What strategies have helped you grow your business?: Time spent on existing client relationships - don't ignore the clients you already have. We go to their events and celebrate their wins all over our social media. While new leads are very important, looking after the people who already spend money with you is key. Another strategy was to finally pay myself what I was owed. I've been a graphic designer for almost 20 years and I want to be paid like someone with that level of experience. Once I started doing that - it forced me to see issues with our profit margin and cash flow and focus on fixing those.
What tools or resources have been game-changers for your business?: Resilience! Number 1 - don't give up when it gets hard. Remember your purpose and celebrate your wins.
Can you share one key lesson you’ve learned about managing finances as a business owner?: Working out our profit margin and paying attention to it. I built us a rough dashboard in Power BI just to know what we're working with and look at our trends from quarter to quarter.
How do you balance the demands of your business with your personal life?: I built a lifestyle business that allows me to work remotely and travel, so I can follow my pursuit of understanding how the world works while I run my business at the same time. I travel because I'm an existentialist, so not being able to do it causes me depressive episodes. As a creative, I need to understand human nature as much as I can and seeing other lives being lived is the best way to do this. I also ALWAYS take off at least 4 weeks per year and we tell our clients that anything they need me for can wait. Our business is set up well enough that me leaving doesn't cause it to implode. Last year I went to Tibet for 2 weeks on one of these breaks. I also never work on weekends and have strong boundaries around work hours that my partner helps me to enforce. When designing or coding, it's easy to get hyperfocused - so if it's 6pm and I'm still at my desk she comes in and gently helps me shift my focus to home life.
What leadership qualities do you believe are essential for running a successful business?: Never take advantage of your staff. Pay them on time, pay them fairly, support their growth, pay for occasional learning days where they can have a break from work and upskill, and support their dreams and wishes outside their job with you. Respect needs to go both ways, and if it's not there - it's not the right fit.
How do you motivate and manage your team?: I meet with our team every morning to go over the day's work. We chat, chill, don't feel rushed, and talk about things outside work. Then when we start work we're serious and focused. I make myself available for questions but also encourage them to make decisions without me - I believe it's super important not to be the bottleneck in your business. Sometimes people don't realise they don't need to go via you to finalise something, you just need to give them a little nudge to be confident enough to do it on their own. If they make a mistake, that's fine! - we all make mistakes when we're learning. If you feel the urge to take over because you worry about them stuffing it up, don't. Guide them instead, until it's right. It doesn't always have to be exactly the way you'd do it - clients care about the outcome, not the process.
What role does mentorship or networking play in your business journey?: We've only had one mentor in the 8 years of our current design agency. I regret not doing it more - but usually it's a cost we can't afford even if I know it will be a good ROI. I spent a lot of time reading business books by key figures and listening to podcasts. We network mostly at events of our clients, and are planning to do some more of it elsewhere soon for our print brand.
What trends do you think will shape your industry in the coming years?: The obvious one is AI. Our design business has new challenges every single day with the speed at which things are changing. We're doing our best to keep up but I do think soon graphic design services will be completely re-shaped by AI. It's not all bad though, I'm finding a lot of value! For example, we can finally move from hourly rate pricing to value-based pricing and things will take less time. Printing seems to be making a come-back, with more demand for sustainable options. I plan to sit right at the top of that market in Australia and use AI and automation tools to help us stay ahead of the curve and offer more value to our customers.
How do you stay ahead of the competition in your industry?: We do a lot of SEO work on our websites to ensure we're relevant and have some decent authority in Google. Other than that, I don't see other designers as competition too much, especially in our niche of ethical design/nonprofit design. I think there's plenty of design work to go around and the world will never stop needing creatives to help them solve design problems. I worry more about emerging designers who are struggling to find a job and feel a duty, as a stalwart, to keep the industry thriving.
Who or what inspires you in your business journey?: The world! The amazing people I meet in coworking spaces in all corners of the earth. Their unique journeys, their desire to go against the grain and ignore customs or convention. The business and finance leaders who reached their ceiling but then showed what it took to push above and beyond. My late father - who always celebrated my ideas. He's with me in every big decision, always.
What books, podcasts, or resources have had the biggest impact on your professional growth?: Oof - where to start.
The Art of Non-Conformity - Chris Guillebeau (and his other books)
Some of the big podcasts like Diary of a CEO (Steven Bartlett) and Big Deal with Codie Sanchez.
When I was younger I read a bunch of books on Sustainable Design that inspired me immensely - primarily:
Do Good Design – David Berman
Design for the Real World – Victor Papanek
SustainAble – Aaris Sherin
Affluenza – Clive Hamilton
What’s a fun fact about you that most people wouldn’t know?: I play Magic the Gathering (card game) and have done since I was 13.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about your business?: That we are SO capable of pretty much any problem thrown at us. Sometimes it feels like we have to sell our services so hard, convince people of what we can do, or go up against other designers who don't have our level of skill. We know we can do it - I wish it didn't require the hustle to show people that!
Reflecting on your time in business, what is one piece of advice you would give to another woman to help her on her business journey?: Resilience! Number 1 - don't give up when it gets hard. Remember your purpose and celebrate your wins. Your business is there to serve you, not the other way around. Push until it can do that, and don't become emotional over failures. The most successful people fail over and over again - and businesses only fail because you give up on them. You can do it, just surround yourself with people who don't make you small and who help you realise what you're truly capable of.
How can people connect with you or learn more about your business? (e.g., website, social media, etc.): www.linkedin.com/in/sonja-meyer-10701126
ethicaldesign.co
ethicalprint.co
www.facebook.com/EthicalDesignCo.Official
www.instagram.com/ethical_design_co
Anything you want to add that we might have missed?: Thanks for the opportunity!
