Meet Arizona Hummingbird | Creative Entrepreneur
We had the good fortune of connecting with Arizona Hummingbird and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Arizona, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to be creative. From drawing wedding dresses in my sketchbook to studying fashion marketing in undergrad, to now getting to dabble in graphic design, my desire to express the colors, lines, shapes and themes that run through my head has always been a passion of mine for my future career. I got laid off from my job in 2024, and I had the choice to finally step out and do what I was most passionate about, thus starting my own marketing and design agency.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I own a Marketing and Design agency called Hummingbird Creatives. My business is just around a year old! I mainly work in social media management where I help promote products/services as well as build a loyal community via the internet for local businesses. What sets me apart from other businesses is my level of self discipline, tenacity and resourcefulness. I am a former college athlete, specifically cross country and track and I am a firm believer that being in sports builds and carries many amazing characteristics into other areas of your life, specifically into the career world. For athletes, their sports are their main focus and drive, but once you’re done doing that full time, our careers are our next focus. It has always been ingrained in me when it came to sports to push through, get gritty, and do the things you don’t want to and while that doesn’t sound fun, and not necessarily the most encouraging, this built-in characteristic is really what launched my business from inconsistent freelance work to fully supporting myself financially with my business. I had to learn to put aside my shyness and fear of failure to truly step out in faith.
I am most proud of the fact that my business has grown entirely through word of mouth. After I gained my first client by essentially cold calling, the rest of my clients came from word of mouth and that really motivated me to continue to build strong relationships with my clients.
A couple lessons I have learned along the way – don’t take anything personal. Business is business and sometimes you don’t need to think twice on things. You have to focus on what you do best and do that as much as possible! Secondly, staying in communication with your clients as much as possible is how you dream with them. You won’t be able to know more about their passion if you’re not in the mix of it with them! Thirdly, don’t forget to prioritize your passions. Whether that’s actual work you love to do that you want to do more of, or outside things like fun hobbies, don’t push those to the side or you’ll begin to lose excitement in your day to day.
What I want the world to know about my story is that you owe it to yourself to go after what you really care about. Don’t let the responsibilities of life stifle your dreams. The minute you lose curiosity in your life, is the moment you become stagnant. Start the business, sign up for the ultra, go back to school, whatever it may be, life is short. Make it your mission to enjoy it as much as possible!
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Tulsa OK – I would start them out with a morning run along riverside trails. The trial system here is beautiful and you get to see parts of the Gathering Place which is such a fun park. I would then take them to DoubleShot Coffee for some coffee and a yummy pastry. During the day I would take them to the Philbrook Museum, which is a diverse museum, as well as a mansion with the most beautiful garden. Maybe some lunch at Trenchers Deli. Later that afternoon I would take them to the Gathering Place where we would walk around the park and look at all the amazing gardens and sculptures. For the evening, we could find live music somewhere and go to dinner at Cafe Ole in an area called Brookside that has local shops and restaurants. For the remainder of the week, I would take them to all my favorite spots like other coffee shops, more trails and parks and a couple of my favorite dinner spots.
Denver Co – If I lived here and wanted to show a friend around, I would definitely take them by Honey Hill Cafe for coffee & pastries, go to the botanical gardens then maybe an afternoon hike in the area! For dinner, I would go to Illegal Petes or a recommendation by a local!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to shoutout Caroline Langdon with Impact Media House. She is who got me started in my career and really shows what it takes to be excellent at what we do. She is also a wonderful leader. I aspire to have her level of dedication, grace and tenacity. Caroline, you are the best and I hope you know just how much I appreciate our friend and work relationship!!
Instagram: hummingbirdcreatives
Other: email: hbirdcreatives@gmail.com
Image Credits
Tyler Loupe.
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
