Meet Lauren Hanley | Owner, Orange Moss Creative

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

Hi Lauren, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I originally started my own business for two reasons. The first reason was freedom to work hours that may be unconventional in a more corporate environment (this was due to having a young family and wanting to have more control over my time with them). The second reason was after 10+ years in my industry I had figured out what works well and what doesn’t as a creative process for my branding and website design projects. Owning my own business gave me the authority to implement those processes and also to choose the clients who I thought would respect those processes.

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?
The decision to start my own business was pretty fluid, and certain circumstances combined with knowing at a young age I wanted to own my own business, all lead to a pretty smooth transition into a business owner. I don’t want to say it was easy, but I think years of in the back of my mind thinking about and reading about how to be a business owner really made the transition smooth.

I started out specializing in branding and marketing design, which is a real passion for me. Most of my clients are small businesses either just starting out, or getting to a point where they have seen some significant growth and are looking to rebrand. While I love the design work, one of the most rewarding parts of my job is during the discovery sessions with my new clients. I get to listen to their stories about how their business came to be, what their mission and vision for their company is, and start to strategize how to visually communicate that. The passion and excitement I see and hear from my clients is really heartwarming and inspiring – and reminds me every day that small business owners are all part of a club of dreamers and ambitious, passionate people.

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?
I just moved to San Antonio a year and a half ago (prior to living in Milwaukee for 2 years, and Atlanta for 11 years) so I’m still getting to know the area. I like to take friends and family from out of town down to the Riverwalk for a beautiful place to walk and grab some good food. I also really enjoy the Pearl district, where there is a weekend farmers market, great restaurants, and some really great small shops to purchase from local San Antonio artists and makers. San Antonio has a great food scene too, and I love trying out new restaurants or food trucks all over the area. San Antonio is one of the larger cities in Texas, but it really has a small town feel.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A couple of shout outs – one to my husband for always supporting me in my entrepreneurial endeavors. Another to my design school friend Alison Knowlton, owner of Lilacs on York Creative Studio. We became great friends in grad school. Each of us went our separate ways after college, but have stayed in touch and recently our paths converged again, when she decided to start her own business. We are always there for each other to chat about business decisions and design decisions.

Website: https://orangemosscreative.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orangemosscreative/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orange-moss-creative-llc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/orangemosscr

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