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

Hi Sara, why did you pursue a creative career?
Let’s be real, I’m super bad at math, there was no other option! Just kidding…well about the “no other option” part, the math thing is 100% true! I’ve always loved to draw, rearrange furniture, dress edgy, dye by hair every color under the sun and have a very “graphic” vocabulary. Needless to say, I was born to be an artist!

After graduating high school in North Dakota, I was off to The Art Institute of Colorado, located in Denver, to receive my Graphic Art Degree. I met other creative people from graphic designers to interior/industrial designers to culinary artists. Yo, this place was my jam!

After college, I worked an array of creative jobs, but my crazy entrepreneurial spirit was begging to be released! I grew up watching my parents work regular jobs but, in the evenings, and weekends they tackled their other side hustles! From owning and driving for their limousine service, flipping super-gross houses (before it was cool), and property management, I learned there is no rest for the wicked! That shit was instilled in me!

Fast forward to today. I own three different businesses, all in the creative field. Connect Graphics & Marketing is a company specifically tailored to help the real estate industry. Logos, websites, marketing campaigns, we do it all! Connect Social Pop is an online company I own with my phenomenal business partner, Sophia Myers. This offers daily social media and monthly pop bys for realtors. My most recent venture was becoming an equal partner/owner at a new real estate brokerage, 6035 Real Estate Group, in Colorado Springs. Jumping into this was an easy decision because of the other partners, we have the same vision of creating a unique vibe/work environment and focusing on the strengths, not weaknesses, for our agents.

Did I have the intention of using my schooling for real estate marketing? Umm, no! But being the rolling ball of energy I am, I saw a need and opportunity, and said, “Why the hell not! Let’s try it!”. I love this industry and the people in it. Mostly because they are creative in their own way, the way the talk, carry themselves and take care of their own clients.

What should our readers know about your business?
With all of my businesses focusing around real estate, I usually work with a certain type of person. They are deadline driven, extremally busy, and sometimes scattered. The communication from my clients came from all directions, emails, text messages, phone calls, voicemails and social media messaging. Not to mention these were coming in at all hours of the night and weekends. I struggled for a long time to get my shit together so nobody fell through the cracks. I was so overwhelmed. It didn’t help that I was a classic people-pleaser and agreed to any deadline they requested.

What did I need? Let’s say it together…”Boundaries”, that’s right! As soon as I put boundaries around my work schedule, response times, and my preferred mode of communication, things started to improve. I decided all correspondence needed to be by email. If I get a text, I respond, “I’d love to work on that! Can you shoot me an email so I can get it on my design scheduled, please?”. What a gift! Yes, I still struggle with this on occasion, but for the most part I’ve learned I have to be very careful where I’m spending my energy.

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?
Living in Woodland Park, I have a few favorite spots I would hit up with my homies!

On Saturday, we would go kayaking at Rampart Revisor, enjoying the view and catching some sun. Next, we would go have some unique drinks at Rhapsody and enjoy some killer food at their resident food truck, The Red Diamond Gastro Truck. Ideally, my favorite local singer would be playing, Cari Dell. Then, it’s off to Cripple Creek for an evening of gambling!

On Sundays, we would enjoy the outdoor seating at BierWerks Brewery. Visiting over a cider beer and watching the weekend traffic head down the mountain on Hwy 24.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to recognize the people that always are up for my next crazy idea! My parents, Delmer & Vickie Entzel, that taught me to always have a vision and to work towards it, always. Sophia Myers – my best friend, business partner, visionary and all-around best human ever born! Andrew & Wendy Weber, Heather Baros and Rob Hoben for having the same end goals, core beliefs and raunchy sense of humor! And lastly to my husband and kids, BJ, Jaxon and Cooper, thank you for putting up with my craziness, working long hours, and giving me grace to accomplish the things that bring me joy!

Website: https://www.connectgrafiks.com/ https://connectsocialpop.com/ https://6035re.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectgrafiks https://www.facebook.com/6035elevationcoloradosprings

Image Credits
Brook Huffington with Shedding Shots Photography

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