1. Who are you and where do you come from?!
My name is Liz Mosley and I am from Cardiff. I grew up there - moved away for 12 years and then came back. It was very strange at first coming back but now I am loving it. It is such a lovely place to live with kids I think. City life but with lots of gorgeous scenic places to visit near by (when there isn't a pandemic!)
2. What do you do and why?
I am a graphic designer and GIF maker. I always wanted to do a creative job since I was really young and when I went and did a foundation course in Art - I discovered graphic design and fell in love - and have been doing it ever since. I worked for other people for a long time but would always be doing my own thing on the side and then after having kids it made sense to jump into the world of being self employed. I love that I can fit my work around looking after my kids. It isn't easy but very rewarding and feels like a good balance for me at the moment. I mainly work with small businesses on their branding or any design needs they have and then also in the last 6 months have been making branded animated GIFS for clients too which I love. I also have a short course teaching people how to make their own too which is really fun!
3. What are the biggest challenges you've faced in your career?
I honestly think one of the biggest challenges for me has been patience while I have been having kids. When you do something you really love it can be quite hard to take a break from it and see everyone else around you gaining momentum and moving forward. But actually I think those breaks and time away was also the perfect time for creative to flourish and for my interests and business to evolve in different ways. While it was hard not feeling like I had enough time to work it was also a very special time taking a break and doing some creative projects that were just for me. I think another struggle being self employed and I am sure many small business owners will identify with this - is having to wear so many hats. I do the design work but I also do all the admin, all the marketing, all the social media etc. It can feel A LOT.
4. What have been your biggest HURRAH moments so far?
I think recently two big HURRAH moments for me were launching my first ever course and the second was launching my podcast. They were both things that I had spent a lot of time thinking about, before I did them - and they almost felt out of reach and unachievable. but I learnt so much and did the work and, actually seeing them out in the world being enjoyed by people feels so good!
5. If you could give 3 pieces of advice to yourself when you started out, what would it be?
That business is a journey and things are always changing. You never know what opportunity is around the corner, and how circumstances will change and grow your business. It is good to be flexible and open to new feelings.
There isn't one way of doing business. It feels a bit like anyone who has had success with their business then tries to package that into a course to show you how to do it - and while that will be great for some people there definitely isn't a one size fits all for business - so it's ok to find your own ways and find things that work for you in a way that feels good.
Trust your gut. For me that often comes down to deciding who to work with and which clients to take on. I have got much better at attracting the right sort of client for me, but also better and working out whether I will enjoy working with a client or not. I am much better at saying no now than I was at the start. (i mean it will definitely be a lifelong lesson though!)
6. What are your long-term hopes and aims?
I would love to grow my business. I am in the midst of improving my processes and automatic aspects of my business to try and make it run as efficiently as possible. I would love to get to the point where it can support my family and give us flexibility to work and look after the kids (it is already doing that but I want more flexibility haha). I would also love to get to the point where I can outsource more jobs that I am not as good at and in doing so support other small businesses.
7. Which 3 books would you recommend for: a long hour train journey (with no kids!) / a mood-lifter / a fact-finding mission (ie, non-fiction)?
An hour long train journey with no kids I would recommend Do open by David Hieatt all about email marketing.
A mood lifter and for some serious escapism I would recommend one of the Bridgerton books (I think Book 2 is my favourite).
A fact- finding mission I would recommend Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller. This book REALLY got me thinking about my business and how I share my message.
8. What are the most common misconceptions you've found from having your own business?
I mentioned this above but I think that there is only one way to do things. We are all so different - there just can't be a one size fits all. I love watching people be creative and building business that work well and feel good for them!
9. You’re granted 1 wish (for you / your career) – what would it be?
Possibly a bit of an unusual one but I think it would be that I can always work part time so that I can be around a lot for my kids. I love the balance of doing work I love but also spending lots of time with them.
10. What’s your favourite biscuit?
Ooh this is such a hard decision - but there is a chocolate finger that is like triple layered with chocolate and includes milk and white chocolate and they are amazing. Haha does chocolate finger even count as a biscuit - I am not even sure.
