Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Agramonte.
Amy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I began my company during nap time. Not mine, but my oldest son’s. He was a great sleeper, and I took those hours to begin honing my craft in graphic design. As with many small businesses, I began very small. Birthday party invitations and keepsake cards were my first projects. Then I got my first business client in preschool. Again, not my preschool, but my son’s. From there the business grew to include more and more commercial clientele to today where I have a small but active set of clients I have been with for years. About four years ago I got the opportunity to join the faculty at the University of Miami teaching a class called Marketing for Entrepreneurs. Since then I have grown in the space becoming a full-time faculty and teaching what I love. It is a perfect synergy between the classroom and Blonde Concepts. I actively recruit my clients to lend projects to my students, and my students, in turn, get their go at “real world” business cases. It’s a win, win, win scenario. And it is a lot of fun!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m a single mom with three kids, juggling two careers, gymnastics, football and still trying to get my 10,000 steps in. It’s a wild ride, but it’s everything I dreamed of. The bumps along the way are the growth spurts, and once you realize what that struggle really is, philosophically anyway, it makes the journey a whole lot easier. Smooth? No. Worthwhile and enriching and joyful – YES! They say entrepreneurs are the only people who are willing to work 80 hours not to work 40. I work a lot, but I get to choose the time and place it all gets done – and I get to do my number one job: mom. I think the biggest struggles along the way were me deciding to take the leap and have the confidence to do what I knew I could do. Overcoming mistakes is part of the process. Being humbled is part of the process. Picking up and keeping at it is absolutely essential. And that was an important moment of growth.
Please tell us about Blonde Concepts.
Blonde Concepts is a marketing and graphic design studio. I make things pretty. I focus much of my effort on branding. A consistent brand message is what I consider the most vital asset of your company’s persona. It is what connects you with your clients and keeps them engaged with you. I have had clients that are starting from scratch, so I will work on everything from consulting on naming the company, to designing logo and coming up with the overall brand aesthetic. Other clients may already have a marketing team, but they need the creative infusion so that I will handle the graphic design portion of their larger marketing programs. What sets me apart from others is that I am not a classically trained designer – I learned that on my own. I have an MBA in Marketing, so while what I do is decidedly artistic, it is based on well-honed business skills. And it tends to work out pretty cool.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
After school beach visits with my mom and sister. I grew up on the west coast of Florida. It is slower there. Neighbors wave. I remember days my mom would pick us up from school and we would see the bathing suits on the back seat – we knew what was next! I remember running in the sand. I remember cat napping on a small raft and just drifting in the waves. It was peaceful and safe and nature rich. In the wildest days, these memories are still my solace. In the wildest days, I pack up and make a visit to mom and “refuel” as I call it. It is good.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blondeconcepts.com
- Phone: 3057931660
- Email: amy@blondeconcepts.com
- Instagram: @blondeconcepts
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/blondeconcepts
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
