Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Lara.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I studied Fashion Marketing & Merchandising and dove right into that career path after graduating from college. I really never imagined living anywhere else but New York, but when I met and married my husband (who was in the military at the time) I had to relocate out of state, first to North Carolina and then to Jacksonville, FL. When my husband’s military career was finished, we settled back in Brooklyn – this time with our then one-year-old son.
Life in New York with a toddler wasn’t the same. My husband is originally from South Florida and after a lot of contemplating we decided to move this way. At first, it was really difficult – I had to reinvent myself career-wise and in 2009 the economy wasn’t the greatest. As fate would have it I accepted a position at The Palm Beach Post – not knowing then that this would lay the groundwork for most of the work I do today in my own business.
I worked at The Palm Beach Post for a bit over 4 years as a web producer and a writer for the features department. It was an amazing way to dive into the local community and learn about the restaurant and creative scene that was starting to emerge.
I was offered a position with a digital magazine and it was focused more on the digital marketing side of things. Creatively, it wasn’t really me, but again I was able to lay a lot of the groundwork for what I do now without realizing it.
At this point, I started a lifestyle blog just to get the creativity back in my life and through myself fully into it and had some success. Before I knew it, people I know were asking me who designed my logo and site and slowly that became a very unplanned side hustle. I was never the type of person to daydream about being my own boss – I very much enjoyed the security of a steady paycheck.
After the birth of our second child, the work/life balance situation was really difficult. I was running on empty and really unhappy – I felt like I was failing at everything trying to do all the things.
I took a leap of faith and some major cheering on from my husband and left my full-time job. I had no real plan in place, I took on a few freelance positions and very slowly started to build what is now Luxe Lara Design. Nearly five years later I’m still building on it and it feels pretty amazing! It’s the hardest work to do, but it rewarding to truly own my time and have the flexibility to spend more time with my husband and kids.
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t been always smooth. Each year, I look back and there are always bumps in the road. I learned that with each bump or disappointment there is a lesson in it – that’s how you grow.
Some of the biggest struggles were figuring out what I wanted to focus on. When I laser focused and created a niche for myself, I found that I was happier doing the work and because of that, the work became better.
I think when you start out you want to work with EVERYONE, and it’s very hard to market yourself to every single person/industry. For me, it didn’t feel authentic, but due to fear, I led my business in that direction for too long.
My advice to anyone starting out is don’t listen to the fear, do what feels right for you. There will be the times that you take on the work just to pay the bills that’s OK, but don’t make that your blueprint for your business.
Create your niche, speak to and nurture that audience and it will grow.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Luxe Lara Design – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Luxe Lara is a design and content creation studio for creative entrepreneurs. We really focus on the story of the brands we work with. Figuring out what their story is and how that should reflect visually is at the forefront of what we do. We only take a handful of clients per month and because of this, we are really able to nurture each project.
We’re known for our minimalistic design aesthetic. A lot of our work is inspired by nature, art, and architecture.
What makes us unique is we create all the elements you need to successfully launch or re-launch your business. Aside from the logo and website design we also handle branded photography, videography and creation of the written content. We invest in the full experience with our clients and because of this, it allows us to not only launch something but lay the foundation for our clients to grow.
Last year we started a workshop called Co/Create (CoCreateEvents.com) and it’s been amazing to connect with so many creatives in our area. We teach the attendees how to curate their content for social media, along with hands-on styling and photography tips. They walk away with a real plan to succeed online, how to tell their story and they make lasting connections with some amazing like-minded individuals.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the emerging creative community that is sprouting everywhere. When I first moved here in 2009 that was the biggest thing for me that was lacking and now the scene in Downtown West Palm is amazing. There are murals and more creative spaces and I feel like the city is transforming before our eyes for the better.
The least favorite thing about our city is the driving – I don’t like driving and if there was reliable public transportation I’d be all about it!
Contact Info:
- Address: By appointment only:
The Social House
512 LUCERNE AVENUE
LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA 33460 - Website: LuxeLara.com
- Email: info@luxelara.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luxelara/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luxelara
Image Credit:
Francesca Coviello
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