Meet Billy Whittaker | Entrepreneur/Creative Director

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

Hi Billy, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am from a small town in central North Carolina. My town was so small that it had only three stoplights while I was growing up. The thing about starting from humble roots is that, 1. You appreciate everything and 2. You understand what it is to be the small guy and 3. You have a killer work ethic. I dreamed big even as a child, so my small town started to feel like a hurdle to me early. I wanted to get out as soon as possible and start making my goals happen. I think ultimately many of us spend a season thinking this way only to realize when we are grown, that the small towns, the small businesses, and the people who appreciate simple things, had it sorted all along. Now don’t get me wrong I still have big dreams and aspirations, however, unlike before, they center entirely around faith, family, and the Lord. To live a life loving others and loving the Lord is the best and most fulfilling use of one’s time. That is what my small town taught me about being a person and about running a business,

What should our readers know about your business?
My story starts very early in my life, as I knew I wanted to own my own business from my elementary years. Though neither of my parents were entrepreneurs, both of them held every characteristic of a self-starter and they were intentional to instill in me a belief that I could be achieve anything I wanted to with hard work and the Lord’s blessing.

It was actually first working on my own brand that I realized these particular interests would bring together all the passions I had in me as a child – creativity, entrepreneurship, and serving others. I’ve always had a little “business bug” and tried several, somewhat comical, business ideas through my middle school years, but the business I finally launched at 14 was the one I knew I would pursue in some variation for the rest of my life. It was for that business, BRIM DESIGN, that I started doing small jobs for the people I knew and got my foot in the door with several pro-bono projects. But as time went on, the Lord, my family, our amazing clients, and a fantastic team, have grown my little business into what it is today.

I maintained BRIM DESIGN as a side-gig up to and through college and even when I began working corporately after receiving my BFA, I freelanced on the side while my corporate workplace used my photography skills as their own incentive services. I have always been blessed with opportunities for unconventional growth, this was just one of many.

After two years of corporate work, I knew the time had come to step away from the security of a 9 to 5 and trust that God would take care of the details and bless the hustle I had put into making this dream a reality. It had always been my desire to sustain my lifestyle on a business I had built, and now the time had come. Since the day I left my 9 to 5 I have worked at and grown BRIM DESIGN full-time alongside my amazing team. It has been our great privilege to serve small businesses of all sizes and professions.

Today, our primary goal is that everyone who encounters BRIM DESIGN will go away more personally and professionally enabled than before. Our standard of excellence and building life-long relationships with our clients is not only our highest priority but our deepest passion. Our team makes their dreams more tangible with award-winning design, photography, videography, social media, and coaching. We literally build businesses from the brand up!

The most valuable thing we get to do every day is to step into the story of all these incredible small business owners and to elevate their message and mission in a way that is truly unique and effective. We feel so privileged that they trust us with their story and that the majority of our clients are long-term partnerships.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
To me, the most fun and interesting aspects of our city are its people and by extension – its small business owners. This question is not a hypothetical for me. Every single time a friend or family member comes to visit me, I take them on a tour of all my favorite businesses. To name a few, I would probably start by getting coffee at Morning Times, and would pop over to The ZEN Succulent to look at the amazing plants, after that, we’d grab some amazing chocolate at Vidieri Chocolate Factory and wrap up the area with the Raleigh Denim Workshop and The Flourish Market. For local landmark gems, I’d show them the NC Capitol, NC state gardens, the NCMOA and NCMONS, and close out the day eating BBQ from The Pit on the beach of Jordan Lake.

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?
First of all, I absolutely love that this is a dedicated focus for this publication.

Second of all, to add to the emphasis on community – one of my all-time favorite business mentors and friends, Tina Caul, likes to quote: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. which is originally derived from an African Proverb and speaks to the necessity of partnership.

The first person to whom credit is due is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without His grace I am nothing and without his directive to love, I am nowhere. It is first through His word (the Bible) that I establish direction both in life and in business and through his calling that I strive to fulfill my purpose with integrity and grace.

The second set of people who I would love to take a moment to acknowledge is my mother and my father, Rhonda, and Bill. My parents gave me so many of the important things and did their absolute best to position me for success. Besides spending the whole of my life teaching me to be a person who strives for godliness and integrity, they also demonstrated a work ethic that I have yet to see another human being out-perform. And somehow, in between all those moments, they took time to support my dreams mentally, physically, and fiscally. They showed me as much as I might try to make it so, it will never be about perfection but rather progress.

Additionally, my ever-supporting husband and business partner Ricky is not only my other half, but also a big part of my why, which coincides with our beautiful children. They remind me daily why we do what we do and continue to push me to be better personally and professionally. They make everything worth while.

Thirdly, the other members of my family and the friendships that feel like family were all key components in getting this story to where it is now. Though you will not know them personally, I feel calling them by name is so deserved in this context. My sister, Ryan, was actually the one who chose our company name, and she and my brother-in-law, Erick, were also the first of hundreds of photography and design clients to come. They have been a constant voice of encouragement as this business has grown into what it is. Through the years I have been blessed with a handful of for-life friends as well. The ones that become family and see you through the little, big, and in-between moments in life. Not only have done work for them, but they have assisted in other projects, helped me set up sessions, and dared to believe in my dreams before many did. So a special thanks to Sarah and the original Kuzmic clan, Janeen and our amazing Hatt’s, Bridget and the Taylor Family, Nicole and her trusty Nikon, and Josh and his awesome Lowery crew.

Fourthly, my first set of clients who didn’t laugh me off the planet when I was first shooting sessions for $20 with a compact Kodak camera and designing logos on gimp with a $200 Toshiba laptop that barely clung to life. To the Deese Family especially – you will never know how much your belief meant to a 15-year-old dreamer!

Lastly, and most certainly not least… a most sincere thank you to my teachers and mentors. My mother who taught me and cultivated my vision through home education. My professors Jay Bopp, Jon Andrews, and Freda Sue for not only teaching me the art and function of design but for demonstrating to me how purposeful design work supports and emphasizes the most important work – loving others and building relationships. My mentors, Tina Caul, Ashley Rush, The Goodsons, The Williamsons, and countless members of my home community who functioned as the church and “village”who raised me to be the person I am. Every moment of your time and wisdom was appreciated.

To close out this portion of the interview, it is absolutely not lost on me how fortunate that my answer to this question had to be so long. What a treasure it is to have a community like this. Thank you all so much!

Website: https://www.brimdesign.com/services

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/designbybrim

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6zaL7ZB_kAC_UuSbdEqryg

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