Having worked several jobs for engineering and civil firms all the way from Pittsburgh to Atlanta, I never minded working for corporate America. I liked the stability of the job and the experience of working in a design-based office environment. While working in Charlotte, NC I started doing renderings and other projects, on the side, for several years. When life brought me to Atlanta, GA I connected with a great business professional who kept me more than busy with projects for clients nationwide. I was content with my full-time job, but it didn't allow me to have the creative force I sought. I was more confined to one specific client-base (large hotels, cruise ships, conference centers, etc.). It was residential, custom-built design that I had the most passion for.
In October of 2012, I vacationed in Charleston, SC and knew from just a few short day stay that this was the place I would one day call home. In March of 2013, I made the leap and decided that along with my move, I would also start my own business. With this decision came a lot of questions, fear, but at the same time excitement and determination. I thrived off the idea I would be the sole person in charge of obtaining my client-base, keeping those relationships and constantly yearning for more and more (and more!).
The first few months were relatively slow, but it was a good amount of time for me to adjust to this new lifestyle of working for myself and from my home office (not to mention adjusting to living in a completely new city). Charleston's historic background and amazing architecture made me feel each and every day that the decision I made was nothing less than a perfect match. With the assistance of a good friend, I began launching my business and promoting it more publicly with the hopes of gaining a larger client-base. Through launching frankmanipole.com and social media marketing, my client-base was growing more and more. This fueled my fire and work started to get busier and busier.
In my upcoming blog posts I am going to share with you some of my favorite client experiences and give you a snapshot into some of these amazing relationships I was able to build simply by nurturing my drive for success and my passion for what I do.
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