Today we’d like to introduce you to Selene Da Silva.
Hi Selene, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was born and raised in Venezuela. I always knew I wanted to do something related to art, so I studied Graphic design, as I believed I could actually make a living out of that, it was not the case with plastic art. Moving to Florida was not something I planned, but that happen casually and completely changed what I had planned for my life. I couldn’t be happier and more grateful to be here. I started from the bottom, like every immigrant, working a 9-5 job, barely meeting the month’s end, and working hard to grow and be better. I opened my company back in 2016, but I still needed to work an office job to pay for my bills, my company was more like a side income, an extra I would get. It was not until 2020 that my business skyrocketed.
I used to work in a hotel, which closed due to covid, which gave me a lot of time to actually work on my projects, my clients, and growing my company. Online sales increased by 43% during the pandemic, and a lot of people were in need of graphic designers, web designers, and product photographers, services which I offer. I started getting more and more clients, and by 2021 I already had an established company, with a lot of new clients coming via word of mouth. As of today, I’m fully independent, doing what I love proud of all of the growth I’ve made.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all.
Money was a struggle for sure, some months I would barely make it, stressing myself out as I wouldn’t have more than $5 after everything was paid off, so I couldn’t even buy some Tylenol if I had a headache.
It was also hard as I was by myself here. I had to take care of everything. If something were to go wrong, it was all on me. Every emotional bump along the road, dealing with family issues, my brother having cancer, my parents getting divorced, and ending up in a long-distance relationship, everything added up.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m creative in general. I paint in my free time, but I do photography, graphic design, and web design for a living. I have been doing this for more than 10 years, very passionate about my work. Doing all of these 3 things is one of the things that set me apart from the competition. Product photography is one of the most requested services nowadays, due to the increase in online shopping, and certain platforms, like amazon, not only required that you get pictures of your product, but that you can actually create a compelling listing that differentiates your product from others, so you can increase your sells. There is when I come into the picture.
Offering a reliable service will always keep you in the market, but doing so while offering high-quality results with short timeframes, will always set you apart.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I do believe in taking risks, however, I’m more of a controlled risk-taker. I will not gamble what I’m not willing to lose.
Going from a comfortable and safe payroll check every two weeks to a fully independent income, which fluctuates a lot, was definitely a risk. However, I didn’t jump right on it until I had a semi-establish array of clients that I knew would at least help me survive if anything were to go wrong. I do not have a support system here, so I can’t count on anybody but myself to keep my affairs in order.
Contact Info:
- Website: seleneartdesign.com
- Instagram: @seleneartdesign
