Starting a business is certainly not for the faint of heart. Between crafting a vision, finding an effective marketing campaign, financing the operation, and continuing to create meaningful products/services, it’s safe to say that the decision to go out on your own is not a small one. Camille Grossi of IMPRESS Event Branding knows this all too well. After experiencing a few years in the working world, Camille knew she was destined for something more. In 2014, she left her job to launch IMPRESS: a custom invitation and event branding company. Five years later, Camille has a thriving business, is designing invitations for her own wedding (!!), and continues to serve as major #bossbabegoals. We recently caught up with Camille to learn more about IMPRESS, her financial goals, and how she manages to do it all while making it seem effortless.
AdvisHer: Tell us about you – who is Camille Grossi/IMPRESS?
Camille: I am a 28 year old girl boss, designer, dog mom and am engaged to be married in July! I graduated college with an interior design degree and worked in the architecture field for a few years before jumping ship to create Impress. Impress is a graphic design company that specializes in custom invitations and event branding. I create the essentials you need to leave your guests or customers impressed. From the party you host, wedding you plan or business you start I want to make it unforgettable! Impress creates custom graphics ranging from logo design and marketing materials to invitations, place cards, programs and stationary.
AdvisHer: What was your inspiration for starting IMPRESS?
C: I have always loved design and been particularly drawn to strong graphics, branding and color. (I equally love beautiful, clean modern spaces – hence the interior design background). Impress came to life through a series of friends and family friends asking me to design wedding invitations and materials for them. After constant requests and many referrals I started to really think about the viability of my own business and what that would look like. I wanted to create custom graphics for all of life’s needs, I didn’t want to be in a niche of one category – other than custom. I wanted to continue designing for weddings, parties and special events along with creating logos, branding and marketing materials for businesses.
AdvisHer: Why IMPRESS?
C: I knew I wanted the name to be simple, memorable and really embody the mission behind my design. As soon as I got to IMPRESS I knew that was it. You can read into it and understand it in many ways but it will always apply to what I do. For me, it stands for 3 things:
- Impress paper (quite literally with embossing, letterpress, stamping, etc.)
- Impress people (the hope is that everyone who sees or receives one of my designs is impressed by something about it)
- Impress events (invitations really set the tone for any event and allow guests to get excited about it, I hope that they are impressed before arriving and left with unforgettable memories once the event ends. The little details matter – the programs, place cards, table numbers, signage and thank you stationery – they all matter).
AdvisHer: Take us through a day in the life!
C: I usually wake up, have some puppy play time with Rory, and reply to emails before getting a quick workout in. I then spend the rest of the day designing or printing with an occasional meeting in the afternoon or evening.
The work throughout my days is always different, the constant is the design element. One day I might be designing for businesses (logos, marketing materials, product labels, social media) while the next I am designing for weddings, baby showers and birthday parties. Usually it’s a mix of them all which keeps things exciting and different! Some days are very production heavy where I am printing, cutting, assembling and packaging. Other days I am designing in my office (on the first floor of my home) or working from my kitchen, with Rory sleeping nearby. Generally I have client meetings at least 2-3 times a week, usually with engaged couples to discuss wedding plans and paper goods. Those meetings are often after normal business hours when they are off work so my evenings are fairly busy.
AdvisHer: What is your favorite type of piece to design?
C: I love logo design and branding for a new business. I have such a passion for my own business that helping others start a business and create a unique brand is something special for me. The process of visually seeing a business come to life and what services or products it provides or represents in graphic form is powerful.
I will also drop anything to design a fun and modern wedding invitation. When I meet with an engaged couple that has a vision inline with my own design style it’s exciting. I appreciate people who pay as much attention to detail and color as I do. It is incredibly rewarding when customers trust me to create an invitation for one of the most important days in their life. Even if it isn’t their wedding, that event usually has special significance and is received by many people.
AdvisHer: How do you stay inspired?
C: Everything I design for is so different that each project keeps me fairly inspired in itself! New businesses, restaurants, weddings, parties – everything is unique and with that comes a variety of design styles and graphics. Other than that, I really gravitate towards modern design and art. Clean and modern spaces are inspiring, my travels and the beauty of nature inspire me, along with the work of other artists. There is an ever evolving aspect of design with various trends and colors which keeps things new, inside and outside of the wedding industry.
AdvisHer: If you could give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
C: SAVE MORE! I have always been good with money and had jobs throughout high school and part of college. I saved but the reality is that you can always save more. I spent on unnecessary items and have gradually learned that less is more. Life is expensive and there are so many elements that you can be saving for. Luckily, I didn’t need a ton of money to get my business up and running. I have been fairly frugal and kept costs low on the business side, investing a lot back in and slowly building up to where I am today.
AdvisHer: If you could go back and start IMPRESS all over again, is there anything you would do differently?
C: Know your value, don’t sell yourself short. I was definitely not charging enough for my services at the beginning. It is difficult to price things when starting off and you are new in a field. That being said there are pricing calculations and proper assessments to follow to know how to price your products and services.
I would have read Business Boutique by Christy Wright – it wasn’t published until 2017 and I started Impress in 2014 but it is a wonderful resource and guide for any female starting a business.
AdvisHer: How do you prioritize your financial health?
C: I pay close attention to my spending habits and make educated decisions when purchasing. I am sure to pay all my bills in full and on time every month and never acquire any debt or late fees. I use Mint to track all of my personal expenses and use Quickbooks to track and manage all of my business expenses.
AdvisHer: What are your financial goals for 2019?
C: SAVE! To save more for retirement by making greater contributions to my Roth IRA. Also to stick to my budgets set in place for myself this year. Last year my fiancé and I bought a house, a puppy and began planning for our wedding…it was an expensive year! The next big steps for me this year are saving to start a family in the near future and all of our upcoming wedding expenses. For Impress, my goals are to increase sales/profit and prepare to hire a part time employee sometime next year in an effort to continue growing the business.
We would like to thank the lovely Camille Grossi for her time in helping create this post! For more on Camille and IMPRESS Event Branding, check out her website or follow along on Instagram at @impress_eventbranding!
Note: All photos by Black Box Photography.
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