Taking your business from dream to reality with Marissa Mills

Straight Up Small Business

On the podcast today I interview Marissa Mills - a lady of many talents and many businesses. Marissa is a graphic designer and photographer and also has experience in social media management, event management, website management and marketing. One of her most recent endeavours is the creation of a modern day shopping cart called the Joyrolla.

To take a bright idea from invention to design to manufacturing is a truly involved process. I invited Marissa on the podcast today to take us on her journey, one which has been seven years in the making! Marissa demonstrates how it takes being clear on your vision, backing yourself, and exhibiting grit and resilience to survive this kind of business journey.

In our conversation, Marissa reveals how she came up with the idea for Joyrolla and the role an old vintage cart that her brother found in an antique store played. She also steps through how she moved from a sketch to a prototype to having the carts manufactured and ready for shipping.

Marissa explains the role industrial designers, bag designers, and packaging engineers played in the process and how she has had to drop some of her perfectionistic qualities along the way.

We dive into business advice including:

• top tips for anyone looking to manufacture a product and what you should keep in mind to bring your vision to life
• why creating something from scratch is worth the effort
• Marissa’s graphic design and photography business Creative Mills and how she manages the three businesses simultaneously
• How she procured work when moved from Sydney to Northern NSW
• Epiphanies for those just starting out as business owners and freelancers

If you’re listening to the podcast and wondering if you should start a business, I think you’ll find Marissa incredibly inspiring. Given she is currently running three businesses she is such an incredible wealth of knowledge and I know you’ll love learning about her journey!

LINKS:

Where to find Marissa Mills:

• Instagram: @marissamills
• Websites: Marissa Mills Fine Art Prints / Joyrolla / The Creative Mills

Where to Find Bec:

• Website:https://straightupbookkeeping.com.au/
• Instagram: @straightup_bookkeeping
• Facebook: @straightupbookkeeping
• LinkedIn: @straight-up-bookkeeping

Register your interest in the Bookkeeping it Real Mentoring Program here.