A short reflection on getting my small business going

I’m Olivia, the face (and journal entries, brand design and captions) behind the OAM Design Co. studio. For those that don’t know me, here is a little peek into my story, and a reflection on why getting my small business going, was one of the best things I’ve ever done. 

Fresh into design school and trying out living solo

I’m Australian, and I grew up between Sydney and Dubai. Almost every facet of my life so far has involved facing a decision which involved stepping outside my comfort zone. At 19 after a year of working full time at a fashion agency and design house in Sydney, I decided to move to creative Melbourne to go to design school at Whitehouse Institute of Design, and stubbornly decided to test out living on my own.

Evolution of my creative career

I eventually ended up back in Sydney after my degree, working as a graphic designer with a small creative agency and then an interior design and architecture practice. From there, life moved me to Dubai for a few years to hang with family and I worked with a global architecture firm. This experience exposed me to cultural differences, and the fast pace business world of the UAE. Though I had always wanted to experience life in London from teen age years, and eventually that opportunity to relocate came to me in 2016.

Travelling Europe and taking stock

Since then, I’ve lived in London, and it has been over six years! I’ve travelled a lot around Europe, been to numerous restaurants and galleries, met incredible friends, worked harder than I ever thought I could, explored the countryside, headed up brand marketing in Europe for a global interior design firm, and met the love of my life (sappy). It was brilliant. And it was busy. Late in 2019 I decided to take stock on what I truly wanted: creativity, flexibility and my own little business, and I took the plunge not knowing that the scariest, hardest time I could ever start a business was around the corner.

Diving into the deep end of small business

But you know what? All the lessons, resilience, knowledge and experience I had gained, prepared me for the challenge. @oamdesignco came to life, blooming, stretching and figuring itself out, and although there are definitely challenges to take on and I accept that nothing is perfect, my business has taken flight and I couldn’t be prouder or happier. Every risk I have taken on this journey, has led me to where I am now.

So, if I can say one thing – trust your instinct when it comes to opportunities. If you’re prepared to roll with the punches, work REALLY hard (and I mean sweat and tears people), be resilient and more importantly be committed to your values, then you will make a deeply exciting step forward.

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It’s lovely to have you all here. If you would like to drop me a line at any time to talk design, big blue sky thinking or the best coffee to motivate you in the morning, I’d love to hear from you. Ping me a DM on Instagram or you can connect with me here.