I first met Richelle, owner of Girl Metro, Inc., about 3 years ago through Rohner Letterpress, where I was working part-time in order to (not go broke while trying to) start OrangeBeautiful. I only knew her by name (& by work, since I would see her designs coming through the printshop) and it wasn’t until later that I knew her more personally through the DIY Trunk Show, the Chicago Craft Mafia and the National Stationery Show… needless to say, we’re both busy ladies.

There are certainly people in business (you’ve all met these people) who are a bit wary of “getting friendly with the competition”… and well, technically, Richelle – being an invitations & stationery designer working on the north side of Chicago, is my competition – but I’ve only found that talking with as many people in your industry and helping them out (and asking for their help, as well) will only nurture & grow your business and, well, make you feel good that you’re not a jerk.

I asked Richelle a few quick questions about her business & her experiences (many of which I can relate to). This interview will be the first in a short series where business owners in differing areas of expertise will shed some light onto their everyday challenges & long-term struggles, as well as what it means to them to be in business for themselves and having the opportunity to do what they love every day:

E: What’s the craziest thing that has happened with your business this past year?

R:The craziest (good) thing was that we went to the National Stationery Show as an exhibitor for the first time this year. The NSS was four of the most exciting, terrifying, and educational days of my life.

E: When people (outside of your industry) ask you “Hey, what do you do?,” what’s your reply?

R: I tell them I’m a “stationer”. And, after a beat, if the confusion is still evident, I clarify with “graphic designer”… I’m not convinced that everyone knows exactly what a graphic designer does, but, in most cases, they’ve at least heard of that profession before.

E: When you go to sleep at night, what excites you about going to work the next day?

R: I love looking forward to a new challenge, whether it’s an unusual wedding invitation that needs a really special illustration, some intricate production work, a new product idea that I’m all geeked out about… It’s the fact that my job is a little different every day that I truly love.

E: When you wake up in the morning, what’s your first worry?

R: “Is the coffee ready?”… followed by, “what needs to happen today?” Most days, I start my to-do list before I walk out the door… so that by the time I walk into the studio, I’m ready to get started.

E: What’s the one thing that you wish someone had told you before you started your business?

R: Only one thing? I’m pretty sure number one is “You should take some classes in accounting.” I think I make my accountant cry sometimes with my “creative math”.

E: Imagine your future self… What will she think of the way you run your business today?

R: “What were you afraid of? That was the only thing that every held you back… Oh, and the accounting classes were a good call.”

E: And to finish up, tell us something that’s new & exciting for your business in 2008:

R: We’re getting ready to produce a new line of note cards that we’ll be debuting at NSS next year, and I think they’re going to go over really well.

Thanks so much to Richelle at Girl Metro, Inc. for taking the time to answer my questions. If you’d like to see more of her work or get more information on her design services & product offerings, please visit www.girlmetro.com.