lady friend. elise crawford gallagher of ringlet studio.
In the last year I have met some pretty fantastic humans, some of which have become part of a small circle of women that support and lift each other up. One such amazing woman is Elise Crawford Gallagher, Founder and CEO of Ringlet Studio. Elise is not only a fellow lady boss (who crushes it), but is also one of the most kind, humble and gracious people you will ever come across. But behind the sweet smile is someone who I truly admire. Her drive and work ethic are so strong and it has lead to her generating some amazing business, producing interesting events and workshops for the DC community and supporting her clients to execute on their projects in a flawless way. Read on to learn more about her and the great work that she does as the lady boss of Ringlet Studio.
ec: What do you do for clients through Ringlet?
ecg: Ringlet is a full-service digital marketing & branding agency, community and resource focused on serving women-owned small businesses in the D.C. area. We are a “full-service” agency because we work with clients to build their online marketing strategy and then our team can execute that strategy through social media management, email marketing, content creation, website design and event design. We also host events that focus on providing women entrepreneurs with the education, tools and community that they need to make their businesses succeed.
ec: How did you make the decision to be your own boss?
ecg: It was a total leap of faith! I graduated in 2015 with a Masters in Communications from JHU and had been working for another woman-owned start-up in NYC at the time. Once I graduated, I knew that I wanted to make my dream of owning my own business a reality. I come from a family of business owners so entrepreneurship was definitely ingrained in me from a young age. I’m fortunate to have had an amazing support system- my team, family, friends, the DC creative community- who have helped me establish RINGLET. It’s been a learning process- we’ve changed our service offerings, redesigned our website, hired and let go team members- and it’s been incredible to see how far we’ve come in two years.
ec: Where do you find inspiration in your work?
ecg: I honestly spend a ton of time on the Internet… like it’s embarrassing how much time I can spend on the www in a day. I feel like I need to be keeping up with a constantly changing industry so I’m always looking at what other marketing, PR and event agencies are doing, how platforms like Create and Cultivate are growing and what the newest trends are. I think there is a fine-line between healthy comparison and being discouraged by what you see around you. I look at other businesses to be motivated by their incredible work and then I use that inspiration to fuel my own work and focus on RINGLET’s mission. It’s important to not lose sight of your vision and not to allow others to distract you from your unique path.
ec: Are there any upcoming/past/current projects that you are particularly excited about?
ecg: RINGLET is currently helping our client, The Farm at Cedar Mountain, which is a new wedding venue in Virginia, plan and host their first workshop. The workshop will be on March 24th and will be an educational workshop for wedding planners. We have an incredible lineup of speakers who will be teaching our attendees the ins and outs of the wedding industry and how to grow their own planning business. I love planning events because it provides me with an opportunity to bring together and work with my favorite fellow women creatives. This city is full of such incredible talent!
ec: Away from work, do you have any hobbies?
ecg: Hobbies? What are hobbies? JK One of my goals for 2018 is to spend more time developing my talents and passions outside of work (which is difficult because I really do love my work!). I feel so much better about my life when I’m able to work out about three times a week. My mom and I usually meet up at the gym for classes; I love everything from barrel weight lifting to hot yoga.
