Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Pheneger
Hi Christine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My path to entrepreneurship is a little unconventional but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. As many high school students, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Many people thought I would make a great nurse, so I started pursuing that education path at my local community college through PSEO classes. I struggled through one semester of memorizing A&P and chemistry terms, and decided this was not for me. I loved working as a CNA, but I couldn’t see myself doing that long-term.
Once I graduated high school, I put higher education on pause and worked a variety of jobs – cashiering, nannying, and eventually I got trained as a pharmacy technician. It wasn’t until I met my (now) husband, that he so kindly encouraged me to figure out what my longer term plan was. I remember so many conversations looking over the Wikipedia page of possible career options, before landing on Computer Science. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with it, but it seemed like a practical choice. My dad and brother are both developers so I’ve been immersed in that world most of my life.
So the year we got married, I headed back to college to pursue my bachelor’s degree. School was hard for me, and I don’t think I would have gotten through without my dad and husband’s tutoring in various subjects. But I did it – I turned in my final projects, walked the stage, and I can’t remember a time I’ve felt more proud of myself for obtaining that degree.
Right out of college I got an internship (and later got hired on ) at a small web design & marketing agency. Since there were so few of us, we all wore a lot of hats so although I got hired on as a developer, by a couple years in I was also handling Accounts Receivable, Project Management responsibilities, and was in charge of creating SOP’s from scratch.
The biggest shift I made was getting to join the design team on our website build days, and that’s where I fell in love with the process. I finally found the combo of work that absolutely lit me up, and I loved getting to take a project from just an idea at the beginning of the day, to a beautiful finished website at the end of the day.
During that time although I was loving the work I was doing, I wasn’t in complete alignment of the types of clients the agency was pursuing and eventually made the leap to go into business ownership for myself. I’m truly in my sweet spot now, getting full control over who we work with, how our process runs, and how the design comes together. It’s been a winding road, but all the twists and turns have just made me stronger and have gone into what makes me a strong business owner today.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not! The biggest challenge came about as soon as it possibly could have. I quit my agency job in January 2020 and planned to start taking on clients March 1, 2020. Just about 2 weeks into being a new business owner, the world was faced with a pandemic and at times it felt like I just made the worst decision possible. But I had already taken the leap and there wasn’t much I could do but make the best of it and figure it out as I went. Thankfully people needed websites more than ever, so spoiler alert: it all worked out for the best!
As you know, we’re big fans of Lake Design Co.. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We provide full website design & redesign for solopreneurs and small businesses. The biggest differentiator between us and other web designers is that we include copywriting in every single website package we offer. It’s a non-negotiable for us. When our clients are facing the daunting task of redoing their website, the last thing they should have to do is provide the content for their website. We also work best with clients in highly visual industries like real estate, home staging, interior designers, photographers, etc. We’ll work with anybody, but our high level designs are paired well with great imagery that these industries natural can provide.
The last thing that sets us apart is that we’re huge sticklers for good communication and meeting deadlines. We work hard to establish expectations up front, and strive to never be the ones holding the project back. We want you to feel like we’re communicating with you so well that you don’t ever have to wonder where things are at because we’re providing regular updates.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
The thing I like the best is all the great restaurants and shopping choices! I grew up in a rural MN town of 2500 people and we would plan quarterly trips to the cities to stock up and go clothes shopping etc. My budget probably doesn’t thank me for it, but I love having any store I could ever want within 30 min of me.
The thing I like the least is…that it’s a big city 😉 I miss the wide open-ness of the rural area I grew up in, and the slower pace of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lakedesignmn.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lakedesignmn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lakedesignmn
Image Credits
Venlo Studio
