Member Spotlight: Nile Livingston
Founder of Creative Repute
Company Website:
www.creativerepute.com
Creative Repute®, LLC is an award-winning graphic design and development agency. We design exclusively for social-justice driven organizations and transformative brands that are actively making the world a better place.
Nile Livingston is a PA/NJ Job Creators Quest Grant recipient and a graduate of the Bootcamp Accelerator Program .
Can you please introduce yourself and your business and the date it was founded?
My name is Nile Livingston, I am the Founder of Creative Repute. It was established in 2017. We are an Agency focusing on graphic design, mobile app and website development.
What inspired you to start your own business?
Creative Repute grew out of my solo practice as a public-facing artist and working on graphic design projects. However, I reached a point where I couldn’t handle all the projects alone. Therefore, I formed a team of specialists, and over the years, we expanded and adapted to meet our clients’ needs by offering additional services. And that’s how Creative Repute came to be.
How has your identity impacted your journey so far?
As a black, queer person, I am aware of the disproportionate representation in the design industry. A few statistics I know off the top of my head are that over 70% of all graphic designers in the US are white, and less than 13% identify as queer. Therefore, I believe that adding more diverse perspectives to the table is crucial, and it’s something that I am able to offer.
Can you share any challenges you have faced as a business owner and how you have overcome them?
One of the major challenges that Creative Repute takes on is offering more diverse perspectives at the table. We achieve this through our hiring practices, ensuring inclusivity and diversity in terms of skill set and background, as well as the clients we work with. We strive to bring on mission-aligned clients who share similar values to us.
Can you share an example of how the Founders First accelerator program supported you in discovering new avenues for growth?
One major avenue for me was ensuring that my systems are streamlined and automated as much as possible. Initially, I believed that having manuals and tutorials in place was sufficient. However, I soon realized that I frequently repeated information. Therefore, during the boot camp, I learned from other founders and the classes that I could make things more efficient and automated. This way, I could concentrate on working on the business rather than in the business.
Can you offer any advice for other entrepreneurs who are just starting their business journey?
One recommendation I have for you entrepreneurs is to start your business journey by ensuring that you are doing something you truly love. Being an entrepreneur can be competitive, and it often requires a significant amount of your leisure time. Therefore, if you are going to be consumed by something, it should be an activity that you genuinely enjoy and love.
