Mye De Leon, a 43-year-old former scrapbooking business owner, found an unlikely path to success in the world of hand-lettering.
After her son’s birth, she picked up the art form as a coping mechanism and soon found herself in high demand.
Transitioning from earning $2,000 to $3,000 a month with scrapbooking, De Leon now pulls in over $100,000 annually from her hand-lettering course, coaching programs and various collaborations.
De Leon’s journey into hand-lettering began after the birth of her son who required constant care due to Down syndrome.
She realized she could no longer continue her scrapbooking business and sought a creative outlet that would allow her to manage her time better.
In this quest, she started drawing letters, an art form that quickly gained popularity on her Instagram page.
She started by drawing variations of the alphabet and then took requests from her Instagram followers.
Her work soon caught the eye of Carina Gardner, the CEO of Mini Lou Kids.
Gardner proposed a collaboration, asking De Leon to create an alphabet coloring book for the company.
After that, De Leon’s career took off.
She created a lettering guide called “Styling the Alphabet”, a hand-lettering course titled “Mastering the Hand-Lettering Program”, and authored a book named “Mastering Hand-Lettering”, which was published in 2017.
Overcoming adversity
However, her journey was not without its challenges.
In 2019, she developed myofascial pain syndrome, a chronic muscular pain condition. This led to a shift in her career – she began offering coaching classes for artists and creative business owners.
De Leon’s success has been remarkable. In 2019 alone, she made over $148,000 from her course, coaching programs, commission work for Penguin Random House, and influencer work with Pilot Pens US.
The following year saw her earnings exceed $104,000.
It wasn’t always easy, though. De Leon had to make strategic decisions about the work she accepted.
She decided early on to turn down low-paying projects and instead set her starting rate at $500 per project.
This strategy paid off as she began attracting bigger clients and publishing companies.
One critical point in De Leon’s career was when she was asked to co-author a book for Hinkler Books Australia.
She turned down the offer initially but later agreed on the condition that she could also publish her own book.
This led to the publication of “The Great Big Book of Amazing Creative Lettering” in 2017.
Her approach to pricing her work is backed by quality. According to De Leon, a client who wants to work with you won’t mind paying a little extra or waiting a bit longer for the work.
Another critical aspect of De Leon’s business strategy was building an email list.
She had more than 12,000 subscribers during her scrapbooking days but started over with 2,000 subscribers for her new venture.
To revive her list, she created blog posts and ran Facebook ads which helped her acquire about 6,000 more subscribers within three months.
De Leon’s biggest advice is to start a business from a “place of abundance”.
She believes that securing oneself first is essential before starting a business.
De Leon’s journey provides an interesting lens through which to view the broader trend of creative entrepreneurs turning their passions into profitable ventures.
In an era where digital platforms like Instagram can act as launching pads for small businesses, De Leon’s success offers a template for others who may be looking to monetize a hobby.
Her strategic decision to turn down low-paying projects and set a higher starting rate for her work underscores the importance of valuing one’s skill and time.
It serves as a reminder to freelancers and creatives that charging what they’re worth is key to attracting better clientele and building a sustainable business.
One of the key strategies that propelled De Leon’s business growth was her strategic use of email marketing.
Despite the rise of social media, her story underscores the continued relevance of email lists in driving sales and maintaining customer engagement.
It also highlights the importance of continuously nurturing and engaging one’s audience.
In addition, De Leon’s approach to pre-selling her products before launching them demonstrates a savvy understanding of the market.
Her strategy ensured a ready customer base before she invested her time and resources into developing her course.
While De Leon has achieved remarkable success, she also highlights the reality that building a business often requires overcoming personal and professional challenges.
De Leon’s story is a testament to the potential of creative entrepreneurship in today’s digital age.
It highlights the opportunities available for individuals who are willing to strategically leverage their skills and passions in response to market demands.
As we move forward in an increasingly digital economy, stories like De Leon’s will likely become more common.
The key question then becomes: How can other creative entrepreneurs learn from her journey and adapt these strategies to their own unique contexts?
As De Leon’s experience shows, it takes more than talent to succeed—it requires strategic thinking, resilience, and a willingness to continuously learn and adapt.
