ABOUT — The Site Style

thesitestyle-web&branddesign — WELL HELLO THERE!

I am Shelby, the *founder & creative director* of The Site Style!
I help ambitious creative entrepreneurs build a head-to-toe cohesive online presence through stylized brands & website design so they can look & feel legit online.
Sometimes I catch myself in disbelief that I actually get to do this for a career. But then I humbly remember that it’s taken me a long time and quite a few pivots to get to my dream career.

WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?

Let’s start with the facts!

I graduated college with a degree in fashion & marketing from a small college in Ohio. During that time I studied fashion in Paris and learned from designers that worked for Ralph Lauren, textile creators, and journalists that have written for high fashion publications. I even interned and worked Men’s Fashion Week. Like seriously, pinch me!!

After college, I began my career in women’s fashion working at a boutique, creating visual displays, coordinating fashion shows & directing photoshoots, as well as dressing women to look & feel their best! This is also when I began side-hustling as an independent image consultant and dipped my toe in network marketing (more on this later). I would assist my clients in the dressing room or while "shopping their closet" to chose outfits that would flatter them and make them feel confident about themselves. I loved witnessing not only the visual transformation but also the transformation of confidence.

…and then I pulled a Ross & pivoted to the furniture industry!

I have a love for all things design so when the opportunity came to work in the furniture industry, coordinate textiles, and design room layouts I knew I had to jump and make a career shift! This position fueled my creative mind because each client that I would meet with had a different vision and it was so much fun to bring the project full circle and see the completed space that was not only visually appealing but was functional too!

MOM LIFE & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The done-for-you space led me to discover my passion for digital design!

When my daughter was born I made the decision to be a stay-at-home mom. I was sad to leave my creative job but the long hours that came with it were just not feasible with a young and growing family. I craved freedom & flexibility and network marketing was the only path that I knew was possible to make an income from home while still being present with my daughter each day. After five years in network marketing, I decided it wasn’t quite for me - but I also realized that entrepreneurship was where I wanted to be!

Next, I entered the done-for-you space and became a virtual assistant! It only took me a few weeks to have a full roster of clients. This type of online business was very new to me, but I quickly knew this was definitely for me!

I began to see a trend that almost all of my work was rooted in design, shocker! I LOVE getting lost in the design process, creating beautiful works, and then sharing them with clients! Creating fills my cup and so much of my digital design process comes from my education & past experience in other realms of design - this is where I pull so much inspiration.

After nearly two years as a virtual assistant, the next logical step was to take the leap from freelancer to CEO of my own brand and web design studio, The Site Style! Looking back it’s so apparent to see how my experiences compounded to create the career of my dreams.