Celebrating 6 years of business
I still remember the exact feeling I had on that day six years ago. It was equally exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. I said my last goodbyes to coworkers with a box of cubicle essentials in my hands and walked out the doors of the corporate building I had worked my full-time "dream job" in for six years. As soon as my feet hit the parking lot, my brain antagonized, "Are you really going through with this? This is crazy; it doesn't make any sense! Turn back!" My gut and my heart joined forces in that moment, boldly countering, "Hey! If you don't follow through on this decision you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You are wired for adventure, you're capable of success and you're called by God to take this leap of faith. You CAN do it and you MUST do it!"
Although I've definitely experienced hardships along the way since that day, owning and operating my own full-time business has been the best decision I've ever made. If I hadn't made the leap, I never would have discovered that my actual "dream job" was so much bigger than what I had experienced previously.
Six years ago (2010), I started Langhoff Design as a graphic design business that worked primarily on logos & branding, brochures, signage and small website design. Photography was just a hobby for me, but with the encouragement of friends and family, I began shooting portraits of high school seniors. Simple portrait photography transitioned into event photography and wedding photography. Before we knew it, we were getting booked out with photography gigs, while still completing design projects for clients. To keep up, Chad ended up leaping with me in 2012 when he left his full-time corporate design job so we could work together, full-time. Soon after, we rebranded our business to become Langhoff Creative, encompassing creative facets beyond design. We hustled as hard as we could and honed our craft while increasing our network. In 2014, we relocated to North Carolina, leaving our entire client base in Wisconsin, but sensing the potential that would await us in the RDU area. We began dreaming again [and soul-searching, if I'm honest]. As Chad continued print design projects for clients, I was falling more and more in love with the documentary-style photography I had dabbled in while shooting events. In 2015, our documentary Real Life family sessions took shape and took off. In 2016, God made us a little family of our own with the addition of our son in April. After taking some maternity / paternity leave, we're running hard after these dreams of ours again with renewed passion. We even have a few new ideas up our sleeves for the coming year!
As I reminisce the last six years, I realize that my "dream job" is, in fact, the one I have today, and the dream is growing by the day. Thank you all for your support and business over the years. I'm giddy with excitement as I think about the next six years and what they may hold!