I own Double H Design, a business that specializes in digital and social media creation and management. My job is to take a business owner’s passion and present it to the world in a way that will positively impact their community. I am engaged in every step of the brand creating process. From deciding on and designing a logo, to designing the website, and even managing social media accounts, I do a little bit of everything.

Starting a small business is no easy task, and I’m certainly no expert. You could ask any business owner and they would agree. Starting something that is yours requires a passion like no other. A passion for your craft, for people and for bringing what you do to your community. It requires a network of people that support and help shape you through the decisions you’ll eventually have to make out in the big bad world. I wouldn’t have even taken the death-defying leap if it wasn’t for the group of amazingly talented boss-ladies I am honoured to be around each and every day. I currently work as an executive assistant for Brooke Willis of B Cocoa Artisan Chocolates. Being able to be around someone who has really made her small business work has been a real inspiration. She is a constant source of wisdom for me — a sounding board that I can ask questions to and a place that it’s okay for me to flounder and make mistakes. Without her, I would have never had the courage to branch out and do what I love full time. It’s that kind of support that makes the dream work. Being around people who uplift and love without consequence. People who give as much as they get. People who exist to bring their passion to the world around them and are willing to help lead and shape the next generation of entrepreneurs and big thinkers.

I started my business because I wanted to share my passion with others. I wanted to be able to take my love for design and make an impact in my community. My most favourite thing in the world is to see the smile on someone’s face when I finish a project for them, and I can see just how excited they are about it. When I can see their passion reflected throughout the designs and brand I help them build.

I’ve been coding since I was thirteen, and out of that came a love for designing things, from logos to websites and just about everything in between. I am completely self-taught. I believe that life experience is the best learning curve you can have. Every day is a new opportunity to try something new — to learn a new skill, to go somewhere you’ve never been or even somewhere you’ve been many times. Our passions are what make us human. The things that make our hearts flutter. That make us want to get up in the mornings. The things that push us to want to make the world a better place to live.

Starting a small business isn’t really about having a game plan. It’s about having this passion burning inside of you that’s so overwhelming you have to share it with the people around you. It’s about having this thing that sets your soul on fire every single morning. It’s about knowing who you are and being stable in knowing that one day — maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, maybe not even in the next year — you will be successful. It’s not about your grades or whether you were the top of your class. It’s about being willing to take every spare moment of your life, roll up your sleeves and get to work. When you have that passion, that fire, people will come. They will be drawn to you not because you are successful, but because your love for your craft shines brighter than the sun. If you don’t absolutely love what you do, then why do it?

Haley Hampton is a marketing sophomore.