Although based in Scotland, Showit Design Partner, Gillian Sarah has clients spanning from the U.S. to China. Gillian didn't just stumble upon her global success. She believes there are several factors to how she became a full-time creative in an industry that she loves.

“After spending 6 years of my life in a not-so-fun oil industry job, I decided it was time to start building the life I really wanted. It was terrifying, but it was the best decision I ever made. Now I get to spend my days among powerful entrepreneurs who empower each other. I would recommend it to anyone and every one!

Introducing Branding and Website Designer, Gillian Sarah

Read on as we shine a spotlight on Gillian Sarah who kindly shared more about how she went from the oil industry to rolling up her sleeves in an industry she actually wanted to be a part of. Take a peek behind the curtain of her professional experiences and her recommended tips for peers in the creative industry looking to take the full-time leap.

Location – Where do you call home? Where is your client base?

Home: Scotland; Client Base: Worldwide

Design Specialty or favorite part of job?

My favorite part is teaching. Whether it is through tutorials, or one on one tutoring, I love helping others out!

Years in Business? Years dreaming of business?

2 years in business, 1 year full time

What's something you wished you had learned sooner?

Just never give up. As cheesy as it sounds, you can honestly achieve anything so long as you put in the time and the hard work involved!

Are there any creatives that have influenced you?

I would say all of Showit Design Partners influence me in their own amazing ways:

Crystal Lee: for her amazing customer service and support
Penguin Design: for her ability to completely rock the functional side of Showit
With Grace & Gold: I swear these girls could just sneeze and it would create something beautiful
Tonic Site Shop: I don't think I have to explain this one at all.

Just to name a few.

How does social media play a role in your business?

Social media has built my business. I used to schedule everything out for Instagram, but I felt it lost its “personal touch”, so now I just post every now and again. Something I would love to explore more is Pinterest, as I hear it can be fantastic for your business.

What do you do when you feel stuck or just want to watch a whole bunch of Netflix?

As crazy as this sounds, human contact (haha). As a self-employed creative whose partner works late most nights, it gets a little lonely from time to time. Most days I am at home with my cats, so I do get into a creative funk where I just can't work anymore. I feel the best solution for this is always to pick myself up, put on some real clothes, and go out into the real world.

If you had all the money in the world to spend on one piece of art, what would you buy?

Does Showit count as a piece of art?

When creating a business, most people focus on ___A___,
when it's more helpful to focus on ___B___

I believe that when creating a business, most people focus on getting new clients, when it's more helpful to focus on pouring attention into your existing clients to help them flourish. A happy client will always come back for more.

– Gillian Sarah

We have loved having you as a Showit Design Partner, Gillian! But seriously – how in the world did you find out about Showit living over there in Scotland?

An inquiry popped into my inbox almost 2 years ago from a girl wanting a few updates on her website. She sent me the login details so that I could go in and have a look at it. It was on Showit, which I had never seen before. Let's just say that moment changed my life forever. Since discovering Showit I have gained so much in both web design skills and community.

Since discovering Showit I have gained so much in both web design skills, and community.

– Gillian Sarah

I even flew out from Scotland to Arizona last November to join in at Showit United. I met a few of my clients there and created some amazing friendships with creatives. It was possibly the best week of the year!*

Connecting with Gillian

From stepping away from an unfulfilling job to pursuing a more fulfilling life as a brand and web designer, Showit Web Designer, Gillian Sarah, has blazed a trail for her clients to follow.

You can follow along with Gillian through her Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook. Would you like to check out more of her beautiful sites? Head to her website at GillianSarah.store. Or see her in one her most favorite roles as she teaches over on YouTube on her new podcast about branding and web design.

You can even connect to Gillian by downloading and listening to her brilliant Scottish accent as she talks about passive income on her new podcast, Sponsored by Coffee. Whatever your favorite way to connect, Gillian is there for you! Reach out and connect today to ask a question or just give a virtual high five!

We would love to hear from you, too!

Are you a Showiteer who would like to be featured in our Showiteer Spotlight? We would love to feature you and are currently filling up our 2019 calendar. We would love to share your story with the community. If you are a photography you can find the Q&A here. Or, if you are in a different creative field, you can find that Q&A here.

*If you, like Gillian, would like to join us at United, hop on to our mailing list here: United.Showit.co. The tickets have sold out, but there is a waiting list! We would so love to meet you there!

Most Images by Megan Kuethen or Regina K Popova C/O Gillian Sarah