We had the good fortune of connecting with Jordan Ashley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordan, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
My favorite quote that has followed me through both life and business is one by Ralph Waldo Emerson. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

I think the applies to not only day to day life, but also to small business.
There is a reason that each small business is successful and that is because YOU make your business unique. The greatest accomplishment is customers and clients knowing YOU for a business that YOU have built.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I own Little Black Logo, a small logo and website design business that is run out of my little farm house just outside of Columbus, Ohio.

The biggest and best thing that I have done with my business is create genuine connections, not only personally with my clients (who a lot of are now friends!), but also to connect small businesses with other small businesses! Like the boutique owner that needs a bookkeeper, or the lawn care company that needs shirts printed or embroidered and even the author who is publishing their first book that needs new headshots for the inside cover! Creating a community and a network of small business owners who can also support other small businesses is one of the most rewarding and exciting pieces of my business!

I think my business has been able to thrive and grow because of the relationships and community that has come with helping people brand and grow their own small businesses. I have learned that there is nothing better than word of mouth marketing and that comes from really caring about the work that you do, but more importantly caring for the clients you work with.

A big piece of my business is affordability for the small business community. Typically small businesses are born out of passion or necessity, and those two beginnings don’t always start with a big checking account, and I understand that more than most. When starting Little Black Logo, I started it out of the necessity to create more income for my family while we worked on paying off debt. I didn’t have a ton of money to get started and actually purchasing my design software was a BIG oops, I just wanted the two week free trial. But, i forgot to cancel my subscription before the two weeks ended (we all know how that goes) and suddenly I needed to find a way to not only generate more income for my family, but also pay off this year of design software I just purchased… and THAT is how Little Black Logo was born.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would probably do a “small business” week because my bestie also owns her own small business in Pennsylvania!

For food I would go to Nutcracker Family Restaurant in Pataskala, OH for some AMAZING breakfast one morning, Enjoy some Ron’s BBQ and Catering from his food truck that travels all over central Ohio. Grab some ice cream from The Dairy Hut or Welden’s Ice Cream Factory at Buckeye Lake.

I would take her to Heart of a Warrior Farm an amazing non-profit horse barn in Granville, OH and then take our kiddos to Better Together Playnasium right down the street from the farm! Or get to meet some highland cows at Coopers Knoll Farm!
We’d go shop with Mind Your Body Soap Co, Effortless Chic Boutique and maybe take a make up class with Rapunzel’s Radiance in Columbus!

There are so many small businesses and small business owners that we could fill an entire week just shopping and supporting small!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh this is a HARD one, and only because I am so thankful to have so many people who have supported me, believed in me and poured into me while building my brand and my business.

If you haven’t heard the full story of how Little Black Logo came to be, let me give you a little summary. Little Black Logo happened on ACCIDENT! It is my little “oops” business and that is all because of Dave Ramsey (yup, the pay off debt guy) and Christy Wright.

We were struggling financially and I was doing EVERYTHING I knew how to do to earn extra money and pay off debt using Dave Ramsey’s basic principles. I started by charging jut a few dollars to make custom social media graphics and then used my close friends as guinea pigs for designing logos and charging $25 per design and all of a sudden I had made a few hundred dollars that went to pay down debt.

I then learned that there was a WHOLE SMALL BUSINESS section of his brand by Christy Wright, author of Business Boutique, which is a book that changed how I looked at running a small business and creating sustainable income from that small business.

Of course, my family and friends have been there every step of the way, on the good days and the ones where I want to throw in the towel. I could not run a small business without those in my circle who are constantly encouraging, asking how they can help and making sure people know about my business!

Website: www.LittleBlackLogo.com

Instagram: @LittleBlackLogo

Facebook: facebook.com/littleblacklogo

Other: Find me on TikTok! @jordlittleblacklogo

Image Credits
Aunt Jenn Photography

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