Behind the Business with Diona Murray

Design is an essential element to the success of any business. Branding, marketing and promotion all rely on creative masterminds who translate organization messaging into colors, shapes, textures and fonts. As the world becomes increasingly digital, graphic design has become a key component in capturing the attention of consumers and differentiating your business. The next entrepreneur featured in the “Behind the Business” Series has created a successful business within the colorful and ever-evolving design world. 

DionaNicole Design Studio was founded in 2006 by Diona Nicole Murray. Originally known as OniNicole, this business has morphed over the years to become a leading design firm in the city of Philadelphia. As an art and design business, DionaNicole Design Studio connects with visionaries to help bring other businesses to life. To Diona, design is not just another visual distraction, instead, it is an opportunity to tell the story of a company through visual branding. “I help them tell their story”, stated Diona when she sat down with Planning 2 Perfection’s Egypt Graham. 

FROM CORPORATE TO CREATIVE

Coming from a working-class family, running her own business was not top of mind but creativity was always present in her life. Fresh out of college, Diona entered into the corporate world as a working professional in the fashion industry. After the charm of a new job post-grad wore off, Diona quickly realized her passion was running thin. “I felt like I was forever enslaved by someone else” was how she described the intense and time demanding nature of the fashion industry. Diona recognized that she desired more from her work and, furthermore, she recognized that she deserved the opportunity to do work that fulfilled her on her own terms. With this spirit in mind, Diona began to consider entrepreneurship as her next option.  Diona found motivation and inspiration from her two mentors, Natalie Nixon, a college professor and Terry Matthews, a serial entrepreneur, along the way.

STRUCTURE IS KEY

For entrepreneurs just getting started on their business journey, Diona highlights the importance of taking the time to truly plan and structure your business. More important than structuring the business from the very beginning, is continuing to reevaluate and readjust your structure as necessary. In addition to structuring the business “I wish that I would have financially prepared myself” is another lesson learned on Diona’s entrepreneurial journey. Gathering a sturdy pool of money for start-up costs and business emergencies is a must for ensuring financial stability. Diona’s other pieces of advice include quick communication with clients, carving out time in your schedule to delegate work and starting your day early to increase productivity. Even throughout times of doubt and insecurity, Diona finds her confidence through having a strong strategy and plan of action to fall back on. 

TIME FOR FAMILY

Like many entrepreneurs, Diona is a working mother. When asked what her most rewarding experience was on her journey to success, owning her own time was top of the list. For entrepreneurs, time is often more valuable than money. For Diona, having the time to spend with her daughter and family made taking the leap of faith into entrepreneurship worth it. Entrepreneurship requires many sacrifices but often comes with the reward of greater autonomy and decision-making power over your own life. 

Freedom, Balance and Challenging are the three words that came to mind for Diona when asked to describe her entrepreneurial journey. These three key words are what most people can expect when they enter into the exhilarating world of entrepreneurship. 

You can learn more about Diona Nicole Murray and her business DionaNicole Design Studio, on her website and Instagram.

ABOUT THE SERIES

“Behind the Business: Insights from the Everyday Entrepreneur” is a written interview series developed by the Planning 2 Perfection team. In each interview, we will explore the entrepreneurial journeys of everyday people turned self-starter and how they have been able to grow their business. Interviews will span across various industries to offer a wide array of advice, learning lessons and personal anecdotes.