Building Pacific Brand Lab

Starting Pacific Brand Lab wasn't a lightning-bolt moment—it was more like watching pieces slowly fall into place until suddenly, I realized I was building something bigger than just client projects.

I'd been freelancing for years, working across different industries, developing skills in everything from 3D modeling to motion graphics to Webflow development. Each project taught me something new, but I was starting to feel the pull toward specialization. The question was: where did I actually want to focus?

The answer came from looking at where my work was making the biggest impact. I noticed that my commercial real estate clients had unique needs that many generalist designers struggled to understand. CRE isn't just about making things look pretty—it's about understanding relationships, property positioning, stakeholder communication, and creating digital presences that serve both tenants and investors.

So I made a bet: instead of trying to be everything to everyone, I'd build an agency that deeply understood one industry. Pacific Brand Lab became focused on commercial real estate branding, web design and development, and portfolio management systems. We developed PortfolioSync specifically to solve problems our CRE clients faced with property showcasing.

Going from freelancer to founder meant learning an entirely new set of skills. I wasn't just designing anymore—I was building systems, managing client relationships strategically, thinking about brand positioning (my own), and creating repeatable processes. While I'm finishing my Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design at Full Sail University, I'm also running a business, and the two inform each other in unexpected ways.

The truth about starting your own studio is that it's terrifying and energizing in equal measure. You're responsible for everything—the quality of the work, the client experience, the business strategy, the late-night troubleshooting when a website breaks. But you also get to build exactly what you envisioned: a design practice that reflects your values, serves clients at the highest level, and creates work you're genuinely proud of.

From that kid experimenting with Photoshop on a touch device to the founder of a specialized design agency, it's been a winding path. But every detour, every unexpected experience, every client that pushed me to grow—they all led here. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

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