Meet Sarah Bray of S. Joy Studios
September 7, 2008
Sarah Bray of Virginia Beach isn’t just a St
artup Princess, she’s a WIZARD at designing websites, graphics, and blogs…plus she’s super duper fast in her work and has a heart of gold too. Love this girl!
We met after Sarah started commenting on Startup Princess and then she took great mercy and compassion on our humble blog digs in the Spring and generously sponsored our new redesign and elevated our reach/professional look 100x. We will always see Sarah as our very own Fairy Godmother and miracle. We’ve since recommended her to many new startups and will continue to do so because she does solid work, offers fair pricing and has a great sense of style too. She recently completed Startup Princess Liz Rosenbaum Fitness website and blog, and it’s doing fabulously well for her…great job Sarah.
It is with pleasure that we share the love to Sarah and introduce you to her company, S. Joy Studios! Please remember her for your web needs and check out her great newly designed site, blog and portfolio too.
Enjoy her interview!
Hometown: Hendersonville, TN
Current Residence (City, State): Virginia Beach, VA
Education: Liberty U., ODU, and Regent U. (still haven’t finished…argggh!)
Professional Background (brief, please): I’ve been messing around with HTML since my family got our first computer back in the eighth grade. I’ve always loved code and design…it’s a way for my geeky/creative sides to come together.
What you wanted to be when you grew up: First woman President of the United States. I was always jealous of girls who were older than me because I figured they’d get there first.
What you are: Web developer
Brief Summary of your Start Up: My husband and I started S.Joy Studios back in February out of a desire to work together and have our home be the center of industry in our lives. He’s an animator/artist/graphic designer and I’m a coder/visual artist. So it works well.
Company Website? www.sjoystudios.com
What inspired you? The DIY/Craft movement, believe it or not. I kept trying to make things, but I was always drawn back to my computer. Resistance was futile.
How long have you been in business? 7 months
How did you fund it? Our own pockets.
Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? Not really. I know a lot of women who have started their own businesses, but I’ve met them all online. People closer to home are a little less transparent about how they achieved their growth.
Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? I’m getting ready to be a part of one that one of my clients is starting.
Current Business Challenge? marketing, Marketing, MARKETING!
What are you doing about it? I’m marketing more. 
Favorite motivational quote: “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” Mark Twain
Family? My husband John and I have been married for 7 1/2 years, and we have a 3 year old son named Nolan and an 18 month old daughter named Lilah.
If so, how do you balance family and business? Always, always put them first. As they get older, we plan to include them in the family business using their special gifts and talents.
Favorite book? I LOVE to read, so this is very very difficult for me. Ummm…if I can’t skip the question, I guess I’ll say Jane Eyre.
What do you do to relax? Read.
What do you want to change most about your world? I want families to be able to be together more. I’m saddened by the fact that as a country, we work so much and play so little.
What are you most proud of? My family, definitely.
What advice would you like to offer other Startup Princesses? This might sound awful, but it’s very freeing for me — you can’t have it all. Prioritize your life so that you have the most IMPORTANT things. Hire someone else to do the rest, if it must be done.
Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? The library! I am always there, it seems, picking up some new inspiration or just relaxing in the utter quiet. It’s the quietest place I know of, and with two young children, even occasional silence is a gift.
If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Fire opals! My mom used to have a ring with a fire opal in it, and I always coveted it.
Would you be interested in being a Fairy Godmother to another woman entrepreneur? Well, certainly.
What business subjects would you feel comfortable mentoring in? Website advice
I will agree that Sarah is AWESOME! I couldn’t believe how fast my website went from a little humble idea in my mind to something fabulous and inviting! Sarah worked with my small budget and went way beyond what I expected of her. Thanks Sarah!
p.s. I am SO glad I have a face now to put with your voice! (wink!)
Haha! Liz, you are so great. I am AMAZED at how quickly you have turned your website into such an excellent resource! I just love this Startup Princess community, and I’m really thankful that Kelly has put together such a great resource for us.
[...] Kelly Anderson so kindly interviewed me to be featured on her website for women entrepreneurs, StartupPrincess.com. Kelly is one of those gals that you wish lived right next door (and if you live in Utah, she [...]
Nice to learn more about you, Sarah! I love the Startup Princess site and love Liz’s site too, it’s SO CLEAN. I love that. I thought you had been in business for years, and was suprised to learn it’s only been the last 7 months! Great work in such a short time.
I also love what you said about families being together more. I totally agree, and I’m happy for you that you get to be working at home!