Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisette Harrington.
Hi Lisette, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I never intended to be a brand and web designer.
I am a first-generation American with immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic. They sacrificed so much to come to this country, and also pave the way for their siblings to come and pursue the American Dream. I grew up hearing the stories of the devastating poverty they endured. I grew up knowing that just by being born in the United States, I had opportunities my parents never had in life. So I knew I had to do my best, not just for myself, but also for them.
My original goal in life was to be an orthodontist. I wanted to go into the medical field to both “be accomplished,” have a secure financial future, and support my parents in their golden years. I loved science: Biology, genetics, anatomy + physiology. I went to college with bright dreams and started out as a bio major with a pre-dentistry/pre-med track.
But I was ignoring my artistic soul in the process. As I struggled with chemistry and pre-calculus, I would distinctly hear Mozart in my mind. This makes sense, as I was passionate about classical music and sang opera in high school. I’m a soul that seeks out beauty in the world around me. I eventually changed my major to music, and my life changed. I had an amazing voice teacher who became a mentor and helped me not only become a better singer and artist but also see the world through a different lens.
He taught me a major life lesson: Stop apologizing for your talents. Humility doesn’t mean you need to shrink yourself. Share your energy with the world, wholeheartedly and without any reservations.
How did you end up becoming a web designer for medical spas?
I never considered web design as a career, although I had an eye for it. In my first job out of college, I managed the website for my father’s independent insurance agent. Later, I used my music degree and taught in the Baltimore City public school system. I was tasked with teaching a technology course one semester, and I was once again reminded of how comfortable I felt around technology.
I started a personal blog in 2012. I taught myself how to make aesthetic changes to web design in 2013 and immediately started taking on other blog design clients. I now have 10 years of experience in web design, social media creation, growing my Pinterest traffic, optimizing sites for SEO, and hundreds of web design clients.
I became a client of med spas when I first got Botox. Then, I found an injector whose work I LOVED, but her website didn’t reflect the amazing talent she had. It was then that I realized I could take my love of science and the arts and help the medical aesthetic community… and, Mila Design Co. was born.
I love giving med spas a glow-up… because after all, that’s what they do for their clients day in and day out.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Unless you specifically go out into the world knowing you’re going to be a small business owner, no one prepares you for this journey. The ups and downs of entrepreneurship are not for the faint of heart.
As is common with most creative and artistic people, there’s always a lot of imposter syndrome. Am I cut out for this? Am I good enough? Did I do my best? Will my client be happy with this?
I feel that if an entrepreneur asks themselves all of these questions (myself included) it means that we care about our craft. We care enough to keep questioning our process, improving on things we feel don’t feel confident about, and continually learn new things to keep us competitive.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love creating beautiful websites for medical spas. But the brand strategy is the driving force behind a successful med spa website. Many times, a client will come to me with a logo they commissioned as a standalone deliverable… but a logo is just the tip of the iceberg.
There’s SO MUCH that needs to be established before creating a logo that fully represents your brand. Such as:
Your brand’s mission.
Your brand’s voice.
Your brand’s personality.
Your brand values.
Your ideal audience <— we do EVERYTHING with them in mind.
Then, and only then can we create the brand’s visual identity (logo, logo variations, color palette, typography, etc.) that will appeal to the right people. More often than not, business owners create a brand identity with THEIR personal tastes in mind. That’s okay. We all start somewhere. But my goal is to help them transcend that and elevate their brand into the visual identity that moves the needle in their business.
Having a solid brand is essential to creating a website that converts. This is a conversation I have with every client. And I love creating this for them! When it comes to web design, I take a strategy-first approach. I take SEO and page speed into account BEFORE making things beautiful.
Like any injector will tell you, achieving beauty needs strategy and precision. And that’s the same perspective I take when designing websites.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Despite my musical abilities, I can’t whistle to save my life, haha.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.miladesignco.com
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@miladesignco_
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miladesignco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miladesignco
Image Credits
Pompy Portraits
