Each Friday, we highlight an entwined community member who works in the TWINdustry of the Week. This week's post is by Julia Satovsky, twin mom and owner of J4 Design in the San Francisco area. Many pregnant women face a question of whether to continue working after giving birth or to become a stay-at-home mom. Some also consider working from home, working part-time, or starting their own business. For me working from home or part-time was not an option, and I really didn’t like the idea of going back to work and leaving preemie twins at home with a nanny. Living in San Francisco on one salary is not easy! So my husband suggested that I start my own business. Working for myself was something that I’ve never done before, and never even considered. However, I was open to the idea, and after much thought and contemplation, I quit my job, and went to the City Hall to get a business license.
Coming up with a business name was almost as hard as coming up with names for the twins. It was especially hard because I was not 100% exactly what I was going to be doing. I knew that I was good at arts, crafts, computers, design, and marketing, so I wanted the name to be vague enough to cover any direction in which my business might take off. “J4 Design” was the final choice and it reflects both my skills and my family. There are four people in my family and all of our names start with a letter “J” - the word “design” covers any kind of creative services that might be required - so J4 Design was the winner!
Since the inception of J4 Design, 80% of my work was obtained through “word of mouth” or some kind of personal connection. I designed a business card and put together a website for myself, and started passing out cards to all my friends and other parents that met at playgrounds, playgroups, kids classes, etc. My husband also talks to all of his clients about my business. I have also advertised in local parents groups newsletters and the local parents of multiples club – San Francisco Parents of Multiples.
I started helping people with custom holiday cards, websites, photo correction and photo manipulation, business cards, slideshows, magazine ads, stickers and brochures. I have edited videos, designed wine labels, and even painted clothing, furniture and murals in kids rooms. I try not turn down any project. I’ve been asked many times “Can you do ....?” and 99.9% of the time the answer is “Yes!” Being resourceful and flexible has been a big part of me trying to get more work. My favorite project so far was a present for a friend’s husband’s 50th birthday. She sent me a bunch of photos of him and paired him up with famous people, making it look like he was really there. She printed out those images, framed them, and put them all around her house. He was very surprised and it was unique and really fun for everybody!
I love the flexibility of working for myself, not having to rush off to the office in the morning, not having to fill out vacation request forms, and being able to be with my kids, take them to classes and playgroups, and pick them up after school. There is a downside to almost anything. I am responsible with tracking my own time, invoicing and billing people, and of course doing all of the accounts receivables and accounts payables. Taxes are also a lot more complicated when you run your own business, as you often need to track your phone calls and car mileage for example, to receive appropriate deductions. However, overall there are a lot more positive sides to having your own business and I strongly encourage everybody to consider starting their own business whenever possible. entwined community creates a great way for parents of multiples to have an instant client base with people who are interested in their services. J4 Design is a proud entwined community member business and offers 10% off services for entwined community members!
Julia Satovsky has identical twin girls and owns J4 Design in San Francisco, CA. Contact her at
julia@j4design.com .
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