Instead of it being a “Woman You Should Know”, today it’s more about a Women’s Brand You Should Know, because I sat down with Ashley Stewart, just one of the founders behind The Patent Pump, an all-female powerhouse for branding (located in Baton Rouge, LA) that just reached its two-year anniversary. Very cool. So, here’s the scoop:
1. How did you get the idea to start The Patent Pump?
The idea for The Patent Pump is a manifestation of the saying “Do What You Love”. Krystal (my good girlfriend and business partner) and I both were in situations where we weren’t exactly exercising our creativity or using our superpowers in a lane that we felt fiery about. After dissolving a blog we both authored for, the idea sort of came naturally to put our strengths together. Her strength is digital marketing & strategy, while mine is visual communication & creative direction.
2. What makes it different from other branding businesses?
There are a couple of obvious reasons The Patent Pump is different from other branding services. Firstly it’s an all female powerhouse, each member of our team is a woman. That in itself is out-of-this-world. Secondly, The Patent Pump marries brand consultative services with creative services in order to produce tangible and intangible results. We’re able to not only develop strategies but also creatively execute them in-house.
3. What is the best part about working for yourself? The worst part?
The best part of working for yourself is the freedom. To truly be free – in that other aspects of life don’t enslave you – you have to go through a lot of self development. The journey to realizing and really knowing yourself is beautiful and unmatched.
The worst part? Is rightfully, that same journey of self development. Most days you experience a range of emotions, because stability is a fleeting concept when you first begin to work for yourself. As you grow and the more wisdom you acquire the more encouraged to manifest the vision.
4. How has Baton Rouge shaped your business?
Baton Rouge has been a fan to the flame. In a small town where tradition is a pillar, it challenges The Patent Pump to really shake things up, to think in and out of the box.
5. How do you stay creative?
I stay creative by communicating and consuming. I’m a big talker, I love to listen to stories, and I will be spend hours scrolling the internet just for general purposes. Krystal is pretty much the same. She’s a music-lover and she loves to talk! She is also a daily news consumer; so her list of daily online visits is just as diverse as her musical taste.
6. What’s next for The Patent Pump?
The Patent Pump turned 2 on Feb 14th! As we head into our toddler years, the need to be tenacious but tedious presents itself. Our goal is to really push to accomplish our mission, which is to rid the world of “superficiality without cleverness”. We understand the importance of face-value but we also present the challenge to be more than skin-deep and live with purpose.
The Bitter Lemon 