Alyssa Downey shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Alyssa, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
I bring a blend of intense passion, high-level expertise, and refreshing kindness to my collaborations.
I didn’t just decide to pick up design one day; it runs in my blood! I’ve literally be designing things since high school. What inspires me most in my work is learning about other people’s businesses. I’m in my design bubble all day, and I love having a window into other people’s worlds. It’s also incredibly admirable to me that people have the drive and ambition to build a business around the thing they love, grow it from the ground up, and use their products or services to better the lives of others. The opportunity to learn abut their work and contribute to their journeys in the form of design work is something I’m immensely grateful for.
With a decade+ of experience working in the design industry, my clients can also rest assured that when they work with me, they’re not just getting a pretty design; they’re getting a powerful tool that will help their business grow towards their goals.
And last but certainly not least, I recognize that I know design like the back of my hand, but most other business owners do not. It’s important to me that the design process feels approachable, not confusing, stressful, or arrogant. Clients should never feel silly or shamed for asking questions or misunderstanding how something works or why something is a certain way when it comes to design. I love de-mystifying design and helping educate my clients with kindness so that they feel well-equipped to use their designs successfully once our project is finished.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Alyssa Downey (formerly Phillips when I interviewed with you in 2023). I own a one-person design studio called Amp’d Designs®. I design brands and websites for business owners that are deeply rooted in strategy, core values, and goals, and look beautiful too.
I’m also the founder of Make Your Design Matter®, which provides mentorship and education for self-employed designers. I help them ditch the “fake it till you make it” mindset and feel confident working with clients.
I’ve been self employed full-time for 8 years now, and feel incredibly grateful to love what I do and the people I work with every day.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Almost exactly 1 year ago, in September of 2024, Asheville, NC, where I live was hit with the very catastrophic Hurricane Helene. It wiped out entire towns, destroyed people’s homes and businesses, and completely changed our community overnight.
A couple weeks before the hurricane hit, I had actually been working with a realtor client, and we’d discussed how Asheville was so appealing because it was somewhat of a “climate haven,” a little bubbld in the mountains protected from extreme weather like forest fires, draughts, floods, earthquakes, tornados, or pretty much any other natural disaster. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s a landlocked mountain town 300 miles from the coast.
Just a few weeks later, we were sadly eating our words.
This client’s home was flooded. Another client lost their brick and mortar space, which they had just opened 6 months prior. Another client lost their entire inventory. Countless others suffered immeasurable damage, to their businesses and personally. Lives were lost, and everyone was completely in shock that something like that could happen where we lived.
What struck me was how the community came together. Everyone wanted to help each other. Neighbors bonded. People made supply runs. Donations poured in. There was so much hope.
After the storm, all of my active projects were delayed — understandably so! My clients had much bigger problems to focus on. During my down time, I shifted to helping the local business community.
I started by offering pro bono design services to businesses in need. For example, if a business had previously been selling in-person only, I’d help them set up an e-commerce store on their website. Or if a business needed to make a big shift or announcement due to the hurricane, I’d create social media announcement graphics for them.
It quickly became apparent that the local business community’s typical marketing methods were not going to work anymore for the foreseeable future. Tourism was going to take a hit at a time when businesses were most dependent on it for their sustainability. And locals were focused on rebuilding their homes, not buying handmade products. So, my friend Nicole McConville (who has also been interviewed on Canvas Rebel) and I created a monthly virtual event to teach local business owners how to pivot their marketing to attract customers and clients outside of Asheville who had the ability to invest in their offerings more immediately.
I also shifted my own personal marketing to highlighting my clients who needed support or were leading initiatives to help the community. My goal shifted from marketing my own business to getting eyes on those in need.
I was very fortunate that for the rest of 2024, I was not in dire need of income, so this lull in paid client work was not hugely detrimental. However, I knew that 2025 would likely be very slow; my clients have always been about 85% local, and local businesses were going to be focused on rebuilding, not investing in design services. So I needed to start thinking about how I was going to sustain my own design business.
Historically, most of my business has come through referrals and local networking. My local Asheville community has always been a wonderful, collaborative, compassionate resource. So, I started thinking about how I can build community online with people outside of Asheville, at least for the time being to sustain my business while the local business community was rebuilding.
I started attending virtual networking events to get to know business owners in other cities, and even started my own monthly event by inviting several colleagues from other cities, who each invited some of their colleagues. I also focused in on speaking at virtual summits where I could share workshops and design education in front of national and international audiences. I organized collaborations with colleagues in other cities, such as blog post swaps and newsletter takeovers, where we each had the opportunity to speak to each other’s audiences. And, I started a YouTube channel where I share educational videos for self-employed designers on a monthly basis.
All of these new initiatives have been full of their own challenges and experiments, and required patience to see results. But they’ve all only underlined the value of community and relationships, and how supportive and kind people can be when you put yourself out there, even when it’s uncomfortable.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Hurricane Helene was a brutal reminder that nothing is promised, and all the planning in the world can’t prepare you for unprecedented situations. As business owners, we have to be able to embrace change and pivots. We have to be proactive if we want our businesses to succeed. We need to look to our communities and remember that we don’t have to do everything alone. And, after taking time to process our emotions, resilience will help us come out just as strong, if not even stronger, on the other side.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Recently, I’ve seen quite a lot of talk online about how relying on referrals alone is not a sustainable marketing strategy. I completely disagree.
Most of my business for the past 8 years has come through referrals, word of mouth, and existing relationships. There is nothing more powerful than relationships. Every other marketing method may get you quick sales, but real, genuine relationships will get you consistent, high-quality sales for the long term.
This has only been proven to me this past year post-Helene. My community in Asheville is what has kept my business afloat. While 2025 was slow (as I predicted), and I did work hard to build relationships outside of Asheville, I was fortunate to have a lot of projects with past clients, which essentially kept my business afloat. I’m incredibly grateful that my past clients enjoy working with me enough that they continue to reach out, even when there may be quicker or cheaper options for them to get design work. I truly believe this speaks to the quality of our relationships, the trust that we have built with each other, and the fact that we genuinely value each other beyond business transactions. Without my clients, my business wouldn’t exist. I never forget this, and it’s important to me that my clients know how grateful I am to be connected with them.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I mentioned that I started focusing on virtual networking this year. I also talked about the value of relationships for the long-term sustainability of a business. I don’t expect the virtual networking to pay off immediately. Just like it took me years to start seeing significant results from networking and relationship-building in my local community, I expect virtual networking to be the same if not more difficult; since I can’t physically be in a room with people, the relationship is arguably more difficult to build. This is really important for me to keep in mind, because it can often feel like my efforts are fruitless. It can feel like I’m going to all these events, meeting, all these people, having all these amazing and genuine conversations…but getting nowhere. But it truly takes time to see results.
You’re not going to go to a couple networking events and have 10 new clients in a month. But by going to the same events over and over again, seeing the same people, keeping in touch with people, and showing them that you care about them as real human beings beyond just business transactions — that pays off tenfold in the long term.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ampddesigns.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ampd_designs/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ampd-designs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ampddesigns
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@makeyourdesignmatter
- Other: https://www.threads.com/@ampd_designs
Image Credits
Headshot by Nicole McConville
