Sugar Design Studio helps couple balance work, home life

With two demanding careers, however, the Hollands felt pulled in too many directions, and arranging to work late or travel for business was made more challenging by the fact that they have two young children.

In 2006, Jann joined Russ at Sugar Graphics, adding her talent to the marketing and graphic design firm which does business as Sugar Design Studio, and the Hollands agree that the move has been good for the family.

“We were trying to manage two careers, and now we’re both in the same dinghy together, growing one business rather than growing two different careers,” Jann Holland said.

“It’s been really good for our family dynamic. I feel like we’re more united in our career and our family priorities. We’ve got one mission here.”

That mission is to assist clients in southwest Missouri with their marketing and design needs in print, interactive and broadcast media. Russ serves as creative director, and Jann is the president, handling marketing strategy and account project management.

In Atlanta, Russ Holland’s Hot Head Studios grew big enough that Jann was able to stay home with Eva, now 10, and Truett, 6. But he’s glad to split parenting duties evenly with his wife.

“I’ve always had a passion for being a team, instead of falling into, ‘Well, you’re going to be the breadwinner, and I’m going to be a stay-at-home mom,’” he said. “Jann and I have always complemented one another in certain ways. We both thrive in what we do professionally, and it reflects in our personal life as well.”

A natural move

For Russ Holland, who’s been self-employed since the early 1990s, having Jann join the company felt like a natural progression.

This isn’t the first time the couple worked together, having met at Turner Broadcasting in downtown Atlanta, but he said it took Jann a little while to warm up to the idea of having a sole source of income for the family.

“I had a friend tell me … that nothing motivates like fear,” Jann Holland said, laughing.

Russ noted that sometimes, having two incomes from separate companies can create a false sense of security.

“Jann and I had dual incomes, but they were in the same industry,” he said. “The reality is that if people stop buying advertising or marketing because of the downturn in the economy, neither one of you is really safe.”

Sugar Design, which employs Marcus Grisham and Jason Stanbery in addition to the Hollands, has a client base that is spread across multiple industries, including real estate and health care. The company’s regional focus is a strategic move.

“We don’t really want to travel (or) be away from our kids or our family … and that’s worked out real well,” Russ Holland said.

Lebanon-based Landau Boats is among the roughly two dozen clients on Sugar Design’s roster. President Charles Clinard said the Hollands’ company designed Landau’s 16-page 2008 catalog and are working on the 2009 version, which will come out in November. Sugar Design also worked with Springfield Web development firm Wehrenberg Design Co. to create a new Web site, www.landauboats.com.

“They’re very accommodating, customer-driven, customer-oriented (and) creative,” Clinard said of the Hollands. “They’re nice people to work with.”

Like most couples, the Hollands report that they do sometimes have disagreements, but they say they just agree to move forward and not dwell on them.

“Because we see each other so much … we don’t really have time for it,” Russ Holland said.

In 2007, Sugar Design posted revenues of $250,000, and in February, the business moved to 3619 South Ave. from a downtown location on Park Central East.

The move puts the Hollands closer to Immaculate Conception School, which their children attend, making it easier to be involved with school activities. When there’s early dismissal or snow days, they can bring the kids to work – no management approval needed.

“The kids have their own computer here, so they come in and work on the computer or bring their homework,” Jann Holland said. “It’s empowering, because we’re able to do (that).”

The couple does talk about work at home, though they aren’t consumed by it.

“You never know … when you’ll suddenly have an idea,” she added.

And there are times that are reserved for family.

“Dinnertime is, 90 percent of the time, pretty sacred, in that we’re all there,” Russ Holland said. “When I’m really slammed, after the kids go to bed … then I’ll go back to work, whether it be at home, or (if) I have to go back to the office.” That flexibility is something he might not have if he worked for someone else.

“You have to be there when they want you there,” he added.

While the Hollands expect to see growth, Russ Holland said there’s not a specific target – and that it will depend on finding the right people for the work.

“It’s really difficult to find talent that can deliver what we want to deliver … so it’s really hard to bank on that,” he said.

Competition isn’t so much an issue as understanding who does what in the marketplace. Atlanta was much more competitive, he added, but there was a lot more work. Much of his experience there was in the entertainment industry, and now that the company is broadening its horizons, he’s working to figure out which companies he might serve.

“Everybody keeps their clients close to their chest (here),” he said. “I don’t know who does what work … and it’s been somewhat of a challenge for me to make inroads, because if people are happy with the work that’s being done for them, they don’t go looking around. You don’t have a great opportunity to unseat somebody just because you’re new in town.” [[In-content Ad]]