Meet Bitsy McCann | Owner of Bitsy Plus Design

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bitsy McCann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bitsy, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I think the most important factor behind the success of my business is being true to who I am – not only as an individual but as a business owner. When I first got started in my career, I said “yes” to everything. You know how it is, you’re trying to build something as well as bring those dollars into your home. It can be a slow process to get that going. But a couple years into my work, I realized that the word “no” cannot only be very strategic, but also very freeing. I run a solopreneurship where I focus on web design, branding, and graphic design for print projects. It is my job and my duty to sometimes tell my clients “no.” Whether it’s in regard to a terrifying color combination they want to choose or a font that’s very outdated, not modern, and wasn’t even impressive when it was launched in 2003 – being able to utilize the word “no” helps me help them further. Saying “no” creates a work environment where I can be completely honest with my clients and truly enjoy the work that I do for them. Through the use of the word “no,” my clients and I can collaborate to find a solution that we are both happy with. Through the use of the word “no,” I don’t have to work with clients that are frustrating and stressful. Through the use of the word “no,” I can be 100% satisfied with the projects that I put out into this world. Even before I meet them, people know that when they come to me, I’m going to be direct and I’m going to be honest. I am not a yes woman. I will not do whatever they want just to make a sale. I would rather have tough conversations that ultimately lead us to a brand that can compete with national accounts. Honesty, directness, and saying “no” have absolutely contributed to my success. And even though all the above sounds very stiff, I also do everything with a ton of positivity and a smile, too!

What should our readers know about your business?
Some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way in no particular order:

Trust your gut. If it feels wrong, it’s probably wrong. If it feels right, it’s probably right.

Stay out of that negative headspace. It does absolutely nothing to help you in your career or your personal life. If you have to start a positivity mantra every single morning, afternoon, and night – DO IT. Being negative makes things take longer, makes you not like yourself as much, and makes other people not like you as much.

Use the Oxford comma. (This is NOT up for debate.)

Make sure to set aside time every day to give your partner and/or your offspring your absolute undivided attention. No phone. No distractions. Just faces looking at faces.

Be obnoxiously grateful.

It’s okay if your brain doesn’t work like everybody else’s. Figure out what works for you, and do that. If you work from 10 AM to 3 PM and again from 9 PM to 1 AM, do it. If you haphazardly work and then take breaks all day, do it. At the bottom of my outgoing signature, it says, “My hours may not be your working hours. Please do not feel obligated to reply outside of your normal work schedule.” (Feel free to steal that.) I think setting this expectation really helps clients understand that I might respond to them in the middle of the night instead of the afternoon.

Pay people what they’re worth, not what you can get away with.

Above all else, be true to yourself. This is your business. No one else’s. Everyone is going to have an opinion, but you have to do what feels right.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Okay, so I think along the way somewhere, I turned into a total homebody. I would rather make cocktails in my own home and have the delicious dishes that my husband can chef up rather then go out anywhere. So our itinerary would probably be food and drinks at my seriously cool midcentury modern ranch home (I can take no credit – we just bought it!) with several thousand trips to the parks in the area to appease my three year old. We would go on a walk by the Susquehanna River, and maybe visit Fort Hunter to take some Instagram worthy pictures. I would obnoxiously drag people into Harrisburg city to visit the state capitol building – which the Smithsonian says is one of the three most beautiful in the United States. If nerds were visiting, we would probably also wander Gettysburg and eat at Appalachian Brewing Company while we were there (super amazing beer garden area). If party people were visiting, we’d have dinner at The Millworks and then go down to Second Street to bar hop and overindulge. If craft beer snobs were visiting, we would swing by Lovedrafts Brewing, Mellow Mink Brewing, Troegs, and tons of the other amazing craft breweries in Central PA. But mostly, I value one-on-one conversations and dedicated personal time with my away-from-here friends. So we would mostly stay in and only venture out if they got a bug to do so.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I know it’s ridiculously cliché, but the shout out has to go to my husband. When I was let go from a job that I had been recruited for about eight years ago, I was pretty depressed. I felt like I was a really hard worker, but being fired made me question myself. Maybe I wasn’t as talented and as hard-working as I thought. After a few weeks of mourning, my husband was like, “What are you gonna do?“ “I don’t know,” I said. “I think you should start your own business,“ he said. “You’re really good at what you do, and I think you’d do really well working for yourself.“ With that prompting, I started my business. Every year, I’ve grown exponentially. Looking back to that first year and where I am now, it’s almost like a dream. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of hard work went into it, but Kevin was there every step of the way. He encouraged me when I felt discouraged. He didn’t gripe at me when I worked weird hours to get a project done on time. Right now, this man is an incredible stay-at-home father to our dope as hell three-year-old daughter. He cooks us healthy meals. He leads our outdoor adventures. He lets me vent on the rare occasion I need to. We consider our relationship a partnership, and he is truly the best partner. Everything that he has done, it has been so wildly supportive of building this thing. So if anyone gets a giant shout out, it’s absolutely him.

Website: https://www.bitsyplusdesign.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bitsymccann/

Facebook: facebook.com/bitsyplusdesign