Hey, I'm Darnell. šš¾āāļø
Iām a community-building creative specializing in digital branding, marketing, and storytelling. Here are some different eras from my professional life.
The Innocent Era
Ever since I was 4 or 5, Iāve loved to create. Drawing famous people, sketching superheroes, painting landscapes - you name it. To hone my passion for putting things on paper, I practiced daily and took art classes throughout grade school. If you're lucky, you'll get to see some of that artwork someday.
In ā93, we moved from Chicago to Charlotte (NC) as my folks wanted better jobs and safer neighborhoods. The move broke my heart, but I bounced back quickly by making friends and playing video games.Ā Shout out to Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Shinobi, and Sonic!
Drawing was just an outlet until people started paying me to do portraits of them. š³ At age 12, I picked and sold pecans in $2 baggies: my first hustle. By 13, I was mowing lawns for $20 a yard: my second hustle. At 14, I landed my first legit job as a restaurant cashier. No more pecan-slinging and lawnmowing, but I still drew, though!
As high school was ending, graphic design became my college major. I needed a career backup related to visual arts in case I never became a comic book artist. Update: I didn't. After applying for a grant and some financial aid, I enrolled at a local college. Eighteen months later, in 2003, I graduated with an Associate Degree in Graphic Design, plus I made the Deanās List of Excellence. Yeah, I'm an over-achiever, don't hate.
The Wild EraĀ
Finishing college was cool, but I had $20K in student debt to pay back. š³ Damn. Then came the bright idea of moving out independently, buying a new car without any savings, and juggling jobs. Double-damn. Fortunately, I soon found employment as a graphic designer. I landed my own apartment, a set of new wheels, a nice job in my chosen field, and a steady paycheck earning more than I ever had before. Things were great. For a time...
By 2008, Iād outgrown my design job and was hunting for another. I sent my resumĆ© everywhere, but no one would bite. Assuming employers just werenāt that interested in me, one morning, I woke up with an epiphany.
"Maybe no one wants me because it's time for me to go at it alone! Maybe it's time to start my own firm and hire myself? If my boss did it, why can't I?"
Then came another series of bright ideas: buy a house, get a newer car while Iām at it, and tell my job āpeace out!ā with a two-week notice and no backup job nor financial runway. So I did exactly those things. In that order. Oh, and this was all during the recession of 2008, mind you. Boy, was I tap-dancing on a razor blade.
The Freelancing EraĀ
By then, I'd racked up some serious debt, but I could only go forward; I couldnāt retreat. Too proud. And naive. So I dove headfirst into freelance graphic design, passing out flyers and business cards, taking on any project I could, crushing 80 hours a week, while holding down a part-time job as a meal delivery driver.
A couple of months later, I was fully in the freelance circuit, working remotely from my Charlotte home office. By 2013, Iād created logos and websites for well over 100 clients across Australia, Europe, Africa, and North America.
The next thing I know, Iām being offered company shares plus monthly retainers by two tech startups in exchange for my exclusivity, time, and IP. Over the next few years, my branding efforts helped both companies raise over $2M in investment capital while I earned a six-figure salary: a peak of my professional life thus far.
One of these two startups sailed, but I was let go during downsizing, so I cashed out. The other startup failed around the same time, my stock dissolved, and just like that, they were both gone, and I was on the outs.Ā
Then came another series of bright ideas: sell my current home, buy a bigger one, and sell my car to lease two new ones for my wife and me.
The New EraĀ
After a few more hits and misses, Iām taking all I learned over the past couple of decades and sharing it with my fellow creative entrepreneurs in Forge. My wife and I also started a cruelty-free skincare care line called LETELLIER to help people use better skincare.
Look, entrepreneurship is hard AF. Itās not all Boats N' Hoes, gold, and rainbows. You put it all on the line to create your own destiny without any guarantees. This life isnāt for everyone. You lose money. You work insane hours. You sacrifice relationships and time you canāt get back. You have to be a little crazy to bet on yourself with all your imperfections and flaws.
Iāve made many mistakes in life. I donāt know it all, and I donāt have it all together. And though I continue to fail, if I get up, tend to my lumps and bruises, and get back into the arena - that itās own success. Iām no luckier than you; Iām no smarter than you. Iām just a guy who fails forward. If Iāve seen more success than you, itās because Iāve failed more than you. And Iām still here. Sharing my experiences and insights with you.
300+
Worldwide clients served across various industries and verticals
56
5-star ratings and reviews on everything from logos to consulting
17
Years in entrepreneurship as a creative fractional and freelancer
3
Certifications in entrepreneurship and workshop facilitation
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Ā© 2008 - 2025 Darnell Brown d/b/a Bulletproof Hustle. All rights reserved.