Tell us a little bit about yourself, your family, and where you’re from.
I’m Alex—wife to Max, dog mom to Jax, creative brain, color enthusiast, and taco fanatic. I grew up just west of The River District in Aledo, TX and was fortunate enough to attend Fort Worth Country Day K-12. From there, I hit the West Coast for college to attend Chapman University where I majored in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Broadcast Journalism. While I had always thought I would live in California for a while post-grad, this Texan had to come back to the Lone Star State. I missed the hospitality, the people, and the Tex-Mex way too much. After graduation, I worked in in-house marketing for both non-profit and for-profit companies while building my side hustle that would eventually become Bluebird Creative. When I am not working, you’ll find me in the kitchen cooking, on the Trinity Trails walking Jax, or taking a weekend trip to Anywhere, USA. I am in a permanent state of wanderlust.
When did you move to The River District, and why did you decide to move here?
Max and I moved to The River District in 2017 shortly after we got married. We were both looking for a neighborhood feel with a backyard for our soon-to-be dog Jax, and after looking at available options in Fort Worth, nothing felt right. We both wanted what felt like the impossible at the time: land and proximity to everything in Fort Worth.
One day, Max drove us through The River District after hearing about it from a co-worker. We saw the future plans with ease of access to the Trinity River and immediately fell in love with the area. While we may not have land like we had envisioned, the Trinity River is our extended backyard. We don’t feel stuck in the middle of a city, and we are only 10 minutes from Downtown Fort Worth. The River District is truly the best of both worlds and such a gem in Fort Worth.
Tell us about your company, Bluebird Creative, and why you decided to start a boutique marketing company.
Bluebird Creative started as a side hustle about five years ago. As a creative brain, people began reaching out to me for help with branding, graphic design, and social media projects that slowly grew over time. What I soon realized was that marketing was not accessible for small family businesses and startups who had a shoestring budget with big goals. Particularly in Fort Worth, these business’ options were to outsource to an agency or bring a team in-house—both very expensive options. So, I saw an opportunity to provide custom marketing solutions that match the level of an agency or in-house team at a strategic partnership level. With so many young companies and startups in the DFW area looking for marketing solutions, I am able to meet their needs while remaining cost effective to the client. Also, as an entrepreneurial spirit myself, I enjoy supporting small businesses and have intentionally made this my niche.
Have you always wanted to own your own business?
Without a doubt! Having grown up in an entrepreneurial family, I wanted to start my own business from a very young age. My dad and both of my grandfathers built their own businesses. I have watched the ups and downs of small business ownership my whole life, and always knew that I would follow the family tradition someday.
When did your interest in marketing begin?
Though I didn’t officially decide that marketing would be my career until college, I believe my interest grew throughout my childhood—I just didn’t know what to call it then. As a kid, I would scrapbook everything from family vacations to daily life. I can remember sitting on my bedroom floor cutting out different colored construction paper and photos to fill the blank page of the book with imagery that made you feel something and told a story. In high school, I wrote for the school newspaper and loved every part of the process from the interviews and writing to layout and packaging. In college, I majored in Advertising and PR with a heavy design influence and was able to take my writing, leadership, and graphic design passions and pinpoint a career that would allow me to do these things daily: marketing.
As I have grown, so has technology. With the onset of social media, new digital design programs and ways of communication, I am able to take those passions that I developed from a young age to a much larger level that only multiplies daily.
What has surprised you most about running a small business?
Having seen a lot of the ups and downs of small business life through watching my dad and grandfathers, I can’t say I have been surprised by anything business-related at this point. What I can say is that I have been overwhelmed by the entrepreneurial spirit in Fort Worth. I have always known that this city is supportive of their homegrown businesses, but I had never fully understood the magnitude of that support until I started my business. Fort Worth is such a favorable climate for small business, and I am so proud to call this place my home.
What is the most rewarding part about what you do? How about the most challenging?
I am a huge fan of Seth Godin, and in his recent book, This is Marketing, he challenges today’s marketers to change the industry from being an automated information highway to one where we help and serve people for better change.
“Because marketing has been done to us for so long, we take it for granted. […] It’s time to do something else with marketing. To make things better. To cause a change you’d like to see in the world. To grow your project, sure, but mostly to serve the people you care about.” -Seth Godin
My favorite part about what I do is seeing the smile on my client’s faces when their goals are achieved, and their project is a success. Ultimately, while I share in this joy, I rest in the fact that I was able to help someone I care about—my client.
If someone wants to learn more about Blue Bird Creative, where should they go?
Check out my website or Instagram page for information about services and portfolio.
