FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #47 Crafting Purpose with The Bridge Studio
Ever wondered how childhood observations shape our career paths? Michelle Fox, founder of The Bridge Studio, traces her entrepreneurial roots back to watching her parents transition from long DC commutes to running a home-based consultancy. That pivotal shift planted a seed: work could mean being present in your community while pursuing passion-driven projects.
Michelle's journey from art student to creative director unfolds organically across our conversation. What began with a college freelance gig evolved into a thriving consultancy approaching its tenth anniversary. The Bridge Studio specializes in assembling tailor-made teams delivering strategic communications and branding services specifically for purpose-driven organizations. Michelle challenges the notion that only products need strong brands, asserting that nonprofits, government agencies, and thought leaders equally benefit from powerful brand identities.
Despite her professional success, Michelle remains refreshingly down-to-earth, enthusiastically embracing Fredericksburg's vibrant community since moving here eighteen months ago. From ukulele lessons at Picker Supply to ceramics at Liberty Town and exploring local disc golf courses, she's fully immersed in the local scene. For budding entrepreneurs, Michelle offers golden advice: you're not alone. She encourages listeners to tap into valuable resources like local Chambers of Commerce, Small Business Development Centers, and SCORE mentorship programs—all designed to help small businesses thrive. Connect with Michelle at thebridgestudio.org or find her on LinkedIn if you're considering an independent consulting path or need strategic communications support for your purpose-driven organization.
Michelle Fox
The Bridge Studio
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I'm excited to introduce you to my guest today. Michelle Fox is with The Bridge Studio. Michelle, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for having me. It's good to be with you.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm excited to learn all about you and learn about your business. So let's start there. Share with the listeners a little bit about the Bridge Studio.
Speaker 3:Sure. So I am an independent consultant and the creative director behind the Bridge Studio, and what I do is I call together fit for purpose teams to deliver strategic communications, branding and product design services to purpose-driven organizations, and what I like to say is that I work with really good people who are doing great things say is that I work with really good people who are doing great things.
Speaker 2:I love that. That's such a perfect tagline. That's amazing. So tell me, how did you get into this? Tell us about your journey.
Speaker 3:Sure. So it really started in Virginia. I grew up in Prince William County, just north of Fredericksburg, and I watched my parents commute in and out of DC every day and for a few years there was a latchkey kid and I have to say that I don't think that that arrangement really worked well for anyone. But one day it all changed when my mom started her own consulting business and my parents went from being out of the house all day, every day, to being in the house all day, every day. And at that moment in time the vision was sort of seated inside of me that for my own future, I wanted the after of this paradigm. I wanted to be close to home, I wanted to be in my community, I wanted to do work that I was passionate about and that I got to choose, and I didn't really set out intentionally or with like a plan to be a business owner. But I think that vision sort of created a pathway that I followed through to success, uh, my early twenties.
Speaker 3:So I went to school, I studied art and um in college, I got my first freelancing client and I continued freelancing even after I got a full-time job. And one of those freelancing clients said to me. You know, michelle, maybe it's time for you to incorporate your business. And I had no idea what that meant, but thanks to some online platforms, I was able, at the ripe age of 24, to go online and click, click, click, click, click. I was suddenly a business owner and I started doing this freelancing stuff, but through a legal entity and with some systems in place, and I grew it alongside staff positions for the first few years and in January 2026, I will have been self-employed as my sole source of income for 10 years. So it's been, yeah, about 15 years in the making, but 10 years as like a fully fledged, sustainable business model.
Speaker 2:Wow, congratulations. That's a big deal hitting that 10 year mark.
Speaker 3:Thank you. Yeah, it's kind of crazy. It's kind of crazy to just like reflect on all of that. But yeah, thank you.
Speaker 2:And what great lesson you learned from your parents at such a young age.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely, and I think too, just so much of what they were able to demonstrate and, I think, pioneer at the time of like hybrid working environments, having staff work from home, remotely from anywhere in the world has deeply informed my values around work-life balance and really what I try to do as a solopreneur.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so important. So let me ask are there any myths or misconceptions around the industry?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely so. Like I said before, I work primarily with purpose-driven organizations. Nonprofits, government foundations and big ideas need brands just as much as products do, and so when I tell people that I do communications and design, people often think like, oh, marketing, yes, like, marketing is a big part of it. But or getting your message out, you know I call my version of marketing is brand raising. But I think the biggest misconception is that you know nonprofits, people, thought leaders need brands.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so important, so clearly you work very hard in your business. So when you're not working, let me ask what are you doing for fun?
Speaker 3:For sure. So, yeah, I was, I think, about this question, and I'm somewhat new to Fredericksburg, even though I grew up in Virginia. I've been living in Fredericksburg for about the last year and a half and when I first landed. So I like to study music Occasionally. It's something that I come back to, and so I started studying the ukulele with Pete Mealy at the Picker Supply. So shout out, yeah, if anybody is looking for a guitar, mandolin, ukulele teacher, pete is your guy. I'm also a lifelong ceramicist, so I'm I love to get my hands in clay, and so I've discovered the Liberty Town. Shout out to Didi. They have a great studio, great setup there that I've been enjoying. And then, of course, I love the outdoors, exercising straight, training disc golf, like I was so thrilled to find that there are two great disc golf courses in the area and just wonderful hiking trails and kayaking to explore. Um, so yeah, lots of things to do when I'm not working.
Speaker 3:Amazing, fredericksburg has such a great little art scene absolutely, yeah, I was really blown away when I discovered just like the vibrant downtown area. Um yeah, I've really fallen in love with fredericksburg yeah, amazing.
Speaker 2:So what is something that you wish the listeners knew about your business?
Speaker 3:Something that I wish people knew is that it's just me, the business is just me. I subcontract, I build these fit for purpose teams. I call people in when we need to deliver on a client and when we need to deliver on a client product. But it is just me.
Speaker 2:And that's possible for people to do yeah Well, and it's nice for your clients to have direct access to you and know that you are going to take very good care of them, because you are their sole point of contact, I imagine absolutely yeah, and even as, like the, the teams that the bridge studio brings on um expand and contract, I am the point of contact throughout that experience amazing. I love that. So if someone listening is thinking about starting their own business, do you have any advice that you would give them?
Speaker 3:I have so much advice. There's so many things, so the the biggest thing that I would want that I want to share is um to access your local resources, and there are so many people out there who want to help you succeed. So, number one I'm a big lover of chambers and getting involved in your local chamber, and if you're not vibing with your local chamber, you can find a neighboring chamber to go and belong to or just attend their networking events. Um, something else that I would say is the sbdc. You can reach out to your local small business development center. There are free resources there for you. And then there's also score, and score provides business mentors to entrepreneurs. Um, and it's. You know, I think I wish that I had known that much earlier on that there are a lot of resources out there and a lot of people who want to see you succeed yeah, that's such great advice.
Speaker 2:You're not in it alone. There are a lot of people around that want to help small business owners get off the ground absolutely yeah, thank you for that advice. So if the listeners want to connect with you or learn more about your business, where can they find you?
Speaker 3:sure so my website, www. thebridgestudio. org, and you can also find me on linkedin just look up Michelle F Fox, yeah, and I would love to connect with anybody, especially anybody in the area, who's looking at or considering the idea of starting their own independent consulting practice. I am always excited to talk to people anywhere on that journey.
Speaker 2:Amazing, amazing. Michelle, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today and sharing the bridge studio with us.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to fxbgneighborspodcast. com. That's fxbgneighborspodcast. com, or call 540-534-4618.