A Single Mom Takes the Jump to Being Own Boss, Finds Success

Donna Herrle had very few doubts when she decided to expand her graphic design business and publish a calendar and guide promoting Pittsburgh. 

The West View woman purchased New Pittsburgh Publications, which produced the “Pittsburgh Events Calendar” and “Rich/Poor Man’s Guide to Pittsburgh" in May 2008 and changed the name to Know Where to Go. Herrle has just published her fourth calendar, the 2012 version.

The calendar features activities in the Pittsburgh area on every day. It goes on sale in bookstores and specialty shops each September.

Besides information about more than 350 restaurants, the guide book features "fun things to do," day trips and facts about Pittsburgh. Herrle's first edition of the book was released late last year.

She publishes the “Pittsburgh Waking Map and Guide,” a two-sided map with Pittsburgh on one side and Oakland on the other. The company also specializes in Pittsburgh-themed gift baskets that carry her products and other Pittsburgh products.

Pittsburgh born and raised, Herrle said she welcomed the idea of owning a company that promoted her hometown.

"Pittsburgh is a great place to live or visit," she said. "I love promoting it to people who are new to the city and to people who are from here and may not know all the city has to offer.” 

Herrle, 59, became her own boss in 2002, opening Drawing Conclusions, an advertising and public relations design firm, after she was faced with a two-day lay off from a full-time job as a communications director for a group purchasing organization.

"I weighed the pros and cons of seeking another position like I had or getting back to my passion — design. As I like to say, 'I never outgrew coloring,'" she said. 

Herrle, a single mom, had a heart-to-heart talk with her two sons, telling them it would mean an adjustment for them all and seeking their support. 

"They gave it in spades, and I forged ahead and incorporated," she said. 

It was a good move; within six months, Herrle's business had grown from six clients to 60 and she had won an international award,  a Gold Quill Award from IABC for an invitation to her Drawing Conclusions company launch party.

Adding the new business has been a success — after an adjustment period. 

The summer is one of her busiest times of year. Herrle joked that the summer after she purchased the company was “The Year of the Lost Summer,” but in the past three years she said the process has gotten easier. 

“It is still hectic, but I have found ways to be more efficient,” she said. 

She's found a way to balance work and life, which she admits is a big challenge.

"I have a separate entrance to my (home) office so I can separate the two areas of my life, and I try to keep my weekends free,” she said.

While Herrle is now settled into the ownership of two businesses, the economy has dealt a few challenges.

“That first year in September and October is when the recession really started to hit. That is also the time when companies typically place Christmas orders for the gift-baskets. A lot of companies didn’t order them that year, and we didn’t meet our projections,” she said.

“But everyone was in the same boat, and we got through it.”