Having a beautiful and professional website that grabs the attention of your potential customers, and ultimately converts, it's something that should only be attainable for tens of thousands of dollars. I know this, because I started my business with only $10 to my name.
Back in 2008, I was a young mama in a desperate place and needed to quickly figure out a way to provide an income for my little family. Through a series of events that I firmly believe the Lord put in my path, I began teaching myself design and code so I could provide my services to potential clients; Restored 316 was born.
I desired to have more control over my time and schedule and wanted a way to create passive income. So, with a push from Brian Gardner (founder of StudioPress) I created my first WordPress theme and listed it in the StudioPress marketplace. I’ve now been designing Genesis child themes for a decade and have built an incredible community of beloved customers and friends that use our Restored 316 themes!
My son, Jadon, was born and changed my life in so many ways!! Now with passive income, I was able to spend extra cuddle time with him!
In 2017 I found myself in the middle of a divorce and on the way to being a single mama. Though 2017 was one of the most difficult years of my life, it was also one of the best! Through it, I realized that for years I had allowed Restored 316 to become my identity. I literally lived and breathed it. I would check my emails from the dinner table, answer emails from bed at night, or answer a phone call at nearly midnight from a customer. I realized that the reason I did all those things wasn’t just because I love my work so much, which I most certainly do, but because I was escaping the reality that was my life.
Once I had nothing to escape from, I started to enjoy living my life and finding purpose in things that didn’t include just my work! I learned that I love to travel, spend quality time with my children, and I adored hanging out with and encouraging friends around me! I learned that Lauren wasn’t just a business owner, but she was a social butterfly who had been in a cocoon for far too long (bringing an entirely new meaning to the butterfly symbol in my business!).
This year I found love again and found what it truly meant to be loved. A few of our friends introduced us, and I'm grateful for this sweet man!
Another huge thing this year was that I bought my own house just one year after my divorce was final!! Huge huge deal for me!
2020, what a year! It's been quite the challenging year for everyone, but Waymaker Designs was born as a sister site to Restored 316!
Read more about the path to Waymaker Designs.
grace
Grateful for
something outdoors or decorating
my weekends
all the white
favorite color
my sweet puppies
snuggle buddies
country music
Listening to:
at the beach
I'd rather be:
A little about me