We had the good fortune of connecting with Hilary Lentini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hilary, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking

Taking risks is how you get ahead in business. Every impactful growth opportunity in building my business came from my leaning into risk. Starting my firm was a risk. Hiring my first employee was a risk. Taking on my first business line of credit was a risk. Now, decades after taking risk after risk, it’s much easier to go ahead and make that tough call. That said, even now, when I see an opportunity in front of me that scares me, I know that’s a sign that it’s a risk. And the more scared I am to take that path, the more I know I should take that path. Because that’s where my and my firm’s growth lies. For me, there’s almost always been a reward after the risk.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Lentini Design & Marketing, Inc. is an LA-based branding, graphic design and marketing firm. We message our clients “Magic.” As Messaging Experts, we work with high-potential clients to align their branding and marketing, expand their influence, and increase their capacity and outreach. We offer a full slate of services that merge the strategic with the creative from print materials to website design and development to digital advertising. Our combined 50+ years of experience in the business provides every element of comprehensive communications to our clients. We’re different because we’re more than strategists, creatives, writers, graphic designers, and programmers. We have extensive knowledge in marketing and messaging, bringing that to bear in all that we craft for our clients. We always suggest new ideas, always push back on concepts our clients may be taking for granted, and we are always dedicated to making the solution as strong as possible.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

As for my favorite cultural spots in LA, I’d take my bestie to LACMA, the Natural History Museum, and the LA Opera. In terms of outdoorsy activities, we’d go hiking at Will Rogers State Historic Park and Griffith Park. While at Griffith, we’d check out the observatory, of course, for some of the best views of downtown ever. We’d also visit the beach — specifically Santa Monica Pier. And dining in Los Angeles is the best in the world. We’d go to Republic, Manuela, and Veranda at Hotel Fig. And no visit to LA is complete without a drink at 71Above; it’s a heady experience to see downtown LA from there, and worthy of the best champagne for toasting all that Los Angeles has to offer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

While I have always been somewhat comfortable taking risks, being involved with NAWBO — the National Association of Women Business Owners — has inspired me to go to a whole new level. Not only in my business, but in leadership in general. NAWBO saw that ability in me early on, and gave me leadership opportunities that truly made a difference in my life. I lead my team better now than before I was a member of NAWBO. Also, NAWBO taught me that I also am passionate about women in leadership and public policy. It’s become another mission of mine, besides growing my firm Lentini Design & Marketing, to make a positive difference for women business owners across California. To change the playing field for us so that we gain equal access to opportunity. We’ll earn the business on our own, but if we’re not offered the ability to fairly compete for it, we’ll continue to make between 34 – 77 cents on the dollar that men make. That’s not only a problem that needs resolution, it’s a systemic system built against women business owners, and it needs to change. If I play even a small part in affecting public policy on that issue, I will have made my mark.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.