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

Hi Ericka, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Starting my company Daupeaire was a love letter to myself. After spending 15 years in the demand of my career and lending myself out 70% and only retaining a fraction of what was leftover for myself… I then became a mom. I knew that that managing my own services was the best way for me to be a great mom and still retain the love I have for my craft.

Success does not always have to come in the form of monetary pay. Designing my own schedule and holding true to my work boundaries is something that allows me to never miss a moment with my daughter and still be onsite for a project in the morning- peace is priceless.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Working in various capacities throughout communications gave me great insight to see how each department operates and strategizes as a component of a larger purpose. One thing that was clear was that the larger the company the more disconnected the brand story, and the smaller the company the more important elements can get overlooked or underserved. When I designed Daupëaire I knew it would fill the gaps to provide support around what is the core of all successful brands- the connection.

Daupeaire is a Storytelling & Branding Studio that works as a utility to companies that are building not only their audience, but growing their legacy. Our multidisciplinary strategies create a holistic, and intentional approach to scaling businesses through purposeful engagement and audience interactions.

The experience of designing Daupeaire is and continues to truly be a blessing and testament to the potential of great conversations- ‘thought you can feel’ is our tag line for good reason. Every client project, brand, product or organization we have serviced has brought us in to addresses work that has a residual to heal, pivot, alter, or translate important cultural moments.

Building my business through the pandemic was a great exercise in audience listening and beta testing Daupeaire’s services. I think the biggest lesson learned is that a great business is ever-evolving, and at each phase you will need to tap back into your mission, your ‘why’, and the desired output to assess if and where a reset is needed. Another important lesson is make your services scalable to meet people where they are. One of the largest challenges was how to fit people issues into a service package- when the real aha! was that it benefitted us to listen to the problem first and then adjust on our end to what was needed. Lastly, make your offering approachable and provide a service that brings peace to the client’s process to add the most value.

The objective is not to be involved in a lot of work, but to be involved in a lot of important work and providing strategy that evokes memorability.

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?
First stop is Newark Museum which always has great programming and cultural exhibits that spotlight amazing artists and designers. Then we can grab a sexy sober lunch at Five Corners of The Yard.

From there we may check out a few Boutiques on Halsey like BrownMilll or Marco Hall to find something to wear later that evening while we catch live poetry in the Rotunda of City Hall. Afterwards, we can grab a few laughs and clouds at Laugh and Gas Comedy + Canna Show and end the night off at Tops- because everyone ends up at Tops end of the night.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
If were asked this question 5 years ago I definitely would gave homage to a couple of professors, a few authors, and some good business comrades- but these days I give great thanks to my parents. I realized that the tools that make me successful at what I do are things that stem directly from them. My mother’s organization, crazy attention to detail, curation of beautiful things as a painter and her will to ‘just do it’- then my dad’s way with words as a former song writer, his appreciation for quality experiences, his candor with people and his intuition… I fold all of those things into my process and I believe it plays well into my style of work, and the way I do business.

Website: www.Daupeaire.com

Instagram: @Daupeaire_

Linkedin: Ericka-regine.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Regine_Regime

Image Credits
Self Portraits

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