Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Howe.
Hi Courtney, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I interviewed for my first “professional” job in the middle of a divorce, while raising my two-year-old daughter on my own for the first time. I had no relevant job history, no degree, and very few references, but I showed up determined and willing to work hard. Somehow, that was enough. I was offered the job an hour after I left the building.
I started in an entry-level role, supporting construction-association members and doing database cleanup. As I learned the industry, I began helping the sales team with graphics and messaging, which slowly turned into managing social media, assisting with events, and eventually rebuilding the organization’s website entirely from scratch. I taught myself web design through tutorials, forums, and a lot of trial and error. That role became a launching pad, not just for my career, but for discovering how much I loved the balance of creativity and problem-solving that marketing requires, especially as someone who is neurodivergent and thrives when creativity and logic intersect.
That job also introduced me to Michigan’s construction industry, specifically the small business owners who truly make it work. When the COVID pandemic hit, my boss came to me with an idea to start a nonprofit focused on supporting minority-owned and women-owned construction companies and asked for help making it happen. That idea became Construction Allies in Action (CAIA). Justice and equity have always mattered deeply to me. Growing up in rural Michigan, traveling in my early twenties, and then working in Grand Rapids made the gaps in access and opportunity more and more impossible to ignore. CAIA is now in its fifth year, and supporting that organization has become one of the most meaningful parts of my life and career.
After several years, I had the opportunity to step into a Vice President of Marketing role at a local tech company to help build out a new marketing and website development division. We began bringing on clients, starting with construction companies and eventually expanding into retail, restaurants, and nonprofits. When that company unexpectedly shut down just a year later, I was forced to make a fast decision. I filed an LLC, brought my clients with me, and officially launched Yellow Umbrella Creative in 2022.
Since then, Yellow Umbrella has grown into a digital marketing studio supporting small businesses across Michigan and beyond, from New York to North Carolina. My work spans website design and redevelopment, branding, email and social media campaigns, graphic design, and marketing operations support. At the core of everything I do is a deep understanding of what it feels like to build something from the ground up, often without a safety net, and a commitment to making marketing feel accessible, human, and genuinely supportive for business owners who don’t have the capacity to do it all themselves.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road.
A lot of my career has been built during times of instability, personal, professional, and economic. I started out as a single parent with no formal credentials in my field, learning everything on the fly while trying to stay afloat. Imposter syndrome has been a constant companion for me, especially in male-dominated spaces like construction and tech, where I often had to prove my expertise before being taken seriously.
Entrepreneurship brought its own challenges. Launching Yellow Umbrella Creative wasn’t a carefully planned leap, it was a response to sudden job loss. I had to make big decisions under pressure, secure income quickly, and build systems as I went, all while continuing to show up for my clients and my family. Burnout has been very real, particularly as someone who is neurodivergent and tends to overextend in order to meet expectations or avoid letting people down.
There have also been challenges tied to values. Doing justice-centered work through Construction Allies in Action means navigating difficult conversations, finding out-of-the-box ways to push against systemic barriers, and accepting slow change from a very old, traditional industry. Nonprofit work requires patience, resilience, and the ability to keep showing up even when progress isn’t linear or immediately visible.
What’s helped me through all of it is this community. Mentors who believed in me early on (hi, Elizabeth! 💜), collaborators who shared knowledge instead of gatekeeping it, and clients who value trust and long-term relationships. It’s all certainly shaped how I work now, with empathy, transparency, and a deep respect for the realities small business owners face. None of it has been easy, but the challenges clarified what kind of work I want to do and who I want to do it for.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Yellow Umbrella Creative is a print and digital marketing studio built to support small businesses in practical, sustainable ways. I specialize in web design, branding, graphic design, and marketing strategy, and I’m known for working as a long-term partner rather than a one-off service provider.
Business owners tend to come to me feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start, often after experiences with marketing that felt expensive, inaccessible, or disconnected from their reality. My role is to help them build strong foundations, clear messaging, and systems that actually make their businesses easier to run. That might look like a new or re-developed website, refreshed branding, ongoing marketing support, or help organizing internal marketing processes so things feel more manageable.
What sets Yellow Umbrella apart is how relational the work is. I don’t believe in gatekeeping knowledge or upselling people on things they don’t need. I explain the “why” behind decisions, meet people where they are, and build solutions that fit their capacity, budget, and long-term goals. My background working closely with small business owners, particularly in construction and other traditionally underserved industries, strongly shapes how I approach every project.
I’m especially proud of the reputation the clients I’ve been able to work with. Being a business owner sometimes means saying ‘no’ to opportunities that don’t serve you or clients that don’t align with your values. Clients know they can expect honesty, follow-through, and thoughtful work that reflects who they are. Supporting justice-centered efforts like Construction Allies in Action also informs how I show up, with an emphasis on equity, access, and trust.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that success doesn’t mean always saying yes, and protecting your peace matters. Early on, I thought I had to say yes to everything and push myself as hard as possible. Over time, I’ve learned that clear boundaries and alignment leads to better work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theyellowumbrellacreative.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theyellowumbrellacreative/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theyellowumbrellacreative
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theyellowumbrellacreative/
