Coffee Shop Hop: The Perfect Press Tampa, FL - with Jess Langley
It's time to get cozy. Pour up a cup and let's meet Jess with The Colorful Jess. We visited The Perfect Press Coffee Co, where Jess ordered an Iced Mocha, her go to, or sometimes an iced latte if she's feeling like a switch up.
Jess is a business doula, designer, and muralist. Her Instagram bio says it best: coaching to realign with your biz, your magic, your energy, and your money goals.
In this interview, Jess takes me back to her college days, then leads me to the present day. Telling me about her journey, lessons, and pivotal moments that have shaped her into the creative she is today,
How it started
Jess actually started college in journalism. One semester in, and she decided to switch things up and move into journalism. While she enjoyed writing, what she didn’t enjoy was a teacher telling her a piece she wrote was “wrong.” In her eyes, there’s no right or wrong way to tell a story, especially when it comes to a unique point of view.
After a conversation with a friend, something clicked for Jess. She realized she could major in an art class and dive fully into that industry which is how she oved into graphic design. The signs of the art within were always there though.
During college she worked as a chalkboard artist at Whole Foods (a sign). From that job in creativity to landing an internship at a design firm, she was clearly meant to make art full time. When she graduated, that same design firm she interned at, kept her on as an employee. That job gave her something she still talks about today: she got to touch every single part of a project, start to finish, and it gave her a full picture of how to actually run one herself. In the moment she didn’t realize this would jumpstart something amazing, but it definitely fueled her and catapulted her entrepreneur path.
In May 2017, she got let go. While it stung at first, by June she already knew it was the best thing that ever happened to her.
Building her own thing
She started a company called White Coffee Creative, doing graphic design, murals, and lettering. Magazines and annual reports have been, and still are something she truly enjoys designing. It was pretty cool to watch her light up as she was telling me about her experience and the tools she used to design, like InDesign. During that time, she was freelancing with other firms too. She was finding her footing in the world and things started to really take off for her.
The big break came when she landed a mural at a wedding venue in Baltimore. This was a very popular venue and it brought a lot of attention to Jess and her work.
Going from working for a firm to working for herself was something that changed her life. As an artis, it expanded her and showed her, her passion. It allowed her to make things for fun and in alignment with her. After getting let go from the design firm, she started to understand how everything fit together in her designs and ideas started coming to her a lot easier. It didn’t feel forced- it blissfully started to unfold. Projects started to feel more fun and more meaningful. She'll tell you that job at the firm is what paved the way for her intentionality now.
She also learned something at that firm that affects how she goes about life now.
“You can't build community if you believe everyone is working against you.”
She saw a lot of negativity in the corporate spaced along with a lot of competition. That energy made her ask, why? To her, she knew they (her and her co-workers) were all there for the same reasons. Jess believed they needed to team up, not fight up against each other. She's a 4/6 in human design, a Libra rising with a Capricorn sun, and she believes there's enough for everybody. That belief is what she stands for. Community is something she feels is deeply important and has seen, firsthand, the power of people coming together.
The Brush Mural Festival
In 2023, Jess brought her love for community and creating to life with the Brush Mural Festival in Baltimore. It took two years of planning to pull off. Two things made it different from other festivals like it:
It was hyperlocal, meaning artists had to actually live and work in Baltimore to take part.
She (and the few people who assisted in the planning and building) made sure every single artist got paid, which wasn't the norm at other festivals she'd seen.
Although Jess has since moved and isn’t a part of the planning committee any longer, five years later and The Brush Mural Festival is still going strong. I asked her what she thought made it stick, because that's not an easy feat. People start things all the time and then life happens, they move, no one keeps it going. For her, it came down to (again) the power of community actually coming together, not just showing up.
Motherhood, a move, and what she's learned
Jess had her first baby in May 2023, just months before the festival she'd been planning for two years. The festival happened that October. In January 2024, she stepped back from everything to focus on being a mom. In March 2025, she and her family moved to Florida, her first ever out of state move.
Motherhood slowed her down and brought a lot of introspection. The move to Florida taught her something new, how hard it actually is to build community from scratch. She grew up loving Baltimore, and starting over somewhere new has stretched her. She's been making a genuine effort though. Getting out of the house, meeting people, showing up to events, asking questions, posting in local groups, doing the things that actually build a life somewhere new. Jess inner-stands what it means to not talk about it but to be about it. When it comes to finding her people, she is determined and intentional. Soul connections are everything to her. Purpose doesn’t stop within her art but its spreads into every other area of her life, too.
In addition, the move to Florida has taught her who really shows up when life gets big. Her long-distance friends, the ones who still check in, or make time to see her when she's back, those are the ones gratitude keeps pointing her back to.
From client work to coaching
Somewhere in the middle of all this, people started asking Jess how she did it. How she got a job right out of college, left it to take on her own clients, landed a huge wedding venue mural, and hosted an entire festival. That curiosity is what eventually led her into coaching, which she started in 2019.
Before she ever coached anyone, she invested $20k in a coach for herself.
Investing is a big part in being a business owner and I’ve seen a lot of numbers thrown out from a variety of coaches. I was curious to know what Jess thinks about the coaches who preach about needing to invest a certain amount in order to take your business seriously, and she brought up an amazing point.
“Choose people who are actually aligned with you. Invest in yourself, yes, but not by going into debt for it.”
She points out, that as an entrepreneur investing is our livelihood. We’re not corporations, financially backed. Meaning, you have to go in prepared to not see an immediate return. If someone has the savings and can sustain those months without a return then of course, find a coach that will best fit what you need. The point is to have a plan, know what can be written off, and go in with your eyes open.
She put in the work, got a coach, then decided it was time for her to coach others as well. All those questions she kept getting asked weren’t a coincidence.
Her mural business course brought in around $13k total, and she's gone on to run several other courses since. She's worked with one on one clients here and there, but group cohorts have always been her main focus. She coaches mostly creatives, service based businesses, energy workers, and people who are just getting started.
Jess is ever evolving ~ growing, learning, and teaching others along the way
In July 2025, she launched a podcast where she shares her evolution in real time. It grew out of everything motherhood and the move taught her.
Her style, and who she works best with
Jess describes her art style as balanced, whitespace forward, bold, colorful, meaningful, and cohesive. Her focus for 2025 has been getting clearer on her core message and giving herself permission to play more creatively.
She connects best with clients who are value driven and purpose driven, people whose brand actually aligns with her style, not just anyone who needs a designer. In every client experience, her goal is the same: she wants people to feel seen, heard, comfortable, supported, encouraged, empowered, and confident.
Where to find her
Jess's newsletter is one of those follows that feels like a note from your business bestie. Heart led stories, honest notes on pricing, encouragement, and first access to whatever she's dropping next.
What's keeping her going these days? Animal messages, time for herself, the beach, a whole new creative scene to explore, and the sunshine.
Jess, thank you for joining me at The Perfect Press to share your story, the hard parts and the proud ones. Here's to building community wherever you land ~
