Working Women: Pum Lefebure

Correction:

This article initially misspelled the name of its subject. The Working Woman's name is Pum Lefebure. Our apologies.

ABC 7's Working Woman is one of the few to run a small business that is actually growing in a down economy.

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If you've seen the latest edition of Washingtonian's Bride and Groom magazine, you've seen the work of Pum Lefebure. Her creative graphic design work, which still begins with a pencil and paper, not a computer, has earned her and her company, Design Army, countless awards.

"I think it's the drive to always do better than yesterday," Lefebure says.

Lefebure and her husband, Jake, met working at a large graphic design firm. In 2003 they decided to strike out on their own. Design Army began as an army of two, but now employs ten designers, It recently won a national Addy award for the Wonderland book for the Washington Ballet.

She describes their work as modern and simple. The goal is to please the eye and activate the mind.

"I always challenge myself and my team to do better and more creative work," Lefebure said.

Lefebure grew up in Thailand, came to the states as an exchange student, and graduated at the top of her class at Radford University. She and her husband take their 5-year-old daughter Sophie to Thailand every year, and when they're home, they include her in photo shoots and make it a family affair.

"A lot of my friends say, How do you separate them -- work and life? And I have come to the conclusion: I just don't separate them, I just blend them together, integrate them, and make it fun," Lefebure said.

With the fun has come success, but Lefebure still sees every day as a chance to improve.

"Even though you think you're successful, don't think that you are successful, because if you are the very top, the only way is down!" she says.

Lefebure says she and her husband are happy to be busy with a lot of work, and to continue hiring employees in this economy. So for now, she says Design Army will remain a small business.

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