Your Brand & Website Fairy Godmother

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in graphic design but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Karima Neghmouche, Owner of Karima Creative LLC, located in Raleigh, NC, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I do brand and web design! I work with entrepreneurs all over the world - a lot of others in creative industries.

Tell us about yourself

I graduated college and got a job that I thought was my "dream job." Except, this "dream job" was absolutely miserable. I dreaded going to work on Monday on Saturday night - it ruined my weekends just thinking about how horrible it was. I also couldn't afford anything when working there - I couldn't afford my rent, I couldn't afford my groceries. I got into $10k of credit card debt and was constantly stressed out over that. Then, I got fired for "not being happy." I was living out of my car - I lost my apartment; I lost literally everything. Then, I decided for some extra cash alongside the waitressing job I was doing; I would start designing resumes on the side. I would charge $10 or so for hours long of work, but it felt so nice to just get something extra... anything extra. Then, I invested in myself - a business coach, a life coach. I decided to fully take accountability for my life.

Five years later and I am here. I own a 7-figure business. I employ multiple people and support their lives. And I am living the life I have always dreamed of.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Being able to stick with my business through some of the hardest times of my life. In the last three years of my life, I have lost so much - I lost my relationship 30 days before my wedding after finding out my partner cheated. I lost the house I had with him. I lost my other dog. I lost my father unexpectedly. There has been so much grief and loss, and I am so proud of myself for continuing to show up, even when it is not easy. I feel so accomplished every day when I log on and see the number of people I get to work with. Knowing I get to support other incredible women on my team. Knowing I get to continue to help others live out their dreams by showing up online differently.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Work-life "balance." I just don't think it's real. I genuinely don't. I think life comes in seasons, and in some seasons, we have to choose work, and in some, we have to choose life more, but it's hard to achieve a perfect balance. When you own a business, you have to show up. You have to work. I have worked harder in the last 5 years than I ever imagined just to get this business up and running. It is so hard emotionally and mentally some days. Yesterday, for example - I just felt defeated. I had clients late on payments; I had a sick team member who needed the day off; I had an inbox full of hundreds of emails that needed responses. But I know that wellness is a business decision, and ultimately nothing can work if I can't show up, so I had to do what was best for me - call it a day early, log off, sit on the couch + binge watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine while eating Ben & Jerrys. You have to learn how to know, like, and trust yourself and your intuition as a business owner, which looks different for everyone. You have to UNLEARN so many things you've been taught and ultimately learn how to separate personal feelings vs. business feelings, which is one of the hardest things to master.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Just start. If you start now and do one thing every single day to propel your business forward, that is 365 things you did at the end of the year for it. You get momentum by starting. You don't go to the gym for one day and expect your dream body. But you start. And that's how you get there—one foot in front of another.
Find community. Get in Facebook groups, go to local meet-ups, use hashtags and find like-minded people near you. Having people in my corner to support me during the hardest times is the only reason I still have this business. I genuinely do not know what I would do without that support and those people. It is so nice to know you're not alone, your feelings are valid, and to have people who want to help you.
Take care of yourself first - always. There's a reason; statistically, most businesses don't get past five years. That's because this is NOT EASY. It's so hard. The only thing that will allow you to continue your business in a way that is sustainable is going to be continuing to show up constantly in a way where you are taking care of yourself first. No client, no email, no project, and no amount of money, is worth your mental health. When my father passed away, I had 2 clients being so nasty towards me, and I spent so much mental energy on it instead of focusing on my father. It's just not worth it.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.karimacreative.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karimacreative
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karima.creative/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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