Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in design services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jamie Windell, Founder of Khula Design Studio, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Khula is a boutique design studio specializing in brand transformations. We turn ideas into remarkable brand experiences. Our focus is brand refreshes. We helped service-based small business owners transform their brand image through our personalized services: brand strategy, brand identity design, copywriting, UX/UI web design, Webflow Development & SEO fundamentals. We do all the fundamentals really well. We bring the agency quality without the agency cost to really help solopreneurs and small business owners get the high-quality design they deserve.
Tell us about yourself
Hello 👋🏻 I'm Jamie Windell. I'm the founder of Khula Design Studio, a strategist, and a serial entrepreneur; born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, and I am now living the Canadian dream in beautiful British Columbia. I've been launching and growing small businesses for over ten years. While owning and building a business can be exciting, it has challenges and frustrations. I totally get it! So when I decided to start Khula, I knew I wanted to help clients by alleviating some of the pain points I'd experienced, building a professional brand image that is cohesive, and a website that is easy to maintain and update.
Armed with a passion and expertise in branding and web design for seven years, I learned from the best and honed my abilities in the digital space at award-winning design agencies. Now at Khula, I combine my knowledge of strategy, operations, UX, CX, and design thinking to serve our clients with the best solutions and ideas to help their businesses grow and thrive.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Helped over 90+ small businesses transform their brand within a short amount of time, 2 years. Even though we are in our infant stage. We have managed to help a lot of business owners feel proud of their brands. Plus, we have a big "Give Back" program and initiative where we give back in time, money, and trees to help communities and individuals who are suffering around the world. You can see more about how Khula is a vehicle to make a positive impact or change in our world here.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
If you're a solo-business owner like me, managing multiple things at once is tough. You are constantly switching hats as you need to do everything, sales, marketing, finance, PM, design, etc. It's hard to do it all, and it takes a lot of perseverance, tenacity, and a detail-orientated approach.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Hire a bookkeeper/accountant to help you manage your finances and cash flow, as most business owners get this wrong or are not educated enough. Finance is the heartbeat of any company.
- Stay lean. Don't splash in the beginning; try DIY or hire cost-effectively to get all your marketing collateral and assets you need, and then focus on sales and marketing, as that is the most important part. Don't waste money on fancy tools, equipment, or apps. Use free tools and apps for as long as you can until you are ready to upgrade.
- Network, network, network. Start making connections and reaching out to people to have conversations. Word of mouth is your best sale.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.khula.studio/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/khula-design-studio/
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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