Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in advertising services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kelsey Stine, Founder of Vela Creative Co., located in Rapid City, SD, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Vela Creative Co. is a creative marketing agency specializing in website design and branding. We work with primarily women-led or owned small businesses and nonprofits that are established in their market and are ready to grow to the next stage of business.
Tell us about yourself
I started this business with a particular phrase: "happy people do great work." The industry we are in can often feel like go-go-go if we aren't working 70+ hours a week, then we're failing. I knew there was a better way to balance the services I love while having that life balance. What motivates me every day is growing the business with that phrase in mind. We prioritize our employees with education, workload check-ins, and conversations on how to shape each role into their ideal dream job scenario. In turn, we have happy, stress-free people doing amazing work that give our clients a stress-free growth experience. We're all about people here.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
It's been a wild ride from the start of creating a business on a whim! I would say my biggest accomplishment is my team. Although saying it's "my accomplishment" sounds a little off. It's finding and trusting the right people for the job. It can be intimidating to pass off work to someone else for the first time and put full trust in them. But it is essential not only to grow but to offer the best service possible to our clients. Surround yourself with people more talented than you in their zone of genius.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Your mind has to be in everything. I'm sure that changes as your business grows and you have managers, directors, etc. However, you still have to have a strong grasp on where you are going, your processes, marketing, finances, project management, people management, etc. It's a learning experience constantly with many hats.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find someone who has done what you are trying to do and learn from them. Paying for my first coach was one of my best decisions early on. Even putting almost all of that payment on my credit card. The investment was worth it. You can learn so much online and on YouTube, but that takes time. Time finding valuable content and time trying to find what you're not even thinking of looking for. Find someone to guide you and preserve the one commodity you cannot get back—time.
- Working on yourself is working on your business. Take vacations, set strong boundaries around when you work and don't, read a book/meditate, and do something every day that recharges you.
- Delegate, delegate, delegate. Anything you can pass on for someone qualified to handle, do it. You can focus on the big picture of your business while others in their zone of genius do what they do best. Even if it's a slow start, having the right people by your side will help create a stress-free environment when you start to grow.
- Relationships are key. Genuine, authentic, mutually beneficial relationships with customers, clients, and team members make each day the best.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.velacreativeco.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/velacreativeco
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/velacreativeco/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vela-creative-co/
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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