We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alyson Borowczyk a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alyson, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the toughest things about progressing in a creative career or as an entrepreneur is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

Maintaining mental wellness as a business owner is something I am passionate about. Last year, i had to put my booming business on hold because I had serious concerns about my mental health. I was waking up constantly throughout the night, worrying about making payroll and meeting deadlines. I questioned whether or not I could even continue my business and scaled way, way down – I went from making $30k/month to less than $1k. However, that break was exactly what I needed and now I’m building my business back, better than ever.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Omnia Design + Social (formerly Alyson Kelly Design) is a boutique marketing agency that specializes in building valuable brands. Though we offer a variety of different digital marketing services, including web and graphic design, SEO, and social media marketing, we consider ourselves to be a “brand first” agency. This means we do not engage with digital marketing contracts with clients unless they have a clear, cohesive brand already built (and if not, we’ll help them build it!)

A hallmark of our agency is our Social Media Content Creation service, which has helped brands scale their social media presence through compelling brand-first content that truly speaks to their target audience. We’ve worked with many different types of businesses, from nationwide e-commerce brands to local boutiques and service-based businesses.

Ultimately, what makes us different is that we truly get to know our clients. Content is always reviewed and approved by our clients after we take the time to get to know them and their business goals. Just think of us as your in-house marketing department – we know your business just as well, and deliver great results at competitive rates.

I became a business owner after nearly 10 years in marketing and development for nonprofits. I’m also a graphic designer who has worked on thousands of print and digital projects, including nationwide campaigns. Kes, our creative director, has a BS in graphic design and has been designing for both print and digital projects since 2021. Together, we utilize our joint expertise to build brands that truly speak to the value our clients provide.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

That’s exactly all that happened, until a friend invited me to a networking event in early 2021 for local entrepreneurs. That’s when it all changed. I walked into that event practically hiding behind my friend, feeling like an imposter – there’s no way I could actually belong with these people. But, once I stepped out of my shell and started talking, it felt incredibly good. I learned that there was really a huge demand for personalized service in the digital marketing realm, and I used the confidence that I had gained from that first networking event to attend and even join networking groups. From then on, everything changed.

By August of that same year, I had my first office, and in September of that same year, my first employee. I was already overworking and over-extending myself, but things were going so well that I just pushed on.

Until – well – my life came to a screeching halt later that September, when my father suddenly passed away. That’s when my anxiety and depression really kicked into gear.

In some effort to bury how I was feeling, I dove headfirst into work while at the same time, trying to be the best wife and mom possible and manage my dad’s complicated estate. The business kept getting more and more successful – my all-star employee, Kes, who is still with me to this day, joined me in January of 2022, and a third employee started in June of that same year. By the end of 2022, I successfully turned my business from making 30k a year in 2021 to almost 30k per month by January of 2023. I had a reel go viral and reach almost a million views, getting my company inquiries from every corner of the globe.

Despite all this, I still didn’t get any professional psychiatric help for my panic attacks. I just buried my feelings, pushing through despite immense, daily suffering. I remember at one point I was huddled in the corner of my hallway crying, afraid to move, from all of the overwhelming pressure I had put on myself.

By July of 2023, I knew I needed a break. I unfortunately had to lay off one of my employees and take my full time employee to part time. I honestly didn’t know if I could continue or not. I stopped posting on my social media platforms. I stopped offering a core service, and even transferred those clients to a colleague. I was literally drowning in stress, and something needed to change.

I took some time off, which I wish I would’ve done sooner, and got help for my debilitating panic attacks. I’m so glad I did, but I regret ignoring my own health for so long that it almost broke me. The time off allowed me. to take stock of the business practices and irrational core beliefs and expectations that were keeping me stuck. In December of 2023, Kes and I relaunched Alyson Kelly Design as Omnia Design and Social, a rebrand we are still working through. Within the first month, were were full to the brim with a manageable capacity of clients. I am so happy that I get to still do what I love, but I’m finally free of the immense stress that came with it.

My key advice is to stay true to yourself, in business and in life. Don’t people please and overextend yourself – learn that the word “No” is a complete sentence, and that people actually respect you more when you set boundaries. If you don’t set boundaries and hold on to who you really are, you’ll end up running a business that is inauthentic to you.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is and always has been to craft a business that allows me to put my family first. For a while, my business became so big, and I was so caught up in (feeling like I literally created an all-encompassing monster) that I wasn’t able to accomplish that goal and I became miserable with overwhelming anxiety. Now that we’ve rebranded and scaled back, I’ve cut my costs so I can keep only a manageable number of clients for each service. These allows Kes and I to not only feel less stressed, but the client also gets our highest quality of work.

Contact Info:

• Website: alysonkellydesign.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/the_evolving_mompreneur
• Facebook: facebook.com/alysonkellydesign
• Other: instagram.com/omniadesignandsocial

Image Credits
All images by Mark Duggan, Nicke City Headshots