We were lucky to catch up with Kristina Tuyls recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kristina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear your thoughts about making remote work effective.
I began my business smack dab in the middle of the first nationwide Covid-19 shut down. I was a full-time student at San Diego State University at the time and graduated with my BS degree in Business/Marketing one month into the lockdown. After three months of being laid off from my full-time job, I was trying to fill my time with anything/everything possible to do while stuck at home. Money was also very tight at this time and unemployment hadn’t kicked in yet so I was really searching for a virtual way to work and gain new income. It was then that I decided to do something I always wanted to do; start my own marketing business. I always had the thought in the back of my mind, I just never had the time to make it a reality. I was very fortunate that the business I wanted to start could be, for the most part, done remotely from home.
In the beginning, I started by networking with some of my current connections (made from being a marketing director for two previous positions) via phone, email and social media. This gained me a few clients for sporadic side jobs, performing tasks like creating a logo or graphic ad design for Instagram/Facebook accounts. As time went on during the pandemic, virtual communication platforms and interfaces were vastly updated and improved. Applications like Zoom allowed me to easily schedule and hold face to face conference calls and create explanatory videos to send to my clients at a moment’s notice. This was a lifesaver for me when it came to networking during the pandemic. I was able to attend many virtual events to get my name out there and gain more clientele. A few of my favorite virtual events were the first annual Habitat for Humanity Virtual Auction and weekly virtual BNI meetings that I continue to attend to this day. The pandemic forced me to learn, and continue to learn, how to use technology in the virtual world to my advantage, especially when it comes to running my business!
Kristina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Kristina Tuyls and I live and operate my business, KMT Marketing Co LLC, from my home in the small town of Winters, CA. I also work full-time in office as a marketing specialist at Maximum Fitness, a Veteran owned and operated health club in the nearby town of Vacaville. I just recently hit the milestone age of 30 years old and feel that I am in the best stage of my life personally and professionally. When I graduated high-school in 2009 I had no clue what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. My parents always pushed me to go to college with the hopes that I would be the first generation of our family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. So, I knew I had to go to school, but I had no clue what to major in (as many at the age of 18 don’t). I started by taking a career planning class with the hope that the career aptitude test, along with some guidance from my professor, would help me choose a career path. The test results told me that my qualities would resonate well in the medical field, which was not surprising because I was always very social and good with people. I ended up attending Solano Community College to obtain an associate degree in science with the plan of transferring into an oral surgery program. This occupation was only chosen because the money was great and I could make my own schedule. This was a mistake, because after I obtained the degree and transferred into the surgery program, I realized that I had absolutely no passion for it and I was back at the drawing board. Always pursue your passions before a dollar amount!
I was 21 years old when I took a break from school to find myself. I began bartending at a popular local family-owned Italian restaurant, Pietro’s. While bartending, I met a business owner who decided to take a chance on me and hire me as a marketing director. They paid for me to attend a few marketing courses at the community college while also learning on the job. I got to travel with this company to a business convention in New Orleans and run a promotional booth for a week. This is where I gained my passion for business and marketing and decided this was it for me. I stayed at this position for a little over a year before I decided to go back to bartending and school full-time in pursuit of my business/marketing degree.
After obtaining another associates degree in Business at the community college, I transferred to San Diego State University and went on to graduate at 28 years old, about one month after the pandemic hit in 2020. I found myself stressed out looking for a marketing career that was right for me during a time when I was laid off from my current job and locked in my home unable to physically interact with other human beings. I decided to utilize this unlimited amount of time at home to start my own business, doing side jobs as a marketing consultant for multiple clients/businesses in the network I had built from previous positions. I was very constricted networking wise at the time due to everything being virtual. At this point I was lost and didn’t know if it would take off. I was worried about finding more clients while stuck at home and was scared to put more of my funds into the business during such an uncertain time. I was also indecisive about EVERYTHING and couldn’t even decide on a name for my business. I decided to just take side jobs as they came and didn’t pursue anything further than that, until I made a connection with the woman who would change my career and life trajectory forever.
My boyfriend and life partner, Daymian, is an Air Force Veteran. He put me in contact with one of his military connections, Rosanne Callens. Rosanne previously worked at Travis Air Force Base helping veterans transition from active duty to the civilian work world. She had recently begun Callens Coaching, a new business of her own as a career transition and life coach for top executives, while also continuing to serve the veteran community she holds very close to her heart. My first phone call with her literally changed my perspective on what I was doing with my life career-wise. She was helping me prep for an interview for a marketing position I had applied for at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA, where my boyfriend works as the veteran success center supervisor. I was extremely nervous because this was the only position that I had come across that I was actually excited about since I graduated SDSU. She spent hours with me on Zoom prepping me for the interview, helping me with everything from clothing choices to interview question prep. She also went out of her way to make me a Loom video instructing me how to redo and configure my entire LinkedIn profile! Long story short, someone else was chosen for the position and I was back at the drawing board, lost once again.
When I told Rosanne I didn’t get the job she was a different type of supportive that I had never experienced before. She didn’t just say, “I’m sorry, better luck next time. Just keep trying”. She took the time to ask me what I saw myself doing next and really took it into consideration when I told her I had no clue. She called me back a few days later and told me she knew exactly what I should do, which was really focusing on making my side hustle a legitimate business. I had done a couple graphics for her social media account in the past so she had seen my work and also has gotten to know my work ethic. Rosanne ended up becoming my first ever recurring client for social media management and is still with me to this day! She referred two of my newest recurring clients, Lauren Stiles (executive coach) and Ace Screws (roofing screw manufacturing company) shown in the graphics you see in this article! She has also begun utilizing me as a part of her Callens Coaching team! Rosanne is the BEST connection I have ever made, and I highly recommend her as a career transition and life coach. Readers, give her a follow-on Instagram (@rosannecallens). You won’t regret it!
Now that my business is established as a legitimate LLC, I have the ability to offer more products and services than I did previously, some of the products and services that I offer include social media management, virtual graphic ad designs, logo creation, branding kits, and tangible marketing materials (business cards, brochures, banners, and pretty much any type of desired merchandise that I can put a business logo on). What sets me apart from others also coincides with what problems I solve for my clients. For example, my client Lauren reached out to me recently and asked me if I would be willing to format and edit an E-book that she is creating to provide to her clients when they purchase a ticket to her virtual workshops. I have never done this before but told her I would look into it and ended up learning a lot while also providing her with a format and edit that she really liked in under 24 hours from the request.
Another recent example was when Ace Screws reached out asking if I could design them last minute business cards for four of their top executives and have them delivered within one week’s time before they would be flying to Vegas for a convention. I ended up creating the cards and shipping them directly to the hotel they were staying at where they received them upon arrival. Moral of the story is that I go above and beyond for the people and businesses that choose KMT Marketing Co LLC for their marketing needs, no matter what those needs may be. If I find myself not being able to complete a task that is asked of me, I will find someone else that can assist them at no charge to the client. I am so proud of the business I have created and I am thrilled that I can generate a profit from my passion in an ethical and legitimate way!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Thus far, I have had two very effective strategies for growing my clientele. First (and most important) has been pure word of mouth recommendations from other clients who have purchased my products and services. I always ask my clients if they are willing to post a positive review on behalf of myself and my business. You would be surprised how many people are willing to vouch for you when they are happy with the products/services you provide to them. Don’t be afraid to ask, the worst they can so is no! I have gained 85% of my clientele solely on others recommending me.
The second effective strategy for me has been networking with prospective clients through my current full-time job at the local health club. There is very high foot traffic and hundreds of members who are business owners. I have utilized my time at the gym to benefit my own business, while also performing my daily job duties. Talk about two birds with one stone! I always try to utilize whatever resources are in front of me at the time. Time is money and there is none to waste of either! I have gained multiple personal training clients and others in everything from real estate to non-profit organizations.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
The number one resource that has significantly impacted my management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy is other business owners! Those who have already been there and done that are the best source of knowledge and information. I could have never gotten where I am today without the advice I have gotten from them. If you are unsure of where to begin with your business, reach out to someone who is successful in the field. A majority of the time, they will be honored that you are seeking advice from them. You can google anything and everything, but there is nothing that I have found online that compares to knowledge gained from real life experience.
I also relied heavily on LegalZoom when I went through the steps of making my business legitimate. LegalZoom is currently the nation’s leading provider of online legal solutions and documents for small business owners. They filed my LLC paperwork for me, got me set up with a registered agent to accept legal documents on my behalf, and made the process very simple. They have a network of attorneys and tax professionals you can chat with at anytime. They also notify me when I have any tax or filing deadlines about a month ahead of time. LegalZoom has been a lifesaver for me because I am currently managing two full-time careers and don’t have time to worry about the day to day paperwork and deadlines. The resources they have provided are priceless to me when it comes to time management and efficiency.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @kmt_company
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-tuyls/
Image Credits
Brittany Wickens (Her Plan Co) Rosanne Callens Lauren Stiles Maximum Fitness Vacaville Ace Screws