We recently connected with Catryn Miller and have shared our conversation below.

Catryn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

Sweet Horizon kind of started in two phases. The first was as a lifestyle blog back in 2013, titled “Sweet Horizon”, where I wanted to share every aspect of my life as a young 20-something year old, fresh out of college, living with roommates and my dog, and trying to navigate adulthood. I chose the name Sweet Horizon based on the idea that “Something sweet is on the horizon”, or something great could be just ahead of you, and I always wanted to approach my life, ambitions and ideas with that kind of optimism. I had lofty goals for the blog but it didn’t take long to realize that I spent way more time working on the design and layout of the site rather than creating the actual articles for viewers to read. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, given my degree in design and my love for web design, but it took me dipping my toes into the blogging world to realize just how creative and unique blog design could be and how much I loved bringing so much personality into a design. However, it wasn’t until 2016, after working a number of odd jobs after college, that I finally created Sweet Horizon Studio and started working with other bloggers and female creative entrepreneurs to bring their own unique vision to life in the form of their website. I started by reaching out to local business owners and bloggers in my area, specifically people that didn’t have a custom website or brand just yet but I could tell were growing, and pitching my design services to them. It was so outside my comfort zone and really nerve-racking at times but once I had a few sites under my belt I started to get more word-of-mouth inquiries and things just grew from there. By 2018 I made Sweet Horizon Studio my full time career. I still have the blog, though now we use it as a way to share business and blogging advice for people looking to get their started with their own business venture.

Catryn, 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?

I am a branding and web designer as well as a web developer. At this point in time I have a small team that collaborates on the visuals for every aspect of our clients’ businesses. We do everything from the ground up, meaning we work one-on-one with our clients to get to the heart and soul of their business, dig into how they want to position themselves in their industry and speak to their ideal audience, and then we build a brand strategy as the foundation for everything they intend to do. From there we create logos, patterns, icons, packaging, labels, social media graphics, pdfs, and of course websites, that fully embody the vision that our client has for their business. Our web design and development skills are mainly what we have become known for over the years because we pride ourselves in creating truly one-of-a-kind custom websites on WordPress, Shopify, Showit, and Squarespace and we fully design and code everything in house. That way no concept gets lost in the process and we can bring all of our client’s ideas to fruition and create an online home for them that really showcases their personality and stands out in their industry. We’ve established ourselves as a WordPress and Shopify expert and resource and have started working with fellow designers as a developer for their own client websites. We’ve also launched some WordPress themes last year that make it easier than ever to build what looks like a custom site in a fraction of the time. We have plans to expand these themes to other platforms and build up this library over time to give DIY-savvy business owners a chance to still get a professionally designed website at a lower price point. My husband and I also run a podcast, The Broadening Horizons Podcast, and our Sweet Horizon blog in order to share everything we’ve learned about business and being creative entrepreneurs over the last 8 years. Our main mission is to give anyone the means to launch their passion project and have it be as successful as they dreamed it could be. We believe everyone who chooses this path should be able to make their own money on their own terms and in a way that is fulfilling to their life.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

There are two things that I think have helped me build a reputation for myself within the branding and web design space. First, quality of work. I joke a lot on my podcast about being a perfectionist but, in this industry as well as other creative industries, attention to detail and wanting to go above and beyond for your clients will get you really far. I want all of my clients to know that I am pouring my heart and soul into making the visuals for their business the best that they can be and I like to approach every project with the same enthusiasm that I have for my own business because I know how much this means to the creatives that are coming to me and entrusting me to take care of them and their business. The time and attention will not only show in the stellar finished project but it will leave a lasting impression on the client because they know how much I believe and support the work that they do. Secondly, the collaborative process that includes the client as much as possible throughout the project I think really sets us apart. I love getting to know my clients on a personal level and approach each project like friends creating something magic together and hyping each other up along the way. I always say that my clients know their business better than I do so I want them to be involved in the design journey as much as possible. The people I get to work with are typically creative business owners themselves and come to the table with a ton of ideas. This collaborative process allows them to share every dream they’ve had for their business and I get to apply my skillset and make it come alive for them. Many of my clients remain friends of mine, even if we’ve never met in person, and this kind of connection I believe has contributed to word-of-mouth inquiries from past clients being a major way I get new clients.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth from past clients will probably always be one of my main sources of new clients. People are far more comfortable working with you when you come highly recommended from someone they already trust. But aside from that, Pinterest has really been a huge source of inquiries through the years for us. As someone who falls more on the introvert side of things, as is the case for a lot of creatives I’m sure, promoting myself on social media is not something that comes naturally to me. In fact, I tend to find showing up on camera everyday to be daunting and draining at times. I started my business simply to lend my design and coding skills to other people and yet such a big aspect of business these days is focused on continually having content of your own to share and market yourself with on multiple different platforms. In the midst of it all, Pinterest has always felt like a breath of fresh air for me. I can show my work, my podcast episodes, and my ideas with no set schedule or without having to show my face on camera everyday and Pinterest consistently drives traffic and inquiries my way. It feels like a platform that is working behind the scenes for my business all the time that I don’t have to think about or log on to every single day which just feels more sustainable for me and my business. I’ve had my biggest paying clients come from Pinterest as well as many clients that inquire by saying things like “I’ve pinned so much of your work, I love everything you do, and I absolutely MUST work with you.” You can’t get more ideal than that, in my opinion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sweethorizonstudio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweethorizonstudio/
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sweethorizonstu/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/24rZKsIKaYu3nBelcZB0we