We were lucky to catch up with Demri Atkinson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Demri, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

When I was first starting out as a creative business owner, I worked hard to do all of the “right” things. I attended all of the workshops and tried to follow the status quo but after years of working so dang hard and still feeling like something was missing, I decided to take matters into my own hands. The first thing I did was change my messaging. As a photographer, I mostly shared photos from sessions with a tiny blurb about the photograph, event or shoot. And although I had a loyal set of regulars, I didn’t feel like I was growing a sought after brand that would help me grow out of my small farm town. So, I started showing up as me. I shared hard truths about my life and wasn’t afraid to get messy. I shared photos of myself and wrote as if it was a journal entry to my most trusted circle. Aside from opening up to my audience, I began to ditch the trends. I stopped worrying about a posting and email structure and operated out of my intuition and heart. And that is when things got really really good. Doors opened organically and opportunities presented themselves that I could have never forced. I began to grow, both personally and financially. And that is when I knew I was onto something.

Fast forward to 2020, I began to challenge the world of business even more. Now as we all know, 2020 was an extremely difficult and scary time. Especially for small business owners. Which was why I knew I had to make some serious changes if I wanted my business to not only survive, but to become increasingly sustainable.

At the time, everyone in the online space was preaching about niching down. Their belief was that if you got super super clear on one thing you can offer, you can market the sh** out of it and become an “expert” / “leader” in your industry. I put quotations because the word expert became a term anyone and everyone used to differentiate themselves from the crowd. I however, did not feel like an expert. I felt like a human. Who had obtained incredibly unique skills due to my personal life experience. One that cultivated a multitude of passions, insights and gifts. I was still learning, and failing and getting back up again. I wasn’t perfect, nor did I want to be. Even when mentors told me to market myself as an expert, I rejected the idea. Because it didn’t feel honest to me or my brand.

Instead, I did the opposite of niche down and I expanded into other avenues, under the same umbrella. In addition to my photography, I started offering virtual assistant services to other business owners to help them with tasks they either didn’t have time for or simply could not do on their own. I also started selling photography prints and creating templates to be sold in an online shop. All of it mattered to me, and all of it brought value to my clientele. From there, I continued to grow. Which eventually led me here! A 2x business owner who’s part photographer, and part creative strategist.

At OHSIA (my creative consulting agency) we not only provide holistic coaching and virtual support to our clients but we also brought in a unique element to business… Human Design.

Human Design is a unique strategy that merges the principles of The I Ching, astrology, Kabbalah, Hindu-Brahmin chakra system, and quantum physics. In a nut shell, it gives us a roadmap to our soul and summarizes how we can each function to the best of our abilities. Every single person has their own unique chart and is designed to use their energy in a very specific and individualized way. When you understand your design, you’re able to better navigate the world around you as you create a life and business that brings you a sense of purpose. One that leads you back to self.

On top of that, we merge traditional business practices with HD to create aligned experiences for both ourselves and our clients which in turns, cultivates successful and sustainable brands. We believe that you can’t have one without the other. There are no extremes here! We truly leave space for it all. Strategy, systems, spirituality, psychology, connection, etc. It ALL works together for good. And that, is what makes OHSIA + Demri Rayanne stand out.

So if you’re over the trends and status quo, you’re in the right place. This is a space that leaves room for individuality. Not one person is the same and THAT my friend, is your superpower.

Demri, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello! I’m Demri, a multi passionate entrepreneur, artist, writer and friend. I’m originally from a small farm town in Washington State, moved to Seattle for a year then hopped over to Dallas, Texas where I reside with my partner Brandon and our sweet pup Sofie.

Demri Rayanne is my personal brand where I grew my photography business and began to share my writing. I’ve been a documentary-editorial photographer for 8 years and shoot creative brands, modern families & couples, empowering portraits and intimate, unique weddings that are inspired by love and art. I also write about life and deep reflections, because I believe human connection is the most important thing we can share.

OHSIA by demri rayanne is my other business! We’re a creative consulting agency that merges Human Design and traditional business strategy to create aligned (and sustainable af) brands. Our speciality is in holistic business strategy, building solid backend systems and offering streamlined support through creative, administrative and operational assisting to creatives such as photographers, designers and coaches.

Most of our clients have successfully built 6 figure brands but are feeling burnt out, stuck and alone in their entrepreneurial journey. They know that in order to continue to grow in a way that also allows them to LIVE, they need to hire help.

The solution we bring is simple:

1.) We help our clients recenter with themselves through Human Design readings so they can realign with their life AND business.

2.) Merging together their HD and business goals, we help clients build foundational business strategies and backend systems to support their unique energy types and visions.

3.) From there, we offer monthly retainer support that is unique to their business so that our clients can step into their unique zone of genius, and do less of the rest.

When it comes to what I’m most proud of, I would say it’s my people. I’m truly blessed with the best team and the best clients. Everything that we do is based around relationships and honest connection so it feels so incredibly good to have built a community that also values that. We still provide a professional, high touch service but we do it with heart. I truly believe you can have it all and that is what we cultivate through Demri Rayanne x OHSIA.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When 2020 hit, I had no idea how I was going to move out of my parents basement, pay my bills and move to the city. But at the end of the day, I knew I had to find a way. I was depressed, isolated and my business simply could not grow if I stayed in my tiny hometown. Not only was my business dying, but (not to be dramatic) so was my soul. So I began to think savvy and decided to market the crap out of my print shop to inspire healing spaces during a time where everyone was locked away from their communities and safe havens. I sold to past clients and marketed landscapes to the public as well as hosted giveaways for future COVID safe shoots. Thankfully, I was still booking 2021/2022 weddings so I had deposits coming in to help sustain my income. From there, I pulled all of my sales together in order to have enough money to secure my own apartment in the city. I found a really great assistance program for those who made less than Seattle’s median salary which provided me with a discount on rent.

Once I got to the city, I knew I had to hustle. (Otherwise I wouldn’t be eating.) I started engaging with brands I loved online and marketed my virtual assistant services to anyone and everyone. My rates were super cheap and I was prepared to take on as much work as possible in order to pay the bills and grow the brand of my dreams. Even though I had already built a name for myself as a photographer, I was at peace with the fact that I was starting from the ground up. I had big visions of growing an agency and was willing to do whatever it took to get there.

6 months in I was completely burned out but I had doubled my income and managed to keep things afloat. Now it wasn’t perfect by any means and I made a lot of financial mistakes along the way. But I did what I had to do to survive and for that, I am forever grateful. But most importantly, proud. Proud that even though I had no idea what I was doing or how I would do it, I did it anyway. Because I had faith in my mission. In the vision as a whole.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think what’s helped me build my reputation the most is being so incredibly intentional about being authentic to ME. Although we are providing services, solutions and support to others and lifting them up along the way, showing up as myself and connecting on a human level is what has allowed me to build trust within my brand. When people feel like they know you, they are willing to invest in you. So yes, marketing your services is key and showcasing your brand is important. But what matters the most is consistently showing up with honesty and integrity. No matter what. THAT is what you’ll be known for. And that is what allows brands to grow, change, pivot and evolve over time without losing their loyal following.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.demrirayanne.co
• Instagram: @demrirayanne.co / @ohsia.co

Image Credits
Sara Welch Photography