We recently connected with Dr. Kim Barnes and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Kim, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Kreeative Doses was founded during the pandemic. Pharmacy school became virtual, my job had furloughed me, and I had a lot of free time at home. I tapped into my creative side and started crafting things in my living room. I bought a Cricut machine and began making t-shirts. My family and friends loved my designs and suggested that I turn my hobby into a business. I saw there was a need for custom t-shirts for the clubs at my school, so I decided to offer my services to my peers and received my first order as a business. I also had a lot of family and friends asking me a ton of questions about Covid-19, such as what vitamins and supplements to take or if something they heard in the media was true.

I combined my passion for crafting with my pharmacy expertise and formed Kreeative Doses. The mission of Kreeative Doses is to provide quality custom goods while educating the community on how to live a healthier lifestyle. We provide custom apparel, custom event decor, custom home decor, and community education. The most exciting aspect of my business is that I am solving two problems for my customers at once – their need for custom items and their need to be educated on how to live a healthier lifestyle.

I knew this business would work when so many of my customers became loyal customers. My repeat customer rate is 63%, while the average repeat customer rate is 20-40% for e-commerce businesses. My customers love my professionalism, creativity, and the quality of the products they receive. I have some customers who have trusted me from the beginning and have watched the quality of my work improve over time. They are my advocates and help my business grow through word-of-mouth.

Dr. Kim, 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 was born and raised in Raleigh, NC. I had a well-rounded childhood and participated in many extracurricular activities, such as tennis, science camps, and even the Senate and Governor’s Page Program. I have always been creative and enjoyed making things. I discovered that I wanted to become a pharmacist in middle school and took the steps needed to fulfill my dreams. I am a recent pharmacy graduate from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine – Georgia Campus.

Kreeative Doses provides quality branded apparel to other small and mid-size businesses. We also provide personal bulk order t-shirts for any special occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, and family reunions. In addition to the t-shirts for special occasions, we provide custom acrylic signs, custom water bottles, custom face masks, and many other custom items needed to make your event special. We educate the community on how to live a healthier lifestyle by providing fun community events. Our most notable event, “Vagentine’s Day Brunch”, is an annual event where you can learn about vaginal health while participating in paint & sip and enjoying brunch food. We also post periodic “Dose of the Days” on social media that educate the community on random health topics.

I am most proud of trademarking my Kreeative Doses logo in 2021. I am also proud that I was accepted into the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women program where they are teaching myself and 450 other black women how to grow and scale our businesses. It is a 12-week virtual program where we learn from some of the most successful entrepreneurs. We have business advisors and business mentors supporting us throughout the process. I began the program in September and I will be flying to New York for the graduation in November.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Kreeative Doses has grown significantly from word-of-mouth. Our customers advocate for us by showing off their custom items and referring others to us for all their customized needs. I originally thought that social media would be the best source for new clients, but for my business it serves as a good platform to showcase my work. When someone ask for a reference for custom t-shirts on their social media, my previous customers will refer them to my business page. I plan to implement the marketing skills I am learning in the Goldman Sachs program to gain more clients.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Providing excellent customer service has helped me to build my brand in this market. There are many other small and big businesses that provide custom items, but Kreeative Doses is a unique experience. We help our customers bring their visions to life by creating original designs and we ensure you are happy with how your doses will look before they are made. We use high quality products that are durable; you will not have to worry about your t-shirt design peeling or cracking after washing it.

Showing our community that we care about their health has also helped us to build a reputation. Receiving health facts from a healthcare professional and being able to ask questions that are normally uncomfortable to ask, helps build rapport. Our customers trust us with their health and trust us with their custom apparel needs.

Contact Info:

• Website: kreeativedoses.com
• Instagram: @kreeative_doses
• Facebook: Kreeative Doses
• Linkedin: Kreeative Doses

Image Credits
Tiara Hargrove Photography