We were lucky to catch up with Kae Rosato recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kae, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Our mission is to empower people who dream of becoming entrepreneurs and guide them through the process of turning that dream into a reality. We turn dreamers into entrepreneurs!
What does that mean? Let me put it like this. You know, those dreams that you say, “Maybe one day I can…nahhh.”? Usually, you put those dreams in the “what-if” part of your brain because of all the challenges that are faced, such as not having enough money, time, or knowledge of where or how to start while still providing for your family. The world has changed dramatically in the last couple of years, and now more than ever people are turning to side hustles for extra income. Oh Kae Creative takes those people who have a vision and walk them through the process of making that vision come to life, while avoiding common branding and marketing pitfalls.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a wife and mom of three kids and stepmom to two bonus kids. I was born in Cali, Colombia but grew up in a tiny town in Northern New Jersey, only 10 minutes away from the George Washington Bridge. When I was fifteen, we moved to the Bay Area and from then I’ve moved cross country another three different times. Not because of anything specific- life just happened and it’s thrown me around a bit. I’ve lived in California, Washington, Florida, Central New York, and now Arizona for the past two years. I believe this gives me an advantage when connecting with clients all across the US because I’ve experienced so many different cultural climates and pace of living. For example, San Francisco is a cool and quirky kind of city, but it’s a walk in the park compared to the energy of NYC.
I went to College in San Francisco and studied marketing and advertising with an emphasis on the fashion industry. Afterwards, I ended up working in retail and got trapped in the retail management world. I spent many years in Southwest Florida climbing that ladder until I reached my goal of becoming a general manager. A few years later I met my husband and moved to Syracuse, NY where I decided to be a stay-at-home mom and leave the world of retail behind. Five kids later (his, hers, and ours) we moved here to Phoenix where my husband was born and raised.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
As a kid I always dreamt of having my own boutique where I got to design my own clothes. This is why I pursued a degree in Fashion Marketing. Now that I’ve achieved my goal of owning my own business, my dream is to help other women build powerhouse companies that take big chunks out of male-dominated industries. Like an all-female construction company that builds housing for survivors of domestic violence, so that female laborers aren’t subjected to the sexual harassment and discrimination of their male coworkers and superiors. Or a different version of the Michelin Guide, but instead of rating restaurants, they rate companies based on how their female employees are treated. Could you imagine how this would change company policies and toxic male working environments? Maybe this would push companies to offer equal wages or paid maternity leave for more than 6 weeks like other countries do. If a company were to be awarded 5 stars, they would attract some of the most sought-after and leading female professionals in the nation, among other benefits.
Being part of a team that brings an idea like this into existence would be amazing! But I’d settle for just seeing it start in my lifetime so that my daughter (and granddaughters), can experience this change as the “new normal”.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Since college, every now and then I’d get the opportunity to help someone create a logo, a website, or some marketing materials. It was very sporadic, and creating a business from it was never on my radar, especially during my retail era. It wasn’t until after we moved to Phoenix that I met a girl who was starting a gourmet cookie company called The Little Bus Cookie Co. with her sister. I mentioned that I had dabbled in graphic design and marketing from time to time, so she hired me to create her logo and website. It was during that project that I said to myself “Why am I not doing this for a living?” Cue the imposter syndrome. I battled myself over the desire to do something I absolutely loved and failing which would crush my self-confidence and my dream of owning my own business in one fell swoop. My husband was my biggest and only cheerleader at that time because I was scared to tell anyone what I was thinking of doing. I really didn’t want to hear anything that would make me feel discouraged and exasperate my fear of failure, so I didn’t even open the door to that possibility. I did my research, got what I needed to launch the business, and pulled the trigger. Best decision I ever made! Like Elyse Myers said, “Do it scared.” It really pays off.
My company is only a year old, but I’ve expanded the services I offer from brand strategy and design to SEO and social media management. It hasn’t been easy and there were many times I struggled with imposter syndrome BUT, I can’t deny that I’ve loved every single minute! I put a lot of care and effort (hyperfocus for the win!) into every step of the process from the proposal to managing a company’s brand reputation in both print and digital landscapes. We are a “start to finish” kind of company. A brand bestie that helps you find your footing in the market, has your back, cheers you on, and guides you to success.
Contact Info:
- Website: ohkaecreative.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohkae_creative/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OhKaeCreative
Image Credits
Photographer Brooklyn Noecker
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