We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kami Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kami, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When I started my first business at 22 years old, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. I just had audacity. That same boldness led me to co-found BBLA, a daycare, in 2016 – stepping into an industry I knew nothing about simply because the opportunity presented itself and I trusted myself to figure it out.

For years, that audacity carried me. But last year brought me to a dark place. Both my marketing business and the daycare experienced extreme slowdowns due to the economic climate. The financial struggles left me with no choice but to figure out something new – not from a place of courage, but from necessity. I took on a 9-to-5 job just to get by during the hard times.

But it was through that experience – working that job and having a conversation with someone – that I was reminded of who I truly am. They saw in me what I had forgotten: the audacity I once carried so naturally. In that moment, the light came back on. I realized that at my core, I am a creative entrepreneur. I needed to realign and get back to that core.
I’m in a new season now, intentionally rebuilding with experience, wisdom from the struggles, and a deeper understanding of myself. I’m learning that sometimes the biggest risk is choosing to recommit to who you are when everything has tried to tell you otherwise.

Kami, 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’m an entrepreneur, marketing and design professional, and co-owner of BBLA, a daycare I’ve been running for nine years. But my journey into the creative industry started long before that – I opened my first business at 22 with nothing but audacity and a willingness to figure things out as I went.

Today, I offer a full range of creative and marketing services specifically for entrepreneurs, creatives, and small businesses. I provide design work, social media marketing and management, logo design, websites, branding, business consulting for marketing, and brand shoots through a partnership with a talented photographer and videographer.
The clients who come to me are often struggling with unclear brand identity, inconsistent or ineffective social media presence, no real online presence at all, or they simply need help planning, strategizing, and organizing their thoughts for their business. Many come to me because they have so much on their plate as business owners and need someone to take the marketing and branding off their hands so they can focus on what they do best. They know what they want to do, but they don’t know how to communicate it visually or digitally – and that’s where I come in.

What sets me apart is that I’m not just a designer or marketer looking at their business from the outside. I’m an entrepreneur myself. I see things from both perspectives. I understand the struggles my clients experience because I’ve lived them – the financial pressures, the uncertainty, the need to make every investment count. I also make it a point to connect who they are as people to their brand. I take time to talk with my clients, to really understand who they are and how that translates into their business, because authentic branding comes from authentic connection.

What I’m most proud of isn’t just the creative work itself – it’s my ability to pivot and be resilient through challenges. I might pause for a moment, but I won’t give up on myself. That superpower alone is what has carried me through my entrepreneurial journey, especially through last year’s dark season when both of my businesses faced significant struggles. That resilience is what I bring to every client relationship.

What I want potential clients to know is this: I genuinely enjoy seeing them win. I love watching the evolution of a brand, and having the opportunity to be part of that experience is the best part of my job. Every client I work with gets their own personalized experience because no two businesses are the same, and no two entrepreneurs are the same. When you work with me, you’re not just getting design and marketing services – you’re getting a partner who understands the journey because I’m on it too.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The pivot I’m living through right now might be the most important one of my entrepreneurial journey – because it’s not just about changing direction, it’s about finding my way back to myself.

My first business was a clothing boutique called Vibe Fashions in New Orleans, located on Lakeforest Blvd. right next door to the driver’s license office. I was 22 years old and had loved fashion since I was a little girl. Opening that store was a dream becoming reality. I ran it for three years until I relocated to Atlanta and left it in the hands of an employee. About three months after my move, I got a call from my mom – the store had been broken into and vandalized. They stole everything, including the racks the clothes were hanging on. It broke my heart, but I made the difficult decision to let it go. If I couldn’t be there daily to run it myself, it was time to move on.

That resilience carried me into my next chapter. In 2016, I co-founded BBLA, a daycare – an industry I knew absolutely nothing about, but an opportunity I took anyway. For years, that same audacity I had at 22 kept me moving forward.
Then last year hit. Both my marketing business and BBLA experienced extreme slowdowns due to the economy and changes in funding sources for parents. The financial struggles were real, and I found myself in a dark place. I had to make a pivot I never imagined – I took a 9-to-5 job in healthcare, working in insurance helping members with benefits and claims. It’s remote, which allowed me to keep working with my existing clients, but it was survival mode, not the entrepreneurial life I’d built.

Then, a few weeks ago, something shifted. I was helping a friend strategize ideas for their business for the new year – something I genuinely enjoy doing. In that conversation, they reminded me of Vibe Fashions, of how they saw me back then and how they see me now. They reminded me of that audacity I’ve always carried, the same boldness that led most 22-year-olds to still be figuring it out while I was opening a business. They were paying attention to things I didn’t even realize were visible, and it was eye-opening. Powerful, really.

Sometimes you need to see yourself through someone else’s eyes to remember who you are. To remind yourself to keep going and not let obstacles or challenges take you off your path. That conversation was confirmation that getting back to my core – being a creative entrepreneur – is the right path.

It also taught me that sometimes our most valuable asset is community. That’s why I love consulting with business owners. Sometimes we just need to vent and run ideas by someone who understands, because our friends and family may not get where we’re coming from if they’re not entrepreneurs themselves.

So here I am, one year into the insurance job, still co-owning BBLA though I’ve had to step back from day-to-day operations, and intentionally rebuilding my creative business. The goal now is to add new clients to my marketing business and take my creative services to the next level. I’m finding my audacity again – with the wisdom of experience this time. This pivot isn’t about abandoning who I am. It’s about realigning with it.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is simple but deeply personal: I want to help brands build community and establish their brand identity in a way that’s authentic and true to their vision.

What drives me is that I know exactly how it feels. I know what it’s like to have an idea, to start a business, to give something everything you’ve got, and to see it come to life. I know the feeling when people respond to it and love it – it’s the best feeling as a business owner. That feeling becomes the currency that carries you through the hard days, because entrepreneurship is such a complex journey filled with highs and lows.

My goal is to be a brand’s resource in marketing – to create and manage the assets and actions that consistently communicate their identity, values, and purpose. But more than that, I want to help entrepreneurs experience that moment of manifestation. Seeing a client’s idea go from thought to reality, watching their vision unfold and come to life – that’s the sweet spot for me.

The bigger impact I want to create is helping brands make an imprint on their community while staying authentic and true to their vision. I’ve learned through my own journey that when you align with who you truly are, everything flows differently. That’s what I want for every business I work with – not just a pretty brand, but a real, authentic presence that resonates with their community and creates the kind of connection that sustains them through the inevitable challenges.

I’m building a practice where entrepreneurs don’t have to figure it all out alone, where they have a partner who understands both the creative process and the entrepreneurial journey, and where their brand becomes a true reflection of who they are and what they’re building.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_kamiluv/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thefriendyoucall
• Other: https://linkpages.pro/IBoWLt?fbclid=PAZnRzaAOGcXVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQIY2FsbHNpdGUCMTUAAaf3Tr2cBitgao4K6UjUKfGaZN8RZ7fHiNKTnfn31nWPaWiJgBPbk6UKYbRAeg_aem_tP9UTT6DZOlpkrvGmWm7_w

Image Credits

Photo credit to Torrence Studios