Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katelyn Maude Harder. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Katelyn Maude, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

When it was just a side hustle in college, the bulk of my work was hand-lettered cards, signs, digital designs, and even pumpkins at one point. Because of that, I thought having “letters” in the name would work well because that was literally what I would be selling: letters on things. I knew I wanted the name of my business to include my name somehow, and I also wanted it to stand out. Katelyn is my first name, and though I think it fits me great, it’s not the most unique name out there. My middle name, Maude, is a little more uncommon. I am my great grandmother’s namesake, and Maude is a name I’ve really grown to love. And so I chose Letters by Maude.

Katelyn Maude, 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 Katelyn Maude Harder, a modern calligrapher, wedding vendor, and the owner of Letters by Maude. I specialize in hand-lettered wedding signage and can hand-letter just about any surface!

I grew up in a small town called Mountainburg, Arkansas and was always into art from an early age. Some of my earliest memories are of my mom setting up my paints for me at the kitchen table and letting me have the freedom to make all the messes I wanted. When I learned how to write cursive in elementary school, my love for painting didn’t leave, but it did make way for a new form of art to me: hand-lettering. From then on, I practiced and practiced some more until I became the kid that was well-known for neat handwriting. It didn’t take me very long to figure out that I liked it a lot when people noticed how good I was at making words look pretty on a page, and that’s when my passion for lettering really began.

All through school, and even in college, I was never certain about what I wanted to be when I grew up; all I knew was that I would always make the time to make art because it made me happy to make it and it also meant a great deal to me that I could create things that brought other people joy. I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t making some sort of custom art for someone on the side, so in college, I gave my side hustle its name: Letters by Maude. I graduated from Graceland University in May of 2018 fully believing I was on my way to teaching high school English. I got married a month after graduation and spent a year and a half in Dallas, TX for my husband’s job before moving for his job again to Kansas City, MO in March of 2020. I found a job designing logos for a small company and thought about what it might be like to start my own business.

In the Fall of 2020, I took a leap of faith and officially launched Letters by Maude. Since then, I have become known in the Kansas City wedding industry for my hand-lettered signage thanks to my fellow wedding vendors recommending me to their clientele. I offer hand-lettered seating charts, welcome signs, bar menus, table numbers, place-cards, keepsakes, and more. Something that I’m excited to add to my offerings in 2023 is custom stationery.

At this point in time, I’m most proud of how far I’ve come in just two short years. My small business still has a lot of growing to do, but the opportunity for growth has me excited for the future in an industry that I’m proud to be a part of here in KC.

The main thing I want my potential clients to know is that when you choose me as your wedding vendor, I’m committed to making an experience that can be typically overwhelming very simple. There’s a lot that goes into planning your wedding day, and you don’t have time to waste stressing about your signage! It is my goal to hear your vision and bring it to life by creating pieces that uniquely fit you and your partner.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been building a strong reputation within the Kansas City wedding industry. If KC wedding planners, wedding photographers, and other vendors didn’t know that I provide a good quality service, price my items fairly, and respond in a timely manner, I would not get the same amount of referrals that I do. Building trust not only with the couples that work with me but also the vendors that work the same weddings as me has helped my business grow more than any social media strategy ever could.

Though some clients find me through Instagram, Facebook, or word of mouth, the majority of my leads come from my friendors (friends who are also vendors) who recommend me to their clients. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting to know others within your work community, especially if you’re a solo business owner. We’re not meant to be islands. Make friends within your field and you’ll be better for it–not just because they bring you more clients, but because they provide you with a sense of fellowship and community that you won’t get if you try and keep completely to yourself.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that no two days of work look the same for me. Enduring the exact same work day over and over again is not for me. Being able to make my own schedule and constantly having the possibility of creating something new that I’ve never made before for a client is my kind of job.

Contact Info:

• Website: lettersbymaude.com
• Instagram: @lettersbymaude
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lettersbymaude
• Other: TikTok: @lettersbymaude Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lettersbymaude