We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katelyn Maude Harder. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katelyn Maude below.

Hi Katelyn Maude, thanks for joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Being a business owner means experiencing a wide range of emotions any given day. Gratitude can coexist with stress before a big order deadline just like the joy of hand-lettering can also end in my hand cramping up after writing 200+ guest names on a seating chart. When I’m asked if I’m happier as a business owner as opposed to having a “regular” job, my initial answer is yes. As someone who was obsessed with lettering and art from a young age, a part of me always wondered if I could turn what I love into how I make a living. If I never took the leap of faith to figure that out, I think I would have been doing my younger self a disservice. Because I chose to take the business owner route, I don’t ever have to ask myself “what if” or wait until later in life or even retirement to take that risk.

On the other hand, I think most entrepreneurs would agree that the thought of having a regular job creeps in from time to time, but only during the tedious parts of owning a business. I’m not wondering what it would be like to work a nine to five when I’m in the middle of something fun like designing wedding signage or getting to see the biggest smiles on my clients’ faces when I hand deliver their pieces. The wondering if the grass is greener on the other side is more likely to happen when I’m sweating over an urgent supply order being lost in the mail or wishing I could clock out at a decent time on those late nights leading up to a big event. There are moments when it would be nice to be able to pass some of my responsibilities up the chain of command, but that’s not exactly an option when you’re the boss. However, getting to be creative every day and make money from it is still a dream come true for me. Ultimately, the fun parts of owning my business outweigh the difficult. I would choose getting to wake up and pursue something I’m passionate about any day over something considered normal, and I think that’s the trick. A job that seems normal to someone can be a passion for someone else. I’ve found mine so I know I’m happier right where my feet are planted.

Katelyn Maude, 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?

I’m Katelyn Maude Harder, the hand behind Letters by Maude. I create hand-lettered signage and whimsical designs for weddings, events, and everything worth celebrating. From welcome signs and seating charts down to placecards and stationery, wherever there are words to be written, I make it my job to make them look pretty.

I try my best to take the stress out of designing cohesive event signage and stationery while also making the process fun. Most of my clients are planning a wedding for the first time. There are plenty of small details they don’t think about like how the order of names on their seating chart at their reception could be the difference between a smooth or chaotic evening for their guests or what signage they actually need vs what signage they don’t need to worry about. That’s where I come in! The design work and hand-lettering is my favorite part, but second to that is being able to share the experience and expertise I bring to the table.

What began as a side hustle in college back in 2017 turned into a full time business in 2020 after my husband and I moved from Dallas to the Kansas City area. From a young age, I always had a passion for using my creativity to bring others joy. With my own personal lettering style and attention to detail in my designs, I get to create pieces that are unique to my clients every day. Something that sets Letters by Maude apart? You can’t find my pieces or my hand-writing in a big box store because I’ve never sold my font. It is reserved for those who hire me!

When I’m not lettering for a wedding, I’m lettering keepsakes, designing digital art, doing handwriting preservation, and painting party banners. I’ve also lettered jackets, baseball hats, baby signs, vows–you name it! If you’re engaged, thinking about hiring a hand-letterer for an event, needing design work, or even looking for a thoughtful gift for a loved one, Letters by Maude could be your answer!

*Letters by Maude is a proudly affirming business, standing with and supporting our LGBTQIA+ community. All are welcome and all love is celebrated over here.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

The social media side of owning a business can be a lot of work! I organically built my audience by simply posting my process. Every time I lettered something for the first few years of going full time with Letters by Maude, I would press the record button. Most of the pieces I letter take a lot of time, so video editing was almost always a must, especially to speed the videos up.

My advice for any creatives just starting to build their social media presence is to share their process and invest in extra storage space on your devices to make room for all the videos you’ll take. It’s a cool way to involve your audience in what you’re doing and it’ll also be a special thing to look back on and see how much you’ve improved throughout the years. I get more positive feedback and people saying “I love watching your videos!” on those types of posts than when I post styled shoots or real events/weddings with my pieces. Your audience will enjoy getting to know your brand through watching how you create what you sell.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

When I first started out, it was really hard for me to come up with how to price my work. A rite of passage as a creative business owner is underselling your work when you start out because you don’t actually know your worth and you’re just happy to be selling what you’re creating at all!

I followed Becca Courtice (@thehappyevercrafter) on Instagram, and she created a resource for other hand-lettering artists and calligraphers called “Panic Free Pricing”. It’s all about what the pricing process looks like, how to adequately charge for the time you put into your work, and how not to be afraid to charge your worth + add tax! I have always struggled with wanting to discount my items, whether I’m selling art to a stranger or someone I know personally. This course was an absolute game changer for me and worth every penny because it built my confidence as a business owner and taught me that it’s okay to charge my clients for the actual amount of time and energy I was putting into my craft. I would highly recommend this course to any other creatives who feel stuck when it comes to pricing their items and want to stop undercharging for their work!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lettersbymaude.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lettersbymaude/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lettersbymaude
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelyn-harder
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lettersbymaude

Image Credits

@annieluiphotography
@renatazimmerphotography
@ewestphoto
@enlowproductionsllc
@espysphotography