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

Hi Khalia, thanks for joining us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

Starting up Tru Grphx Studio, was literally a daily project for my previous business. I owned a boutique. I literally marketed and designed content that would attract potential customers, retain the customers who have shopped, and be the face of my brand. I didn’t think of it as a business idea until other business owners began asking me who my brand stylist or graphic designer was. I would tell them me, and a couple started asking me to do little projects or flyers, here and there for them; it started off as little money here and there because I wasn’t charging or requiring a price. So, then after I realized people were getting paid to do what I was doing for myself and others for free, I started researching ways to build a business as a graphic designer. This was all in the span of 3-4 months. I knew it was something that I was passionate about. I begin downloading software that was most proficient in creating digitals. Within a month after playing with the ins and outs of the different softwares, I launched my first project in June of 2021.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Khalia T’yana, I founded Tru Grphx originally, now known as Tru Grphx Studio in June 2021. I am a graphic designer + digital creative out of Dallas, Texas. I create and sell digital products + help clients brand their businesses. When looking for customer retention, customer attraction, and creative content creation Tru Grphx has you covered. We offer logo creation, e-flyer creation, website creation, business content planning, and resourceful collaboration. I admire most, my resilience and the continual growth. Over the past 2 years, I have wanted to quit because I had lost some passion, but it was something I could never stop clients from reaching out and still wanting to collaborate.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I chose the graphic design industry, because of the profit to loss ratio. I can profit more than I lose. My money putting into the craft/business is just the basics, covering the cost of software; which I can make back with just one client. Compared to my other business, I was having to spend money on inventory, shipping, etc.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As I stated previously, my resilience and continual growth. Over the past 2 years, I have wanted to quit because I had lost some passion, but it was something I could never stop clients from reaching out and still wanting to collaborate. It was the clients wanting to collab and return as a client continuously that made me keep going. It was times I didn’t think this was for me. But, it was like God kept presenting opportunities and chances to prove to me that it was.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trugrphxstudio/
• Other: linktr.ee/khaliatyana