We recently connected with Kristy Klein and have shared our conversation below.
Kristy, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?
One of my clients, 518 Donuts, came to me when they were just starting out with an idea. They wanted to create a fried chicken and donut shop in the capital region and came to me to help create the brand (logo/menu/stickers/banners/ads/etc) Being tasked with a logo that is vintage in style and includes a chicken and a donut is no easy task. We nailed it down and I am pleased to say that their company is THRIVING. They have recently opened a second shop in a neighboring town. They had a very saavy menu reviewer give them feedback on all of their materials that I created and he honestly had nothing negative to say. He loved the vibe, style, logo, menu options, menu design & more!
Kristy, 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?
My name is Kristy Klein and I am a 34 year old mom of two. I had worked as a senior graphic designer in an office for about 6 years before becoming pregnant with my first daughter. I started off working for an entertainment company in Albany creating all of the signage for a popular store in the mall. We would create all of the display signage, gift guides, ads, window signage and more. When I left that job (due to the commute) I started as the graphic designer for an architecture firm in Saratoga. I would create all of their ads, on site signage, proposals and more and I still do work for them to this day as a freelancer. When I realized the cost of childcare I decided to take the plunge and attempt to start my own company where I could freelance from home and take on as many or as few hours as needed. Fast forward another 6 years and my business has never been in a better place. I have a handful of very consistent clients that I do all of the design work for on a daily basis, as well as random one off projects for different clients as well. It really seems that word of mouth was my best tool to gain the clients I have today. I am honestly so proud of the way the business has grown and I feel so lucky that I can work from home for myself, contribute financially to my household, but keep a flexible schedule for my young girls. I rebranded my company from a DBA to an LLC recently and changed the name to Fifteen Blue: A Design Company. Many people ask where Fifteen Blue came from and I explain to them that my two daughters are POLAR OPPOSITES, but the two things they have in common are they were born on the 15th and have bright blue eyes. From there Fifteen Blue Design was born!
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
SHARE SHARE SHARE! Just keeping sharing. On your page, on your story and ask friends and family to share as well! I have boosted a few ads here and there, but I honestly find that having the right people share your business is the best way to get noticed. You never know who knows who. I have one of my best clients that just happened to come from word of mouth from a friend. Also, as a designer I obviously am capable of making my own ads/posts that looks nice. If you are not in that industry I suggest hiring a designer to create those for you to make sure everything is clean and clear and follows your brand.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I think many of us can agree that COVID really put businesses through the ringer and I was no exception. There were times over COVID where business was slower because my clients businesses themselves were slower. And there was also times where business was good but I was quarantined with a 2 and 4 year old trying to get my work done. Both ends of the spectrum really tested my self discipline and my ability to keep Fifteen Blue alive.
Contact Info:
- Website: fifteenblue.com
- Instagram: fifteenbluedesign
Image Credits
Liv Images