We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Leah Aukskalnis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Leah below.
Leah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
My sister and I launched our digital marketing company in March 2022, focusing exclusively on serving real estate agents. Nearly three years later, we’ve built a thriving business that allows both of us to pay ourselves a solid full-time income.
One of the key decisions that accelerated our growth was forming a strategic partnership with a local Keller Williams Realty brokerage. By becoming their exclusive in-house marketing and tech team, we were able to establish a strong foundation and quickly gain traction. Additionally, we focused on a highly specific niche—working solely with Keller Williams agents—which helped us refine our offerings and stand out in a crowded market.
Reflecting on our journey, there are three core strategies that were instrumental in turning our creative passion into a sustainable, full-time business:
Niching Down – While it might seem counterintuitive, narrowing our target audience was one of the best decisions we made. Instead of trying to serve all real estate professionals, we focused exclusively on Keller Williams agents. This allowed us to deeply understand their needs, create highly relevant products, and build efficient systems that delivered real value.
Narrowing Our Services – Early on, we realized that offering too many services stretched us thin and slowed our ability to scale. Instead of trying to accommodate every request, we refined our offerings to focus on what we do best. Learning to say “no” to work outside our core expertise gave us the time and capacity to improve our internal systems and provide the highest quality service to our clients.
Building for Scalability – To turn a creative passion into a full-time career, scalability is essential. We constantly evaluate our processes to identify what takes the most time and whether those tasks can be automated, outsourced, or streamlined. By focusing on efficiency, we’ve been able to grow sustainably while maintaining a high standard of service.
These three principles—niching down, narrowing our services to achieve highest quality, and prioritizing scalability—have been the foundation of our success. Looking ahead, our goals include expanding to other Keller Williams Realty locations, adhering to the principles above!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
About Our Company
At JuLeah Designs, we specialize in Sphere Marketing exclusively for Keller Williams REALTORS®, setting us apart in the real estate marketing industry, while creating a clear niche to allow us to scale, Our primary focus is helping agents generate more referrals from their sphere of influence. We achieve this by keeping them top of mind through value-driven e-newsletters, a strong social media presence, listing marketing, targeted postcards & social ads, and multi-platform content distribution.
What makes our strategy truly unique is its proven effectiveness—96% of our Gold Marketing clients secure a buyer or seller lead within 90 days. We identified a gap in the market and leveraged our niche expertise to create a service that delivers real, measurable results.
Beyond marketing, we’ve cultivated a strong brand identity and community influence within Keller Williams Ballantyne (KWB), our core client base. Our signature pink branding has become a cultural movement, with KWB agents proudly wearing pink on Wednesdays in support of our brand!
As our demand outgrows our systems, we’re excited to start process of adding an admin hire! Having our internal systems nailed down was key before hiring help. We found our first hire on HandShake who will be starting with our company this week. We’re excited to watch our company grow with additional leverage!
About Me | Co-Founder of JuLeah Designs
I’m Leah, and I’ve been immersed in real estate marketing and technology for over a decade, specializing in the Keller Williams tech ecosystem. My passion is helping real estate agents streamline their marketing, elevate their digital presence, and grow their businesses with the right tools and strategies.
With deep expertise in KW-provided technology, I’m Dotloop Certified and a KW DocuSign Specialist, and I’ve taught hundreds of KW agents across the country—both nationally and locally—on topics such as Campaigns, Marketing, Transactions, Landing Pages, and more.
My journey began after graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s in Marketing & PR from Adrian College, followed by earning my real estate license and completing the KW IGNITE training program I then spent over five years in leadership roles at KW Ballantyne Market Center before transitioning to a national support role at Scott Le Roy Marketing, where I consulted, trained, and supported KW agents nationwide.
Now, as the co-founder of JuLeah Designs, I’m thrilled to combine my knowledge and passion to empower agents with the marketing strategies they need to stand out and succeed in a saturated market.
Outside of work, I have two young children which add an extra layer of challenge to my entrepreneurial journey 😊. I’m also an avid writer and figure skater who loves relaxing beach days with a great book and a slice of pizza!
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
There are three software tools that have been game-changers in scaling our digital marketing business—especially when it comes to branding, social media management, and e-newsletters for multiple real estate businesses. These tools are: Canva, Monday.com, and Cloud Campaign.
We use them daily, and after testing several alternatives, here’s why they stand out:
Canva – The ultimate tool for digital marketers! Canva has been instrumental in streamlining our clients’ brand kits, ensuring their marketing stands out. We rely on it for e-newsletters, social media templates, flyers, and more, making it a must-have for any business looking to maintain brand consistency.
Monday.com – A must-have for small business collaboration. This platform allows our team to seamlessly manage projects, track tasks, streamline processes, and stay organized. It has significantly improved our efficiency and communication.
Cloud Campaign – The ideal social media scheduling tool for businesses managing multiple clients. Unlike other platforms that are either too expensive (like Hootsuite) or lack multi-client functionality, Cloud Campaign provides an affordable, user-friendly solution that lets us schedule content across all social platforms in advance.
Looking back, I wish we had discovered these tools earlier in our journey, as they have been crucial in helping us scale efficiently and maintain high-quality service for our real estate clients.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One of the most important lessons I had to unlearn was the belief that mistakes and failure are something to fear. For a long time, I saw setbacks as a reflection of my abilities or a sign that I was on the wrong path. However, as I navigated entrepreneurship, I came to understand that failure isn’t just unavoidable—it’s a necessary part of growth.
When starting a business, there’s no way to discover the most effective strategies without first identifying what doesn’t work. Every setback, misstep, or unexpected challenge ultimately serves as a lesson that refines and strengthens your approach. I had to shift my perspective on failure, seeing it not as an endpoint but as a stepping stone toward success.
A key mindset shift for me was reframing the word ‘no’ as ‘not yet.’ Rather than viewing obstacles as rejections, I began to see them as opportunities to improve, pivot, and innovate. This is the essence of “failing forward”—understanding that every failure holds valuable insights that can guide you toward better solutions.
By embracing this perspective, I’ve learned to approach challenges with curiosity rather than hesitation, though it’s something I’m still actively working on. Shifting my mindset takes constant effort, but over time, it has become easier as my confidence in our systems and processes grows. Each challenge now feels less like a setback and more like an opportunity to refine and improve, making the journey of entrepreneurship both exciting and rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.juleahdesigns.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juleahdesigns/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuLeahDesigns
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4NC1CCZ8ptsr-RA5PEyuKA
