We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rene Kauder. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rene below.
Hi Rene, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
Naming a business is not for the faint of heart! For me, it was about finding a name that captured where I was starting from and the kind of support I knew I could offer other women entrepreneurs.
Before launching my business, I worked in Higher Education Administration, specifically in event planning and operations. I was the behind-the-scenes person, the one who kept everything organized and running smoothly. That part of me became the Savvy in Savvy & Style. When I fired my boss in 2016 and created my work from home, Virtual Assistant business, it felt like the perfect word to represent my background in systems, structure, and strategy.
The Style piece came directly from my side gig at the time. I was a Stylist with a direct sales accessories company. Many of my first clients were fellow Stylists and Executive Leaders within that company who were looking for support behind the scenes. Since I was presenting myself to them as someone who understood both the admin side and their world as personal brand representatives, “Style” felt like a natural and meaningful part of the business name.
As my work evolved, so did the meaning of “Style.” Over time, I leaned more into the visual side of things—branding, web design, and helping women show up confidently and professionally online. Together, Savvy & Style tells the story of how I help women entrepreneurs show up confidently, look professional, and stand out online—through both strategy and style.
Rene, 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 the founder of Savvy & Style—a boutique brand studio that helps women entrepreneurs show up and stand out online with confidence. I specialize in visual branding and Squarespace web design, offering fun, fast, and affordable solutions for women. Most of my clients are service providers—coaches, consultants, stylists, therapists, and planners—who are amazing at what they do, but need help making their brand and website look as polished and professional as they feel on the inside.
Before I started Savvy & Style, I worked in Higher Education Administration where I focused on event planning and operations. That role sharpened my skills behind the scenes—being organized, strategic, and systems-oriented. In 2016, I made the leap and started my own Virtual Assistant business. I also had a side gig as a Stylist with a direct sales accessories company, which is where I first started working with women entrepreneurs. Many of my first clients were Executive Leaders and fellow Stylists who hired me to help with the admin side of their businesses. That’s also when I started to notice a gap—so many of these brilliant women were showing up online with branding and websites that didn’t match their level of expertise.
That was my turning point. Over time, I transitioned from just supporting the back-end of their businesses to helping them visually express their value. I leaned into my creative side and started offering branding and web design services—and honestly, I fell in love with it.
What sets Savvy & Style apart is how approachable and efficient the process is. My clients don’t have the time (or budget) for an expensive, drawn-out branding or website project—and they shouldn’t have to. I’ve created a streamlined experience that helps women look elevated and cohesive online without the overwhelm. My mission is to help them save time, feel confident, and ultimately convert more sales by making a stronger first impression online.
What I’m most proud of is the ripple effect of confidence that my work creates. When a client sees their new brand or website and says, “This finally feels like me,” that’s the moment I live for. It’s not just about looking good, it’s about showing up as your full, professional self and feeling ready to grow.
At the end of the day, I want potential clients and followers to know that I see you. I know what it’s like to juggle all the things and want your brand to look as put-together as you are behind the scenes. Savvy & Style is here to help you show up in a way that feels authentic, elevated, and totally you.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me has definitely been referrals. I’m so grateful that the women I’ve worked with feel confident enough in their experience to recommend me to others – it’s truly the biggest compliment. Most of my clients are service providers themselves, so they’re often part of communities where word-of-mouth carries a lot of weight. I’ve found that when you deliver high-quality work and create a smooth, supportive experience, people naturally want to share your name.
My next best source has been Instagram. It’s the only social media platform I show up most consistently on and share a mix of behind-the-scenes peeks, client work, branding tips, and encouragement for other women building businesses. It’s such a great platform for letting potential clients get to know me and my style before they ever reach out. I always say people hire people—so showing up with personality and purpose has really helped build trust with my audience.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
In a way, yes, my side hustle absolutely turned into my full-time business.
Back in 2016, after 13 years working in Higher Education Administration I decided to take my skill set and shift into something new. I landed a corporate role in the beauty industry, hoping it would offer more creative freedom. But instead, I found myself stuck in a tiny office doing tedious work that left me uninspired.
Thankfully, I’d already built a successful side hustle selling accessories and skincare through a direct sales company. I loved that work—it gave me a chance to connect with women, flex my creativity, and explore the entrepreneurial space. After just four months in that corporate job, I realized I wanted more freedom and more purpose, so I fired my boss and started my own work-from-home opportunity. I became a Virtual Assistant for a few Executive Leaders from the company I was part of, while continuing to grow my own business.
That was a turning point. I quickly realized that both myself and the women I supported were facing the same challenge: we were all selling the same products and struggling to stand out. And that’s when it clicked—people don’t just buy the product, they buy you. I saw a clear need in the network marketing space for visual branding that helped women look distinct and polished online.
That realization became the foundation for Savvy & Style. I took everything I’d learned from my background in event planning, admin, and operations and paired it with my passion for aesthetics. What started as a side hustle turned into a full-fledged branding and web design studio for women entrepreneurs.
Key milestones along the way included refining my services to focus on branding and Squarespace web design, transitioning out of the VA work, and building a streamlined experience for women who want to look professional without the overwhelm or agency price tag. I’m proud to say that I now spend my days doing work I love—helping other women stand out with branding that reflects who they are and the impact they’re here to make.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.savvyandstyle.com
- Instagram: @savvyandstyle
