We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Reyna Dashefsky & Joy Yiu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Reyna & Joy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

During COVID, Reyna and Joy took an online web design course. Both had dabbled in web design while working corporate jobs and freelancing on the side. One day, Reyna reached out with a simple “hello,” and they began meeting regularly over Zoom to share client stories and support each other through freelance life.

What started as a casual connection between two classmates quickly grew into a meaningful friendship and partnership rooted in creativity, intention, and shared values.

Joy and Reyna met as virtual peers but bonded over a deeper vision: to use design not just to make things look good, but to help people feel seen, supported, and empowered.

In 2023, they launched Hello-World — a web design studio built on the belief that great design can do more than sell a product or service; it can spark connection, build confidence, and create clarity for business owners carving their own paths. Their mission is personal: both Joy and Reyna know what it feels like to navigate creative careers independently, and they’re passionate about offering thoughtful, one-of-a-kind digital experiences that reflect the heart behind every brand they work with.

Hello-World is about more than websites, it’s about creating space for bold ideas, meaningful stories, and the power of a simple “hello” to open new doors.

Reyna Dashefsky & Joy Yiu, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We’re Joy Yiu and Reyna Dashefsky, co-founders of Hello-World, a web design and branding studio based between Vancouver and San Diego. We help creative small businesses and founders bring their ideas to life online through custom websites, thoughtful branding, and strategic digital experiences.

We both started out freelancing while working corporate jobs, and met during an online web design course during COVID. What began as chats to share client tips and troubleshoot tech soon turned into a real partnership — one built on shared values, complementary strengths, and a belief in doing meaningful, creative work.

At Hello-World, we specialize in custom websites (on Squarespace, Shopify and Webflow) and branding rooted in clarity, originality, and intention. We love working with people who care deeply about what they do, but might feel stuck trying to express it visually or digitally. Our job is to bring that vision to life in a way that feels beautiful and strategic.

What sets us apart is our ability to combine strong design sensibility with real attention to client experience. We’re big believers in transparency, collaboration, and treating each project like a true partnership not just a transaction. We’ve helped everyone from artists and florists to VC-backed startups stand out with work that feels true to who they are.

What we’re most proud of? Probably the fact that many of our clients come back to us again and again or send their friends our way. It means a lot to know the trust is mutual.

At the heart of it all, we just love what we do and we care about doing it well.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Yes — what started as a side hustle definitely became our full-time business.

Both of us were working corporate jobs while freelancing on the side, mostly evenings and weekends, taking on web design and branding projects for small businesses. We met during an online web design course, and started casually chatting about our freelance work — sharing advice, tools, and occasionally referring clients to each other.

Over time, those calls turned into something more serious. We realized we had complementary strengths and a shared vision: to create a studio that blended beautiful design with strategy and heart. In 2023, we officially launched Hello-World, and within a few months we had enough work to transition fully out of our day jobs.

Some key milestones that helped us grow:

– Saying yes to our first big studio project together, even though it felt scary

– Developing strong systems and client experience processes, which helped us scale

– Referrals and word of mouth, which quickly became our biggest source of new clients

– And most importantly, trusting our own instincts instead of waiting for things to feel “perfect”

Looking back, it was never about a “big break” — it was a series of small, consistent steps, fueled by community, creativity, and a lot of late nights. We’re proud of how far it’s come and excited for what’s ahead.

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

Absolutely! Some of our favorite people who inspire us and whose podcasts we regularly listen to include Mel Robbins, Emma Grede and our business coach, Omari Harebin.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hello-world.studio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hello_world.studio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hello-worldwebdesign