We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Roi-Anne Walsh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Roi-Anne below.

Alright, Roi-Anne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The Story of How My Empire Began
If you told me years ago that a simple sketch on a T-shirt would become the seed of a full-blown creative and marketing agency, I probably would’ve laughed. At the time, I didn’t see myself as a “designer.” I was just a girl with big ideas, a love for drawing and art, and a habit of turning every little moment into a photo, a video, a memory.

Where It All Started
Before Empire Desynz became the brand it is today, it was just me; doing T-shirt printing in my little corner, the name was Bad Empire Ja, sketching ideas late at night, and paying a graphic designer to bring them to life. At first, it made sense. But after a while, the design costs piled up. Every new idea meant another fee, another delay, another person to depend on.
And something in me whispered, “There has to be another way.”
I don’t remember the exact moment, but somewhere along the line, Adobe Illustrator magically appeared on my laptop; almost like destiny placed it there. I opened the software, started clicking around, and in the middle of that confusion, something clicked in me.
I thought, “If I can draw on paper… why can’t I design on screen?”
So I tried. I practiced. I experimented. And slowly, design stopped feeling intimidating and started feeling natural.

The Unexpected Turning Point
One day, a client who regularly ordered custom shirts from me asked casually:
“Can you design a logo for my business?”
Now, at that moment, I didn’t have the training, the experience, or even the confidence. But something in me refused to say no. So I said yes… and hoped Google, intuition, and God would guide my hands.
I played around. Sketched. Experimented.
When she saw the final logo, she loved it.
And that was the moment everything changed. I created an instagram page to showcase the few logo deigns I did. I even landed a client from the UK among my first 5 clients.
People started asking for more:
Flyers. Business cards. Branding.
It was as if the universe opened a door I didn’t even realize existed.
Growing Into Something Bigger
Design became my full-time career. Then curiosity pulled me into websites. I taught myself website design and development from scratch — and suddenly, I wasn’t just creating logos anymore. I was building entire digital experiences.
From there, the business took off.
Clients trusted me with their brands… their visions… their growth. And because I’m a natural storyteller and content creator at heart — always taking photos, making videos, documenting moments — it all aligned.
I added marketing.
Then social media management.
Then full content creation.
What started as “doing a logo” was now evolving into a future marketing agency — one that offers everything from brand strategy to content shoots to website development.

The Creative Heart Behind It All
Art has always been my first language. I’ve been drawing since I was a child. Creativity is the one thing I never had to force — it came naturally. That artistic foundation made design feel like home.
The funniest part?
I have a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and International Business — not design, not marketing, not media. But somehow, every skill I picked up along the way worked together to build the business I have today.

The Logic Behind the Dream
When I realized how expensive and inaccessible design was for small business owners — especially here in Jamaica — I knew there was a gap. Many people had ideas but no way to bring them to life. Others had logos but no marketing. Some had websites but no content. There was no one offering the full journey:
Branding → Content → Marketing → Growth.
So I built exactly that.
A one-stop creative empire.
A home for businesses that are ready to grow.
A brand rooted in passion, strategy, and innovation.

Today, I serve clients across Jamaica, the U.S., Canada, the UK, and more. I now have a small team, a growing community, and a clear vision — to build an internationally recognized creative powerhouse that transforms brands and tells their stories the way they deserve to be told.

Why It Worked — And Why It Will Keep Working
Because my business wasn’t built from theory.
It was built from experience.
From necessity.
From passion.
From curiosity.
And most of all — from the desire to give entrepreneurs something I didn’t have when I started.
A partner in creativity.
A team in branding.
A guide in marketing.
A vision for growth.
This wasn’t just a business idea.
It was a solution.
A calling.
A destiny that revealed itself one design at a time.
And now?
This is only the beginning of the empire.

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.

Who I Am, What I Do, and What Sets My Empire Apart
For those who may not have heard my story before, my name is Roi-Anne Walsh, widely known as Ms. Empire, the founder and creative director of Empire Desynz — a Jamaican-born creative and marketing brand that has grown into a multi-service agency serving clients locally and internationally.
My journey into this industry wasn’t traditional. I studied Accounting and International Business, but creativity was always the thread running through my life. I’ve been drawing since childhood, sketching ideas, creating concepts, taking photos, filming everything — long before I knew it all would become part of my business.

How I Entered the Industry
I started out doing T-shirt printing. I would come up with my own designs, sketch them on paper, and then pay a graphic designer to digitize them. Over time, the costs became too high — and without realizing it, that frustration pushed me into my purpose.
I somehow got Adobe Illustrator on my laptop (to this day I say God planted it there), and I started experimenting. One of my shirt clients asked me to design her logo — even though I had no training, I said yes and figured it out. She loved it. And that single yes opened a new chapter.
From there, logo requests turned into flyer requests…
Flyers turned into branding…
Branding turned into website design…
And eventually, everything grew into full-service marketing, content creation, and brand development.
I didn’t just build a business — I built a solution.

What I Offer Today
Today, Empire Desynz has evolved into a multi-disciplinary agency offering:
• Branding & Graphic Design
Logos, brand identity suites, business cards, flyers, event graphics, brand guidelines, printable branding, and more.
• Website Design & Development
Custom websites, e-commerce stores, booking systems, landing pages, and full online brand experiences.
• Marketing & Social Media Management
Brand strategy, campaign planning, content calendars, email marketing, paid ads oversight, and ongoing brand growth support.
• Content Creation & Creative Direction
Reels, promotional videos, content shoots, product photography, UGC-style content, and scroll-stopping visual storytelling.
• Education & Digital Products
Online classes, Canva workshops, ebooks, templates, and coaching for business owners and aspiring designers.
I’ve built an ecosystem designed to help entrepreneurs launch, grow, and scale with visuals, strategy, content, and marketing that look as good as they perform.

What Problems I Solve for My Clients
Most business owners struggle with one or more of these:
They have a logo, but no full brand identity.
They have visuals, but no marketing strategy.
They have a website, but no content.
They have ideas, but no direction.
They want to grow, but don’t know how to position themselves online.
They’re overwhelmed by the digital landscape.
I solve all of those problems by offering clarity, creativity, strategy, and execution under one umbrella.
Clients come to me because they want more than just graphics — they want branding that attracts, marketing that converts, and content that makes people stop scrolling.
I help them show up consistently, professionally, and confidently.

What Sets Me Apart
What makes my brand different is that:
1. I understand the full picture — branding + content + marketing.
I’ve built my own business from scratch, so everything I teach and provide comes from real-world experience, not theory.
2. My aesthetic is premium, timeless, creative, and intentional.
I don’t give generic designs. I build brand systems.
3. I educate while I create.
My clients don’t just get deliverables — they gain strategy, guidance, and clarity.
4. I show up as ME.
Personality. Confidence. Community-building. My brand voice is strong and relatable, and that authenticity builds trust.
5. I solve problems holistically, not piece by piece.
I transform brands — visually, strategically, and digitally.

What I’m Most Proud Of
The proudest moment in my journey wasn’t hitting a revenue milestone or expanding my services — it was the moment I put my face to my brand.
For years, I stayed behind the scenes. But stepping in front of the camera changed everything:
People trusted me more.
My content became more creative and dynamic.
Engagement grew.
Clients connected with the person behind the brand, not just the work.
It was a breakthrough moment that completely shifted my business.
I’m also incredibly proud of my consistency — the fact that regardless of slow seasons, challenges, uncertainty, or setbacks, I never gave up. I always showed up. I pushed. I built. I executed.
This empire exists because I refused to quit.

What I Want People to Know About My Brand
Empire Desynz is not “just a design business.”
It is a creative powerhouse built on passion, skill, strategy, and excellence.
When you work with me or engage with my content, you’re not just getting a service — you’re getting the heart, the vision, and the expertise of someone who learned everything from the ground up and is committed to helping brands grow.
I want people to know that:
I care about their success as much as they do.
I bring creativity and strategy together.
I treat every brand like an empire in the making.
And I am only getting started.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots in my business journey happened a few years after I started Empire Desynz. At the time, I was about a year or two into building my brand when I lost someone very close to me. That loss shook me deeply, and naturally, it affected my business. I took a break because emotionally, I needed to breathe, to pause, to figure out how to move forward.
During that period, a part of me felt pulled toward the path I originally studied for — accounting. My mother had invested in my university education, and even though I had already found my passion in design and entrepreneurship, I still wanted to honor her and prove to myself that I could use the degree I worked so hard for.
So I decided to try to pivot into accounting. I started sending out job applications — so many of them — one after another, week after week. I was genuinely pushing the accounting thing to see if maybe that was the direction I was supposed to take, especially during such an emotional season.
But nothing came through.
No calls. No interviews. Nothing.
After sending out dozens, I became discouraged and eventually stopped applying altogether.
Then months later — way months later — out of nowhere, I finally received a call. And because I had been waiting so long, I was excited. I genuinely thought, “This must be it. This is the chance I was supposed to take.”
I accepted the job and began working while still trying to juggle my business on the side.
But within that very first month, everything became clear.
My bookings dropped drastically.
My sales were the lowest they had ever been.
My creativity felt drained.
And balancing both roles was overwhelming.
On top of all that, the salary I was earning at the accounting firm wasn’t even half of what I normally made in my design business.
So not only was I creatively unfulfilled — the job wasn’t worth the financial sacrifice either.
And that’s when I realized something powerful:
Every time I stepped deeper into accounting, my business suffered.
But every time I stepped back into my business, I flourished.
Accounting didn’t give me the freedom, excitement, or creative expression that Empire Desynz gave me. It didn’t energize me. It didn’t feel like my purpose. It felt like I was shrinking myself to fit into something I had already outgrown.
That clarity was enough for me to pivot back — boldly, fully, and unapologetically.
I made the decision to leave the accounting job and pour everything back into my business. It wasn’t the easiest decision, especially with the pressure of wanting to make my mother proud and justify the cost of my degree. But it was the right decision, because choosing my business meant choosing myself.
That pivot taught me:
Sometimes life forces you to step back so you can return stronger.
Sometimes loss pushes you onto the path you were always meant to walk.
And sometimes you try something “safe” just to realize your calling was the thing you built with your own hands.
Returning to my business wasn’t just a pivot — it was the turning point that led to everything I have now: the agency, the team, the international clients, the confidence, the growth, the empire.
My pivot wasn’t just changing direction.
It was choosing purpose over pressure.
Passion over safety.
And alignment over obligation.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

What’s Been the Most Effective Strategy for Growing My Clientele?
One of the most effective strategies for growing my clientele has definitely been showing up consistently and strategically on social media. Social media became the foundation of my visibility — not just posting, but being intentional with the type of content I created and the value I provided.
A major turning point for me was when I decided to put my face to my brand. Once I started showing up as me — speaking on camera, sharing behind-the-scenes moments, educating, storytelling, and letting people see the person behind the work — everything shifted.
People connected with me more.
They trusted me faster.
My content performed better.
And my bookings grew significantly.
I also experimented with and implemented several marketing tactics that helped propel my growth, including:
Content creation
(valuable educational content, creative visuals, reels, portfolio highlights, storytelling)
Influencer-style marketing & collaborations
Paid advertising
Strategic campaigns
But one of the most powerful growth drivers has always been word of mouth.
My clients often tell others about their experience with me because they appreciate:
My great customer service
The quality and professionalism of the work
The creativity and strategy behind everything I do
The way I make their brand feel cared for
That combination — showing up consistently, leveraging strategic marketing, and creating an experience people want to talk about — has been the key to growing a strong, loyal clientele locally and internationally.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.empiredesynz.com
• Instagram: @empiredesynz
• Facebook: Empire Desynz
• Youtube: @BossUpEmpire
• Other: TikTok: @empiredesynz