Kady Sandel, CEO and brand strategist of Aventive Studio, assists wellness and skincare businesses with product launches and revenue expansion. She helps branding, writes and delivers presentations on brand strategy, messaging, and creative firm growth. She educates company owners and entrepreneurs on the value of branding through live, online, and podcast events. Kady’s most popular New Release in the Branding & Logo Design category is “BrandFix,” an entrepreneur’s guide on brand strategy. She graduated from the Academy of Arts with a degree in visual communications and started freelance work before opening her own design business, Aventive.
The CEO and brand strategist of Aventive Studio, Kady Sandel helps businesses in the wellness and skincare sectors with new product launches and revenue expansion.
Additionally, she writes and gives presentations about brand strategy, messaging, and the growth of creative firms. Through live, online, and podcast events, Kady educates company owners and entrepreneurs the value of branding.
The most well-liked New Release in the Branding & Logo Design category was “BrandFix”. An entrepreneur’s guide on brand strategy is called BrandFix.
When did you decide you wanted to work as a designer?
I informed my mother that when I was 12 years old, I wanted to “make a billboard.” Having trouble understanding what I was saying, she asked, “Like… you want to be a construction worker?”
So we looked at how I might design flyers, posters, and billboards further. We had just gotten a computer and used the internet about 10 hours a month, so we searched and found an interior designer.
I got in touch with him to find out what he did for a living and whether he designed billboards. He clarified that graphic designers, not interior designers, create billboard designs. Then, when I was 15 years old, we found a graphic design school, and I started going there. I then graduated from the Academy of Arts with a degree in visual communications.
What was the biggest challenge you faced and how did you get started?
I received a job offer from a Las Vegas sign and printing firm when I graduated from the Academy of Arts. Since I’m an entrepreneur at heart, I realized that I didn’t enjoy working for others and that the job wasn’t as creative as I had imagined. Because of this, I started doing freelance work on the side, moved to Austin, Texas, and eventually opened my own design business, Aventive business.
This seems a lot easier than it was. It took me seven years to finally be able to declare, “Okay, I now have a successful and profitable design business.”
My lack of understanding of the business side of design was my biggest barrier. I had a strong background in graphic design and was skilled at creating logos, labels, packaging, and even websites. But I had no experience running a design firm.
I had no idea where to find customers, how much to charge, what to put on my website, or how to display my portfolio. I knew nothing about social media, networking, or search engine optimization.
It took me some time to realize that I was now the owner of a design firm rather than just a designer!
I see this happening to other creatives as well. Even if you are the best designer in the world, you won’t get clients if people don’t notice your work or understand why they should choose you rather than another designer.
What has been your best strategy for attracting customers?
Currently, our website or word of mouth are the sources of all of my branding clients.
Most people who find my business online enter our services into Google and end up on our blog. Through our blog postings, they learn about our services page, case studies, and contact page. Our blog received a significant amount of effort and money investment in order for it to constantly draw branding clients.
I used to write all of my blog entries myself, but I’ve since started outsourcing and paying writers. Our SEO is working really effectively, and our target market can find our website.
We also get a lot of our clients through word-of-mouth, which is partly because I used to go to a lot of networking events and meet a lot of people. When I initially started my business, networking was my part-time job, and I used to go to three to five events a week. Even though I only go to one or two networking events a month, I still occasionally go because I like them.
How do you keep clients happy and persuade them to give you more work?
In reality, we don’t! The perfect clients are those who come to me for branding (brand strategy, visual identity, labeling, packaging, and website) and then go. I don’t want them to stay with me, and keeping them around is not my goal.
We don’t provide ongoing services like social media marketing or website upkeep. As a one-time service, we emphasize branding. But once we finish with their project, I’ll ask for a reference.
Do late payments from customers ever cause you problems? How do you go about doing that?
Every service provider, in my opinion, will ultimately run into this difficulty. This circumstance regularly occurred to me when I initially started working as a freelancer.
However, it will be easier to cope with late payments the more experience you have running a design firm, especially if you include it in your contract. Now, we need a 50% down payment, a 25% payment halfway through the project, and a 25% payment at the end. Original or finished files are not sent until the whole amount has been paid.
What does your normal workweek entail?
I usually get up around five in the morning. I read, write in my diary, and have coffee during my “me time” from 5 to 7 in the morning. Sometimes I utilize that time to focus on something that makes me happy, something new or intriguing. It could also be a personal project or a pastime.
The rest of the family wakes up between 7 and 9am, so I utilize this time to cook breakfast and get ready for daycare.
Around 9 a.m. is when my workday starts, and no two days are the same. I like to schedule my days out several weeks in advance. The majority of my time is spent on administrative tasks like reading emails, talking with my staff, evaluating my finances, setting objectives, etc. I occasionally go to networking events or meet with clients.
To be as flexible as possible, I created my own design firm, so some days I only work half days, go to lunch with a buddy, or just relax by the pool. Each year, I also take around two months off to travel across Europe and the US.
Do you have any advice you’d want to provide the readers of the Return of Design?
If you want to run a successful design firm, attract clients, and make money, concentrate on the outcomes and results that your designs provide for your clients. Everyone who calls themselves a designer can assert, “I can make a logo” or “I can create a website,” but this does not help clients identify you from other designers.
Since these are the real reasons a client wants to hire a designer, demonstrate to them how you can help them gain more clients, make more money, or stand out in some manner!
For further information
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