Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kate Christy, Founder of Folk Founded, located in Roanoke, VA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Folk Founded is a one-woman design studio for dreamers, big thinkers, and folks who dig what they do. I fancy myself a creative sidekick who works alongside fellow creative entrepreneurs and small business owners to transform their vision into visuals.

Being a part of that moment when a client steps into their confidence as a business owner because they now have a brand and website that feels just right and functions the way they need it to... well, it never gets old! I specialize in brand design, Squarespace web design, and everything in between design.

As far as the fine folks I've worked with and continue to–it's quite the lineup… creative directors & communities, photographers, coffee roasters, eco-conscious landscapers, energy healers, coaches, therapists, podcasters, pilates studios, writers, real estate firms, CBD brands.

Tell us about yourself

I've been a designer for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I always dreamed of a business and branding it. I used my arts + crafts supplies for brochures and flyers, scrap pieces of wood for signage, and scotch tape to laminate my business cards. You could say I caught the entrepreneurial bug at an early age.

I didn't break out onto my own until almost a decade into my design career. I wish I had leaped sooner, but I learned many valuable lessons on someone else's payroll before I jumped ship. Aside from being a designer, I'm also a wife, mom (x3), chronic dreamer, and hat-wearer (literally and figuratively).

Ironically I chose to open my studio to have more flexibility and freedom while having small kids, but starting and scaling a business while taking care of babies and toddlers is just ludicrous. I'll catch myself wishing I had started sooner so I would have had more time to grow my business before I started developing a family.

But alas, here we are, baby and business soup. Jokes aside, it's all working out, and I'm thankful to have the people in my life that lend a hand and the clients who are down with kids popping in and out of video conferences. I must remind myself that this is my journey, and I can look to others for inspiration and support but no comparison.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

So far, my most significant accomplishment as a business owner is still having said business while raising three kids. Motherhood and entrepreneurship can be a muddy mix sometimes. As hard as it is to prioritize my time and set boundaries that work for my family and clients, I love that I get to show my kids that they can build a life and career doing what they love and are really good at.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Setting and maintaining boundaries is, by far, the most challenging part of owning a business. When I worked for someone else, there were predetermined rules and expectations.

Being my boss was very "ok, cool, I can do what I want, how I want when I want" at first, but then I realized if I'm not setting expectations and boundaries, my clients will start to do it for me. My business was running me, not the other way around.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Pay attention to the data - Not a very sexy tip. Still, when you're just starting, you might know what your audience wants or needs (and hey, you might be right). Still, paying attention to client feedback, patterns, trends, and data will make adding new products or services that much easier.
  2. DIY until you can't afford NOT to - Too often, we wait too long to hand over the reins on tasks or responsibilities in our business that aren't necessarily our strong suit. The sooner you can get all the stuff off your plate that doesn't light you up and is inside your zone of genius, the more in flow you'll be. And when you flow, you grow.
  3. Create Community - Entrepreneurship can get lonely. Finding those people who have been there, done that, and GET IT is invaluable. It's silly, but we can get caught up in our realities and feel so alone in an experience when there is 0% chance we are the only human or business owner ever to experience it. Having folks hear you, validate your feelings, offer advice, support you, and give honest feedback is life-giving. Seek those people, put yourself out there, and make weird internet friends.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.folkfounded.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/folkfounded
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/folkfounded/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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