Hey Everybody! Today it's the seventh installment in the 'Hot Cup of Inspiration' Interviews. Each Thursday I'll be interviewing a different creative entrepreneur. We'll chat with all sorts of people - from writers, to designers, jewelry makers and photographers to see just what makes them tick.
Today I'm chatting with Kory, from Kory Woodard Graphic & Web Design.
She's a blogger and self employed graphic designer .
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You can see other installments here:
Tell us a bit about your blog / business?
I run a design business where I work with passionate women in helping them follow their dreams of blogging or running a small business. I also run a blog, and there I talk about all things business, freelance, and life!
When & why did you start your blog? Did your business come first or did your blog?
So, my blog came before my business, a whole year before! I started blogging because I had been interning for an online magazine and as I was getting more into the internet, I really was inspired by so many bloggers, and I wanted to start my own. Around this time I was a sophomore in college, and I felt like the blog would be a great place to explore my own design style and what I liked.
Are you self taught or did you go to school for your passion?
I did some design work prior to starting college, but I did attend school for it.
Have you always been interested in what you do?
Not always. In high school I was really interested in being a photographer, and I actually had several years of life planned out in my head. However, I ended up gravitating towards design as I felt more comfortable with it.
How do you stay motivated?
That’s a tough one! I definitely have days where I just don’t feel like doing any work, but I’ll think about how I’m doing what I love or take a break from work to ease off if I’m just not feeling it. Most days, though, just the idea of having my own business that’s successful drives me!
What’s the best part of your job?
My ultimate favorite part is getting to help women go after what they want to do. Whether it’s start a blog, rebrand their blog as they change their goals, or creating designs for small businesses, it’s so amazing to me that I get to help these ladies do what their hearts’ are calling them to.
Was there a ‘turning point’ for your blog/business? What was it?
I would say I’ve had two turning points. The first for my blog would be when I started actively using social media instead of just playing around like most of us do when we first get on there. The other would be for business, when I graduated just a few months ago. I started looking at things totally different, and began thinking about ways to make the business THE way that I make money to take care of myself ( and eventually, my family ).
What’s the worst?
The worst part of my job… mostly it’s probably keeping up with money! I’m not super great at it, so I haven’t nailed down the best way to do it; however, I do use a bookkeeping software and track ( almost ) everything via spreadsheets, so I try!
How do you stay organized?
I’m not always as organized as I’d like to be, but I try to stay organized with a planner ( to keep up with my daily to dos, I also use the Todoist app for this ), a notebook for paperwork ( I print invoices, contracts, and project sheets for each project ), and I try to keep my digital files organized by saving something in it’s folder rather than just dropping everything on my desktop.
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What’s your typical schedule like now that you own a business?
My schedule is super open, and that’s one of the things that I love the most. A typical day, though, tends to go like this: wake up around 7:30-8:30, have coffee or tea, meditate + yoga ( which may happen at night instead ), catch up on some blogs, get to work. I tend to work until about 12:30 or so, which is when I have lunch. After that I get back to work until around 4:30-5, which is when I try to slow down work and either hang out with my family or get some stuff done for my blog.
What’s your advice to someone looking to start a business similar to yours?
Just do it, and then keep doing it. Also, trust the journey. Freelancing can be a scary thing, but it doesn’t have to be. Just start, and trust that what’s meant to be will happen.
glad it helped! I love getting inspiration from others out there doing great things!
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