Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in graphic design but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kelley Kempel, Owner of Hidden Path Creative, located in Wauwatosa, WI, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Hidden Path Creative is a boutique graphic design studio supporting product-based businesses with retail-ready packaging designs so that they stand out on-shelf and on-screen. My clients are product businesses with innovative products in the skincare, beauty, home, and food categories.
Tell us about yourself
I'm the graphic designer behind Hidden Path Creative. If you had asked me even 5 years ago if I wanted to own a business, the answer would have been "no!" But after spending 20 years designing packaging for retailer-owned brands, I saw big changes happening in the retail space. Not just all the new eCommerce websites and DTC (direct-to-consumer) brands. The internet made it easier for anyone to start their own product business. It became easier to find and contact product manufacturers with Google and Alibaba. You used to need an agent or a connection. And platforms like Etsy, Amazon, and Shopify have made it simple to sell your products to customers worldwide.
I noticed that many people with eCommerce product businesses weren't paying as much attention to their packaging design. This made sense at first since customers buy the product before they ever see the packaging. But packaging design makes a product giftable and sharable. Customers care about how products show up. And when sales hit a peak online, the next place to grow is wholesaling to boutiques and shops. With all these shifts in retail and eCommerce, I saw the opportunity to help product brands achieve their business goals through packaging design. The work I'm doing is helping my clients increase their visibility, land wholesale orders, and delight their customers.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Honestly, building my business from the ground up in less than a year has been my biggest achievement so far! In under a year, I took Hidden Path Creative from a side hustle to my full-time gig. And during a pandemic!
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things I've encountered being a business owner is finding my community. Coming from a corporate background, I had a built-in support group among my coworkers. As a business owner, I'm on my own. So I've made a point to seek out networking groups with other business owners locally and virtually to build relationships with people in the same boat.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Just start! Don't wait until your idea or execution is perfect. Start as soon as possible. It's the best way to see if what you have is viable. Start, then integrate and improve based on the feedback you get from clients and customers.
- Don't try to keep up with everyone else. You are on your journey, and comparing yourself to someone else's middle or end will only distract you from what you need to do to build and grow your business.
- As a graphic designer, I would remind you that your first impression matter! You don't have to invest a lot in brand design when you are just getting started. But your business should look polished, relevant, and consistent for your niche. So go ahead and DIY to save some money, but don't get distracted by changing your brand elements all the time. Set up your colors and fonts and use them consistently until you're grown enough to support investing in branding.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.hiddenpathcreative.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HiddenPathCreative/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiddenpathcreative/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleykempel/
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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