Daily Inspiration: Meet Katelyn Woodhams

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Katelyn Woodhams.

Hi Katelyn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After graduating from Colorado State University with my Bachelor of Arts degree, I got my first lessons in running a business while working for a boutique portrait photographer, Photography by Desirée.

Though my concentration was in graphic design and metalsmithing, photography has always been a passion of mine, and retouching images in Photoshop while assisting with photoshoots seemed like a neat way to wrap up my senior year.

Little did I know I would become fascinated with the transformational experience that portrait photography provided people – allowing them to see themselves in a new light. I refined my retouching skills and learned the ins and outs of a small business operation over four years with her: CRMs, pricing your services + selling packages, and providing a high-touch experience.

With everything in life, I tend to move very mindfully and quite slowly compared to most people. When I started my business, I worked part-time in my business and part-time at other jobs as I built up my client base, developed my systems, and gained confidence in the skills I had to offer.

One of my part-time jobs was at a Private Occupational School, the Digital Workshop Center. There, I began helping the owner, Stu Crair, with website design & the weekly newsletter campaign. I never imagined myself becoming a web designer/developer because custom coding was quite daunting. The website platform he used was WordPress, and he taught me about the power of working with the theme/builder he used, which is called Divi.

I got the nerve to go full-time in the fall of 2019 – just shortly before the pandemic. I built my first website with the bold confidence to just dive in and try to teach myself everything on the fly. Though the learning curve was STEEP, and there were tearful nights of frustration trying to understand domains, DNS, hosting and migrating websites, and unexpected downtime – I’ll never regret just going for it.

I made it through COVID with word-of-mouth referrals and kept a strong belief that the power of the law of attraction and the energy you put into all the work that you do brings more of that work your way.

Nowadays, my goal at Fire + Flow Designs is to breathe life into my clients and their businesses by creating so much more than a “simple logo.” We create and build the visuals for their brand – but it’s my passion to help my clients discover that their strengths, values, + mission are what sets them apart from their competitors and attract their dream clients.

I used to root their brand visuals in a strategy that aligns with their ideal clients. My goal is that the new brand and website we launch will help my clients show up with confidence + professionalism, build trust with their clients, and convert the leads that matter most.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Running a business has a learning curve, and building websites has an even steeper one. One of the hardest aspects of learning to run a business for me was setting boundaries. If that’s a challenge in your personal life (recovering people pleaser over here!), then doing that in business will also seem daunting and difficult. The best advice I could offer someone starting out is to create systems & workflows that clearly outline what you do and what you don’t do (both for your clients and for you).

Especially when it comes to payment, for example, one of my hard rules is that I don’t work without a deposit, and I don’t deliver files or launch a website without a final payment – no matter the person or even if it’s a large corporation… it’s a non-negociable.

Then, use each time you learn a frustrating lesson about something not feeling good in your business (i.e., when a boundary, even one you didn’t know about, is crossed) simply as an opportunity to create a better system the next time and don’t let it break you.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a graphic designer turned web designer/developer. I specialize in creating custom brands for small businesses & solo entrepreneurs in the service industry, interior designers, architects, massage therapists, healers, etc.

My brands are refined and cohesive all the way through to the website, with an obsessive attention to every detail. I care deeply about my clients and make sure they feel heard and at ease throughout the process, that their brand feels authentic to who they are, and that they attract their ideal clients.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I love working with people who care deeply about the work that they do because I care deeply about the work I do for them.

When I can feel the passion that is behind their business and why they show up to do what they do… then I feel more purpose in the work that I’m doing for them.

Pricing:

• Brands starting at $1800
• Websites starting at $2200

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fireandflowdesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fireandflowdesigns/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fireandflowdesigns/

Image Credits
Photography by Desirée