April 2022 was my first month “officially” in business as Kate Secondo Creative Design Studio!  The outpouring of encouragement and support I received this month was incredible.  Thank you to each of you who encouraged me, shared my links with friends, and talked me up on social media.  Your positive vibes have set me up for success because I’m feeling the love!

In the spirit of transparency (and because i LOVVVEE reading these types of posts from other designers) I wanted to offer a little behind the scenes peek into my first month.  To be completely fair, I’ve been designing websites for clients since 2018, so I have a wonderful crew of clients who work with me on monthly retainer, as well as a fair amount of experience under my belt.  So if you are a brand-new business owner or designer reading this, know that this all didn’t materialize in the space of the last few months!  

Client Wins

The Artizan Way sells the most gorgeous air plants and was the very first Shopify store I built for a client back in 2018.  I absolutely loved this project and was thrilled to stay on with the company once the Shopify store was live and orders started rolling in.  We have a monthly support plan in place, and over the last 6 months or so, we’ve been focusing on improving the store SEO as well as implementing an email marketing strategy.

Checking stats for the year to date, we can see that sales are up 123% year over year with a 75% increase in repeat customers.  Additionally, Search has taken over as the top way customers are finding the store (previously most acquisition was from direct links).  I’m so excited for my client because her offerings are so high quality and beautiful, and she deserves all the success that comes her way!

Website Launches

I had so much fun designing a new Shopify Store for Shotgun Wedding Canada.  Shotgun Wedding is a wedding photography business focusing on elopements in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.  The owner, Lori has a hilarious sense of humor and wanted to offer a line of cheeky products that her elopement couples could purchase to remember their special day.  The products range from hilarious t-shirts (see the above image!!) to more sentimental items, such as Banff inspired candles and jewelry that highlights the Canadian Rocky Mountains.  Fun design details such as custom drawn elements reflect the beauty of the environment while keeping the lighthearted mood of the products.  

Project Kick Offs

I had the pleasure of meeting with some fantastic, smart and motivated business owners this month to kick off some design projects!   Although these all seem like very different web design projects, they all carry the common thread of my mission – to create ease and abundance for small business owners through thoughtful design.  The platforms & industries of each may be different, but my goal for all is the same: creating a beautiful online presence that makes life easier and makes you money.  Here’s what’s currently underway in the studio:

– Square to Shopify migration and brand new store build out for an apparel brand (Shopify Store Design)

– Brand Development for Holistic Health Coach (Branding Design Day)

-Website Design updates for Acupuncture Clinic (Half Day Design Day)

-Squarespace to WordPress Migration for Coaching Business (Website Design)

I am pumped to share the finished versions of these lovely projects as they wrap up! 

Professional Learning & Development

I am as curious as they come, and always seeking out new info or learning a new skill.  This year I have decided to dedicate my professional learning to learning the Shopify code Liquid, so I can do more of my own development alongside Shopify Design (and rely less on oursourcing development tasks).  I’m enrolled as a student in the incredible Shopify Codex course, which is specifically for female designers who are looking to learn code and uplevel their Shopify offerings.  I wlll be the first to admit that it’s very challenging!!  Even moreso than I thought before I started.  But I enjoy the process of learning code, coding in new sections in Shopify, and providing in-house solutions to my client’s pain points in their ecommerce stores to make their experience easier and more intuitive.

Beyond coding and UX training, Shopify Codex offers really valuable business management training as well.  I’m currently learning how to leverage Klaviyo for email marketing, and this knowledge is directly impacting my monthy retainer clients!!  As I grow and learn, I can apply new techniques to their email marketing campaigns and they directly benefit.  I always want to offer the best and most current practices for my clients!

It’s been a whirlwind of a first month!  I’m so grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way, the cool business owners I have met, and the designers that have welcomed me into this niche with open arms and in the spirit of collaboration.  I’m inspired, and this just feels right & good.  Thankful for it all, and ready to keep working hard and doing the work.  On to month 2!

Are you Ready to Grow with Shopify?

From design help on an existing Shopify store to building out a gorgeous brand new ecommerce site, I’m here to help you reach your business goals with Shopify.  Get in touch via my Contact Form to schedule a Discovery Call with me!