Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Wintersteen.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always had a passion for good design and a natural knack for marketing. Coming from a family of female entrepreneurs (great grandmother, grandmother, aunt, mother, and now my sister were/are all small business owners), starting my own business was something that I kind of fell into.
I grew up in North County San Diego and then attended the University of San Diego where I double majored in Visual Arts and Art History. By my junior year, I had learned a bit of the adobe creative suite and got an on-campus job creating the homecoming posters and student org flyers. Summer before my senior year of college, I started my freelance graphic design business and never looked back.
Since then, I have helped design over 50 brands for San Diego based business owners and really connected with the San Diego small business community. My strengths lie in creating compelling, relatable and energetic brands for small business owners who believe in the power of professional visuals for their small business marketing.
One of the most exciting aspects of my business is that I get to work remotely. I been a “digital nomad” working from cities all over the world since July 2017. I’ve joined a nomad travel group called WiFi Tribe and met entrepreneurs and freelancers from all over the world while we’ve traveled Costa Rica, South Africa and now Croatia! Travel is super important to me and brings so much inspiration to my work, which gives me an expanded aesthetic and new perspective on the branding and marketing projects I create with my clients.
Has it been a smooth road?
Having an entrepreneurial family has absolutely made starting by small business pretty smooth. I’ve actually never had a standard 9-5 job! That being said, being your own boss brings its own set of challenges. Some of the bigger challenges, which happens in a lot of creative fields, is tackling burnout or creativity fatigue.
There are some days where I absolutely love what I am working on and am feeling extra creative, then there are also days where I don’t feel like anything’s working or that my clients and I aren’t communicating efficiently.
However, I wouldn’t trade being my own boss for anything – this job gives me a lifestyle and the flexibility that I love, especially now that I am able to travel as much or as little as I like. Just need a wifi connection and my laptop and I can work from anywhere!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the MKW Graphics story. Tell us more about the business.
MKW Graphics helps small businesses turn their brand visions into visuals. I help my clients create brands they are proud of with comprehensive brand design (logos, colors, fonts, photography and illustrations to implement in print, in websites, in digital marketing, etc.) and ongoing creative direction (which would include creative strategy, content marketing, social media and brand collaborations).
As a freelancer, I am so proud of my growth in the last 4 years. I am self-taught in graphic design, web design and marketing. I have adamantly networked and created lasting business relationships with like-minded San Diego professionals. I’ve grown my blog and email lists to better serve my clients and my ‘soon-to-be-clients.’
Lastly, I’ve been able to see the world with others from different cultures, countries, backgrounds and professions which motivates me to be a better business owner and leave a creative impact on the clients I’ve been able to help.
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
In the next 5-10 years, I think that design will continue to be crucial to small business success. It is estimated that roughly 33% of the workforce will be self-employed and working remote by 2035. This is a huge opportunity for freelancers to work together in creative ways and offer services for other small business owners together as a team that can help with marketing in the digital age.
As more businesses go remote and digital nomadism becomes even more mainstream, I think that there will be a massive shift towards even more work-life balance. I think that more individuals will ditch the cubicle life and find ways to get the work done outside of the conventional office space, seeking more creativity and inspiration from what fuels us as entrepreneurs.
Contact Info:
- Website: mkwgraphics.com
- Phone: 8587357551
- Email: mkwgraphics@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/mkwgraphics
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mkwgraphics
- Twitter: @mkwgraphics
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