Get To Know Andrea Krones, Founder of Inkling Design | Canadian Business Owner Spotlights by Kelsey Reidl, Marketing Consultant.
Meet Andrea Krones!
Founder of Inkling Design,
Helping business owners with graphic design and website projects since 2004.
Welcome to our Canadian Business Owner Spotlight Series hosted by me… Kelsey Reidl (Business & Marketing Consultant).
In this series, I'll be catching up with the most talented, generous & inspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners in Canada & beyond.
Enjoy learning more about these wonderful humans, and give them a ‘follow’ or get in touch in order to collaborate with them + work with them.
-Kelsey
The TL;DR for Andrea Krones of Inkling Design.
Andrea Krones is the founder of Inkling Design, where she has been helping business owners with graphic design and website projects since 2004. Alongside her business partner, Kelley Gibson, who she teamed up with in 2018, Inkling has grown into a design & web agency helping heart-centered humans with their branding, websites, and marketing materials.
They specialize in creating custom branding and WordPress websites for service-based businesses who are on a mission to do good in their communities and beyond. They love empowering others to take control of their branding and website with confidence so that they can stay in their zone of genius when it comes to scaling their business. Websites do not need to be overwhelming, and they can be beautiful and strategic at the same time.
In a world where people are often choosing the faster, cheaper, and less human approach to their marketing, Andrea likes to listen to the person behind the brand, before bringing their vision to life in a way that creates impact and connects with their audience.
Okay, let’s get to know Andrea!
Name
Andrea Krones
Profession / Title
Founder & Creative Director
Business Name
Inkling Design
Industry / Niche
Design & web agency serving female-founders and non-profits.
My Business Was Founded In
2004
(and evolved when I brought on a business partner, Kelley Gibson, in 2018)
Current Location
Guelph, Ontario
3 words you would use to describe yourself…
Kind.
Creative.
Reliable.
Tell us more about your business
My workday is a mix of discovery calls with new leads, kick-off calls with new clients, guiding our design team members, and working on client projects.
After hitting the gym on Monday mornings I have our weekly full team call followed by our internal team call. Mondays are usually for wrapping up quick tasks and replying to emails to keep things moving.
Tuesday is my day dedicated to larger client projects so that I can get into a creative flow for a project without interruptions.
Fridays I keep open for internal tasks like writing project proposals, writing our newsletter, creating content for social media, or strategizing within the business.
Most of our business growth has been from word of mouth. Client referrals have always been our biggest source of new leads.
In one or two sentences, what specific problem does your business solve for your clients?
We help female founded businesses and non-profits stand out in their marketing with branding, websites, and marketing materials that are both strategic and beautiful.
Recent milestone you've celebrated in your business
Last fall we hosted our first virtual summit, The Magnetic Marketing Virtual Summit, bringing together experts in marketing for two days of presentations plus lots of perks for VIP attendees. We are currently planning our second one for October and this year we had so many great speaker applicants we decided to extend the summit to three days.
What is a recent investment you’ve made in your business
In June we invested in a brand photoshoot, something that we do every 3 years. We always emphasize to our clients that brand photos are the best way to spark an initial connection with your audience on your website or in your marketing materials.
We know firsthand that having elevated photos makes a big difference in building a connection with your audience. We recently created two new landing pages on our website, that speak directly to our two favourite clients: scaling female founders and non-profits.
We knew we needed new photos that could show where we are currently in our business (vs where we have been).
What changed after that investment? Why do you see it as an investment, not an expense?
While it is too soon to see the impact from this photoshoot, we know from previous shoots that high quality, professional photos from a photographer that truly understands our brand are a key piece of building trust and sparking a connection with our audience.
What would you tell a new entrepreneur who's considering investing in the same thing, but is hesitant?
People often think they need to wait until they hit a specific milestone before they will be considered successful enough to invest in professional photos. Or, they are not yet comfortable being the face of their brand and want to hide behind generic stock photos because it feels safer.
Book the photoshoot before you are ready, and hire a photographer whose style you love and who you connect with when you meet them. Having photos that show you as the expert makes it so much easier to step into the role of expert.
Now for some fun stuff!
Always…
Always trust your gut. If an idea lights you up, follow it! If something doesn’t feel right, trust that it isn’t for you.
Never…
Never stop learning. After 25 years in the industry, I still learn new things from my community, clients, peers, and team members all the time.
Advice for other entrepreneurs, who are slightly less far along…
Believe in the value you bring your clients. There may be hundreds of other people offering the same service as you, but no one does it exactly like you.
What is a tool, resource, podcast, book or person you’ve invested in that’s added value to your entrepreneurial journey
For the first 15 years of my entrepreneurial journey I did everything alone. It wasn’t until I discovered the power of community that my business became more joyful and started to expand.
Being in online communities with other female founders who saw me as an expert allowed me to borrow their confidence in myself and start to see myself as a business owner and an expert in my field, instead of a freelancer who still had a lot to learn.
Attending events over the past four years has unlocked a new level of professional and personal growth for me.
Favourite way to wind down after a long workweek
I like my introvert hobbies, like birding, puzzles, reading, and crafting. I also love a long bike ride or walk to help clear my head while moving my body.
Before starting my workday, I make sure to…
Start my day with a walk, while taking my youngest to school. Walking gets me into the right mindset to sit down and focus when I get to my desk.
Best part of my work is…
Coming up with creative solutions to a client’s unique challenge. Clients often come to me with a complicated idea about what they think they need (for a website or marketing material piece) but often when we chat about their goal we can distill exactly what they need into something specific, like a streamlined user journey through a content-heavy website, or visual branding that they love that connects with the right audience.
Last vacation you took (and where did you go)
I just got back from a 5-night canoe trip in Killarney Provincial Park with my partner and two kids this weekend.
