It’s crazy how this was a dream and now it’s here. I think back on how scared I was of being on my own, in my career and in my personal life. I knew it would be a challenging path and I just had to focus on the good stuff, on my work and my son. Now, I’m excited to teach everything I have learned about brand design from my 15 years of experience in my course and to help my clients with their brand identity needs. Being on your own is a lot of work, but it’s been good and I’m grateful—when it gets overwhelming, I just take a step back, look at everything I have accomplished so far, and say to myself: I got this.
Karla is an award-winning designer, branding expert, and mentor based out of San Antonio, Texas. She has designed for brands such as HGTV, Food Network, Facebook, in addition to several other amazing companies. Her focus is on building branding that tells a story and reflects the core values of a company. Her motto is to “be the person you needed when you were younger”. She created “The Brand Design Academy” to share the knowledge and experience she has learned over her 15 years of experience with corporate brands and small businesses.
Tell me a little bit about your background, how you grew up and how you got into graphic design.
I was born and raised in Torreón, in Northern Mexico. I always knew I wanted to do something creative, so I thought about graphic design. My parents wanted me to go to Texas for school, to get a better education. They didn’t want me to be a graphic designer because they weren’t sure that a creative career would ensure a good life for me financially, but at least they were happy that I was getting to study in the US. They encouraged me to go into marketing because it seemed more practical. I started college as a marketing major but then I thought: “I’m already here by their choice, I might as well study what I like.” I changed my major and I studied graphic design at the University of Texas, El Paso.
When Executive, Career, and Life Coach Julie Cookson gave a talk at my university, she talked about Scripps Networks, the then parent company to a handful of lifestyle TV cable brands. I asked for her card and about an internship opportunity because she had mentioned that they had in-house design department. She shared with us some of the designs and I really liked them.
I felt so much pressure from my mom to get an internship because my brother always had internships since his first year in college. I emailed Julie and she replied a month after. She wanted to figure out a summer internship opportunity for me. I did a summer internship in Knoxville, TN and when I was getting ready to graduate, I emailed Creative Director, Paul Seylar, who was my boss during my internship to see if they had a job opening. They made an opening for me, and it was amazing to have a job lined up before graduating.
What I thought would be just a couple of years of experience turned out to be ten years. When I got laid off in 2017 after Discovery acquired the company, I immediately thought about going freelance, without really knowing what it involved. At the same time, I still looked for a job and found one at an agency in Connecticut. I moved together with my then-husband who also found a job in the area. Unfortunately, not long after I started my new job, I was laid off again. With one similar experience under my belt, this second time didn’t feel quite as hard. I was already thinking about going on my own, so this just sped things up.
Unfortunately, my dad passed away around the same time, so not being tied down to a job allowed me to support my mom emotionally if not financially. During the pandemic, I got used to being location-independent, so I started applying for remote jobs. However, they still wanted me to be in my seat from 8 to 5, which is not something I wanted to do anymore. I really wanted the time freedom of being able to fit my work around my life and not the other way around.
I remember interviewing and once I dug a bit deeper into the work hours requirements, it just made me sick to my stomach. That’s when I decided to go full-time in my business and really believe in myself to make it happen. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy process, but I really wanted to make it.
What kept you inspired and kept you going?
I think the passing of my dad was the biggest catalyst. He was only ten days away from turning 70 when he passed away, and I turned 35 that year. It made me think, if I get to live as long as he did, I’m at my mid-life point now. What do I want to do with the second half of my life? Losing someone close, and knowing that we’re not here forever, was a strong motivation for me to really believe in myself. We are only here for a short while, and while society tells us to get a job and work for someone else, I really saw the value of pursuing my own dream and working for myself.
I have been trying to start my business part-time but when I decided to go full-time, that’s when it took off because I was very intentional about it. It was no longer just a side hustle. My mentality shifted, and it made a huge difference. I don’t come from a family of entrepreneurs, and I didn’t grow up with examples of successful entrepreneurs around me. My parents always did side hustles, mostly my mom tutoring or working in a chocolate business she started in our garage, but she always had a main stable job and income first.
I didn’t expect it, but once my mind was set, I was able to make way more money than I thought I could on my own. When I was employed, I remember setting a number in my head as a salary goal: I really wanted to make $75,000 a year and then I got close, but never quite made it. When I moved to Connecticut, I took a pay cut and everything there was more expensive, so my goal slipped away. Of course, I thought of a side hustle to make up the difference in the pay cut, but that meant working very long hours and taking time away from my family.
Once I went freelance 100% and believed I could do it, I made six figures in revenue and brought in profits that matched my previous salary. I was so proud that I could accomplish that in just a year! I also invested a lot in my business in the first year, from equipment to training from successful business owners. It really helped being surrounded by like-minded people with similar goals.
What would you say—out of the things you’ve done so far—is the most fulfilling aspect of your work?
It’s been very fulfilling to help someone’s dream come to life through my design work. I mostly work with entrepreneurs, so it’s like being a part of their growth. I like helping them like come up with beautiful design that represents their brand.
Also, when my dad passed away, his students reached out to our family and shared stories of how he helped them with their lives, beyond requirements, and how they were grateful for him being their teacher. I thought that was so beautiful and it made me want to do the same. I had the itch to teach others everything that I’d learned through the years about brand design, which is what I specialized in my design business. Teaching others the art of design has been very fulfilling.
The main thing is that I love helping people with the skills that I have and it’s so fun to be able to help them do something that I know well and enjoy. It feels a little less like work.
What are some of the lessons that you know you learned along the way and things you wish you’d known before you started?
There are so many lessons! One is not to worry so much about what other people think about pursuing my dreams, because the truth is everyone is busy with their own lives. I learned that it’s better to start messy and not wait until everything is perfect to start because there’s no such thing as being perfect. It’s gonna get better if you keep doing it. You learn by making mistakes.
Aside from what I’ve learned in school and from my years of work experience, I learned a lot from those who are already living my dream: doing what they love, a creative thing, and getting paid for it on their own terms. I learned that being the best at your craft doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be a great entrepreneur. It takes more than talent or being great at your craft to succeed in business. You need to know how to sell your abilities and create a great customer experience.
There are many things you don’t learn in school but pick up through experience. Unfortunately, they don’t teach in school how to make money for yourself, but it’s more geared toward you finding a job, or working for someone else. They don’t teach you how to price your services as a freelancer. You get technical skills but not entrepreneurial ones unless you take business classes. So self-education is very important, as is talking with people who are successful at working for themselves.
I also learned that courage is more important than confidence. Confidence comes from doing the work and showing up, but it requires a lot of courage to just keep pushing and keep pursuing your dream. There are a lot of unknowns in entrepreneurial life, and it can be a little scary. Things change and you must learn to be resilient and learn how to shift gears quickly, how to adapt, and keep moving. Believing in yourself, that it is possible – that’s the journey of entrepreneurship; to me, it’s a spiritual journey as well because I had to retrain my mind that things are possible, that I can receive things in abundance. I struggled with the feeling that I didn’t deserve things, so it was a big lesson for me to learn that it’s OK to be successful on my own.
So, what is your definition of success?
I struggle with the feeling of feeling accomplished because I feel like I could always do better. I look at how things could be improved, maybe I could have done this a different way, or faster, or with less effort. I struggled a lot with knowing that I had success, but I do not feel like I’m not successful. I always have in my mind the next dream, the next thing I need to achieve, so I don’t stop to rejoice before pushing forward. I also struggle with self-celebration.
Success looks different for everyone, but to me, the fact that I can own my time is huge, and being able to schedule work around my life, rather than the other way around is huge. Making the hard decisions to change my life, both personal and professional, and following through feel like a success.
I’m proud of myself to have come this far, that I’ve learned how to believe in myself, that I can be a single mom who is also a business owner doing something I love. I also consider it a success being able to inspire, encourage, and train others who want to learn graphic design or who want to become entrepreneurs.
Speaking of that, tell me a little bit more about your future projects. What are you excited about?
I’m excited about launching my signature course where I teach brand design from the very beginning—from the theory to the software, to creating brand identities—and how to start a business around using design skills. I selected the skills that can get someone up-to-speed quickly and provide them with the most value, helping them start their own business even without prior experience.
I’m also excited to keep serving other entrepreneurs and helping them with their brand identities, as design plays a huge role in consumer behavior. Whether they are just starting their business or rebranding and taking their brand to the next level, I always love helping!
On a personal note, I’m also looking forward to traveling with my son and getting inspiration from my travels. I am a visual person, so I get my inspiration from my environment. I like disconnecting from the routine and connecting with different people, or sometimes just from people-watching, especially in another country.
Knowing what you know now would you still choose the same path and why?
Yes, I would definitely choose the same path. I don’t know what I would do differently because everything that I’ve done helped me get to where I am right now. The only thing I can think of is to pursue my dreams and go into business on my own sooner.
It’s OK to start doing the thing you really want to do before you feel you’re ready.
Are you an entrepreneur in need of top-notch graphic design or maybe you’re interested in learning graphic design? Karla is here for you:
Oana Write (Thoughtfulicious) 