How Kathryn Holeton finds design clients at craft markets
Kathryn Holeton provides brand and graphic design services for creatives and businesses that do not use AI. After beginning with musicians, Holeton shifted toward in-person marketing at craft markets, where several clients have come from. The conversation explores customer acquisition, working without AI, and why online promotion was not the right fit.
Craft markets have brought Kathryn Holeton more marketing traction than social media. The experience points to a practical lesson for service businesses: focus on the ways of meeting customers that suit the work and the person doing the marketing.
What’s the short story of how your business started, and what makes it genuinely different from the other options your customers have?
I first started my business when I was actually trying to break into the music industry as a songwriter. I found that as I collabed with other musicians, i would build their brand so that we could both promote the song we worked on. I orginially started working with musicians, but over time getting clients in the music industry became a challenge. i transitioned this year to work with businesses and creatives, as long as they don’t use Ai for anything they create or sell.
How did you win your first customers, and where does most of your new business come from today?
I won my first customers by doing cold pitching to smal businesses and creatives that needed some help with their branding. Most of my customers today come from, surprisingly, not social media. thye come from the markets I go to. I am a crafter, and I go to both local and nonlocal craft markets to both sell my hand made items and market my brand design work. I have gotten several clietns through this method.
What’s one decision that changed the direction of your business, and one mistake that taught you the most?
One decision that changed my business was when i started doing craft markets. I have seen so much more traction in my marketing in person than I have online. One mistake that I learned the most from was makreting strictly through social media. It turns out, I am not the best marketer for online stuff. Social media and me did not click, no matter how much effort I put into it.
What has changed in your industry or in what your customers expect over the last couple of years, and how have you adapted?
ONe thing that has changed in my industry is an obvious one. Ai has chagned the graphic and brand design field by a landslide. Everyone now expects high quality work to be done in half the time, and even more people are now using AI to make, design, and run their business. I’ve met a few professionals that have even bragged that they don’t know how to do what AI does for them, which can sometimes be simple management tasks or marketing tasks.
I’ve adapted by working only with those who don’t use Ai. I am also willing to work wiht those who have learned the hard way that AI is not their best friend for their business, and I want to help those people get their business bakc to perfect running order. I also don’t use AI for anything in any part of my work. The reserach is original, the anayses I do are original, my graphics are original. I refuse to steal from fellow artists and creatives that are struggling and suffering because of AI
If you were advising someone starting out in your industry today, what would you tell them to do first, and what would you tell them to ignore?
I would tell them to not waste all their energy on online marketing. Unless you are very good at marketing or know what you’re doing, you’re only going to burn yourself out. I recommend focusing more on in person meetings, like networking events or setting up at craft markets to market yourself. Focus more on in person interactions as much as possible, because it will be easier to get that connecton, build that relationship, and start generating income. Also, don’t pay for Adobe. there are open source alternatives that are on par with adobe prodcuts. No need to break the bank on the graphics end.
Thank you to Kathryn Holeton and the team at Kathryn Holeton for sharing what actually worked with Leaders Perception readers.
Want to tell the story behind your business?
Leaders Perception publishes interviews with business owners and leaders every week. Five questions, about ten minutes, no calls. It is free and every completed interview gets published.