Process Pal: Lydia Kerr
Introducing Process Pal:
Lydia Kerr of Telltale Design Co.®
Tell us all about yourself and your business/what you do:
Hi! I'm Lydia! I live in the US outside of Atlanta with my husband and two pups. I adore my job (more on that in a second), but when I'm not working, we love to travel and be outside. I'm a hardcore enneagram 8 with a 7 wing and Myers Briggs ENFJ. As far as my business goes, I worked in marketing full time for awhile in what I *thought* was my dream job, but ultimately got super burnt out and craved more creativity (rather than just directing creative teams and agencies) and relationships with people. I started my Telltale as a total side hustle to give myself some breathing room from my job, but quickly found that working through strategy, branding, and web design filled my craving for creativity and people. I jumped in full time in 2018 and never looked back.
What was one of the very first processes you implemented in your business, that you would recommend others to try out:
Omg, brand strategy without a shadow of a doubt. I started my design business as just that— design with no strategy and it wasn't sustainable, productive, or enjoyable. I quickly learned about brand strategy and believe deeply in strategy being it's own phase of the process and it's own deliverable rather than just conducting "strategic design".
What's your super power when it comes to running your business, c'mon, don't be shy!
I'm as honest as they come. I've been consistently complimented by past clients for being super up front and also willing to push back if I don't think an idea they have, feedback, etc is the best fit for their business. Because of that, my clients really trust me and lean into my creative direction and I think that gives us super tangible, lasting results and a big ROI for my clients. <3
What do you think the secret is to running a successful, sustainable business?
PACING YOURSELF. I'm obsessed with my job and I'm come from a freaking family history of over-workers. I care a lot about work ethic and efficiency and I hate wasting time. But, I've learned that wasting time can actually be a gift and that sometimes I need to let go of my agenda and take some time away. I work my tail off from 9-5 and love every second of it, but I make myself close my office door and turn off my computer before dinner. Of course, there are occasions where I have to work a bit more, but there are also occasions where I have a low key day and can wrap up around lunch time.
“I take off July and December every year and spend about 1-2 weeks of the month working ON my business and the other half totally out of office. It took me time to get to this point, but it’s been so rejuvenating for my soul and therefore for running a successful, sustainable business to step away for a few chunks of time each year.”
Tell us the goss, have you had a process/biz failure story and what did you learn from it?
10000%. More than once, too, haha. Here's my most recent though: I printed $1,000 of print material for a client with a typo so I had to eat that cost. I learned that spell check doesn't fix everything and that I need to slooooow down sometimes ;)
What's your go-to tool or system(s) for keeping your creative process streamlined:
*Honeybook saves my life. It's my CRM system (there are tons of other great ones too!) and lets me manage timelines, contracts, invoices, emails, phone calls, etc all in one place. I love that I don't have to sort through emails ever. I also love Asana (the free version!) for managing my projects seamlessly with my clients.
Walk us through your morning routine and how this sets you up for a productive day. Alternatively if you are a night owl. let's here your evening routine!
I am such a morning person. That feels like something people don't say, but I am. I snooze my alarm once or twice, but the second my feet hit the floor, I'm up and ready for my day. I love natural light, so the literal first thing I do is open all the curtains, light a candle, and turn on my super chill morning playlist.
I'm a sucker for a good cup of craft coffee, so I have a coffee subscription and make a Chemex every morning. Once I have my coffee in hand, I sit on my couch for about an hour and read, just sit, or sometimes get started on a few emails or my social media post for the day. When I finish my coffee, I often go on a walk / run / work out and then shower, get ready and head upstairs to my office.
Your top tips for balancing work and lifestyle so you don't end up a stressy mess:
I only work with one client at a time and I think aside from my time off system that I mentioned earlier, that's the biggest sanity-keeper for me. I never get confused or forget where I am in a project because I literally only have one thing at a time to keep up with.
What's your fav thing to do in the weekend after a long work week?
Hike! Travel! Eat!
What is one major pain point you or your client has had in business and how did you overcome it?
I think the multiple clients at a time thing. It might work for some designers, but it did not work for me. I felt pulled in too many directions and I was suffering and so were my clients. Dropping to one client at a time has sped up the timeline for my clients and destressed me so much!
Finally, do you have any resources you think would benefit other process-driven fiends?
I love *Honeybook and Asana, Meden Studio has a killer Copywriting Guide that keeps projects on time, and I have a big resources page on my site.
Last but not least, where can we find you online?
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