+++  SUPER IMPORTANT NOTICE, I USUALLY, ALWAYS MAKE A HUGE EFFORT TO CREDIT IMAGES.  I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE YOU CREDIT IF IT’S FROM YOU. JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL AND I’LL MAKE IT HAPPEN. CAUSE I OBVIOUSLY LOVE YOUR WORK +++

Today I did an intense workshop with my mentor & dear friend.

She made me smile when she told me to list all the lessons I’ve learnt in the last 5 years since having started Kish+Co (originally Miss Kish).

I listed off whatever came to the top of my mind and I wanted to share it with you.

 

I’m hoping, something, somewhere is going to click and make today feel much, much better. 

 

 

CELEBRATE SMALL VICTORIES

I never used to pause. The work kept coming in and I kept running to keep up with it. I never thought “Karishma, you need to step out and get a mani with a new set of tea towels for this hard work!”.

Working damn hard is good and well. But it catches up with you when you stop enjoying it. At some point, I became resentful.

Learning to celebrate is learning to enjoy those well deserved moments.

 

HAVE CLARITY TO A LONG TERM VISION

This vision can change. But if you don’t have clarity to what you want, you’re sending out mixed signals. And what you’ll get back from the universe… is mixed business. Piper and I worked on my goals in 2009. We set goals for 2010, 2013, 2017 & 2020. I’ve already met some of my 2020 goals. Some aren’t as valid any more. But I definitely have to bow to the stars for aligning so much for me.

 

ASK

People find it extremely hard to believe that I’m shy.
That networking events make me queasy. I HATE asking people for things. But it’s ok. I’m learning, that it’s perfectly okay to just ask. Just be prepared before you do ask. 

 

 

NUMBERS (ALWAYS SEE THEM)

I have a feeling, if you’re a creative, you might understand this. I never wanted to see the numbers. More so if they weren’t good. I’ve often felt that numbers hold you back.

But, it’s important.

It’s important to understand the value of what you do.

To see changes in seasons.

To acknowledge when you might have erred on a decision.

Especially if you’re running a business. Paying wages & rent. Thinking of hiring. Costing out expenses. Weighing the decision of a networking event vs. a learning event.

If you don’t have to worry about these things, then it’s all good. Let it fly and enjoy your time & passions. (Don’t worry, I have wondered what it would be like to be a tai tai and it might be a 2050 goal, but not quite yet ;)).

 

 

 

THANK YOUR TEAM

I can’t express how important this is.
As a business owner, I’m running around. Booked calendar. So many appointments. 100s of emails. Yada yada yada.
But those gorgeous people that are keeping the shit together to make this thing work, they’re your team.

Sure it’s business and they’re employees. But, they’re also people. With lives. Lives that might be different to yours. But their joys are just as important to them as yours are to you.

SO. JUST. THANK. THEM. Because you might not be doing it as often as you think.

 

 

AGE. DOESN’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

It doesn’t make a damn difference. I could smack myself silly for every time that I’ve let this affect me.

First I was too young to be capable. Now I feel too old to have a crazy idea or to “get it”.

I thought people older than me knew more about Kish+Co and how it should be.

Honey, I was at the start, in the middle and will be integral to Kish+Co till the end.

Age has nothing to do with it. It’s just an insecurity I carried on my shoulder to make foolish mistakes.

It’s not that other people know better. It’s just that, you have to trust yourself, because you’re the one that got you here in the first place.

 

 

HIRE WELL. YOU ARE WORTH WORKING WITH.

I never told Jacquie this, but when she came for her interview, I remember thinking “will she want to work with us?”.

I know now, that if you’re with Kish+Co, you’re in for a gorgeous ride. It’s rough and challenging. I’m learning and you’ll learn with us. There will be times when we’re lean and times when we’re lavish. But I know it’s overall awesome.

And I’m only starting to come to terms with accepting that.

Being humble and confident are things I’m learning with every moment.

 

 

IT NEVER HAS TO BE “LIKE IT’S BEEN DONE BEFORE”.

When I started Miss Kish, I was loopy and creative and I took risks.

When I hit a few stumbling blocks, I held back. I did the done thing.

 

I wasn’t born to do the done thing. Someone else can do that.

In fact, we’re all here to do “our own thing”. NOT the done thing.

If I have a rule for myself from now on, it’s to trust my gut all over again. For all the mistakes in the world, it’s worth it.

 

 

GIVE YOURSELF TIME. OR WHAT YOU GIVE TO OTHERS WILL BE HOLLOW OF HEART.

These days, I’ve been overwhelmed. Trying to give everyone time. Everyone a little bit of this and that.

Feels so, so, so hard.

I’m trying to make a conscious effort to just be. (Usually thats baking or blogging or walking).

If I’m not good for me, I can’t be good for those that come to me.

And giving myself time isn’t a “naughty-luxury”. It’s an investment.

 

(You can buy this print here.)

 

 

INSECURITIES ONLY HOLD YOU BACK.

For the longest time, I didn’t really make an effort to get to know other creatives // studios // etc.

I secretly felt “but, I’ve only had inhouse experiences as a designer – what if I’m doing something wrong?”.

 

Big mistake. I’ve assumed that I’m doing something wrong. The word “assumed” is a bit of a favourite in our home.

Everyone has different experiences and insecurities. I may not have studio experience, but I sure know how to run one.

 

Wherever you are in life, you’ve got experiences and knowledge to share back. So don’t let something that isn’t an issue, become an issue.

 

 

 

 

BE GRATEFUL. IN EVERY MOMENT.

For the longest time, I thought I had nothing to give. I thought, how can I help others when I’m not doing great myself?

For so long, I was looking at the things I didn’t have. That I couldn’t see the things I did.

I didn’t have the perfect home. The perfect life. A business that was constantly successful. Accolades. Fame.

Last year, I realised I have so much to be grateful for.

I have a sweet home. I work with happy people who come in and make an effort to grow and do good. I’m in a challenging, caring relationship.

When you see what you do have, you start change your frame of mind. You start to pull positive energy your way. And that brings more goodness.

 

 

 

ALWAYS PULL OVER PUSH.

I had heard & read about this before, but I don’t think I really got it.

Thanks to the lovely Bernadette Jiwa for really cementing this in for me.

We opted to create messages that pull people to us.

Rather than push out our message.

It’s bringing us the people we’d love to work with who get us and love working with us.

We’re not faking it with sub-standard messages and fake photos. We’re showing you who we really are and it seems, you’re loving it

 

 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO 100% KNOW SOMETHING BEFORE YOU DO IT.

Did you score 100% in every single exam of your life?

If you don’t, how are you in the career position that you are in at the moment?

When I started managing staff back in 2009, I asked Piper if I should do a management course. She didn’t see it as necessary and I just took her word for it.

I’m so glad I didn’t. I think I’m mostly a pretty cool manager.

If I had learnt to do things in a conventional sense, I might be cracking it at the designers on a bad day. Maybe one of them is going thru holiday withdrawal symptoms and just needs a 10 minute walk around the block?

This seems to be a big block for creatives >> how can I be an illustrator if I didn’t go to art school? How can I be a designer if I didn’t go to design school? Just a little FYI – one of our awesome designers from back in the day, Sayher Heffernan, was self taught. He was a total geek on InDesign guides and taught me some paragraph styling. He’s also a mostly self taught photographer these days. He’s a brilliant spark and I’ll vouch for his awesome work any day.

 

 

 

IT’S A-O’KAY

If there is one thing a real business owner knows… it’s that there will be sunny days and rainy days too.

It’s all ok. Take time off. Blame the market. Read a cheap magazine. And then get back to doing what you’re best at. It’s all a-okay.

(Trust me. Today I made biryani & dahl at 8am, had an intense 4 hour workshop, got back to work and felt drained, caught up on emails, faffed around on pinterest, broke down in tears because somedays everything just feels like a lot (likely from exhaustion), got fed avocado on toast (comfort food when I’m sad) and here I am, writing you all of this).

 

 

WHEN SOMEONE F’S UP, DON’T LET IT SLIDE.

This is an oldie but a goodie. V and I don’t like confrontation.

We don’t like saying “Eeeerrrrrr, this shouldn’t have happened. Why did? Can you make sure it doesn’t happen again?”.

But being temporarily nice to people can get you into deep shit.

So just tackle the problem then and there – nip it in the bud and you won’t have to watch it snowball.

 

 

 

A COFFEE CAN BRING IN A $20K JOB

Talking and connecting is worth its weight in gold.

Done best with naive mind that is open to any sort of growing & healthy conversation.

If you told me this 5 years ago, I would have thought “really?”. But just 2 weeks ago, it did.

Talk to people. Make a difference in their lives. Trust.