Kelle Howard is THE Interior Designer and Branding Curator to watch right now! We chat with Kell on all things Social Media and Branding, and how important Human Design is to help you lead an authentic life…
Can you tell us about your ‘Behind the Brand’ digital course?
One thing that really lights me up is helping other people grow and over the past few years I have had a building desire to create a digital course for Interior Designers to show them behind the scenes of my business and how I’ve built my personal brand. We dive into understanding your secret sauce, how to attract your dream clients and projects, charging your worth, creating a standout brand that people remember, onboarding and working with clients and so much more! I’ve poured years of knowledge into this course and I want to show others in the design industry that their is room for all of us to shine and create a strong brand identity that dream clients gravitate towards. The feedback from the first round of Behind the Brand blew my my mind and I’m beyond excited to open the doors again in September to new members!
Consistency, Connection, Community and Collaboration are the foundation for building an authentic and engaged online audience.
What are your secrets to building an engaged Instagram following, any tips and insights you
can share?
Consistency, Connection, Community and Collaboration are the foundation for building and authentic and engaged online audience. Commit to consistent posting - whether it’s several times a day or a few times a week being consistent with posting builds trust with your audience. When I was focussed on growing my audience I was posting a few times a day, now it’s less than that but my audience will see me post regularly and engage with me more because I show up online. Connection is paramount - be online when you post so that you have time to respond to comments and DM’s - I respond to almost all of my DM’s which can get overwhelming sometimes due to the volume but it has allowed me to build rapport with my followers. I love to use instagram features such as the question box and poll’s to build connection and community with my audience - they are powerful tools to get to know your following, what they love and also allow them to get to know you on a more personal level. Authentic collaboration and creating sharable content is another valuable tip - when I create content I always try to tag the brands and suppliers I work with on my projects and in my life- I have never been paid to collaborate but by creating content that other people want to share is a beautiful, authentic way to help other brands while also growing your reach and an engaged audience.
Human Design is like pandora’s box - a gateway to understanding yourself and how to magnetise your desires more easily.
What is Human Design and why is it important in today’s business/brand landscape?
Human Design was a game changer for me and I don’t use that term lightly! Understanding my Human Design and the best ways to operate in my life and business felt like a huge permission slip to own who I am. Before discovering HD I thought that the fact I needed to be lit up by several different projects at once was a bad thing - now I recognise that this is what I am designed to do. I think that so many more people are opening up to a more aligned, intuitive way of doing business and Human Design is like pandora’s box - a gateway to understanding yourself and how to magnetise your desires more easily.
You have a thriving interior design business; how did you get started – did you have a set
career path or was there a defining moment for you that shaped this?
I studied interior design after the birth of my first child and at the time I didn’t have a plan for my business, I took on any project that came my way and whilst I loved the design aspect it wasn’t lighting me up. After some time in the industry I then decided to focus on being a stay at home mum and tried my hand at a few different things but a few years later I felt interior design calling me back. I had been through a separation and I know that there was so much opportunity to create an incredible business, with so much variety, dream clients and variety. I was at a retreat and all of these downloads came to me thick and fast, I sat in my room for hours getting everything out of my brain and onto paper. Literally mind-
mapping a new business plan and from there I took inspired action to create this business. This is one of the topics we explore in Behind the Brand - creating a business that feels in true alignment with your values and what inspires you
You have a really distinctive handwriting with your design work/pieces, where do you seek
design inspiration from and how would you describe your design style?
I’m ultimately inspired by European architecture and in particular Ibiza. I describe my style as raw, coastal, luxe - think tactile elements such as venetian paster and architectural concrete, aged brass, lots of greenery, an abundance of white open spaces and minimalism. Being known for a niche style has helped me attract in some incredible design projects - where I take a clients inspiration and infuse my signature style into the space.
Who is the most inspirational woman or brand you have worked with and why/what made
you enjoy that process so much?
There are so many but one very special project was the design collaboration with Object X. Early in 2020 I held a vision to co-create products with a brand and my guiding words that I use as my internal GPS before deciding whether to take on a project are “free, alive, connected’ and this collaboration was every ounce of those words. It’s important that I feel free to create without too many limitations, I need to feel excited and inspired and very importantly I need to be able to connect on a personal level with anyone that I work with. I couldn’t be more proud of the pieces that we created together and I am so honoured that people are choosing to purchase them for their homes.
You are running a 12 week deep dive mentoring program ‘soul led’ what is this about and
how can our collective find out more?
Soul Led Mastermind was born out of my desire to empower women on a more spiritual level. As a business-woman the tools I have incorporated in my life such as manifestation, mindfulness, alignment and quantum leaping have all been paramount to my success and living such an abundant and fulfilled life. I feel like mentoring is in my blood and I wanted to offer an opportunity to work with me in a transformative, intimate group sisterhood that would truly transform their mindset. The next round of Soul Led Mastermind will start in November and you can head over to my website www.kellehoward.co for more information and join the waitlist as there will be limited spots available.
What advice would you give small businesses and brands right now, any inspiration or tools
that you can share with us?
I encourage you to look at the parts of your business that really light you up and how you can amplify your message, can you pivot to a new way of working within your business to bring in more alignment with your clients and customers. Ask them what they want to see more of, involve them in your evolution to inspire you.
Fast 5:
What are you watching right now?
I rarely watch TV but my guilty habit is a weekly dose of reality TV - at the moment I’m escaping with RHOBH
Whose content are you loving right now?
I only started listening to podcasts about a year ago but at the moment I’m binge listening to past and current episodes of Richuals to Seven - my mentor Ruby Lee’s podcast - there is so much value in everything that she shares
Who is inspiring you in 2021?
I love Marianna Hewitt - the co-founder of Summer Fridays. I have followed her content for a few years now (before Summer Fridays launched) and I just love how relatable she is, she shares so much knowledge that is easily implemented and she has incredible personal style.
What has been your biggest learning curve in 2021?
Not taking on more help! I’m leaning more and more into my zone of genius and allowing people to support me in the areas that don’t light me up so I can focus on creation.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your ‘future’ self?
No-one is else responsible for your happiness. It’s up to us to find true alignment with ourselves and not allow our external experiences or the people around us to shape or be responsible for what lights us up.