I help enterprising women in the home design industry achieve clarity, confidence, and a custom strategy for upleveling your business.
Imagine the pride of understanding your business so thoroughly that decisions make themselves.
Less struggle. More exhilaration.
As an esteemed design pro, you've successfully built your team, clientele, and revenue over the years by doing what you "should" be doing. You've paid for: A classy website. Multiple photo shoots. A very nice social media person. House rentals in High Point. A booth at NY NOW. Local ads.
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BUT those investments don't seem to be getting you the high-paying design work you want from the clients you want to work with.
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OR maybe you have a cool business idea that leverages your current brand. Your design friends say to go for it, but you don't know how to make it happen.
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OR (like so many creatives I've worked with) you have an established business but never really planned it. You don't know if you're doing it "right." Decisions feel random. You're anxious about being digitally relevant.
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AND IF YOU DON'T MAKE CHANGES NOW, you'll spend yet another year in uncertainty. Feeling isolated, invisible. Feeling small. Knowing the world is missing out on the best you have to offer.
LET'S TURN THE BUSINESS YOU CURRENTLY HAVE INTO THE ONE YOU REALLY WANT. Where creativity feels fun again. You're maximizing profit. You have the courage to launch that special project. You look forward to spending time with your clients, and you have plenty of time for yourself. You're psyched about your future.
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MAKE YOUR BUSINESS YOUR NEXT CREATIVE PROJECT.
Clients and Collaborators
WORK WITH A BUSINESS ADVISOR WHO HAS DECADES OF EXPERIENCE WITH LEADING BRANDS, SUCH AS LOWE'S, WAYFAIR, AND BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
Along with my corporate savvy, I've also honed expert insights while performing in start-up, agency, and consultancy environments.
My mission now is to raise up female creatives, especially those who have been historically excluded from the design industry. I support you in fully stepping into your role as CEO—a visionary who commands the future of your company with conviction and joy. I want you to have the business and lifestyle you desire, so you have the money and agency to profoundly influence your world for the better.
Future you will thank you.
Worth Every Penny and Then Some
Kristine made me feel comfortable and at ease right away, so I could be open and give meaningful answers without holding back. She immediately shifted our mindset from reactive to proactive. Her invaluable guidance helped me look at the bigger picture, making my firm’s business goals, branding, and marketing both cohesive and purposeful.
RACHEL REIDER, Rachel Reider Interiors
"Best Contemporary Interior Designer 2020," Boston Home Magazine
"Design Star 2021," Modern Luxury Interiors Boston
No Small Thoughts When it Comes to Kristine
Kristine asks you—and helps you answer—the most important questions you can face as a business owner. She is completely invested in your success both personally and professionally and provides the framework for your life and business as you want to run it. She instills confidence in your power to make it a reality. As a small business owner, I am so bogged down in minutiae. As I consider the business at a regional level, Kristine is thinking nationally and already putting the foundation in place to think of it globally.
STACY KUNSTEL, Co-Founder, Dunes and Duchess
Professional Speaker, Emcee, Writer, Stylist
Gain the Upper Hand
Kristine's free weekly newsletter offers actionable advice on business,
brand, and marketing practices targeted to our industry.
Couldn't Have Gotten There Without Her
Kristine’s strategy sessions crystallized the who/what/where of my business—my new website and brand positioning just attracted a HUGE new project. I’ve also created an additional revenue stream. Because of her experience, Kristine understands designers, the profession, and the technology that’s affecting our industry. Working with her was easy, like business therapy. She asks all the right questions.
KRISTEN RIVOLI, Kristen Rivoli Interior Design / Rooms by Rivoli
"Design Star 2021," Modern Luxury Interiors Boston
Member, The Leaders of Design Council
OUTCOMES MY CLIENTS GET EXCITED ABOUT
Feeling certain about all future business decisions
Gaining crystal clarity about your next steps
Getting that dream idea off the ground
Only expending energy on activities that boost the bottom line
Structuring your business to support your ideal personal lifestyle
Having a plan for reaching your full artistic and professional potential
Concisely explaining to a future client how you stand out in your field
Having such a uniquely positioned brand that competition is irrelevant
Increasing your brand's visibility where it counts
Ensuring your brand is relevant in the digital world
I HAVE A SPECIAL WAY WITH
Architects
Interior Designers
Retailers
Landscape Designers
Stylists
Tradespeople
Design/Builders
Makers
Product Designers
WHO WANT TOP-LEVEL GUIDANCE ON ...
Pivoting Your Business
Brand Strategy
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Website and Social Channel Audit
Long-term Vision
Defining Success Metrics
Attracting Clients
Profit Growth
Marketing
E-commerce
Competitive Analysis
Aligning Business with Lifestyle
Unique Value Proposition
Launches
Creative Direction
Thinking Bigger and Bolder
Messaging
Staffing
Market Analysis
Identifying Your
Ideal Client
Company Values
During your free consultation video call, I'll help you pinpoint and prioritize your business' most pressing needs.
Changed My Life Personally and Professionally
Kristine completely changed my outlook. She gave me an understanding of who my audience actually is so I could provide better services to attract more of my target audience, leading to higher profits. Kris also taught me how to say to no. To projects that didn’t make sense for me. To clients that didn’t make sense to work with. I no longer worry about competition at all.
VANESSA FARINO, Founder, Creative Human / Creative Admin
"40 Under 40," Boston Business Journal
"Latino 30 Under 30," El Mundo Boston
Equal parts left and right brain, I've spent my entire career providing both practical structures to creatives and creative vision to business bosses.
HOW YOU CAN WORK WITH ME
01
STRATEGY BREAKTHROUGH SESSION
1 Day
For when you need support—fast—on a prime concern in your business. We'll make decisions, set priorities, and you'll walk away with a strategic action plan you can implement immediately. Includes:
• Consultation call
• Discovery activities and analysis
• 3-hour morning Zoom meeting
• Action plan received same day
• Two weeks of followup email support
• 30-minute followup meeting
02
BRANDING FOR GROWTH
4 Months
For when you need a design business BFF to guide you through an ambitious change. Using my methodology for business development and branding, I serve as your advisor, confidant, outside expert, instructor, accountability partner, and cheerleader. Sometimes therapist. Includes:
• Consultation call
• Discovery activities and analysis
• 2-hour Kick-off Intensive
• Each month: Weekly hour-long strategy calls for three weeks, then one week of implementation
• Four months of email support
03
POWERHOUSE GROUP PROGRAM
For when you finally commit to creating a prosperous future by elevating your business to what you know it can be. Step into your full professional potential among a supportive, intimate group of high-caliber business owners who have been hand-picked for this program. My year will be dedicated to every aspect of your success.
PROGRAM BEGINS EARLY 2022
Get notified when applications and program details become available.
Boom! This is Why She's a Bad Ass
Working with Kris for even a single session proved to be invaluable. Her knack for listening with intention and finding the right questions delivers remarkable insight. I was surprised by how quickly Kris was able to navigate the challenges I was facing in making important decisions as a business owner. We quickly got to the heart of the matter which was less about what I originally thought and much more about how decisions were framed. Kris is not only very organized, professional, and polished. She is approachable and kind without sacrificing the ability to be direct—a necessary element in business.
KATHRYN CHAPLOW, Kathryn Chaplow Interior Design / Kathryn Chaplow Collect
We Highly Recommend Her Services
We hired Kristine to help us develop our brand guide, which included both visual and content direction. She has a great arsenal of exercises that really helped us focus on who we are as a company, as well as our target audience. We were accepted by major newsstands across the state based on our brand guide alone. She’s professional, creative, and a tireless advocate for you and your mission.
SANDRA CASAGRAND, Founder and CEO, Exhale Lifestyle Media
Chief Marketing Officer, Banner Publications Inc.
Working in the design business has made me really good at design. And business.
Little did I know after pounding the pavement as a newspaper reporter in LA, it would be my sewing and decorative painting skills that would cinch my job at Meredith Corporation, the publisher of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
In the nearly 30 years since then, I've had experience with most facets of branding, marketing, storytelling, retail, revenue, e-commerce, strategic planning, creative direction, partnerships, huge corporations and innovative emerging companies.
As a colleague once said of me, I can "take the 30,000-foot view, then zoom down into the details." That's where you come in.
I see the big picture, but what I really care about is you.
If you're more of a LinkedIn CV type,
you can check me out here.
I am happiest when I can help other women get what they want.
Usually that's money. But not always. Sometimes it's notoriety.
Sometimes flexibility. Control. Respect. And sometimes it's a
future brimming with thrilling creative projects. I'm almost
always able to facilitate your success. And if I think
I can't, I will tell you.
A few details about me ...
For work, visited neighborhoods and shops in places as diverse as Houston, Boise, the Hamptons, Montreal, Savannah, suburban Ohio, La Jolla. But I've never been to Atlanta. Can you believe that?
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Learned that when you meet people like Oscar de la Renta and everyone else is wearing crazy-expensive Prada, you wear vintage. It looks cool and they can't place it.
Finagled White House security clearance for drivers delivering 40 poinsettias in the perfect peach color, to replace 40 poinsettias which were not the perfect peach color. Designers, I get you.
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You should also know that I'm nice. And non-judgy. Some people think I'm funny.
I look forward to meeting you!
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Kristine Kennedy, CEO
KRISTINE KENNEDY STRATEGY
For decades, more than 40 million people regularly engaged with my written and visual content.
Seen the insides of thousands of homes all across North America.
Advised Lowe's business development department on connecting with a new demographic when they opened their first urban stores in Manhattan.
Built a career on wrangling creatives. Double Gemini? Bring it. Also, computer engineers are some of the most creative people I know.
Wheeled my breast pump all over High Point.
Went to grad school for war strategy, prevention, and resolution--alongside lots of military and diplomatic folks. Macro, micro, international economics? Check.
At Wayfair, developed an influencer-driven blog while overseeing the build-out of a custom engineered content management system.
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Been in the website and email newsletter game since the '90s.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BOOK A CALL WITH ME
Clicking the Book a Call button will take you to my online calendar. Schedule a 30-minute Zoom call for a time that's convenient for you.
After you schedule a time slot, I'll email you a questionnaire to gather some basic info.
During our confidential meet-and-greet Zoom call, we'll discuss your business challenges and aspirations, as well as your options for working with me. No pressure. You're in the driver's seat.
