A Pinterest Side-Hustler turned Full-time Creative – Kelsey Kerslake

While most are using Pinterest to pin the perfect pumpkin cheesecake, or to supply a Vogue-worthy Pinterest board to show their wedding photographer the exact images they want shot for their day, Kelsey Kerslake was pinning her most recent designs and getting majorly re-pinned! With lots of heart and determination, she turned it from a side-hustle into a full-time gig! Here’s a little bit on how she went from simply pinning to majorly winning as a creative entrepreneur!

Location – Where do you call home? Where is your client base?

Cleveland, OH is home, and our clients are all over the country!

Creative Specialty?

I run a full-service design agency called Pinegate Road. We specialize in branding and web design.

Years in Business? Years dreaming of business?

Technically 8, but I ran Pinegate as a side-hustle for years! I’ve been full-time just over 2 years now.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new creative entrepreneur, what would you tell them?

Figure out how you want to feel in your life, and create a business / job around supporting that vision. I see too many people thinking they need to do certain things, or comparing their journey’s to others…and that does no good! When you can figure out your own vision and how and why you want that, and make choices that support it, you’ll be building a life and business you truly love!

Are there any creatives that influenced you?

Jessica Hische has always inspired me! I started my career as a hand-lettering artist at American Greetings, and still love incorporating hand-lettering into our projects. I love how detailed she gets with her work, and those details matter to a final piece.

I met Jenna Kutcher at a conference this past summer, and she has impacted my last few months in a huge way! I had been following her for quite a while online, but meeting her in person showed that she was just as genuine in real life as she was online. She completely opened up about her business and life and was an open book about it all. She’s inspired me to embrace my imperfections and to show up more fully as myself in all that I do.

What was your original career path? How did you get from there to here? Any advice for someone struggling to juggle everything?

I always say that I started my business because of Pinterest! Hah! For the first several years of my business I just posted photos of my work, and I became Pinterest famous for a second there! I was constantly getting new work because of people finding me there. As our services expanded and up-leveled, and people weren’t willing to pay what our services were based off a picture alone, Instagram has been huge for business! It’s a place where people can ask questions and interact with me on a daily basis. I make so many connections there that turn into friends / referrals / clients, and I love that!

I haven’t really set a schedule for it, but probably should. There are some days that go by and I think all I’ve done is talk on Instagram 😉

What are some of the things that have inspired you through the years in being creative? What do you do when you feel stuck or just want to watch a whole bunch of Netflix?

When I’m feeling stuck, I like to move on to something that helps me get more in flow. I sit and think — what’s the most fun thing I could do right now? Sometimes that’s baking cookies, other times it’s going for a walk, and sometimes it’s watching TV. I like to let my intuition guide my next steps because I know it knows best! Taking care of myself in that way keeps me being creative when I need to be, and doesn’t force it.

What are some of the challenges/solutions you’ve found when balancing friends/family and photography?

I would hire an amazing architect to build me a custom home! That counts as art right? They’d help me build a space that works perfectly with how my ideal day would flow.

When creating a business, most people focus on ___A___,
when it’s more helpful to focus on ___B___

When creating a business, most people focus on how others are succeeding and what they are doing,
when it’s more helpful to focus on how you actually want to be living your day to day.

How did you find out about Showit? Has it changed anything about how your business runs?

I think I googled it a couple years ago, and then JT, who works with designers, invited me to hop on a Skype call to talk through it! I’ve been OBSESSED ever since! It’s completely changed the way I run my business, and we put 99% of our clients on Showit. The ease has been incredible. I almost gave up on web design because development was such a headache, and Showit saved me!! I love being a part of the Showit Facebook groups.

Connecting with Kesley

Amazing how there is never just one path to success. It’s always a pleasure seeing what Kelsey has up her sleeve! You can see her successful Pinterest board under her company name at Pinterest.com/PinegateRoad. After you have seen all the swoon-worthy designs, connect with Kelsey on Instagram or Facebook.

If you are looking for a website designer, or know someone who is, send them to PinegateRoad.com. Check it out for yourself to see the way she works in lead magnets and compelling copy so well! Annnnd even though she won’t brag on herself, we will…she has an amazing podcast called Behind the Brand. (Head straight to iTunes to listen now!) It’s a great place to keep the love alive for your small business and connect with Kelsey more!

Are you a Showiteer who would like to be featured in our Showiteer Spotlight? We would love to feature you and are currently filling up our 2019 calendar. We would love to share your story with the community. If you are a photography you can find the Q&A here. Or, if you are in a different creative field, you can find that Q&A here.

*If you, like Kelsey, would like to join us at United, hop on to our mailing list here: Showit.co/United . Over half of the tickets sell out the first week it’s announced. However, we always save some for the spring so everyone has a chance! We would love to meet you and Kelsey there!

Most Images by Christine Otto Photography C/O Kelsey Kerslake