We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Diekmann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I got my MBA because was sure I would end up at some Fortune 500 company in a corner office wearing power suits, but my first ‘real world’ job was so straight out of ‘Office Space’ that I quit after 6 weeks. Thankfully I had this side gig of web design that I took up in undergrad that I never took seriously but made decent money. I never considered it a legit career until my husband and I started talking about having a family. Whoa – I could work on my side business, while contributing to my household AND staying home raising babies? And that’s exactly what I did (although it wasn’t quite that simple ha!) I grew my side gig into a multi-6-figure self-employed business while raising three daughters.

What should our readers know about your business?
The reason I’ve been a successful self-employed web designer for over 20 years comes down to one painfully simple concept that is becoming increasingly rare: customer service. Treating people well – doing what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it. I still have my first paying client from 2002. That’s what I’m most proud of – the longevity and loyalty of my clients. They stick with me because I’m honest, straightforward, and do good work. They refer their friends to me because I treat them well. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that great clients refer other great clients so treat them like gold, (also crappy clients refer other crappy clients – so let them go quickly).
I adore my career and feel strongly that it is the best self-employed business model on the planet (with built-in almost passive income), which is why my business partner and I started mentoring other aspiring web designers – to pass on all our mistakes and shortcuts so they can find success quicker than we did. (Break Into Web online course and mastermind)

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well you can’t experience Boulder County without enjoying the views and experiencing the great outdoors! We would take the kids on an easy hike near Boulder, then hit up the Junkyard Social Club for drinks, playtime and live music. For dinner we’d take guests to the gorgeous new La Mariposa in Longmont, and probably Swaylo’s Tiki another night. We’d definitely visit our favorite breakfast spot – Garden Gate in Niwot as well as our go-to coffee spot – Mountain Fountain in Hygiene. We would enjoy family time paddleboarding and soaking in views at Union Reservoir, and then strolling downtown, for sure visiting Adorn and Aflorae and then Rosalee’s for the best pizza around. We’d have to stop by Left Hand’s Garden for a milk stout, music and space for kids to run. Then we’d have an adults-only evening in Boulder, having drinks on Pearl Street with a delicious meal at my husband’s favorite, Brasserie Ten Ten.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It’s all about the people! So many shoutouts – from my parents (both entrepreneurs), my brother James (who took his IT company from 1 person to over a hundred with national recognition), to my business partner John (who is the most talented web designer I’ve encountered), and my husband (who quit the ‘real world’ this year after 15 years in the healthcare industry).

Website: kdesignwebsites.com, breakintoweb.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdiekmann/

Image Credits
ELC Photography Amber Sovorsky

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