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Keshia M. White

@keshiamwhite

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🌿 Aesthetics, Business & Self-Care
Founder/UX Designer: @whitehousebrandingstudio
✨I make + take pics of pretty things. 🫶🏽 | ATL.
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This fall, I celebrated eight years of working in my business full-time. 🎉 At this point, it all feels like a blur and the years almost feel as if they “run together.”  While I certainly appreciate my autonomy and my flexible schedule, I’m often so busy “doing the work” that I never really stop to reflect.  So it feels like just yesterday that I left my last corporate job, but in reality, almost 10 years have passed since then. 🤯 It doesn’t feel like that much time has gone by. But I feel much wiser and more seasoned as a business owner, so that’s definitely an indication that a significant amount of time has passed. Most of the time, I’m just checking task after task off of my to-do list for work, trying to get through the day or through the end of a project.  Some days are so busy that I’m SO mentally drained by the end of the day that I just want to zone out with a mindless TV show and a good dinner. Fewer days are so slow that I have time for long workouts or a weekday lunch with a friend. Sometimes, I feel stressed and overwhelmed. And other times, I feel proud of an accomplishment or I’m breathing a deep sigh of relief after figuring out an unexpected technical issue. It’s been quite the journey—the most bumpy roller coaster ride. But through all of the ups and downs, I’m deeply grateful for the life and business I’ve built. Ups and downs are totally normal in business and anyone saying otherwise isn’t telling the full truth. 😅 Now, I look back and think, “Wow, my youthful determination really paid off and I really haven’t had a ‘real job’ in 8 years.” 😂 (I was only 30 years old when I left my last corporate job.) I’m deeply thankful for every client and project that has made this possible and the impact I’ve made on the web over the years. I’m grateful for the opportunity to make the internet more beautiful and user-friendly—one website at a time. #webdesigner #smallbusinessowner #entrepreneur by @keshiamwhite
Summer photo dump ☀️🫶🏽 by @keshiamwhite
My journey to building my business started over ten years ago, in 2014, after my company did layoffs in my department. I was working in B2B sales in the telecom industry at the time. Once the layoffs were announced, I started a lifestyle blog, as a hobby. That was my first “real” job after college, and it had taken me a while to find it, so the layoffs were really disheartening.  But those layoffs pushed me to start my blog and designing my own blog website gave me the idea to pursue web design as a skillset that could help me get out of sales someday.  Fast forward to spring 2014: I found a new sales job in the software industry and I enrolled in a web design certificate program at Kennesaw State University. I learned the basics of web design. 📸In the spring of 2015, I finished my web design program and was still blogging in my spare time on the side of my new sales job in the consumer products industry. I even dabbled in photography during this time (amateur photography because I wasn’t all that good at it😅). 🎨In spring 2016: I took a Visual Design course for 8 weeks at General Assembly because I wanted to elevate my design skills. I learned about mood boards, color palettes, font pairings, and how to design (better looking) websites. By that summer, I was designing websites for free for people I knew to get more practice using my expertise. Over the next couple of years, I continued building a brand online and working in sales during the day. In the fall of 2018, after an unsuccessful job search to attempt to get out of sales, after working in the field for seven years, I quit my last sales job and decided to create my own way out by using my web design skills to create a business.  And here I am today: After a LOT of self-promotion and hustle, I’ve been in business for over seven years now and I’ve served over 100 clients. 🤯 I’m very grateful to have been able to make a living serving so many business owners and helping them gain confidence in their brands and websites! #webdesigner #webdesign #uxdesigner #entrepreneurjourney #freelancejourney freelancelife freelancer entrepreneurship by @keshiamwhite
One of the downsides of having a business is struggling to find the space in your schedule to take time off. Your to-do list as a business owner is always endless, so it can be difficult to take breaks from work. But I learned the hard way that I NEED breaks throughout the year and not just at the end of the year for Christmas/New Years. I used to work and work all year, including holidays, and when December would arrive, I would be burned out, cranky, and exhausted. So finally in year 7 of being a full-time business owner (this year 🙈), I decided to schedule in “mini breaks” with 3 or 4 day weekends around various holidays throughout the year. This has been great for helping me recharge and come back to work a lot more refreshed. How do you maintain your work/life balance as an entrepreneur? #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurlife #webdesigner #businessowner #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner by @keshiamwhite
Very soon, it will be seven years since I quit my last corporate job to pursue my own business. Before I quit, I worked in corporate B2B sales and I hated it. Sales was something I never really wanted to do. But as a recent college grad, I couldn’t find a job in any other field. So I accepted my first sales job at the end of 2011, after being out of college for a year and a half. And I got stuck in sales for seven long years, barely staying afloat in that career. It was so unstable. I experienced layoffs, abrupt quota changes, and a lack of work/life balance. But I was determined to make my way out so I wouldn’t have to be stuck in jobs I hated. Now, it’s crazy to believe that it will be seven years in my own business, the same amount of time I spent working in sales. SO many small businesses come and go. I’m grateful to have been able to make it this long as a business owner without a full-time corporate job. These are some of the things that have helped me make this work: 💵 Good money management: I am a BUDGETER now. I didn’t always manage my money well during my corporate days, but as a business owner, I have no choice. I allot a certain amount to living expenses, fun, business expenses, etc. and it helps me create a financial cushion that I can depend on during the slow months. 🤝 Being reliable and honest: I’m honest and clear about deadlines and I keep my word with clients. This has helped generate a lot of business from repeat clients and referrals from clients. ❤️Taking care of my health: I’ve had moments in business where I lacked work/life balance and it made me miserable and cranky. So now, I prioritize rest, exercise, and unplugging during my off hours. 📢Marketing + networking: Always keeping a marketing plan in rotation and seeking out virtual networking conversations with those in my industry has helped me keep the client inquiries coming in. Are you considering becoming a full-time business owner? If you have questions, share in the comments below and I’ll respond! :) Or if you are a full-time business owner and you have tips you want to share, let us know! by @keshiamwhite
The prettiest restaurant terrace! 💙 by @keshiamwhite
2024 Recap! I don’t have the words for a deep caption at the moment—just a random collection of pics I liked from the year… ☺️Me 🛋️My moody living room in my new apartment 🍑One of my favorite salads 🎉My birthday celebration 💪🏾Getting stronger 🌾Serenbe 🍏The apple orchard ☺️Me in my moody living room 🍁My favorite fall photo 🎨In Wynwood (Miami) for Art Basel 🥬Farmers market goodies 📚My color coordinated bookshelf ❤️Family 🍂Waterfall hike 🛌 My cozy bedroom in the new place 👯‍♀️Sis 💕 🎄Holiday dinner 🌴Miami 🥘Fave meal from my farmers market goodies ☺️Me! by @keshiamwhite
Finally made it to #ArtBasel earlier this month! Here’s a quick recap of a few of my favorite pieces. I love modern art 👌🏾 #ArtBasel2024 by @keshiamwhite
My favorite little breakfast while in Miami a few weeks ago. ✨ by @keshiamwhite
Throwback to November 🍁 | Love a beautiful fall hike!! 😍 • • • • #exploregeorgia #fallvibes #atlantablogger by @keshiamwhite
2024 was packed with great clients and amazing work. Here’s a little peek at some of the work from this year. From designing standout brands to building sleek websites and graphic design work, I’m proud of what we achieved together this year. Hearing kind words from clients makes the work even more fulfilling. Here’s to raising the bar even higher in 2025. 🎉 Interested in working together in 2025? Click the link in the bio to visit the website to schedule a complimentary discovery session in January! #webdesign #branding #webdesigner #brandidentitydesign #uxdesign #uxdesigner by @keshiamwhite
Sometimes you just need a change of scenery to make it through another work day. 🫠 A couple of times each month, I find myself getting antsy with working from home. So even though I have a co-work space, there’s still nothing like working from a cozy coffee shop to change things up. Lately, my perfect coffee shop visit includes: 🥣 House made syrups on the menu 🥛A milk option that isn’t dairy or oat milk (I prefer coconut milk now or almond milk if I’m at a coffee shop and that’s all they have) ☀️And large windows with lots of natural light coming in It’s the perfect way to occasionally change things up and get out of my usual weekday routine. • • • • #coffeeshopcorners #atlantacoffee #atlantacoffeeshops #atlantablogger by @keshiamwhite

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