Conversations with Krista West

Today we’d like to introduce you to Krista West.

Hi Krista, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today. 
Where do I even begin? 

Ultimately, I started my first business at 17 years old and ended up going to Kent State University to study Business with a focus in Entrepreneurship. After graduating in 2017, I led the marketing for Cleveland Flea before moving to Montana to be with my (at the time) future husband and grow our family. 

I started Studio West Design Co. a few months after birthing our first child in 2018, a baby girl, and quickly realized I wanted the flexibility to be at home with my child AND grow my career. Since the pandemic hadn’t yet hit this notion of a “work-from-home mom” didn’t quite yet exist, but I was determined to create it for myself. I began freelancing for people within my network and taught myself everything I needed to know to continue to support the growth of their businesses. I quickly became a self-taught graphic designer, web designer, social media marketer, tech guru, and more for the clients I supported. How did I learn everything I needed to know to support small businesses in this way? Well, trial error, and a whole lotta Google. 

My goal of Studio West as it stood back in 2018 was to provide for my family and stay home with our growing baby girl. To be honest, my husband and I were dirt poor back then. He was still completing his Engineering degree at Montana Tech in Butte, MT and we lived in a one-bedroom apartment, yes, with a newborn, and nonetheless, in the middle of winter. 

Quickly, Studio West grew. My clients were pleased to recommend me to others they knew in business, and my hard work paid off. I began bringing on and training other women in design and digital marketing, and things began to take off at just the right time. At beginning of 2020, my husband lost his Petroleum Engineering role thanks to COVID. While we figured out our next move we moved into his parents’ basement, yes, with a toddler, and I went all in on Studio West. Our team grew, and so did our client list, and just when I wasn’t sure where things were going to head next, we got our first big break. Studio West took on our first celebrity brand, rē•spin. A wellness brand owned by Ohio native Halle Berry. Little did I know at the time this would be the first of many celebrity brands our team would have the pleasure of working on. 

Fast forward to the present moment, and Studio West is now made up of 10+ amazing women who want more out of life than work. We have had the pleasure of working with brands such as Amazon, Breville, Sweaty Betty, Whipshots, Greatness Wins, and many more. From large brands to small mom-and-pop shops, we are honored to support every business we have along the way. And one of the most important things about Studio West is that we have also had the pleasure of growing families, exterior brands, and fun personal lives all the while making amazing things happen for each of our clients’ businesses. There is a time to work hard and a time to enjoy life, and I take pride in knowing our team on engages heavily in both. 

We now support over 20+ brands on a regular basis within the U.S. and beyond (we are officially internationally known) across many industries! Studio West has also transformed over the years from being a boutique design agency to being a full-service digital marketing agency supporting brands with all of their digital marketing needs. 

What once was a brand I ran on my own out-of-one-bedroom apartment in Butte, MT servicing only clients within my network back home in Cleveland, Ohio, is now a worldwide agency made up of 10 amazing women who support brands far and wide as experts in our space. Not to mention, I have grown the agency while also growing more than one tiny human and am now expecting my third. Growing businesses and babies is kind of my forte, and I am so blessed to allow other women to do the same. Because as I always say, you can have it all at the same time, if you want it! 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Business owning, smooth? This made me laugh out loud. There have been many struggles along the way. Growing a team of women while also growing humans has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. From team struggles to unpaid client invoices to the kids being home from daycare for weeks/months at a time due to COVID. There have been many struggles along this journey. 

One of the largest recent struggles was losing my business partner to my largest client in January of 2023. A longtime friend and business partner of a year (2022-2023) was ultimately poached out from under me after I turned down an acquisition offer. 

All of the struggles along the way were worth it, and I still believe that truly everything does happen for a reason. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Studio West is a full-service digital marketing agency specializing in everything from branding, web design, social media marketing, SEO, paid media, app management, email marketing, ecomm strategy, community management, content creation, and more. We are known for providing our clients with digital marketing that truly sets them apart. COVID caused many brands to go digital. Our team specializes in ensuring that the brands we work with create out-of-the-box marketing to support the growth of their brand or product. What sets us apart is that our agency treats our clients’ brands as though they are our own. We don’t accept mediocrity for ourselves or our clients, ever. 

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Business owning is the ultimate risk there is. You never know where the market is heading, and marketing budgets are often the first to get cut in moments of hardship for brands. We have endured large loss and yet none of our team has ever had to be let go due to market changes, client invoices going unpaid, or marketing budgets getting cut. I have chosen to go unpaid for over a year at one given time to ensure my team had the resources to continue in their roles and support their families. Talk about risk! 

When it comes to risk, you have to be able to weigh the risk vs. the reward. There has yet to be a moment where the risk I took wasn’t worth the reward, and for that, I am forever grateful. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://studiowestdesignco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiowestdesign.co/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studiowestdesignco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-west-design-co
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/studiowestdsgn
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@studiowestdesign.c

Image Credits
Justine Jane Photography
Meg Holiday of Six Figs
Milkshop Photography