Today we’d like to introduce you to Keli Chau.
Keli, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Atlanta. At a young age, I have mostly kept to myself and found the creative arts as outlets for self-expression. I never believed in following the path as everyone else that was expected in 2nd generation Asian households, so there was definitely pushback when I wanted to go to a smaller college and study what I enjoyed. Mid-college, I picked up a DSLR camera when I was able to save up enough money and that was when I stepped my toes into the world of freelancing and business.
A couple of years later, I decided to expand my services to help small business owners in digital media and marketing, including photography, web development and design, and graphic design. I freelanced, worked full-time at small companies and interviewed for technical positions at mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies but I never got passed the final round. Though I was bummed, they were nice experiences nonetheless. It made me realize that I do not belong working under someone else. I traveled for several months at a time, and that helped me expand my horizons before coming back home to decide on an “official” job.
I needed a plan to have finances roll in before I could open any brick and mortar in the future. In 2019, I began working as a web and graphic designer at a franchise brokerage agency. Within eight months at the company, I disrupted the model by implementing an internal and external structure, creating a strong foundation that led to a new division. Several months into quarantine, I decided to live true to the words “life is short” so even if I have a lot to learn and experience, I decided to take the action in creating my first LLC for my digital media and marketing services.
Great, 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?
I believe everyone has obstacles along their journey. Mine was straight from the beginning. I might even say when I started interacting with other humans as young as four years old. I never had the same mindset as those around me because I looked at long-term impacts with my decisions and always knew what I wanted. I did not want to stand behind a pharmacy counter to make $80,000 a year. I understood where the fear stemmed from, but I did not find the appeal in the “road to death” checklist.
With that said, my biggest obstacles were growing up in a low-income community, dealing with the short-term losses in order to be patient for the long-term gains. No one around me saw what I did because people are used to seeing immediate results. This, coupled with being shunned by my community, took a toll on me because I always choose to speak my mind and go after what I want. This is viewed as reckless, impulsive, and emotional by those in my community, especially when I have societal expectations of how an Asian female is supposed to behave like. It is not only after showing results that they approve of that they realized that all of my moves were calculated.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Keli Chau LLC’s goal is to help small businesses and individuals who are looking for services in web design, web development, photography, videography, graphic design, copywriting, and digital marketing.
My core values are to provide transparency, quality but cost-effective, and results for mom and pop shops with clear communication. Too often, I find these services are overpriced for the same targeted demographics. I believe this is often overlooked until you come across companies who do not follow these simple foundational elements. The other factor is that I am able to provide services in Vietnamese and English.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I am not sure that I am there yet, but if I had to pick, it would be when I had my first “real” client last year who came back for repeat business.
Pricing:
- Photo Sessions: $75/Photo
- Event Photography: $150/Hourly
- Project Photography: Starts at $1,000
- Web Design/Development | Bronze Package: $1,000
- Web Design/Development | Silver Package: $2,000
- Web Design/Development | Gold Package: $3,000
- Graphic Design | Logo Design and Brand Guideline: $700
- Graphic Design | Trifold/Quadfold Brochure: $200
- Graphic Design | Bifold Brochure – 8 Pages: $300
- Graphic Design | Flyer: $50
- Graphic Design | Poster – Any Size: $100
- Graphic Design | Social Media Content: $200 Monthly for 3x Weekly Posts
- Exhibit Design Package: $500
- Marketing Design Package: $1,500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kelichau.com
- Phone: 770.904.1680
- Email: hello@kelichau.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kelichau
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/kelichaullc
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kelichaullc
- Other: https://linkedin.com/company/kelichaullc
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