Community Highlights: Meet Austin Grigg of Kalon Creative

Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Grigg.

Austin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My fascination with technology started young. I vividly remember campaigning for my parents to buy our first family computer right when they became available. That initial curiosity quickly turned into a passion. In high school, I began building websites and fell in love with the idea of solving real-world problems with software.

That passion led me to Clemson for a degree in Computer Science, and then to my first job at a small software company. It was there I had the good fortune to work side-by-side with my now business partner, Brett Turner. After six years of learning the ropes together, we felt a shared pull to build something of our own — a company that blended technical skill with human-centered design.

That’s how Kalon Creative was born. We chose the name ‘Kalon,’ a Greek concept for a beauty that is more than skin-deep, because it captured our mission perfectly. We wanted to bring together Brett’s incredible talent for design and user experience with my passion for coding to build solutions that weren’t just functional, but truly meaningful.

What started with just the two of us has, over the last 13 years, grown into something we’re incredibly proud of. Today, we have a team of 25 talented people from all over the world, headquartered in a great office in downtown Canton. More than just growth, our focus has been on cultivating a culture where people can do impactful work while maintaining balance in their lives. It’s been a privilege to partner with amazing Atlanta-area organizations like UpSwell Marketing, FaithBridge Foster Care, and Passion City Church, as well as others across the country. It’s humbling to see how that early spark of curiosity grew into a team that helps others make a difference.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For me, the most significant struggle has been a personal one: learning to evolve as a leader as the company’s needs changed.

In the beginning, it was just Brett and me, doing everything. Making that first hire was a huge mental shift. Suddenly, we weren’t just responsible for the work; we were responsible for someone’s career. We had to learn on the fly how to set clear expectations, find the right people who fit our culture, and truly invest in their development.

We hit another major inflection point when we grew to around 10-12 people. At that size, it became impossible for us to be involved in every project. Letting go of that day-to-day control was tough. It required a new level of trust and a shift from being the primary ‘doers’ to being strategic leaders. We knew we couldn’t navigate that change alone, so we invested in a business coach. He was instrumental in helping us structure a leadership team and master the art of delegation. It was one of the best decisions we ever made.

Each stage of our company’s growth required a new version of me, and I didn’t always get it right on the first try. Forcing myself out of my comfort zone and embracing the lessons from those failures is the biggest reason I’ve been able to grow as a person and has contributed to the success of our company.

We’ve been impressed with Kalon Creative, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our mission at Kalon Creative is to design better ways of doing business. We work with operations leaders who know their organizations can be more efficient and impactful, but are stuck with processes or software that just aren’t keeping up.

We specialize in creating custom software solutions, from web and mobile apps to business intelligence tools, that eliminate those frustrations. Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all product, our process is built on collaboration. We dive deep into a client’s business to co-architect a solution that fits them perfectly and is built to grow with them.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Our industry is in the middle of a significant transformation from AI. At Kalon, we’ve embraced it as a powerful accelerator, using AI tools daily to make our team more efficient and effective.

It is hard to know what things will look like in 5-10 years since new advancements in AI are being released every day, but I believe we’ll see a dramatic shift in how technology is created. More code will be written by AI so the new focus for developers will be on high-level problem-solving: guiding the AI, validating its logic, and integrating its output into a cohesive, strategic solution.

Technology will always change, but the need for a strategic partner who can deeply understand a business and map its goals to the right technical solution will never go away. Our expertise has always been in translating business needs into great software. As the tools evolve, that human-centered translation becomes the most valuable service you can offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kaloncreative.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-grigg/