I started with frosting under my nails and long days in our small bakery. Creating edible art because I loved the moment of joy it brought when the vision finally came together.
But loving the work wasn’t enough to keep the doors open.
Like many small business owners, I spent years trying to “do marketing the right way.” I hired local companies, freelancers, and even in-house help — pouring time, money, and trust into efforts that sounded promising but rarely fit the reality of a small business. What I learned was hard and humbling: strategy that looks good on paper doesn’t always work on the ground.
With no formal training and a whole lot of grit, I stopped outsourcing understanding and started learning it myself. Through trial, error, and more than a few costly mistakes, I built the structure, systems, and marketing that finally supported the work instead of draining it. That shift helped turn a struggling bakery into a million-dollar business, alongside incredible people who believed in what we were building.
Kitten & Quill was born from those hard-earned lessons — for the small business owners who’ve tried everything, trusted the experts, and still felt like something was missing. My goal isn’t to sell you marketing.
It’s to protect your time, your resources, and your sanity while helping your work get the visibility it deserves.
Because good work — especially the kind that holds a community together — shouldn’t be the hardest part to sustain.