0:00:02 - (Samantha): Hey, everyone. Welcome back to building the abundant woman. I have an amazing guest here with me today. Her name is Kusha Kalra. She is a branding strategist and she is going to tell us about all the good things from being a mother to being a business owner and everything in between. So, Kusha, introduce yourself. Tell everyone who you are and what you're about.

0:00:23 - (Kusha Kalra): Thank you so much, Samantha. First of all, I am super excited to be here and be a part of this amazing podcast and enjoy some amazing conversation with you and a little bit more about me. I am a branding expert and confidence coach and the founder of the bespoke designs and I primarily have been working in the online space since the year 2018. I love to help my clients, who are, again, coaches and product based businesses, to help them unleash their brand, to help them gain confidence and to make sure that they are able to get visibility online using the power of branding so that they are able to shine like a rare diamond, you know, and I feel that in today's online space, each one of the amazing women entrepreneurs that we see, they all have a unique gift. They all have some or the other vision with which they want to change lives of others.

0:01:23 - (Kusha Kalra): And I personally am on that mission where I want to help them, I want to empower them, and I want to literally be a part of their journey and their vision so that it comes true and they are able to move to the next level in their business. I'm also a single mom and I have a teenage boy and I live here in India with my parents. And I think this is one of the best life that I'm actually having right now.

0:01:51 - (Samantha): That's amazing. I love that. And, you know, and if you all don't know a little bit of my backstory, my mom was a single mom for most of my childhood. And so I just think it is such a huge step in resilience. It's like when you're put in that situation. And I just, like, watched my mom, you know, just everything was figureoutable. I love that word. It's probably made up, but that's okay. It's like everything was figureoutable. And, like, that's where I think so much is. Like, even single moms have that superpower of, like, you know, if I can handle this, like, I can handle, like, especially even the business side of things.

0:02:29 - (Samantha): And so just talk to us, like, how did you get started doing what you do?

0:02:34 - (Kusha Kalra): Well, actually, I was in corporate before I even took that leap of faith because, you know, I had, like, a dream job for about 1213 odd years, and I was really enjoying it. It was, like I said, a dream job. I had a great boss, lovely salary, good package, good, you know, like, promotions and everything that you really need in a job. And when I saw that my son was five years old, that's the time I kind of had a light bulb moment where I thought that being a single parent, I feel that when he's going to go to school and when he comes back, there's nobody going to be there to listen to his stories.

0:03:11 - (Kusha Kalra): So I thought that if that's going to be the case, how am I going to deal with it? Because. And as much as I live with my parents, I still felt that, you know, it's not really their job to, you know, replace what mommy can do for him. And I think that's when I decided that I'm still not that old, that I can't take that risk, you know? So one of the things where people tend to get, you know, doubtful about is that is there a particular age for us to start business or is it too late to start business or am I too early to start business? So I feel age is not really a criteria.

0:03:48 - (Kusha Kalra): I feel circumstances are also not really something that you should worry about. For me, it was like a big why? Which is to be at home with my son, to have that flexibility and that freedom to, you know, to make sure that when he comes back, I'm able to listen to his stories and, you know, just enjoy the time with him while I am also creating something and, you know, doing something, which I truly love to do.

0:04:14 - (Kusha Kalra): So that's when I left my job and I entered into freelance training work because I was a trainer back then. So I decided, okay, it's not going to be nine to five, but maybe I can do some freelance projects. And I started it with one of my ex bosses together in partnership. And that went on for about a year. And I realized that this isn't something that I truly, really wanted to do because it was not really a partnership.

0:04:41 - (Kusha Kalra): It felt more like, you know, a boss and a subordinate relationship. So I think the universe was giving me that sign, you know, that, Kusha, just get out there, do your thing, you know, stop depending on people to help you. And that's when I jumped into the online space and I started my own coaching business because I did my coaching certification also while I was still working. So. So, yeah, I started my coaching business back then, and I kind of then succeed, you know, I mean, because I was I didn't understand how this concept really worked. I did hire a coach, and yet it felt like, you know, I wasn't able to make it out there in this, in this online space or in this so called coaching business, really.

0:05:28 - (Kusha Kalra): And this was about 2017 when I again had to step back. I had to think through this. You know, my parents were like, do you want to go back into your job? Maybe because, you know, you do that really well.

0:05:39 - (Samantha): Yeah.

0:05:39 - (Kusha Kalra): And I had to think again, you know, that is it the financial security, or is it my big why? You know, which is to be home with my son? Which one do I want to really choose? And that's when I again, took that decision that, nope, I'm not going to give up, but I will pivot my direction and I will not change my goal. My goal still remains the same, to have that freedom and flexibility. And that's exactly how I shifted, you know, my, because I was a trainer, so I knew how to design a lot of stuff back then, and I used my other skills of designing and, you know, being creative as a person to start my business, which is now, like, being six odd years now. So, yeah, that's. That's a little backstory about all this.

0:06:24 - (Samantha): Yeah. And I love that. And I think that's a huge thing that people need to hear is, like, when you're. Why like, that why is not, like, to make money. The why is not to be a graphic designer. The why is not to be a photographer, whatever that is. It's like, it's actually, like, that time, freedom, and being a mother. And that's, like, for me, that's always one thing is, like, I do all this because I want them to have the best life. I want them to learn, like, really great skills. I want them to learn how to be problem solvers in the world, because that's something we definitely need.

0:07:02 - (Samantha): But you're right. There's, like, there are so many things that. That we shouldn't place, like our mother. Like, we shouldn't delegate our children to someone else because our children, innately, they know that we're their mom. And I've always been a firm believer of, like, our kids need us. We're their comfort, we're their regulation. We're there. Everything. And so I love how you took these beautiful pivots and you weren't like, I'm just gonna keep, like, I'm so desperate to make this happen, but that you were willing to say, like, hey, I am willing to make this happen, but maybe it needs to look a little different.

0:07:41 - (Samantha): And I, you know, and I'm going through a season of that right now is, like, I went and learned, like, a really great skill. It served me for a long time. It got me back in to building this business from home. And I realized I had to make a pivot because what I was. What I was wanting out of my life is like, do you want to do this skill, or do you want the, like, one to 2 hours a week worth of. Or a day of work?

0:08:11 - (Samantha): You know, working five to 10 hours a week? And I'm like, well, the point was to work five to 10 hours a week and build an abundant, like, business. And so I think that's a really cool thing, is like, yeah, you're like, I got certified and I did this, but it's like, sometimes we just have to turn away from those things. As hard as it is, that's a really big thing that people need to hear, is, like, sometimes we have to turn away from what feels like it makes sense and lean into what feels really natural for us and, like.

0:08:39 - (Samantha): And see how it's flourished in your life to, like, turn into that. Right? So tell me, like, a little bit, like, you know, that. That business of, like, what's been really good for you as. As you pivoted into this new business?

0:08:55 - (Kusha Kalra): So there was a. There's a brighter side to things, you know, because back then, I could have sat and, you know, just regretted my entire decision of leaving a job. But on the bright side, on the flip side, I was seeing my son growing, you know, flourishing. I was seeing him becoming, you know, like someone with the right kind of values, which I would have wanted him to, you know, embed him in himself.

0:09:18 - (Kusha Kalra): And I feel that maybe at that moment, I could have felt that as a business or as a solopreneur, I may not have been able to achieve what I wanted to, but as a mom, I think I was doing fabulous. And I feel proud. And I actually felt proud, because when I used to look back that I gave him that couple of years time being at home, he was so much more like a, you know, like a sunshine, smiling child. And, you know, the. The school is giving good feedback. He's doing great in his school.

0:09:49 - (Kusha Kalra): Everything is working really well. I wanted him to have that kind of an environment, you know, where he feels nourished, where he feels loved, and where he can fall back on, you know, in case there is anything that is bothering him. So that's what I'm saying. That however hard the circumstances might be, you know, you have to look at the brighter side. And somehow we, as moms, I think we are kind of wired to look at the brighter side of things because that's exactly how we can nurture our children, you know, because there are failures. But then it's the way you react towards it. It's the way we are going to come back.

0:10:27 - (Kusha Kalra): So I think the good part is that I did something which I also love doing. So I love creating. I can sit all night and sit and create designs. You know, that's the kind of passion I have. And the other best part is now I was also able to see the journey of so many other amazing women who are moms who are building businesses, who have this larger than life vision, who are in that space, you know, who, who had like an equally big, why? You know, that they wanted to change. They wanted to make some impact in the lives of others.

0:11:04 - (Kusha Kalra): So I felt like, you know, it's like an honor, you know, if you're able to work with such women who have such amazing stories, they might be coming through, you know, some kind of struggles in their life or in their past experience, but now they are so confident, they are so empowered, and they are just, you know, going for it. Because I feel that, you know, that in itself is so inspiring, you know, and I used to get so inspired after every other call which I had with, you know, with clients, or even if I used to have some kind of, you know, initial coffee chats with them.

0:11:39 - (Kusha Kalra): I used to love listening to their stories. I used to love to see how they were able to overcome struggles that they were going through. So I somehow feel that the more you are connected or the more your environment is with such kind of people, it automatically helps you, you know, you want to grow, you want to make a change, you want to make sure that you're also growing, evolving as a person. So that's something which is huge for me. And in all these years, I feel blessed that, you know, I had a supportive family and I have these kind of amazing clients with whom I've been able to work. I've been able to transform their businesses using my skills of branding.

0:12:21 - (Kusha Kalra): And I do know that at times we can feel, because businesses are not like, always going to be successful. So it's like the roller coaster ride. But guess what? You know, I used to think my business also like my own child, and nobody gives up on their own child, you know, and that was, again, a very huge one for me. So anytime you feel stuck, anytime you feel, no, I'm not cut out for this. You will think that if it's your own baby, you never give up on your kid, right?

0:12:52 - (Kusha Kalra): How could you give up on your business? And that's exactly how I've been growing it. That's exactly how I see my business. So I think my business is just six years old, right?

0:13:01 - (Samantha): Yeah.

0:13:01 - (Kusha Kalra): There's still more to go, you know, like, I'm going to have teenage years and there's going to be a different struggle at that time and, you know, so on and so forth. So that's my perspective totally. You know, that about business and about life in general, really.

0:13:15 - (Samantha): I think that's a great, like, view of it, though, because every mom just went into their head and they're like, how did my child feel at six? Or like, what is my child feeling? Like, you know, my daughter is five, and it's like, how do things feel right now? And it's like, we kind of made it through that, like, toddler hump and now we're, like, entering childhood and, you know, and it's like, and that's, that's five years in where you're finally feeling like, hey, I kind of, like, I made it through, like, two and three and four. And it's like, now I feel like I've got a little bit, like, I've kind of figured it out a little bit.

0:13:54 - (Kusha Kalra): Figured it out.

0:13:55 - (Samantha): And I think that's such a good, like, visual for us, is to think of it that way. Because then at this, you know, at the second time is like, I, you know, my son's almost three. Well, you know how much significantly easier two was the second time around than it was the first, it's like, then you're going to, like, be able to do this again. And you're like, okay, if I did it once and I made it through that first five years where things felt, like, everywhere and I pivoted and I figured things out and I got my systems in place and I figured out how to use these softwares that actually made my life so much easier.

0:14:36 - (Samantha): And I think that's such a perfect thing because now I'm laughing about it because now I'm like, oh, man, I am, like, 18 months back into all of this and I'm like, oh, jeez. Like, yeah, you know, like, everything feels like it's getting dumped out, you know? And I think that's a good, like, it's a good representation of it all. Oh, my gosh, that's so perfect. That is the best way I've ever heard that.

0:15:07 - (Samantha): So now when now when I hit five years, I'm gonna be like, wow, look at all the destruction I made it through because we're very much in the absolutely dumping everything out phase over here. So, yeah, I'm sure, like, now it's like you've seen some, like, you know, some massive changes with even, like, your clients or the, like, really getting to work with the people you want to work with, not being like, I've got to bring the money in. But now you're working with the people that, like, resonate with you and talk about how that, like, shift happened for you.

0:15:45 - (Kusha Kalra): Oh, yeah. So initially, obviously, I used to take any and all kinds of projects. I used to have very small. I didn't even have, like, like, packages. You know, I used to. Initially, I used to do free work because I wanted to know if people really liked it, if they felt that I could do something for them. So I started free work. I collected testimonials, I built my portfolio. And then from there, you know, I had to learn more about branding because I didn't.

0:16:11 - (Kusha Kalra): I didn't study branding as such. Right. I am a creative person, but then I didn't study books or I didn't do some kind of college or any graduation in branding or design as such. So I had to hire people to, again, understand the nitty gritties, to understand the technicalities that work and that go around this, because this was serious stuff. Now that I had decided that this is what I wanted to do, I had to make sure that I had in depth knowledge about it. I knew how it connected with the online space versus the offline space. So branding offline and branding online are two different concepts.

0:16:48 - (Kusha Kalra): There is, like, similarities, but obviously, you know, they are definitely different concepts which are there. And I knew that I had to make sure that, you know, I was clear about how I will be dealing with my clients, you know, especially the online ones. So. And I realized this pretty soon, and that's when I built my packages. I did my, you know, like, how would you call them, vip design days and vip intensives, because I understood that I wasn't doing something just for, you know, just for the sake of making money.

0:17:30 - (Kusha Kalra): I was here because I wanted to make sure their businesses were transforming. And that was a huge, you know, change for me because I knew that I would have to make sure I don't, you know, fail in what I've selected for myself as a business. And I feel once I got that clarity, I was able to understand these are the type of clients which means specific coaches, and I also added product based businesses now, you know, in my ideal client and that I did just last year because I had a couple of clients I started working with and I saw that they were able to get that tremendous growth in their business so much that they had, like, award winning products.

0:18:17 - (Kusha Kalra): They were having multiple success in their business. They were going all out doing events and all their branding, all their brand collaterals, all their social media related graphics and everything. I was taking care of it. So I felt so proud that I was a part of their journey and I felt that, you know, this is also something that I could continue doing. So I was very sure that I wanted to work with online coaches who were professionals and I wanted to work with product based businesses.

0:18:46 - (Samantha): Yeah, I love that. And I think that, like, puts us in where our work feels very fulfilling. And so, you know, and I think a lot of times is like, even when I was doing, like, websites for people, they would get a website and then they were like, they, they would get a website and then they would be like, but nobody's going to it. And I was like, and I'd be like, oh, hey, like, you could do like this and this and this and this and they're like, I don't know how to do any of that.

0:19:18 - (Samantha): And that's honestly for me is like, what that pivot was because, as I realized is like, there's a handful of people that could really, like, afford to, like, build out their website, but there's a lot of people who need to be, like, funneling people somewhere.

0:19:36 - (Kusha Kalra): Yeah.

0:19:36 - (Samantha): And so, you know, like, for me that was like, that was the pivot. It was like, I've got to be able to teach people how to use these platforms so they're, when their branding is really great is like, and people are connecting and engaging with it is like, but they're not getting people anywhere is like there's that big missing piece of, like, how do I get them in my messages? How do I get them in my email list? How do I get them from this platform onto an email list? Or, you know, and there's so much, and I noticed, like, because every time somebody comes to me, they're like, I don't know any of that technology stuff.

0:20:16 - (Samantha): And there's the few of us that are like, I can figure anything out. Like, I will make this happen. I'll watch a thousand YouTube videos. I'll figure it out. But what we need, not everybody is that way. And so it's like, for me, it was, that just shifted everything. It's like, I love the clients that I have, and they were all perfect, spot on. And that's when you're like, oh, I'm really resonating with the right people. And you're like, yes, this is working.

0:20:46 - (Samantha): But then I felt like there was a big missing piece. And I'm so glad, um, you know, for those times, like, where we pivot and, like, we're like, hey, these people are amazing, and we're doing all the right things is like, now we got to figure out, like, how to be that problem solver. And I think that's what you really did. It was like, you really shifted and how, not that you just have coaching clients, but now you also have these product based businesses where you're like, I could also, like, solve some problems for them and really take this to the next level.

0:21:17 - (Samantha): And I just love that. And, like, that's a huge thing. Like, as an entrepreneur, we always talk about, what problem are you solving? And so many people discount that. They're like, no, I have this or I do this, and it's like, great. What problem are you solving? And I just love how you were, like, you've, you've gone through this beautiful journey of, like, solving. You're like, even, even your own life problems. And I think that's a lot of it, too. Is like, we have to go through is like, you know, with a huge move.

0:21:52 - (Samantha): And, like, for us to move from Texas to Georgia and no, nobody have a baby. Covid strikes for, you know, whatever, then there's, like, no community, and it's like, oh, my gosh, what am I going to do out here? And it's just that problem solving aspect just changes our lives forever. And all those little things that we go through is like, we pick, we pick things up for a reason. So I am so glad that we got to chat today and just tell us, like, where can people find you? How can we get in touch with you? What? Like, what does that look like?

0:22:28 - (Kusha Kalra): Okay, so my business name is called the bespoke designed. So all my social media platforms, you can follow me by the same name, the bespoke designs. My website is also by this name, the bespokedesigns.com. the reason I kept the name, the, you know, bespoke designs, because it's all bespoke, it's all customized. It's, it's not one size fits all. And I know that each one out there has a unique gift and a unique talent. So I can't give you something which will fit the other person as well. So what is whatever I provide in my service is customized for each individual, each client.

0:23:06 - (Kusha Kalra): And so, yeah, follow me on Instagram, on Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course you can check out my website. And if you do wish to connect with me, send me a message on either of these platforms and you can definitely even book a 30 minutes free consult call.

0:23:21 - (Samantha): Yeah. And all of this will be linked in the show notes. We are so glad that you came and shared. And guys, she does incredible work, so, you know, get connected with her. We're so glad that we were able to hear your wonderful story today. And if you could leave them with one thing that basically you would have wanted to hear when you started this, what would that be?

0:23:45 - (Kusha Kalra): Oh, that's a great one. And trust me, I did want to hear this and I didn't. But yeah, I want to say this for everyone is have faith in your own self. That is very, very important. Because if you have faith in yourself, you will get the strength to overcome any and all kinds of obstacles. And, you know, make sure if you find that strength, make sure you listen to your heart and just do that thing that makes you happy. So follow your heart, have faith and just go for it.

0:24:17 - (Samantha): Awesome. Well, thank you so much for being here, guys. I hope you loved this episode. Make sure and listen, wherever you're listening at is that you go and rate this podcast, share it with all your friends that need this encouragement, and we look forward to seeing you next time.