Small Business Talk With Leila Kaissi

On a cold Friday morning in the first days of 2021, a local park with high trees and a small pond a step away seems to be almost completely deserted as individuals tend to stay home as COVID-19 progresses in keeping us in our quarantine routine as it has for the past 10 months. Joining me at the other end of my park bench is small business owner ,Leila Kaissi, who has been quarantining with me as no restrictions were broken in our time.

Starting a small business is stressful enough but beginning your journey in the middle of a global pandemic, add ten times the stress onto the table. Leila Kaissi, owner of Leila K Graphics, sat down and talked to me about what really happens with her small business regarding mental health, sudden success, and more.

Kaissi started her small business in April of 2020 as lockdowns had just begun and she was hoping to take her mind off of such a stressful time. With a father in the art industry, being around a creative setting was nothing foreign to her, as she learned the importance of art and the skills at a very young age. However, this business was not yet an actual business. She started with just an art page on Instagram that she would use to draw her family and friends on her frequently used program, ProCreate. It wasn’t until May of that year that she decided to turn it into her own small business. “Once I saw that other people were enjoying my art and it wasn’t just me enjoying my art,” says Kaissi “then I realized I had some reach and could actually get my work to other people.” Surely enough, the Instagram account grew enormously in the span of a couple of months, therefore the Etsy shop was created to control orders for Leila. As of today, Leila K Graphics has almost 4,000 followers on Instagram, 363 sales, and multiple collections Kaissi has come up with dealing with her brand of stickers, illustrations, and even apparel. With such a sudden success in a short period of time, it’s easy to become overwhelmed quite easily. Kaissi laid it out with all honesty and said “It’s a little bit scary.” With seeing so many other art pages rebranding and/or changing their style, the pressure kicks in for the artist. When dealing with all of this overwhelming momentum, Kaissi tends to remind herself that this is her page and it is unique to her personality. “Even though it is scary having to think how to keep all of these followers happy, it’s nice to have a large following to be able to ask for advice on what other people think would be nice for them.” As much as there are positives in this business, there are also some negatives when putting out work. Kaissi expressed “I feel like if I post something and it doesn’t get as much interaction as I wanted, I think to myself ‘What did I do wrong?’ which isn’t the best to be since I have to tell myself it’s not my fault.” Learning to be comfortable in this setting took time for her, but coming to the realization of producing work that you are happy with yourself is the best lesson to be learned. “Everyone works at different paces and has different skill sets,” Leila typically reminds herself when getting in her own head, “so things that I might be really good at, they might not be and vice versa.”

The small business owner also opened up about her struggles with anxiety and her mental health. Kaissi was first diagnosed with anxiety in 2018 and since then, working around it has become easier for her as learning to control it helps her tremendously. With Kaissi sometimes having this barrier physically, creating a space where it feels safe and easy to talk to people has been very important. “Some days it might be difficult to get to point A to point B for supplies if I’m feeling anxious and can’t drive.” However, Kaissi feels that “Just pushing through it has been the biggest thing I’ve learned not only with the business but in general.” Also, with being such a non-confrontational person, dealing with negative customers or even stolen art work has been a challenge for Leila, but controlling her own mindset has helped out. Some things are very frustrating to the artist but she shares how much this is teaching her to deal with patience in the real world. The business has actually helped Kaissi’s mental health more than anything as it gives her something to enjoy while in quarantine.

Not only is Leila a successful business owner, she also is a senior at Texas A&M University, so balancing work with school has been a work in progress. Being extremely organized and creating excel sheets to keep her on track with schooling has helped with the balancing of the two. “With a schedule and balancing things out, even if I do procrastinate, it all works out for me.” said Kaissi regarding her extreme organization habits. A fast paced schedule is preferred by Kaissi as she loves being busy and always something to complete on her list, so taking a step back from her shop has not crossed her mind as much as you would think for a 21 year old in her last semester of college.

As our time came to a close, Leila reminded me of how important her family’s support is to her. Family is one of Kaissi’s top priorities, so their support means the world to her. Her parents would always remind her how it is important to do something you love, and not just for money, and this really stuck with the graphics business owner. “If you don’t have support then you get to feel like ‘Why am I doing this?’” said Kaissi.

She has high hopes for her business as it has grown tremendously in under a year and has so many new ideas to share with her customers. Leila K Graphics currently has a new bibliophile and Valentine’s Day collection live on her shop, as well as custom stickers, portraits, and more. Check Leila Kaissi’s shop out on Instagram @Leilakgraphics and on Etsy as well!