Problem Solving & Embracing Change: November 2024 Recap

Now that Zykin Design has been launched and out in the world for a couple months, I want to share a bit about the challenges and rewards that came along with them, recap some recent projects, and give you a peek into what’s next for Zykin Design. I’ve been busy, but in all the best ways—taking on challenging projects, refining my workflow, and putting a lot of thought into long-term goals and brand development.

In this season of growth, I’m working on consistently publishing more of my work, building up my case studies, and making sure that my content reflects who I am and the level of service we strive to provide at Zykin Design. I’ve been really trying to dedicate time to working on the business, and not just in the business. With transitioning to the LLC, brand awareness is even more important. I’ve been dedicating time every day, even if it’s just a small chunk, to making incremental progress. Whether it’s creating the assets for our social media accounts, reviewing content that has been written for the website, putting together the case studies—little by little, it adds up. It’s essential to maintain good discipline developing a holistic digital presence—not just on your website, but across all social media and digital touchpoints. It’s all about staying top-of-mind and continuing to educate clients through valuable content.

Another one of my goals this year has been to take a more strategic approach to my business growth. I’ve been thinking a lot about long-term planning and being intentional with each move. To support this, I’m implementing quarterly and annual retrospectives, where we’ll look back and see what’s working and where we can improve. It’s a time to reflect, recalibrate, and focus on developing ourselves and our careers thoughtfully.

Restructuring project pricing and scoping has been a big focus, too. I’ve started breaking down projects into more distinct phases, beginning with a better, more thorough discovery phase that helps us better anticipate any shifts in the design phase. I hope this structure will make the whole process more manageable and allows us to address changes thoughtfully and proactively. Transitioning to an LLC and expanding the team has also been an absolute game-changer for collaboration and strategic planning. It’s led to stronger projects and a more intentional approach across the board.

One of the biggest projects I’ve been working on is a large, 30-page site for a heavy civil construction company in the Midwest. Designing for such an extensive site allowed me to play with dynamic, layered graphics and really push the visual storytelling. It’s rewarding to see the client’s story come to life across multiple pages, with a structure that truly reflects the scope of their work. I’m so excited to share this project with you!

In October, I launched new sites for Base Mountain Sports and Virgin Islands Ski Rentals. With the season ramping up, we’re already seeing traffic and reservations start pouring in, which is always exciting to get notifications about. One of the more challenging things I ran into during the development phase was optimizing the e-commerce flow and building a custom plugin to handle API integrations with their in-store rental management system. There’s something incredibly satisfying about diving into these tricky integrations and coming out on the other side with a smoother, more streamlined user experience.

Looking ahead, I’m gearing up for an exciting new project kicking off in January for a company focused on heavy civil construction and energy production on the West Coast. I’ll be doing an on-site visit for this one, which I’m super excited about. Meeting clients face-to-face, seeing their culture in action, and getting to know the story behind the brand is one of the absolute best parts of my job. It’s those in-person interactions that help me collect all the little pieces of wisdom that ultimately get turned into pieces of authentic, impactful content. Like I’ve talked about in the past, some of the best content that has made its way onto websites has resulted from the conversations that I’m having in person—which is very difficult to recreate in a Zoom call.

I love problem-solving and embracing change—it keeps things fresh and helps me grow personally and professionally. I’m constantly refining my processes, re-evaluating routines, and making tweaks to stay sharp and adaptable. As I continue this journey, I want to share what I’ve learned with others, especially those who are working independently or are just starting out. Maybe by sharing some insights, I can help others develop their careers and navigate the challenges of running a business.

So that’s the latest update from my side! Thanks for following along, and here’s to the next chapter—full of new projects, fresh challenges, and continuous evolution.