Meet the entrepreneur bringing branding to small businesses

Six years ago Lily Kahramanian sold an apartment complex in just two months for 10% above the asking price, while two other developments in the same street languished on the market for more than 12 months. And she was only 23.

This early success in real estate revealed Lily’s passion and talent for smart marketing and branding, which led her to open her own agency, Workdog Creative, shortly after.

Workdog Creative brings big-business strategies and branding to small business owners, at an affordable price. It’s all part of her values-driven ethos that puts the clients’ needs front and centre.

“I’m a big believer in good old-fashioned business, no shortcuts,” says Lily. “If a client wants to redo their website, we don’t just put together a proposal and get the work underway. We try to understand what’s prompted this and what the client feels is going wrong, because often it’s not the website that needs the work first. It’s understanding what the brand is so we can better communicate via the website while ensuring it’s authentic and not just another ‘pretty site’ that isn’t making sales.”

With a strong focus on networking and building relationships, the majority of Workdog Creative’s clients come from referrals and organic outreach campaigns.

An innovative subscription

Solving clients’ problems is key to the company’s success, particularly in the current economic climate and increasing prices caused by inflation.

This was what gave Lily the idea for a subscription-based model for Workdog Creative’s website development and branding services.

“The past couple of years has forced everyone to be online, but for small businesses, who were hit the hardest, marketing and advertising costs have quickly become unaffordable,” says Lily. “Now with inflation, this is even more the case. We realised that if we hiked up our prices, we’d just be another unaffordable option for our clients, which doesn’t solve their problem or ours.”

Typically small business owners have to pay thousands of dollars upfront for a new website or to revamp their branding, especially if they want top-notch services and results. With Workdog Creative’s new subscription model, clients pay a weekly fee instead. Subscriptions range from $38 to $134 a week. Plans include a brand refresh and a website custom designed and developed. The larger the plan, the more inclusions.

“We’re likely the most affordable option available without compromising on quality,” says Lily. “Becoming more client-centric and human-focused has allowed the business to adapt and grow to new heights.”

Prospa’s Line of Credit helped the business to restructure

With any new product or service offering – especially one that’s not typical in your industry – you need to test and measure it. Lily recognised that she needed to take time out to focus on creating the company’s new subscription model while having enough cash to help keep the business moving.

She first tried to secure a line of credit through her bank, but found it was an arduous process. “They wanted me to refinance my property and a whole bunch of other stuff and told me it could take up to three months,” says Lily.

Her broker introduced her to Prospa and she was thrilled to receive funds within 24 hours of applying. “The application process was so smooth, the customer service was fabulous and I loved speaking to a local, Aussie team,” she says. “Every time I called or emailed my queries were attended to immediately. The agent, Justin, helped me throughout the whole process and the fact that I still remember his name is testament to the Prospa service.”

Lily chose a Line of Credit to give her peace of mind that she had funds to tap into if needed. “The Line of Credit was like a security blanket while we trialed and tested our new business model,” she explains. “We only pay interest on what we’re using and often we’ll pay it all out at the end of the month with the full funds available again, which works a treat.”

The Line of Credit allowed the company to hire experts to help develop the new subscription model, as well as cover costs such as rent and bills during the restructuring of the business.

“I wanted to make sure that we’ve got that security because in order for me to have the time and creativity to come up with ideas and different ways of doing things, I’ve got to be in the right frame of mind,” says Lily. “I don’t want to have to think about what bill is due next week that I have to pay and haven’t accounted for.”

A bright future

Workdog Creative’s new subscription model is already a hit with small business owners and Lily is excited about hiring more staff to join her current team of six employees to continue to provide beautiful branding and websites to as many small businesses as possible.

“Never get comfortable,” she advises other entrepreneurs. “Growth is scary and uncomfortable. Always make sure you know what your point of difference is and never stop learning – about business, people and what problem you solve.”