Meet Kelly Mazzotta | Brand Strategist & Website Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Mazzotta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The powerful impact of brand strategy in business has the ability to catapult your business – or hold you back. How you develop it is up to you, but design it thoughtfully, purposefully and strategically, and you can be set up for success. Develop it based on trends, copycat DIY-ing and zero strategy, and it’s as good as talking to an empty room. No one will notice you.

I’m Kelly, a fast-talking California girl living in the “big apple”, a slightly coffee-obsessed mama to two amazing kids & a rescued fur-baby, and the child of a King.

​My love of design hit me when I was a kid growing up in sunny California…
Books with no pictures – no thanks.
Dissecting bugs under a telescope – I’ll pass.
Animating 3D designs in CAD – heck yes!

It wasn’t until I was working as a designer for the largest cabinetry company in the U.S. in my twenties that it hit me – small businesses make up 99.9% of business in the U.S. and account for about 64% of new jobs annually each year – so the same branding & web design principals that we were using for some of the biggest brands could and SHOULD be available to small businesses, without the big $$ or lengthy design process.

I learned first hand what the power of brand strategy could do for a big publicly traded company – and watched so many of my friends who were entrepreneurs with small businesses struggle, because they thought brand strategy was only for the “big guys.”

So, I quit my job and took all my experience, design knowledge, and business background – and built AEREA Design Studio, to help other small businesses and entrepreneurs build brand strategies and websites with beauty AND brains.

I’m a firm believer in community over competition, working from a place of rest, NOT HUSTLE, and ditching the idea that thoughtful strategies & great design has to take months and cost a small fortune to deliver.

With more than 20+ years in the design industry, I help other female-founded small businesses build brands that reflect their style and values in a way that is uniquely personal to them, all while giving them the tools to sustain, scale and grow their businesses, services and offerings without the overwhelm.

Today, I’m the founder and designer of AEREA Design Studio, a New York based boutique design studio focused on female-founded brands breaking into and ready to dominate their industries marketplace. I help launch and expand brands through brand strategy, conversion copy writing, data-driven web design, and personalized workflows, with a focus on delivering high-quality, high-converting, data-driven designs, thoughtful workflows, and small business support so that other small businesses can flourish in a crowded marketplace.

So many brand strategist and website designers offer one-size-fits-all packages for their clients. But there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to your small business. That’s why I partner with my clients to craft a unique brand strategy, identity and website that’s tailored to their specific needs. My mission is to help all small businesses captivate the right audience & stand out from the crowd.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
AEREA Design Studio is a New York based boutique design studio focused on female-founded brands breaking into and ready to dominate their industry markets. I help launch and expand brands through innovative brand strategy, creative copy writing, data-driven web design, and personalized workflows, tailored to fit my clients needs. With a focus on delivering high-quality, high-converting, data-driven designs, thoughtful workflows, and small business support, I help my clients achieve their dreams and catapult their businesses without the frustration, overwhelm, or big $$ of your typical designer.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Born and raised in Southern California, I tend to see the golden state a little differently.

I’d pick my BFF up from the airport in a top-off Jeep and head down the 5 towards sunny San Diego. We’d take a pit stop at Neptunes for a burger and to take in the crisp ocean breeze of Malibu of course, then catch a game at Dodger’s Stadium.

We’d keep heading south stopping along the way in Manhattan Beach for tacos and Laguna Beach to take in the sunset.

Once we hit San Diego, we’d have dinner in Old Town at one of the old Mexican restaurants, wander through the old village and buy our favorite spanish trinkets, and finish the night with a bonfire in Pacific Beach next to the famous Crystal Pier.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shout out to my amazing family that supported my dream of starting my small business.

I also want to dedicate my shout out to all of my amazing clients that allow me to be apart of their stories and trust me with their business babies. I know it’s hard to hand over your business to someone you don’t know very well, and entrust that they will see your vision and help you develop a strategy to reach your dreams. The fact that I’ve had the opportunity to help so many women go after and achieve their dreams is indescribable and I am forever thankful and grateful for each and every one of them.

Website: https://www.aereany.com

Instagram: @aerea.ny

Facebook: @aereany

Other: Pinterest: @aereadesignstudio

Image Credits
no credits needed, taken by me.