Kris Howard is the owner of KSH Design Studio, a gifts and custom boutique design studio in Des Moines. KSH Design Studio specializes in small-batch, custom items for businesses and individuals, including embroidery, etched glass and metal, vinyl signs and decals, and heat-printed fabric. 

What is your background?

I grew up on the north side of Des Moines. I graduated from Saydell High School and then worked as an office manager for a number of years.

I decided to be a nurse and got my associate’s degree in nursing from Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) and then my bachelor's of science in nursing from Grand View College in Des Moines. A few years later I got my master's of nursing education from Clarkson College in Nebraska. In all, I worked as an ER nurse at Broadlawns Hospital in Des Moines for 23 years and taught nursing at DMACC for 17 years.

During this time, I had picked up apparel design as a hobby, making gifts for family and friends. It wasn’t until I was between jobs that I realized I could turn this into a real business. Even though I continued to look for work in my field, nothing fit like owning this business.

And so, after many months of pedaling, I decided to go all-in and became a full-time business owner. I joined NAWBO, took the Dream Builder course at the Iowa Center, got my LLC and just made it work.

What is your business?

I started with custom etching, and my first “job” was doing custom car decals for corvette clubs. I soon fell into doing heat-printed apparel for my gym. People then asked me about doing embroidery. Since I had some sewing and embroidery background, I thought, “Why not!?” Embroidery has been a great fit for my business. Now, embroidery logos is one of my main services.

I have always been a small-batch business. This means my customers do not have to buy cases of promotional items, and I can focus on specialized techniques and designs. For example, heat printing is labor-intensive but allows me to get all sorts of finishes and designs that screen printing cannot. And it is a cost-effective, quick-turnaround solution for small runs of product.

KSH Design Studio is a two-person shop. My husband helps me out with digitizing items for embroidery and other business tasks while I work on production and operations.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Flexibility! I get to do what I want to do when I want to do it! I have no set workday. That is nice because I can do networking or meetings during business hours and creative work in the evenings. I can also do something with my husband on the weekends or work toward a deadline.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I don’t really know! I became a nurse as a second career while I was raising my children. I am officially retired from nursing, but I love what I do now and I see no reason why I can’t do this until I can’t function.

What book has inspired me the most?

“Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz completely changed how I look at my accounting. It changed my mindset on how you can make a profit for yourself versus just making money to pay the bills. Fellow NAWBO member Kendra Erkamaa gave a talk about it, and I picked it up for a road trip to visit my son in St. Louis. By the time we arrived at his home, I knew I had to have a hard copy so I could take notes!