DigiKind is 2

By Kathy Kyle, Founder

“People can’t be what they don’t see.”

My DigiKind colleague Lisa Clancey recently said this on a conference call as our team  collaborated on content creation for a new client. I knew she was a wordsmith but this really resonated with me. We have kicked off the new year working on a variety of projects – from Power to Change consulting in the Midlands to an integrated branding and creative digital programme for a hospitality, tourism and tech programme in Berkshire. I have received news this week that I am officially a Help to Grow Mentor and can provide support to SMEs across the UK. How exciting!

I also learned that our Digital Leaders: Public Sector Innovation talk with the Royal Borough of Kingston regarding our work in New Malden had been accepted. (Our talk is 14th March at 10am.) I am so lucky to have such awesome clients who are visionary enough to engage in a talk about our work together. Very grateful for them. Another great week. And then I remembered — or did Rosie remind me? — that this week is also our two-year anniversary as a business. 

As I look back on what we have accomplished together since our official launch on 21 January, I have a clear vision for what I want us to achieve in 2023, and beyond. 

Dolly Parton said: “If you don’t take the reins, it’s going to stay the same. Nothin’s gonna change if you don’t change it.” 

The last 10 years have been a journey of personal transformation. I left an amazing career in the US and started over in the UK eleven years ago. I became a mother to three children under two (twins and a boy) in less than two years and there was a steep cultural learning curve despite our shared language. I’ve had an amazing run, launching two award-winning businesses and building supportive networks, rapport and partnerships along the way.

Now more than ever, businesses and nonprofits must continue to adapt and make significant changes in how we relate to our audiences and conduct business, care for our natural resources and national infrastructure, and plan for our future. I wrote about this here in my blog. I’ve been talking about living a purpose-driven life and reflecting my values in my work for as long as I can remember. My service-first approach began in University; my leadership courses, volunteer work and experiences have stayed with me throughout my life — and across multiple continents.

Some in my industry and many people do still ask for a magic solution to audience engagement or how to make something “go viral” or “increase brand awareness” without really considering why they want to achieve these activities. I think we should be asking, what problem are we solving for the customer or the person? What is the bigger picture and impact on other services, processes, environmental structures? What is the end result we are aiming to achieve? What quantitative and qualitative difference are we making, and what impacts are we having on people and our communities?

As I approach turning 50 (I still have a few years to go), and as I continue to balance raising three children under nine with making a positive impact on society through my profession, as I appreciate and explore living in the UK as an American expat, I have decided that “transformation” is where we are headed next as a consultancy. And that is where we need to be heading as a society. How can we transform without judgement and find creative, flexible ways to collaborate, to work, to grow and innovate and achieve our goals.

After all, “Nothin’s gonna change if you don’t change it.” 

I invite you to join me in my vision for DigiKind moving forward.

The world has significantly changed in the past few years – and so have we. I have always said that more important than what you do is why you do it. My purpose in creating DigiKind was to make a positive impact in the world, to serve as a hub for creative and digital best practices, and to help businesses and nonprofits thrive. 

We will continue to provide communications and marketing support to councils and business improvement districts, however we are broadening our client base to include Power to Change community businesses, nonprofits, and purpose-driven, sustainable enterprises. It is also my aspiration that DigiKind achieves B-Corp certification. We will also focus on diversifying not only our client base but we will continue to grow and promote diverse and inclusive individuals, groups, organisations and projects. 

As a daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant, as a UK-US dual national, and as a  first-generation University graduate, it is vitally important to me that I support and help others. Which is why I’ve served as a mentor since University and continue to serve as a mentor and provide pro bono advisory services to Uprising, Power to Change and Help to Grow. 

“People can’t be what they don’t see.” 

At DigiKind, we are experts at helping people serve as advocates for what they believe in — what they are passionate about — what they love. Whether it is for their business community, a product, an idea, a service – we bring it all together in a creative and compelling way. But it always begins with people, their interests and solving a problem they face, together. We may or may not use digital to solve it. Tech isn’t always the answer. People are. We are all interconnected and that is the beauty of DigiKind. We bring people together as a community to advocate on their own behalf. It is a simple and elegant approach — and I couldn’t be more grateful or proud to have launched it and to be a part of it.  Thank you to my brilliant team, to our clients, our partners, friends, supporters, collaborators and to my family for your continued support.

HBD! 

Here’s a look at our achievements since our launch in 2021

Check out all of our awards and recognition, testimonials, events and webinars, training sessions, and more.