Kimberley Dunphy
My name is Kimberley Dunphy I am 26-years old and I'm the sole owner/ operator of KMD DESIGNS which is located in downtown Carbonear, Newfoundland.
I started my business in 2015 - I was working an office job that didn't allow me to express my creative side so I started making glasses for friends and family. It was just me, in my basement, taking orders solely through Facebook and Instagram. Within a few months, I had thousands of followers so I decide to do a giveaway to boost my page what happened next was unbelievable. My page went from 5,000 to 15,000 likes - my giveaway reached over 1 million people worldwide. I decided it was time to get my website up and running. I created it in just 3 days and shortly after I was flooded with orders from all over Canada. My little basement was running out of room. I decided to go all in I quit my office job and look for potential storefronts. After a lot of hard work and all-nighters, I opened up my very own store on July 30, 2017. SO pleased to say that I just celebrated my one-year anniversary.
I now offer so many more products including: wine glasses, mugs, travel mugs, water bottles, tumblers, savings jars, makeup brush holder, key chains and more! Whatever you can add a bit of glitter to and personalize. I also sell items from 5 other women entrepreneurs, 4 of which are made right here in Newfoundland and one other business in Ontario.
I will be offering so many more products soon, very excited about the future!
What are you most proud of professionally? And who or why?
I'm most proud of taking a risk and opening up my own store. It was so much work and stress, but it turned out beautifully and I couldn't be more proud.
What's your vision for Atlantic Canada in 10 years? What’s our biggest opportunity now?
I'm hoping that this trend of young people starting their own businesses continues. There's so many resources available to help young entrepreneurs get started right now!
What's your favourite or most read book or podcast?
I read the book "Girl Boss" which is about Sophia Amoruso, the owner of Nasty Gal clothing. She started from absolutely nothing and made this empire for herself!
What's your deepest learning from this past year? How did/will you apply it?
That not everything will turn out the way you want it to. Sometimes you just have to roll with it and not sweat the small stuff.
What would you have done differently?
Honestly, nothing - I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. If I would have done something differently, maybe I wouldn't have ended up with the outcome that I have now.
