This week we had the pleasure of interviewing Kris Chislett, owner and founder of
Kris Chislett Design – a website design and marketing agency. He shared his thoughts about the ever-evolving industry of web design, as well as the future of his company.
Please describe the story behind your company. What sparked the idea, and how has it evolved so far?
We are based in Jacksonville, Florida. I myself am originally from England and found my way here working in 2004. My background is in restaurant management, and I have been doing that ever since I was 15. It was right around the time that Facebook and other social media started blowing up. At that time I was getting into wine blogging, trying to connect wine with social media. I was working at a restaurant at the time, a franchise that was closed on a corporal level. That was a do-or-die moment for me – I designed my own website, and I was picking up clients here and there. It was just me on a laptop, and now we have nine people in our company.
What services do you offer?
We offer an ever-expanding array of services: website design, online marketing, pay-per-click advertising, and social media. We also get a little bit outside the box with credit card processing. A lot of contractors need a function to make a bill payment, so it is getting increasingly more important to be able to get bill payments through a website. We have started to expand in graphic design as well, and we are always looking at what else is required by customers. We believe a full analysis of the client’s company is critical in responding to one’s promotional needs.
What is the mission of Kris Chislett Design?
We help businesses increase their presence in the market and achieve a quick return on their investment. I genuinely think that we produce websites that are way above the price that we are charging, and above the quality level of the firms that are ten or twenty times our size. We care about growing our agency and doing the right thing, whatever that involves. We genuinely do not suggest a service or a product unless we think that our client is going to get a return on his investment.
Who are your typical customers and what do you think is the main challenge your product solves for them?
Here in Florida, we have a lot of contractors, anything from a one-man paving company all the way to national multi-state contractors. We have around twenty-five websites that we are working on right now, as well as over two hundred that are live. A lot of contractors that we work with are looking to scale their business, and we are trying to help them by being an all-in-one service as much as we can.
What separates you from similar websites or companies?
When you work with us you have a long-term partner who is invested in building your company’s success. We work with our clients to fully understand their business, building their website and marketing campaigns to achieve the biggest returns on their investment.
What are the plans for the company for the near future?
I think the online landscape is changing all the time and it is almost impossible to plan in this industry. We do what we do on a daily basis, but are always looking out for new opportunities.
