“Nothing made me happier than a happy customer”: Kromad founder Kat Romanoff on how to foster positive client relationships

In the first few minutes of speaking to Kromad founder Kat Romanoff, it becomes clear why Canada is a place widely known for its extreme weather conditions and unwavering friendliness. Kat calls us from the Kromad’s base in Montreal, which just so happens to be in the midst of a “huge” snowstorm, and exudes a warmth that would be able to melt away any avalanche.

Kicking off our conversation, Kat tells us that it was in 2014 when she first registered her company, Kromad. But, at this point, she was still working as a one-person-band. It was because of one specific reason – one we’re sure many creatives can relate to – that she chose to officially launch her own business: “I registered the company mainly because I needed to show my mother, who didn’t understand anything about this world, that I was working a legitimate job,” Kat laughs. “She needed to know that I wasn’t just freelancing, she didn’t understand ‘freelance.’”

So, while Kat may have initially created the business under the guise of quashing her mother’s worries, it seems she may have something to thank her for. Now, Kromad is a flourishing creative agency that works across numerous areas, from branding to web design and communications, as well as having worked with a number of large names, such as luxury goods manufacturer Mont Blanc and makeup brand Nuda, to name but two.

It’s this attention and dedication to kindness, alongside “imagination and passion,” that Kat believes set herself apart in the earliest days of Kromad. In the years before Kromad became a fully fledged creative agency, in which Kat pretty much worked as a freelancer (unbeknownst to her mother), she tells us that “nothing made me happier than a happy customer.” Not only letting her know she was producing good work, a happy customer usually resulted in a referral, on which Kat really relied.

It was in 2018 that Kromad really began to take shape. Kat saw some of her first major projects come to life and hired some of her first employees. But, while all these things started to work out, the founder remained cautious. “Even though we were doing well, I had that bit of fear in the back of my mind that something might happen one day, so I have to always be prepared for it.”

March 2020 then proved a momentous turning point for Kromad, but perhaps not in the way most would expect. Having gained traction in the few years prior to the pandemic (Kromad was swimming in work), Kat admits they were only just keeping their head above water. “One of the challenges during those years was that I would over-schedule work because demand was high, and we were sinking, like flooded in work, and everyone was way too tired,” she explains. Then, when the pandemic hit, nearly all of their work was put on pause.

The ability to be selective over clients has since become one of the most important business aspects for Kat. In quite a unique – and quite brilliant approach – of choosing clients, Kat uses her own barometer of whether the client is someone “you would be able to have dinner with” to aid her decision. Essentially, questioning whether they’re “someone you find really interesting.” It’s a method that facilitates Kromad to enjoy the work they do, which eventually reflects back in the quality of the work itself. “I speak a lot to my team and we’ve all obviously had creative jobs before. Everyone has had a few bad experiences, and they're still scarred from that today,” Kat explains. “So I try and think, would this person be great to know? Is it a fun project? And will it overall result in a good relationship?”

This approach is also one that works both ways. If Kat prides herself on finding friendly clients, she equally prides herself on treating them as such. One way Kromad does this is by coaliting their clients into a CRM system. Through this system, the Kromad team can tell such things as when a client was last reached out to, or when their birthday is, sending a message or gift. “Once we started to implement this it really changed a lot of our organisation, but also I think it solidified our relationship with our customers much more,” Kat reflects. “I think those little gestures usually go a long way.”

When working across so many remits, Kat explains that Kromad’s use of Mailchimp has been of great benefit to its day-to-day work. Kromad first began using Mailchimp in its integral year of 2018, and one of the first things the founder recalls being struck by was how the platform was “always super friendly and easy to navigate”. Moreover, not only does Kromad utilise Mailchimp, they’ve also taken things one step further in joining Mailchimp & Co and becoming a Mailchimp partner. This has resulted in numerous project requests, which have now grown into larger projects and long standing relationships. When finding its feet, Kromad benefited from the platform's tutorials and courses. “You get to learn so much more than just using Mailchimp,” Kat says, “but also the right practices in general of sending out newsletters, creating different funells, and more.”

Kromad’s steady success is a clear indicator of what can be achieved when you lead your creative career with passion and determination equally balanced by close attention to kindness and compassion; both for your employees and the people you work with. For Kat Romanoff, when starting her own business, neither could be lost at the expense of the other. Now she’s at the forefront of an agency that paves the way for a new, much more considerate design industry.