Hi! I’m Nakia, and I made this website because I would love to help you with YOUR website!
I thought you might want to know a few things about me before we start working together, so I compiled a list of facts and answers that you could find interesting or helpful to know.
If you decide that I sound like a good fit for your web needs, please contact me and let me know how I can help. I can’t wait to get to know you, too!
My name might seem intimidating upon first glance, but I promise it’s not too tough once you let it roll off of your tongue a few times!
It’s pronounced: nuh-KEE-uh. Easy peasy!
The good news is, you can always call me Kia (like the car), if you find that easier. It’s one of my favorite nicknames!
Confession: I made it up.
I mentioned in the previous question that Kia is ONE of my nicknames, but I actually have several. One of them, bestowed upon me by some wonderful former coworkers of mine, is Bubbles.
It was a nod to my effervescent personality, my tendency to wear the sparkliest of shoes, and an intense love of Hello Kitty.
As much as I adored this nickname, it was actually the dictionary that helped me decide to combine “bubble” and “shine” to define my business and brand.
bubble (verb): to speak, move, issue forth, or exist in a lively, sparkling manner; exude cheer.
shine (verb): to be bright with reflected light; glisten; sparkle.
There is far, far too much personal introspection that goes into choosing a business name, and I’m not going to subject you to all of that.
Basically, when you choose Bubbleshine Design, you’re choosing cheerful exuberance with glitter on top!
I do many things, but I specialize in creating, designing, and maintaining WordPress websites for small to medium businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profits. I also train individuals to do those things themselves, if they would prefer.
Because it’s awesome. Over 25% of the web is built on the WordPress platform. It’s user-friendly, powerful, and reliable.
I recognize that there are many options for building your own website, and all of them claim to be those things, too. But, what I’ve found in my experience, the time that it takes people who aren’t familiar with the process of web building is more valuable than the money they would spend hiring someone like me to help them out.
Experience-wise, I worked for Team Creative Fire, a marketing company in Sioux City, IA, for the last 5 years (both as an employee and as an independent contractor). At TCF, I was responsible for a variety of tasks, including: copywriting, blogging, content planning, social media management, project management, and graphic design.
But my area of focus was web design. I created and designed new websites, redesigned and maintained existing ones, performed audits for potential clients, provided training for those who wanted to learn, and more.
As far as education goes, I have an Associate’s Degree in Mass Media and Journalism.
My time at Team Creative Fire (see above question) sparked a passion for collaborating with individuals and teams who are doing things that they love and care about.
Working with a lot of small businesses and start-ups planted a little seed in my brain that maybe – just maybe – the idea of me starting my own business wasn’t so ridiculous after all. Working with a life coach helped give me the courage to let that seed grow and flourish, and, BOOM. Now I’ve got my own business! It’s pretty bad ass!
One of my absolute favorite things about working for myself is being able to set my own schedule. It’s one of the main reasons that I decided to start my own business and be my own boss. So, I don’t have a fixed work schedule.
That being said, many of my clients work during “typical” business hours, so that means I usually do, too. So, roughly between 9am – 5pm Eastern on weekdays. I do sometimes work evenings and weekends as needed.
Wondering how to get in touch with me after hours in case of an emergency? Don’t worry – I have a process for that!
Another benefit of being my own boss means that I can take my job anywhere! I’m currently living in Gainesville, Florida, so I do most of my work from here.
Technology today makes working together across state, national, or international boundaries a non-issue. Thanks to services like Google Hangouts, Skype, and FaceTime, face-to-face conversations are simple and fun!
There is also a good old fashioned phone call. Or email. Or text. Communication will never be an issue, regardless of the distance between us.
That being said, I am available to travel to meet with you and your team, and would be delighted to do so!
Since I’m new to Florida, and it’s currently the middle of August, I’ve really been enjoying hanging out in the pool at my apartment complex. I do that almost daily at this point.
I moved to Florida from Montana, and while I was there, I discovered a love of hiking the mountain trails. Not many mountains in Gainesville, but I’m looking forward to checking out some of the local trails here. When it’s not miserably hot and humid. I hear winter might be a good time for this!
Aside from nature, I don’t think anything makes me as happy as a good book or a good TV show. I also love to write.
