Meet Tonatzin Ramírez

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tonatzin Ramírez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tonatzin , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

My parents have always been independent workers and built their own businesses from scratch. Watching their example, I learned a lot about hard work and determination. However, I worked for 6 years in design agencies, and honestly, I didn’t enjoy the routine. On days when there wasn’t much work, I still had to stay until 6 p.m. to leave, and when I wanted to take a vacation, they would only allow me 4 days off. I dreamed of having longer vacations and more flexibility.

That frustration motivated me to find ways to create my own source of income. And even though it’s something that’s often said, social media is truly incredible. I started consistently posting content, sharing design tips, and, all of a sudden, my design studio became profitable, especially with international clients.

I started MatiKali® in 2018, and by 2021, it had become a profitable business, earning me much more than any job I’d ever had before. That’s when I invited my boyfriend (now husband), René, to join me as a partner. René and I met and started our relationship in 2015. He has been a great source of support for me, and while starting a business as a couple comes with its challenges and occasional disagreements, it’s definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

MatiKali is a creative studio specializing in web design, UX, UI, SEO, and branding. We are passionate about being part of the growth of new brands and contributing to their stories. Throughout our journey, we have designed around 170 websites.

We strongly believe that self-manageable websites are the best option for our clients. That’s why, even though we also offer ongoing updates and maintenance services, we always include a series of tutorials to help our clients manage their websites independently.

We work with platforms like WordPress, Showit, Squarespace, Shopify, Wix Studio, and we also design interfaces in Figma for custom development projects. Additionally, visual identity and branding design is something we deeply enjoy. We’ve created brands for a wide variety of industries, including hardware stores, retail, fashion, bags, candles, skincare, restaurants, and bakeries, among others.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Our answer might sound a bit unusual, but even though our company specializes in design —and, of course, it’s crucial to keep learning and improving as creatives— growing a design studio requires understanding business. Interestingly, this is something that’s rarely taught in university (we studied Graphic Design at the National Autonomous University of Mexico).

First, taking our business seriously so that others would too was key. This included registering our business to issue invoices, sending professional quotes from a corporate email, having a structured process for payments and delivery timelines, and formalizing projects with a service agreement. This approach has allowed our clients, both in Mexico and internationally (Spain, France, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, the United States, Italy, etc.), to perceive us as a professional and reliable studio.

Secondly, client relations are a soft skill that greatly boosts any business. While social media is powerful for attracting new clients, the truth is that happy clients bring even more clients. Having a client recommend you to their network of friends or colleagues is priceless.

Lastly, constant improvement in design skills is crucial. Taking online courses, exploring new tools, learning to design with artificial intelligence as an ally, and adapting to technological advancements are essential steps to remain competitive in this industry.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

In February of this year (2024), our daughter Miranda was born. Being parents is absolutely amazing, but, although we’re not proud to admit it, René and I were used to being workaholics. Parenthood has completely transformed our daily lives, and learning to delegate hasn’t been easy. After all, MatiKali was our first baby. Since the beginning, we’ve hired collaborators for our projects, but René and I have always been the ones leading all the creative direction.

Now, we’re at a stage where our little one is more active and playful. When she sees us on the computer, she wants to crawl toward it (we strongly believe in no screen time before the age of two). We want to be very present parents—we’re not fond of the idea of having a nanny—but at the same time, we want to stay actively involved in running our business. Delegating has been our salvation, as has strategizing to have fewer but better-paying clients. This allows us to keep doing what we love with the highest quality possible without being glued to our computers 24/7, while also enjoying family time.

It’s a process that will take time. For now, the hours when we can work best and with the most focus are from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. (while our baby sleeps). But the plan is already in motion. We also teach courses for other designers who want to learn web design or receive mentoring. For these courses, leaving our baby with her grandparents for a couple of hours has been incredibly helpful.

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