How Blogging Led to a Business (and a Ring): The KK Digital Story
When I started writing for Practical Ecommerce and the Bigcommerce blog in the mid-2010s, I never imagined it would lead to anything more than a few backlinks and a chance to document what I was learning. At the time, I was knee-deep in building the Stupid Cancer Store — tinkering with integrations, sweating over shipping logistics, and figuring out how to run an ecommerce operation inside a nonprofit. Sharing that journey publicly felt like the right thing to do.
But something funny happened along the way: people started reaching out.
First it was a few DMs. Then emails. Then small business owners — and even a few fellow nonprofits — asking, “Hey, could you help us do what you did?”
That’s when KK Digital was born.
From Blog Posts to Billable Hours
I didn’t set out to start a consulting company. But the blog posts became my portfolio. Without realizing it, I had built a body of work — case studies in disguise — showing how to use technology to scale purpose-driven ecommerce operations.
KK Digital wasn’t some VC-backed agency. It was scrappy, remote, and entirely bootstrapped. I took on a handful of clients over the years, helping them implement the same tools and strategies I had used at Stupid Cancer: setting up online stores, building automations, integrating third-party apps, and thinking holistically about how digital infrastructure could enable mission.
I learned a lot in the process — not just about ecommerce, but about myself.
Lessons from Running My Own Consultancy
Running a consultancy is humbling in all the right ways. You learn to price your time, set boundaries, manage expectations, and stay organized across multiple clients — often while juggling a full-time role.
Here are a few takeaways that stuck with me:
Thought leadership is a funnel. I didn’t write blog posts expecting clients to come. But when you teach publicly, people notice. And trust builds faster.
You don’t need a big brand to start. KK Digital was just me, a Google Workspace account, and a Stripe link. That was enough.
Your experience is worth something. Even when it feels like you’re making it up as you go (and let’s be honest, sometimes we are), your lived experience is valuable to someone earlier in their journey.
Side projects are investments. KK Digital helped fund my engagement ring purchase.
The Sunset
Eventually, KK Digital took a backseat to other priorities — bigger leadership roles, more demanding jobs, and a growing family. I quietly sunset the consultancy, grateful for what it taught me but fully aware that I couldn’t do everything at once.
And that’s okay.
Not every business needs to be forever. Some just need to be right for right now. KK Digital served its purpose: it stretched me, supported me, and gave me confidence in my ability to create something from scratch — and get paid for it.
Final Thoughts
If you’re out there sharing what you know, don’t be surprised when it opens doors. You never know when a blog post becomes a client lead… or a client check becomes an engagement ring.
KK Digital may be gone, but the lessons (and the marriage) are here to stay.
