Letter from the Founder - Megan Duong on Life in 2023

August 1, 2022 

That was the first full day that I dedicated to this tiny but fierce brand and has the last six months been such a humbling and uplifting time in my 37-years of life. It has been nice to have a few days in the week to fully commit a full work day to work on a variety of things that makes this brand running. I have also been thinking of the kind of career I want to pass on to my children and the kind of legacy I want to leave imprinted on this world. And it made me really think that I should just jump in to creating the kind of business I want this brand to be. So over the course of the last six months or so, I have been carrying a notebook around and jotting down ideas I want to incorporate to this brand and expanding and delegating tasks that I would normally take on to others. That it is quite alright to ask for help and to take ownership of being the best boss this brand would want me to be. So here’s a brief yet over-thought out rundown of what was the last few months of my life and where the next year would be like. 

The Business of the Brand. 

Many people may not know this but I had majored in Business Management and Marketing at BYU and Rosemont with a focus on the Entertainment Industry and while many of my peers went into careers in music. I knew I needed to have experience to add to my CV that reflects how I am an invaluable asset to their company. I had only worked in a business (or office) setting through my parents companies. So it was a humbling experience to adjust to life outside of my parents company office. I started out a receptionist and then moved to office manager and soon found myself in the administrative assistant and coordinator level of the office roles. This coupled with my many years in a supervisory position at my parents company gave me the edge I needed to start writing a very rough draft of a business plan that would eventually be the at kismet + co brand you all have come to know and love today. With that long-winded introduction out of the way, it brings me to my next point. 

I want people to look at what I do with at kismet + co as a serious brand with tangible goods and services and having the last two years to flesh out that experience with working with a lot of publicists and artist managers and everything in between was a dream. Getting opportunities like photographing the JOJ O to photographing dream artists like Panic at the Disco, MARINA and James Arthur – it definitely was a confidence booster. I got the opportunity to grow and learn how to be a better businesswoman and become successful. Even when I was getting an email stating “we are at capacity with press/photo passes, thank you” – I was thankful because it meant someone loved what I did photography-wise that they considered me for credentials. That I am even thought of with press invites and even photographing the Philadelphia Flower Show (something college me had dreamt about). I accredit that success to my leap of faith and desire to get out of the corporate world and make a name for myself. But it sure as hell did not happen overnight, it was a gradual uphill climb and sometimes was met with obstacles. I think when most people think of going freelance with photography - they didn’t imagine how lonely or difficult that path can be. I was out of work for six months and had to recently get a retail job just to pay the bills and to also get back on medication and continue with my mental health care. 

Now that it is the beginning May, I am ready to tackle this year with so much pride and joy and enthusiasm that it feels I am bursting at the seams. 

So where does that lead us? 

For starters things won’t change around here with the exception of a few new faces and shifts in content. So the brand is now split into three divisions - atkismet + co (music and arts, video and photography), Made for Drew (our lifestyle and creative brand; pop-up events and more) and our In-House Production Team (TBA). One of the things that I had heavily debated on was how to approach the division between what we do and who are audience is for. I see atkismet + co as our commision and freelance entity with the same level of service and commitment you’ve all come to know and love. Made for Drew was born out of a necessity to do more lifestyle and creative things freely and also make limited-edition products that people can display in their homes. I am proud of this development as it’ll be a driving force in bring at kismet + co into more homes. Our in-house production team will be the ones to offer photography and videography and content creation services at a competitive rate that will allow us to pay our team their weight in gold (money). One of the other things that we are planning to do with this year is becoming an incorporated LLC and entity…which has taken a lot longer than I had anticipated. So we will be able to build a solid foundation to carry on legacies that’ll leave a positive impact on the world and its citizens. 

2023 and beyond. 

You can expect to see more great things from this brand and its talented team members. We will be taking a two week break in April to head over  to London and create some really cool content that I am excited about. PLUS FILM PHOTOGRAPHY IN LONDON. A dream come true. We also are going to be out at the Furness High School Spring Fair benefiting the Furness Class of 2023 (GO FALCONS). A brand new online shop and then a pop-up event in the summer to launch our summer collection. 

WE are happy to be here and hope you all are feeling welcomed and loved and appreciated today and every day.