When people ask us how we became business partners, there is always a smirk shared between the two of us before deep diving into the story. Before we co-founded The Illunis Co, we had been friends for nearly 15 years. We met when our high school science teacher paired us up as lab partners in the 10th grade. We were the most unlikely duo you would ever meet. Kat dressed in all black, while I (Sam) was dressed in the preppiest clothing imaginable. Through the weeks in science class, we became great friends. Constantly hung out together and even then, people would ask us "Why are you two friends?"
Short answer is we aren't sure how the most unlikely people got along so well, but we were (and still are) glad that we did. Since meeting, anytime we are together, we celebrate our birthdays together (July birthdays, 3 days apart). When we were in high school, Kat's interests were in newspaper/photography/video. My dream career has always been graphic design. Separately, we went to college to pursue careers and one day Kat called me up and said that she was going for her marketing degree. I was so excited for her because I knew marketing well and I knew we could talk about it endlessly together.
Fast forward to 2020, at the height of pandemic, Kat called me up one day and asked if I would be interested in helping her with a marketing client. I agreed because I wanted to get back into the marketing and design world after a few years away from it. We worked so well together that we decided to go into business together.
We have 3 main goals within The Illunis Co. First is to benefit the small businesses in a way that other marketing agencies don't (and to not take advantage of them). The second being an all female staff, to break the glass ceiling. Finally, the third goal was to make sure that any employee of ours (US resident or overseas) would be able to afford to live a comfortable life on a liveable wage (by US standards). Too many young designers and marketers are taken advantage of because of their location in the world or their "inexperience" (horrible). We are determined to break that cycle and provide the best environment possible for any employee that joins our team.
With Degrees in Marketing and Business and 6+ years in the Digital Marketing field with a background in graphic design, Kat started her career as the inhouse Digital Marketer with Northern Arizona Harley - Davidson Dealerships and their 4 locations.
I have 2 pit bulls
I worked at Northern Arizona Harley Davidson for 4 years
The most recent states I've lived in are Arizona and Maine
I set ringtones for my contacts so I know who is calling me
In high school, I took a graphic design course that would change my entire life. I instantly fell in love with the career and after nearly 15 years, I still love it. I've added a few new skills over the years, but graphic design will always have my heart.
Married my husband, Kyle, in September 2019
Welcomed our daughter, Raleigh, in November 2021
I've been to over 300 concerts
Favorite drink(s): gin & tonic and coffee
Dream vacation: Italy & Greece
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Hello Bonsai
With experience in medical, HR, and brand management, she helps create the perfect blend of active engagement and well-organized content creation. With her amazing skills within SMM, Cherry has become an expert in curating the perfect following for any company through her extensive research and industry demographics.
Kaelee is the newest member of The Illunis team! Check back for more details on Kaelee's experience and more about her life.