Life and Work with Dani Kahn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dani Kahn.

Dani, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Singapore where my father was a computer engineer, and have been website coding and creating things since I was 12—it’s in the genes!

I love learning, with business, fine art, biology, and philosophy being some of my favorite courses. I’m a proud nerd who’s obsessed with comics (specifically ‘manga’), Dungeons & Dragons, video games, and visual arts. I’m also a huge Star Trek fan and really hoping for a Replicator one day.

I started web development and design work as a hobby before I can remember, but started offering it as a service in 2011. My favorite part of what I do is taking a client’s concept and developing that into a tangible product. Watching their face light up when their vision comes to life, whether it be a logo design, a website layout, or a mural, is a wonderful feeling.

Has it been a smooth road?
My journey has been one of twists and turns. Not smooth at all! Moving countries very young and becoming isolated from my friends started a bumpy road into my adulthood. I am a recovering perfectionist. I say that proudly because it took five years of job hopping, losing a college scholarship, and battling with my health to be where I am today. I truly am thankful for the people in my life who did not give up on me. They continued to allow me to express myself creatively with my work. My community, Gilbert, and close friends, around me, is the only reason why I am thriving today.

My struggles in the past came from internal battles (as well as external!) – however – when I became accountable for every single one of my actions, THAT is when my life changed for the better. My advice for anyone who is trying to build themselves to a stable, comfortable position is to be truly honest with yourself. If you’re not doing something you love, ask yourself why did you put yourself in that position (do not blame others). Analyze that problem, not with emotion, but logic.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Studio Fortis – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Currently, my company, Studio Fortis, is labeled as a ‘multimedia design company.’ My husband and I partnered in 2015 to assist small businesses to express themselves creatively. I observed my mother-in-law achieve her dream of opening a small coffee shop and becoming involved with the community and the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce. She had a lot of struggles with the ever-changing digital standards that are required to be successful in this day and age. I realized that there was a need for marketing specialists who could help small businesses traverse the new digital world. Studio Fortis has a wide range of skills that we use to help brands use the proper platforms to market and tell their story to their customers.

I am excited to wake up every morning and produce very unique creative products for my clients such as: murals, brochures, websites, merchandise, and videos! No job is alike because every small business has a unique story to tell with different ways to tell it! What sets us apart is that we are word of mouth, referral based business – for now!

Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I believe that I had a very unique childhood – growing up in a foreign country. I do not doubt that dealing with many obstacles altered my perspective on many things. Owning a business is full of ups and downs, so if I had not experienced that at a very early age, I do not believe I would have the tenacity that I do now.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.studiofortis.com
• Email: info@danikahn.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/studiofortis
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studiofortis
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/danikahn_
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danikahndesigns/

Image Credit:
TEDx Gilbert 2019 Logo Design, Mural volunteer work at HD South (Home of the Gilbert Historical Museum)

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