Built by hand, one venture at a time.

Building the things we needed and couldn't find

K.J.A & Z.J.O LLC was established in New York in 2023 and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, with New Jersey business registration. We build and operate a portfolio of independent ventures across publishing, apparel, and business software.

Every company we have launched began the same way: as a problem we ran into ourselves, could not solve with what was already on the market, and decided to build our way out of.

Our founder

K.J.A & Z.J.O was founded by Kaminski Daley, a designer, author, and operator whose background sits at the intersection of technical precision and creative work.

Kaminski trained in architectural technology, first at the Antigua & Barbuda International Institute of Technology and later at the New York City College of Technology (CUNY), where she is completing a Bachelor of Technology in Architectural Technology. She spent nearly a decade in architecture and engineering — drafting technical plans in CAD, and working as a New York City Department of Buildings Class 1 Filing Representative, preparing and expediting regulatory submissions where a single incorrect field means a rejected filing.

That work established the discipline that runs through everything the company does: specifications matter, documentation matters, and the details you cannot see are the ones that determine whether something stands up.

She went on to manage payroll for a New York restaurant, checking staff hours and time off, calculating and distributing tips, and reviewing pay records using ADP and Paycor. That firsthand work with hours and tip sheets led her to build TipLedger to help restaurants calculate and document tip distribution.

Alongside this, Kaminski is a published author who writes and self-publishes her own catalogue of fiction, and who founded an independent publishing platform to give other writers the same control over their work that she insisted on for hers.

She is Antiguan by heritage, based in New Jersey, and has built every venture in this portfolio without outside capital.

What we build

The Ink — Artistry by Kaminski. An independent bookstore and publishing platform offering authors an alternative to the dominant retail platforms: custom book layouts, direct sales, audiobook production, and subscription access for readers and writers. Books are distributed direct, with expansion into major retail channels.

Atelier Kaz. An independent apparel label producing heavyweight, considered streetwear on a made-to-order model. Nothing is mass-produced and nothing sits in a warehouse, which eliminates inventory waste and means each garment is made for the person who ordered it.

Artistry by Kaminski. A multi-vendor artisan marketplace where independent makers sell handmade physical goods — pottery, jewelry, leather, fiber, candles and original art.

TipLedger. Business software for calculating, recording and reviewing restaurant tip distributions — built from our founder's payroll management experience for independent restaurants.

LedgerOps (now available). An operations platform with two workspaces — Restaurant Operations and Corporate Operations — separate from TipLedger's tip distribution.

Why we do this

The businesses in this portfolio look different from one another, but they answer the same question: who gets access?

Publishing platforms take control from the authors who write the books. Compliance and payroll software is priced for enterprises, not for the restaurant with forty employees. Independent labels are squeezed out by manufacturers who require volume no new brand can commit to. Artists sell through galleries that take the larger share.

In each case the tool exists — it is simply out of reach for the people who need it most. We build the version that is not.

We are also honest about where we are. This is an early-stage, self-funded company. We have built the infrastructure, the products, and the platforms; we are now building the audience. We would rather state that plainly than overstate it.

Where we are going

Our near-term focus starts with TipLedger: trialling it with restaurants and validating it with real operators. Alongside that, we are growing our other live brands — the Artistry by Kaminski marketplace, The Ink, and Atelier Kaz. LedgerOps is now available with Restaurant and Corporate workspaces.

Beyond that, we are working toward physical presence — retail and hospitality spaces where the work exists offline as well as on — and toward the point where this portfolio supports not only its founder but the writers, makers, and operators who build alongside us.

We are looking for partners, lenders, and collaborators who understand that durable companies are built by people who have done the work themselves, and who are willing to back a founder in the building phase rather than only after the fact.

If that is you, we would like to hear from you.

K.J.A & Z.J.O LLC Jersey City, New Jersey k.j.az.j.ollc@gmail.com