We all need to keep educating and inspiring ourselves as creatives entrepreneurs and women. Its definitely food for the soul in my book (pardon the pun) . With that in mind here are my recommendations on a great magazine and book to read, a new documentary to watch, a smart podcast to listen to and a helpful health action item to do this month!
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Great brands don't just happen by accident. Creating a brand people LOVE takes some thought about who you are and what your brand is all about.
What most people think of as "branding" is really just the outermost layer. Really impactful and inspirational brands have a clearer understanding of who they are and what makes them different. They also have clear vision of who are their best clients and their mission of how to help them.
A brand is a set of values that sets the bar for all business decisions and shapes your brand into something concise, distinctive, legitimate.
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Towards the end of last year we worked with K'Dee Miller the owner of video production company, Patina Pictures. K’Dee originally started her business in Los Angeles, in her mid-twenties, when the primary focus was on producing independent feature films. Flash forward ten years, and K’Dee, similar to Patina, had grown and morphed along the way. Despite all of her exciting creative growth and evolution, her original branding remained stagnant; a reminder of Patina’s story circa 2009. Simply told, K’Dee came to Prim’d for a brand re-fresh. But what she discovered while undergoing The Brand Plan was something far more important to Patina’s success than just a good looking logo.
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It probably doesn't surprise you that making a beautiful and effective website doesn't just happen by accident. In fact, we really like to use the analogy of building a house. You'd never just hire a team of contractors to show up at your plot, offer up some piles of wood, concrete and roofing shingles and say, "Ok, let's just get on it with it." But so many people (and sometimes even website teams!) don't take the time to build a solid blueprint or gather the best materials before starting their build.
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A couple of years ago when Jenni and I (a couple of marketers setting up a business for the first time) were starting up Prim’d Marketing we found ourselves constantly asking “how do other business owners do this?” We started by attending a local business course and referring to Google to find the answers to many operational, legal and financial questions but it started to feel isolating in uncharted waters. We soon realized we needed to find a community of people in a similar situation to us that we could turn to for supportive advice, resources and just a friendly ear.
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Jenni here, and it's no secret that when it comes to our partnership dynamic, I am definitely the one who is always geeking out about new systems and technology. I love a good CMS, or automation platform — anything that you can program to "make it do" without having to manually participate. Last October we launched a "Primd 2.0" if you will — new website, and LOTS of new systems to help us tackle growing and scaling in 2016. Today I am going to share with my 3 favorite systems we've implemented in the last 6 months, and why they work for us.
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When I was doing my MFA, I was really comfortable with the idea of drafting in the creative process. When you first sit down to write a book, you literally CANNOT write the final draft. Your job is to get all of the story out of your brain. And from there your job is to shape the story, to edit and refine. Maybe you get lost, and you definitely write chapters that never see the light of day. It's part of writing a book. You cannot write version 17 without first sitting down and writing version 1, 2, 3, ...16. So why would I think I could jump to "final" with my business?
Jenni here, and it's no secret that when it comes to our partnership dynamic, I am definitely the one who is always geeking out about new systems and technology. I love a good CMS, or automation platform — anything that you can program to "make it do" without having to manually participate. Last October we launched a "Primd 2.0" if you will — new website, and LOTS of new systems to help us tackle growing and scaling in 2016. Today I am going to share with my 3 favorite systems we've implemented in the last 6 months, and why they work for us.
Sophie here, and this week I will be talking about obstacles of working from home. When it can be mentally hard to switch gears, the boundaries of running a household and running a business can blur. This time of year boundaries can also come into play if you give up our home office when family or friends come to stay with you.
Here are some suggestions to help you set healthily boundaries working from home, and how to adapt to change over the summer without it affecting your productivity and consequently your income.
As summer begins to the sound of the school bell ringing, those who run their business from home while raising kids will be about to embark on a fragmented schedule over the next few months. Sophie here, and the warmer long days are a nice prospect but the juggling act that comes with them can be challenging. You will be adapting to finishing earlier in the day to head off to camp pick up or arranging childcare cover that will change week to week. Friends will be heading to the park or the pool, but the endless emails and calls from work, will make you feel divided and overwhelmed at the thought of slowing down to be with your kids. This was me last summer. But I have decided this year will be different, and adapting to the change requires both preparation and a new mindset.
How do you get clarity when your feel stuck or divided about an importance decision?
Perhaps its an unfamiliar issue that feels like you are trekking through uncharted territory without a compass, or maybe it is a reoccurring problem that is draining your energy and affecting the efficiency of your business. A few easy and creative ways to make better decisions have presented themselves to me recently that I wanted to share with you.
"Do we really need a blog?" is a question we hear from our clients all the time. And there is a facial expression that accompanies that question: head tilted slightly forward, maybe an eyebrow raised and a gaze that says: You don't understand — I am spread so thin already. If am even going to consider adding something else to my plate, I need to know that it's going to pay off. I am so tired. And so busy. And so tired. Sound familiar?
In the last few weeks, we've had some exciting activity elsewhere on the Internet — Jenni wrote an article and featured in a video for LinkedIn around her experience losing a job and leveraging that opportunity to get herself into a new career field. It's gone viral! So we thought we'd share part of it here on Prim'd Notes blog for those who are hustling for their first break!
As a business owner, motivating yourself is probably one of the hardest parts to running your own business. Whether you are trying to get a business idea off the ground or trying to move things forward to grow your business, when you find yourself stuck at a roadblock or what feels like a dead end, it can be challenging and sometimes makes you want to give up.
The good news is, there are many ways you can help yourself in these situations, and most of them involve taking the time to be around other people in similar situations to you. Its amazing how talking about the everyday problems you face, and exchanging stories can be so helpful and rewarding.
These past twelve months have been one heck of a year for Sophie and I. In fact, twelve months ago, we were working together at a different company, but we had no idea the wild ride that was just around the corner for us.
In the spirit of this week, we thought we’d try something a little different. We took some time to think about what we were really thankful for as business owners and entrepreneurs, especially since this is our first Thanksgiving as Women in Business.
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Are you using social media for your business but unsure how effective your strategy is? Are you ready to refocus your time and energy on social media for 2016? If so we will be offering a workshop that will deep dive into How To Use Social Media Smarter that will give you a better understanding of how to approach each social platform and evaluate other it is right (or wrong) for your specific business. If you are unable to attend our workshop then we have four tips on how to approach your social media strategy and execution in a smarter way.
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Podcasts are not new, and for the last ten years it has mostly been a male dominated media. When you look at the top podcasts in iTunes, gender inequity still exists but the good news is we’re beginning to see a shift in the last couple of years with the rise of podcasts created for women by women (particularly for female business owners). Some of them have become my go-to resource and sets the tone for a great work day.
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With Thanksgiving just a few days away, Sophie and I took a moment to count the wonderful people, opportunities and moments we've had over the last year. Looking back at our growth and progress was a truly humbling experience — 12 months ago doesn't feel that far away, but our business had undergone huge transformations!
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Sophie here, and in the final installment of our blog series ‘How To Market a New Website’, we recommend ways to promote your new website from sharing your new website with your community (your peers, clients, and potential clients) to ways of promoting it outside your network.
When we work with clients on a website or branding launch or refresh we recommend sharing what they are going through with their online community by virtually taking them along with them on the discovery and building process.
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In this installment of our 3 part series, we focus on creating a great blueprint for your website. When we build sites for our clients, one of the first questions we address together is “What do you want your website to do for you?” Often times that question is met with either blank stares or overly generalized answers. If your answer to this question is “we want our new website to help us get the word out,” or “we want more web traffic so we can increase sales,” I hate to break it to you, but you’re going to need to get a little more specific before you can begin building your next site.
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We work with personal brands and small businesses that are in their second to fifth year and developing a more advanced version of their original concept, {product or service}. Particularly through our signature offering; The Brand Plan that helps clients define their values, their voice and core differentiators that makes them stand out in their competitive landscape. We were 12 months into offering The Brand Plan when we decided to turn the tables on ourselves and have a taste of our own medicine.
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The most important steps that we've taken over the past few weeks hasn't been a website wireframe, or a kick-off meeting with a photographer. It hasn't even been putting ourself through our own Brand Plan process. The most important thing that we've done over the last few weeks is talk to our customers.
These last few weeks we took some time to sit down with our customers, ask them a couple of questions, and then just really listen to what they had to say. It was enlightening, surprising, and more helpful than I had anticipated.
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How are you planning your next creative project? Are you assembling research and comparing information for a proposal or future blog post? Perhaps you are considering rebranding or redesigning your website and need to find inspiration from relevant companies you admire.
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If a picture is worth 1,000 words, your website imagery is probably one of the most powerful tools in your marketing toolbox. Jenni here, and we like to tell our clients that great images don't just fill visual spaces on your home or about pages — they start to virtually extend a hand, to introduce your brand and start a conversation. Great imagery visually tells the story of who you are and how to buy you. Not only that, but when your customers understand who you and and how to buy you, they're more likely to purchase with you. Great imagery has the power to make your offer more compelling.
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Sophie here, and this week I will be talking about obstacles of working from home. When it can be mentally hard to switch gears, the boundaries of running a household and running a business can blur. This time of year boundaries can also come into play if you give up our home office when family or friends come to stay with you.
Here are some suggestions to help you set healthily boundaries working from home, and how to adapt to change over the summer without it affecting your productivity and consequently your income.
Read More
Get FULL ACCESS to our curated and most powerful worksheets!
Success! Your first email should be flying through the internet, making its way to you!
As summer begins to the sound of the school bell ringing, those who run their business from home while raising kids will be about to embark on a fragmented schedule over the next few months. Sophie here, and the warmer long days are a nice prospect but the juggling act that comes with them can be challenging. You will be adapting to finishing earlier in the day to head off to camp pick up or arranging childcare cover that will change week to week. Friends will be heading to the park or the pool, but the endless emails and calls from work, will make you feel divided and overwhelmed at the thought of slowing down to be with your kids. This was me last summer. But I have decided this year will be different, and adapting to the change requires both preparation and a new mindset.
Get FULL ACCESS to our curated and most powerful worksheets!
Success! Your first email should be flying through the internet, making its way to you!
There have been some exciting announcements by Instagram and Pinterest recently that will allow businesses to sell their products quicker and easier through social media. New technology is creating a smoother path for shoppers to not only get inspired by what they see on Instagram and Pinterest but to take action and buy it instantly.
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Jenni and I thought we would start to include some useful resources such as books, magazine, podcasts, webinars, events etc. into our weekly posts that inspire us and hopefully motivate you.
Sophie here, and this week I am sharing a book that helped me get started as a business owner and a podcast that continues to guide me towards the successful entrepreneur I strive to be.
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One of the really interesting things that happened last year is that we launched a "new" product, Web Ready Kit. This offering seemed to click the rest of our packages into place. I say "new" because all of these services are things we've been doing for clients for years. But it's just been the last 12 — 18 months or so that we've started to formalize this process into even more clear cut steps: