Seriously in Business: Brand + Design, Marketing and Business

It's time to get real. Sometimes in business we can keep on trying, keep on hustling, keep on researching... but at the end of the day we still feel STUCK.

We feel overwhelmed, unsure of our next move or uninspired and it's just all too hard.

It's at this point we have 2 choices.

1. Do we try again - start the process of finding inspiration, researching and brainstorming what we need to do OR

2. Do you GET HELP. Inject some new insight, professional advice and accountability into the situation.

I have tried both and I have to say #2 results in quicker action, calm steps and better outcomes. EVERY TIME.

And so if right now... your brand is feeling stuck.

You aren't proud of what your business looks like.

You feel embarrassed to put your business out there.

You have ideas but don't know how to make what you need to bring them to life.

You try making things but you're never happy...

It might be time to get some help.

And I would be HONOURED to journey with you.

I have a program, The Co+Creation Club that is a 6 week live experience with me... doors only open a couple of times a year and they will be opening September 14th and closing October 4th and if you know that you need help - it's time to take action.

Find out more: www.diydesignmybiz.com/club

or DM me on Insta @whitedeergd

Sometimes your brand doesn't feel quite right anymore.

You've been in business for a little while now and what you started with isn't what's going to take you to the next level... it's time to expand.

But HOW?

Exploring the possibilities for your brand can be a daunting task but I think here are 6 keys to do it and I want to let you in on what this process looks like for your biz!

1. Decide whether you should rebrand or evolve.
2. Confidently explore the possibilities
3. Move from a "vague" style to a solid direction
4. Create your dream moodboad
5. Demystify your fonts
6. Create colour palettes with feeling

Listen now to dive deeper into what each of these secrets means for you.

PLUS if you're wanting a chance to sit down and dedicate time to this process join me live for the Brand Expansion Vision Session on Thursday the 15th of September!

Buy your ticket here: www.diydesignmybiz.com/expand

Let's talk Landing Page design. Landing page are SUCH an intricate beast that there are SO many schools of thought on.

Thankfully today's guest has worked for some big businesses and done all the testing for us! Join Lex and I as we chat about those pages on our website that often do the selling.

We'll cover:

• What makes a landing page different to your general website
• Some of the mistakes Lex often sees on landing pages
• Whether you need to have external links on your landing page
• The 6 key components every landing page needs
• How you can visually represent your service even though it's not a physical product
• Where you can find great examples of landing pages to inspire you

ABOUT LEX:

Lex Roman empowers early stage solopreneurs find their clients without playing Google and Instagram’s games through her business Super Easy Digital.

A former Silicon Valley growth designer turned small biz growth marketer, Lex has been crafting winning conversion strategies for companies like Nissan, Macys and The Black Tux since 2010. Now, I’m on a mission to help solopreneurs get seen and get sales without being beholden to big tech.

Snag Lex's offers with your special discount: https://supereasydigital.com/designhacks

Follow Lex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supereasydoesit/

Sometimes all the demands of life just feel so overwhelming... the tasks to do at home (all the cooking, cleaning and managing!), the tasks for work (running your own biz isn't simple!) and everything else... motherhood, relationships, not to mention: looking after YOU!

In this podcast episode I chat to Bridget Johns from Be Simply Free about how we can not just declutter our homes (not even something I had on my radar to do!), our calendars and minds and how that decluttering can make life a whole lot less overwhelming!

We cover all things from:

• How to stop, focus and notice what will work for OUR life and family
• What one little step you can take today towards feeling less overwhelmed
• The expectations we put on ourselves now that haven't always been that way!
• Why clutter contributes to overwhelm
• How using a calendar for everyday moments in life can change things for the better!
• How you can choose what matters to you and actually find time for it.

About Bridget Johns

Bridget Johns is a city girl that moved to the country vowing "it will just be a two-year stint” then married a farmer!  She now happily lives on a sheep and cereal farm with her husband and two children on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia. For the first 16 years of her career, she worked in State Government and regional development roles supporting economic development, wellbeing and engagement initiatives in education, workforce and skills development and export and investment projects. 

In 2019, she asked herself a big, bold and audacious question “If time and money were no object what would I do?”, Bridget said “Be a professional organiser” so she jumped off the traditional career trajectory and followed her dreams and launched Be Simply Free, a professional organising and declutter coaching business in March 2020 just before the pandemic started. 

Be Simply Free exists to teach women to reduce their mental load by decluttering their homes, phones, calendars and minds so they can find more space in their homes and time in their calendars to collect moments, not things! 

Keep in touch with Bridget:

www.besimplyfree.com.au

www.instagram.com/be.simplyfree

www.facebook.com/besimplyfree

To access six free videos to help you declutter your kitchen, toys, office, sentimental items and linen cupboard join the Be Simply Free community group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/besimplyfreecommunity

How do you know what your brand should look like?

There are so so many styles out there it's hard to choose which is right for you!

In this episode I'll let you in on why it's a non-negotiable to know what YOUR brand style is.

Plus what are the 6 top current styles and how you can choose what yours needs to be!

On Thursday the 18th of August 2022 I'll be releasing a quiz to help you find out your brand style! And the best bit, you'll get given tons of suggestions on colours, fonts, elements, Canva search terms and even a Pinterest board full of inspiration - ALL customised to your result and brand style.

Head to: www.whitedeer.com.au/quiz now

Why do you need to think like a designer when you're NOT a designer?

Well, if you're doing any of your own biz graphics you are YOUR designer and thinking like one will help the process be so much quicker, enjoyable and fail safe.

When I teach design to small business owners I use my White Deer Framework, it's split into 3 pillars but today I want to share with you the "Attitude" pillar. It sits in the middle between "Clarity" and "Content" and is arguably one of the most important parts of the process.

Attitude asks: "How can I think like a designer?"

We cover:

Demystify designer details:

1. Learn principles
2. Learn Canva
3. Learn file types

Cultivate communication:

1. What message are you trying to communicate?
2. How can you use colour, fonts, imagery, style to support your message?
3. How can you use text to make your message clear?

Grow your confidence:

1. Feeling excited to create helps inspiration to flow
2. Getting confident (and quick) at using Canva
3. Enjoying the process equals less burnout

Every small business owner thinks that it won't happen to them.

But the truth is, hacking is on the rise!! And if you're like me [until now] you've had your head in the sand crossing your fingers it'll all be okay.

But did you know: even though a hacker isn't getting that much if they hack you... they can hack more of us quickly because our businesses are not secure so, it's still worth their time and you and I are so at risk!

Thankfully, my guest, Caitriona specialises in helping small businesses stay safe and we chat in this podcast episode what hacking can look like right now and actions you should take to be safe.

CaIT is passionate about protecting small businesses from hackers, CaIT is on a mission to educate businesses and our community to understand the risk of cyberattacks.

The stakes of a cyber-attack are at an all-time high, yet CaIT believes that taking small steps to improve your online security will decrease your chances of getting hacked.

With years of experience working with businesses of all sizes and across many industries, she strongly understands business operations and what is required for business growth. She applies this knowledge when devising and implementing tech solutions that will securely assist with business growth.

Follow CaIT on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/cait_cybersafe/

If you watch my Instagram Stories you'll know that each day I share a screenshot of a message my nana, Shirley, has sent me with a pearl of wisdom for the day.

So, in this episode I read out a couple of good ones to inspire you - short, sharp and powerful!

Plus, I experiment with some sound effects... Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing!

Enjoy, and let these nuggets spur you on!

Rebranding your business is a BIG deal and shouldn't be done on a whim.

But sometimes we get sick of our brand, or it feel really outdated...

So when is it RIGHT to rebrand?

In this episode I cover 5 questions to ask yourself to know if it's time for you biz to get a new look.

1. Am I just bored? Or is it really time?
2. Is what I'm doing the same as when I started?
3. Is my niche still the same as when I started?
4. Do I feel like this is holding me back? Do I feel embarrassed?
5. Do I have a full brand? Can I just add to it rather than rebranding?

Listen now to find out what these questions mean for your business. And happy rebranding or NOT rebranding!!

If you'd like some help rebranding, you can work with me in 1 of 3 ways!

1/ Let me teach you in DIY Design My Biz!

2/ Rebrand together in The Co+Creation Club!

3/ Work with me in the One:One Rebrand Experience.

I LOVE scrolling my socials and seeing business owners taking charge of this business by designing their own graphics.

BUT

There are some mistakes I see them make, especially RIGHT NOW, that are jeopardising their professionalism.

Design mistakes that are saying to their audience "I'm just a little side hustle, not a professional you can trust".

Thankfully though, these mistakes are SO easy to fix (whether you are a side hustle or running your biz full time).

In this episode of Design Hacks for DIYers I want to jump in and let you know what these 3 mistakes are and how you can fix them and make sure your graphics are screaming professionalism as well as communicating super clearly!