Ask yourself, do you have a brand guideline handbook?

This is something that all the really big businesses do. But despite the fact that it’s both attainable and powerful, so many small businesses fail to put it to work for themselves.

Good creative ideas don't have to cost a lot. And just because something is expensive, that does not guarantee excellence.

You begin to hire for execution more than ideation. You know what you want to say, you just hire someone to put in on a website for you. You know what you want photographs to look like, you just hire someone to capture the images.

Learning how to craft experiences is going to transform your marketing.

Knowing the difference between features and experiences is critical in taking your business to the next level. Features have their place — in your copy and visual content — but the focus should be on experience.

How’s your work life? When was the last time someone asked you this question? When was the last time you asked yourself this question?

There’s a lot of talk of work-life balance. But less talk about the importance of cultivating a better work life. When your work life sucks less, the balancing part nearly takes care of itself…

The goal is to do work you like, do it in a way that makes you proud, and to do it for years to come. So much of successful work comes down to not just what you do, but the order that you do it.

Take our quiz to gauge how much you have to gain by investing your brand strategy.

Helping small shops and small organizations brand build isn’t just about work, it’s about their life too. More clarity means less stress. More strategy means more effectiveness. These things can provide a pathway to more balance in life and work.

Being a small operation means that some types of advice are just never going to serve you well, but it also means that you bring a unique set of abilities and opportunities to the table. And this is where I want to focus. Making the most of what you do different not trying to make you like everyone else.

It’s not just about one person’s work and profit, it’s about an ecosystem of thoughtful small shops that put beautiful options into the marketplace, slowly steering attention and income away from the greedy, corrupting kingpins of the old economy.

You can pay for a workshop with Creative Voices, where you get me teaching you, live and online, in ultra-small classes and a condensed format.

And starting this week, there are now bite-sized lessons on YouTube; each a piece of a carefully designed class and complete with a worksheet.

How often do you come across advice telling you to be authentic? Without any actual tactical help for doing so?

This term used to actually give me anxiety. As if I somehow wasn't cool enough to be authentic. There is pressure to choose the traits that are most likely to be popular.

Brand strategy is knowing who you are and who you serve — not just some vague sense of it, but a clear and compelling picture put into intentional words. And by doing so, you take the burden off your branding and your marketing.

The key to great marketing for small operations is personality. Combine personality with solid strategy and you'll really start to hit a state of flow. Of sustainable growth. Of peace, knowing your actions are actually leading to progress.

And hopefully this free marketing guide helps kick start the ideas.

Start the new year with a few moments of mindfulness. Download the worksheet to reflect on the year behind and plan for the year ahead with peace and intention. Because maybe the best thing you can do for your work life this year is to improve your mindset…

There is magic to this time of year. The long nights. The threshold where one year ends and a new one begins. It’s the time for reflections. And for making wishes.

The story of how our first original short film came to life! The film is an exploration of grief and creativity, told in five chapters and each set to a song from Chloë Mae’s brand new EP. Read the story then watch the film and listen to the EP.

Grace and Frankie have something to teach us about business. In season 3, they’re faced with a decision about how to grow the business they launched together. The scene is funny and relatable and asks the question we all need to face at some point with our work. At the heart of it, what are we doing this for?

The power of a well thought-out brand strategy will astonish you. It will free your marketing from being salesy or soulless. And it will free you from struggling with what to say and where to spend your marketing time and money.

So if you've ever felt like you have so much more to offer than you know how to say, then this is for you.

Creativity is core to our humanity. And to remain creative, to grow in our abilities, we need to fill the tank. Often and with intention. I hope that is what this season does for you. I wish for you beautiful meals and beautiful conversations. Happy thanksgiving.

Our YouTube channel launched last week with our Autumn Mini Film where we talk about embracing the journey and the seasons of life. To go beyond the film, we’ve lovingly created a handful of thoughtful freebies to help you on your own journey. Download them here…

Our YouTube launch day is here! Read the story about why we left the Meta platform (plus the book that inspired the leap) and get a glimpse at the behind the scenes of how this day came to be.

And come along as we explore the creative, personal, and meaningful side of work on our brand new channel. Original content plus uniquely un-sleazy brand and marketing help. Welcome to work done different.