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I Can Help With...
Brainstorming / Thinking Partner
Motivational Coaching
Career Coaching
Feasibility
Business Proposal/Plan Guidance*
Entity Selection & Set-Up
Marketing, Branding, Advertising
Media Assets (Offering In-House Services)
Operations, Systems
Finance
Growth, Scaling
Human Resources
Areas of Focus
Real Estate
Construction, Subcontractors
Interior Design
Non-profits
E-commerce Services & Products
Brick & Mortar Retail
Service-Based
Creatives
College Students
Career Change
Marketing, Branding & Advertising
Marketing was a very fuzzy word to me when I got my start in the workforce. It wasn’t a tangible thing that I could put on a list, do, and check off. What I have earned is that it is multifaceted, should be fluid and responsive, and it is what propels a business forward and keeps it relevant.
What is branding? Why can developing a brand be crucial to a business's success? How exactly do you develop a brand? Many people are confused about branding. I know I was. For me, branding is one of the most creative, fun parts of the business. In a culture that is spoilt for choice, branding is more important than ever before. Having a well-developed brand isn't enough. Your brand needs to speak to its target market and compel them to interact. In the era of stock photography, it's no longer about looking "up to snuff", "professional" or "polished". It's about conveying emotion. It's about being distinctive. Look at your competition and ask yourself, "Why will they like/click/remember us?". This is where many companies come close, yet fall short.
Advertising begins as art and turns into a science. In the beginning, it's about finding a way to gain attention in your market. That takes an intimate knowledge of your market/your niche slice of your market and how to be different from your competition. What makes you stand apart? And once you have advertised, it's about reading the data and tweaking to optimize. Most small start-up businesses grossly underestimate the importance and cost of effective advertising. Effective- meaning, you get to stay in business. More surprisingly, the majority of those that create creative assets are not taught about business leaving a disjoint in the very approach to the materials. (Click here for a great book for creatives that want "a framework for their concepts to succeed".)
Media Assets
In partnership with my husbands company I am able to offer in-house services for media asset needs. We are long time creative collaborators that love adding value to marketing campaigns. Our focus is on developing the approach as an adjunct arm of your business. We want to listen carefully and then help elevate your brand. Your success is our success. We don't take that for granted.
www.framelinescreative.com
www.vimeo.com/vincentwrenn
PHOTOGRAPHY
Career Coaching
I have been told that my approach to career coaching is different from other coaches. I start with really getting to know you- not just you as a professional or student- but you as a whole person. Together we will try to identify if there is a part of you that is hidden. This often requires some peeling back of layers, as well as using tests, and the people closest to you to help discover what may be covered under layers of pursuits, fear and/or achievements. And from there, with a more complete sense of self, we can start pursuing ypu career path/a new direction for your career path.
When you look around and see how many people have landed in fields that they either didn't intend to or that they find aren't suited for, you see how crucial not skipping that first step is. This isn't just about experience and aptitudes but about lifestyle wants and values. Many people never had the guidance to do this type of concerted exercise, and thus have let their family's wants or society's definition of success be theirs. Ask yourself- when you are in your golden years, what do you want to look back on? This can be a helpful starting point for gaining clarity on what really matters to you in this one precious life. (50% of college degree holders are employed outside of their field of study.)
Working together we will explore different options for your future, factoring in the day-to-day realities of pursuing the new path. This means not only taking into account your lifestyle and your ability to support yourself as you make this change, it also means looking carefully into the new environment with its pros and cons to gain the best peek. Does it fit? Is it an overly competitive saturated field? Can you work under fluorescent lights without a window all day 5 days a week? We will take a very close look at what the day-to-day of the proposed new role(s) will look like to make sure it is the right pursuit.
For some, this isn't a comfortable process. It requires courage and honesty with oneself. It can be a roller coaster. It can be frustrating. For others, it can feel like a breath of fresh air- sudden guiding clarity. One thing is certain, it is likely one of the more rewarding things a person can do, so the sooner you do it the better. Living in accordance with our values and creating a lifestyle that truly suits oneself is among the most important endeavors that we can embark on. The earlier we do it, the sooner we can begin to live a satisfying life.
Business Proposal Guidance
I notate it as guidance because I am often asked if I write business plans. I do! For myself. For small business owners, no one should be writing your business plan, but you. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't engage others for help. But you should sit at the helm, learning the broad strokes of what it takes to compile a comprehensive business plan. Everything in the business plan is relevant to your business's operation and success. I advise that my clients use their business plan in a very literal, practical, applied way. It should be a living document that guides everything you do.
You should be learning about each aspect, department, and facet. You need to understand how it all comes together, and how one small change can have a ripple effect across seemingly unrelated areas of the business. Though you may hire our for things such as market research, you need to qualify it. How do you know it is relevant, precise, or good? Why should you blindly trust a report when you don't understand how it was compiled? No- You can't become an expert at everything. But you can try your hardest to gain a level of comfort and familiarity and hire those that you trust have a firm grasp on their specialty. Building a business is about bringing together the right team. And that starts with the business plan. You will have to trust others. But not blindly.
If you can't get through assembling your business plan with confidence, you may want to question if you need to back up a step and best prepare yourself with a refresher and overview. A "Business 101 Class" might be a good option.
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