Beyond The Mood Board

We’re all told to be our authentic selves. But what does that really mean? And how much of a balance should we be aiming for between the highlight reel and behind the scenes?   Today’s guest, Shelley Easter, and I are pushing back on today’s buzzwords like ‘be yourself’ and ‘show up authentically,’ to dig into what clients really need to see and hear to be attracted to your business.   Shelley is a graphic and web designer, digital marketing strategist, and owner of the web design company, Launch Party. She makes bright and bold online presences for small businesses in both service industries and e-commerce.    On this episode we discuss: How to shape and translate the personality of your brand; The interplay between your personal brand and your business; Showing up on social media; Researching your audience to find out what they want to hear; and Posting the type of work that you want to attract.   Visit Pattern of Purpose for show notes and links to resources mentioned on this episode.

Do you have a client survey? If so, why are you asking the questions you ask? It’s a tool we know we need, but there isn’t a lot of solid advice on how to create one, distribute it, and get the information you’re looking for.   My friend and former colleague, Dara Murray, is here to help us change our approach to surveys and relationships with data.    On this episode we discuss: Why you should be collecting data; How to set up a structured conversation with clients; How many questions you should include in your surveys; The best way to improve your response rates; How long is too long; and  Using your survey data to improve your business.   Visit Pattern of Purpose for show notes and links to resources mentioned on this episode.

What do you get when you take a boozy brunch, add business talk, and get the kids to nap? In my case, I was able to convince my husband, Brent, to join me on the show. Listen in as we talk about balance, support, and prioritizing when growing a business and family.   I started my first business two months after Brent and I were married. A baby followed just over a year later. It’s been seven years since this crazy season began and to mark the occasion we’re reflecting on what’s worked and what hasn’t worked so well.    In addition to being my other half, Brent Wensel is a land acquisitions manager for a homebuilder in the Washington metropolitan area. He started his career as an economist and launched his own career shift to real estate when our first child was born.   Visit Pattern of Purpose for show notes and links to resources mentioned on this episode.

How you price your work is a reflection of your brand. So why is it that we compare our work quality to those charging much more than us but are hesitant to price accordingly?    Never one to shy away from telling it like it is, I talk openly about my own pricing challenges, money mindset, and practical ways you can think about pricing for your knowledge and expertise.    On this episode, specifically, I cover: How I learned to think about money as a child; Learning to equate money with hard work; The psychology behind spending; My experience working for free; How to price your work; and Listing prices on your website.   Visit Pattern of Purpose for show notes and links to resources mentioned on this episode.

Many people are talking about SEO but few break down what you should expect from your efforts. [Hint: you’re in it for the long-game.] My guest, Meg Casebolt, joins me for part two of our conversation about how you can intentionally create content that increases your search rankings and drives people to you based on your expertise.   Meg and I had so much to talk about that we split our conversation into two episodes. Last week we discussed how much you really need to be doing to get enough eyes on your business to fill your books.   On this episode, we’re moving into the nuts and bolts of SEO for your business. We discuss: Whether web designers incorporate SEO into their process; Keyword stuffing; How you should approach content creation that’s SEO friendly; When you should expect results from SEO; and Tips on how to create content that search engines love.   Learn more about the Back to Business Retreat I'm hosting, September 11-14, 2019.   Visit Pattern of Purpose for show notes and links to resources me

Those people that stand out are usually the ones who say the things we’re thinking but aren’t brave enough to admit. They go against the grain unapologetically. And they’ve reached success not because they’ve followed the masses, but because they’ve cultivated their own point of view.   This is how I found Meg Casebolt. I reached out to her one spring Saturday morning after reading her blog post titled, How Much Traffic Does Your Website Really Need? It spoke to me so deeply in this season where I’m choosing to intentionally build a business that feels good, even when that doesn’t reflect what the “experts” are telling us to do.   Meg is an SEO specialist, digital strategist and founder of Megabolt Digital. She helps female entrepreneurs succeed online by helping them get found on Google then turning readers into customers, all by using custom strategies that fit them better than Catwoman’s suit (without the wedgie).   In this conversation, we discuss: Self-awareness that goes into pivoting in your career; O

Personal stylists. You might just think these are for the rich and famous. But you’d be mistaken. In fact, how you dress has a significant impact on how your brand is received and how confident you feel pitching yourself.   Nicole Otchy is a personal stylist and personal branding consultant who helps women express who they are and who they are becoming through their wardrobes. She loves showing women how to use their clothes as a tool to feel confident and powerful as they build their businesses and brands so they can spread their message with ease and impact more people.   Nicole has been a personal stylist for over nine years. In addition to working with 1:1 clients, she has styled photo shoots for personal branding clients, major retail brands, and print and digital magazines including Women's Day and Polished Magazine.   In this episode we discuss: How your clothes can be used as a tool to increase your confidence; How your personal brand relates to your business; What items to prioritize in your wardrob

If you’re speaking to everyone, you’re speaking to no one. That’s why we create client avatars. We give them names, talk about where they like to shop and whether they’re married, have kids or pets...or both. But we fail to include the most important information in these profiles - that which will help guide our content and convert visitors into customers. In this solocast, I’m breaking down a lot of myths surrounding the ideal client avatar and why most of the avatars I see are incomplete. I share an actual example of an avatar I commonly see and how it can be improved for the purpose it was designed for - to judge whether the content and services we’re releasing will resonate with the audience they’re intended to reach. Bonus: I’m giving you specific questions to get you started forming your own (useful and accurate!) ideal client avatar. In this episode we discuss: The purpose of an ideal client avatar, How to create an avatar when it seems like you have more than one ideal client, The difference between

Headshots. We all need them but rarely do they seem to fit our brand look and feel. And who really wants the stiff blazer against a gray backdrop effect representing them?  It can feel like navigating a minefield trying to figure out how to get a range of photos that represent you, how to prepare for a shoot, and how to pose. Enter Steph Zangeneh Azam.   Steph is the owner of Mighty Within. A one-gal creative studio designing electric brands and websites along with vibrant photography. She has a sincere appreciation for things of the past that are well made and will stand the test of time; Danish modern furniture, film photography, and listening to records. She loves her cats, riding her vintage motorcycles, and crime podcasts. Her go-to style: turquoise rings + dirty boots + WILD hair. Most weekends you’ll find her sharing Instagram stories of her California adventures with her husband Alex in their vintage convertible.   In this episode we discuss: Whether to brand your business under your name or not; Com

This episode is the one I’m scared to share. I’m coming out with something that’s been holding me back in my business and my career: SURPRISE, I still have a day job. For seven years I haven’t told clients I have a career in nonprofits and I haven’t shared with my work colleagues that I’m a business owner. Living this dual life has been exhausting and kept me from fully tapping into why it’s beneficial to everyone that I am continuously growing in multiple directions. In this episode I share: The struggle to keep cover all of my experiences and interests under one job title; What it’s like to work for someone else as an entrepreneur; The specific concerns I had about sharing my educational and professional background with clients; Why I don’t consider my business a “side hustle”; The unexpected freedom work gives me in my business; and How long I’m planning on balancing both work streams. PLUS: I'm hosting a retreat! Get all the details at patternofpurpose.com/retreat. Visit Pattern of Purpose for show note

What should you do when you don’t love the concept your designer has created? How much feedback is too much? And what happens when you’re having trouble separating your preferences from what’s best for your audience? These are just a few of the areas on which Emily Baird shares her knowledge with us.  Emily is a luxury designer specializing in wedding invitations and small business branding. Her work has been nationally recognized in Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, Style Me Pretty, and many more publications. On this episode, Kim and Emily talk about: Deciding when to leap into business ownership full time; Important lessons learned from working for someone else; The best way to figure out how your style fits with a designer; How designers are trained to receive feedback; Giving direction to your designer without copying someone else’s approach; and Life lessons about finishing strong. Stick around until the end when Emily and Kim share some of the most cringe-worthy moments they’ve ever experienced. Vis

Why do we think that building a business has to be hard? That the only path to success is through round-the-clock hustle? Natalie Biesel, a coach for female entrepreneurs and former brand designer, knocks this notion on its head in today’s episode. Natalie Biesel is a brand expert and mindset coach for high-achieving female entrepreneurs. After decades of corporate work, she recently ditched her day job and pivoted her business to better align with her intentions and passions. On this episode, Natalie shares: Why we need to slow down to find our highest creativity; What self-sabotage looks like and why it’s hard to spot; Small shifts we can make running a business feel better; How working on user-centered design projects with her former agency changed her approach to designing websites; and What elements of our story we should include to attract our people. Visit Pattern of Purpose for show notes and links to resources mentioned in the show.

The legal side of our businesses tends not to be the most glamorous, so we put it off as long as we can. And while trademark, copyright, non-disclosures, and patent search aren’t at the forefront of our minds, they could make or break your brand.  Angie Avard Turner, an attorney for creatives, breaks down when we should be thinking about legally protecting our brand and business assets and what could happen if we aren’t proactive in this sphere. She shares lessons on what to do with copy-cats, searching for use before naming our business or product and designing a logo, and how to enter partnerships in a positive way while still acknowledging that things might not always go as planned. On this episode we covered: Channeling your creativity in your work, even if it’s not what you went to school for; Pivoting in business after seeing a hole in the market; The difference between copyright and trademark; When you need to think about protecting your business; What an NDA is and how you should be using one when co

All of us want more of our best customers. But how to do that? This week’s guest, Kate Farrall, shares how she tracks her clients’ feedback and exact words they use to connect with prospects, making them feel heard, understood, and cared for. Kate Farrall is a get-your-shit-together specialist for artists, makers and creative business owners who want to do more and earn more from what they make. Her path from MFA to tech start-up to business owner allows her to help her clients use proven marketing and outreach tactics to build their businesses without sacrificing their creativity. In this episode we talk about: Reflecting back to clients what they say so they feel heard and understood; Tracking feedback in a way that’s useful, not overwhelming; How you can use client questions for content and marketing ideas; Creative ways to share client wins with prospects; and Acknowledging that you don’t need to attract everyone - just the right people - to have a successful business. Download Kate's free resource guid

There are costs of doing business and there are costs of doing business well. For me, there’s been one investment that I’ve counted as a non-negotiable since 2016. In this solocast I’m sharing the one line item on my budget each year and how it’s totally transformed my business.  As a service-based business owner, unless you have a storefront or products you sell, your overhead can stay fairly minimal. But it’s easy to get in the trap of not investing in your business because you “don’t have to.” In this episode I’m sharing: How connecting with other entrepreneurs kept me going in the first year of business; The lessons I’ve learned about traveling for business and how that bleeds into my personal life; The specific investments I’ve made in the last three years; and Eight business and life lessons I learned from my investment this year. Interested in attending a retreat this year? I might be planning one! Share your thoughts with me so I can create an experience that's just what you're looking for. Visit Pa

Marketing your business is a must. But it doesn’t have to be painful. Sonya Schweitzer, marketing strategist, grounds us in how branding is different from marketing, where you need to be in order to be seen, and how marketing is shifting online. Sonya helps clients see how the right marketing strategy can help them find success in their business. Building her career from the time where billboard and radio ads were the best marketing to now, when digital trends change daily, Sonya has a deep appreciation for customizing your approach based on where your audience is. On this episode, she shares: How you can be adaptable in the face of a quickly shifting digital landscape; The ways branding and marketing are different; Determining the ROI on your marketing efforts; Paid vs. organic traffic; The trouble with stretching yourself too thin with your marketing; and Keeping your focus on your own visibility - not others’. Visit Pattern of Purpose for show notes and links to resources mentioned in the show.

We’re kicking off the show with our host, Kim Wensel, sharing her story of building a brand and the unexpected pivots along the way. Kim’s background is in nonprofits and academia, a far stretch from entrepreneurship. It wasn’t until she was 27 that she got the hint that starting a business might be the right fit for her multiple passions and skill set. Six months later, she was running a wedding planning business on top of her full-time job in international development. In this episode we explore: Balancing multiple work priorities and a family; Pivoting your business focus and services; The difference between an expensive hobby and a business; and What this podcast will cover: getting to know your customer, brand positioning, client language, steps before hiring a designer, and working with the right designer. Visit Pattern of Purpose for show notes and links to resources mentioned in the show. Follow Kim as she shares more about her business and her personal life on Instagram.

Before you hire a designer, get clear on what you really need. Kali Edwards, a graphic and web designer, shares her tips on the most important questions to explore before you jump into a rebrand. Kim interviews Kali Edwards, a graphic and web designer, who runs June Mango Studio.  Kali designs brands for mamas who are balancing businesses and babies. She loves making things beautiful but works hard to make sure her designs are functional, as well.   If you’re looking to connect with your clients and build trust that makes you the obvious choice for them, you’ll love this conversation! In this episode, we discuss: The difference between a “restyle” and a “rebrand” When it’s time to rebrand and what you need to prepare for one Common branding misconceptions The most important action you can take to market your business Do’s and don’ts of a rebrand Why we’re all craving more human connection and what we can do about it Visit Pattern of Purpose for show notes and links to resources mentioned in the show.

Does the thought of selling yourself overwhelm you? Mimi Bishop is here to help with that. As a side hustle coach and productivity expert, Mimi shares tips on how to define your niche, describe your business, and build trust with your audience. Mimi Bishop left her high-level corporate job of 25 years to help ambitious women working a 9-5 and want to launch a business online. In true New Yorker fashion, Mimi started her own business helping executives and business owners who wanted to be more productive through their days. She later realized that, while productivity was important, it wasn’t always what people were willing to invest in. On this episode, she talks through: The difference between the outcome and the process...and pinpointing which one sells better; Why it’s important to go back to the drawing board to create your branding statement before creating a website or building your social following; How your branding statement leads to the “three C’s”: Confidence, Consistency, and Clients; What it mean