Ask Me Anything: The Business Side of Being a Brand Designer & A Pinterest Expert
I'm jumping into a Q&A of the questions I've received from live workshops, emails, direct messages, and even simple conversations from family and friends over time.
I know that I love getting a sneak peek behind the scenes of what other businesses are doing in their space, so I figured I'd turn the questions and answers into a post for you all!
This post is about me giving you a glance into the business side of being a brand designer and a Pinterest expert.
Q: Ok, so you're a full-time nurse, a mother of two, a brand designer, AND a Pinterest expert?! How do you manage it all?
Haha! I get this question often so I'll do my best to answer it in a short, Coles Notes version in order (btw, does anyone remember Coles Notes from high school English class??).
To be quite honest with you, there was a season when I struggled a lot.
I would not get enough sleep, overwork myself, and try to do it all because I wanted it to seem like I had it all managed.
But it came to the point where I was just burning myself out.
I was literally working night to morning, 7 days a week, with very little time to focus on what I needed to be the best nurse, mom, wife, and entrepreneur.
It came to the point where I had to look hard at myself and choose the best path for my success.
I started prioritizing my self-care, started using a productivity & management system that would keep me accountable with client work and family life (Notion is my favorite), and I have to say, things are much better than they were before.
I still have moments where I feel like things are getting crazy, but I've learned to not stress too much and continue to focus on a system that works for me.
Q: What was it about Pinterest that made you want to start a business?
Way back in the day, I was a DIY home decor blogger (this was my previous Instagram account).
When I was a home decor blogger, I would look at all the big home blogging accounts and marvel at their websites, hoping and wishing that I could have a website as they did (and also, hoping that I could have the website traffic they had too!).
From there, I started my very own blog and started documenting my home decor transformations.
Like most bloggers starting out, I thought the moment I published a blog, the traffic would start rolling in and I would start making some money! >> embarrassing but so true lol.
When I quickly realized that blogging was going to take a lot more than me publishing a post, I started Googling everything I could to get traffic to my website.
Throughout all of my research, I frequently kept getting results that would point me towards Pinterest.
At that time, I hadn't thought much about Pinterest, especially using it to gain more traction on my blog.
So once again, I took to Pinterest to find the best Pinterest resource I could find and came upon Meagan Williamson's Pinterest Marketing Toolkit >> affiliate link here.
I bought her toolkit, used her strategies, and saw a crazy boost of website traffic to my blog within one month.
NO LIE.
All it took was one month of using the correct Pinterest strategies and posting consistently, I then did I see a major change to my blog traffic.
Right then, I knew I wanted to learn more about Pinterest.
I quickly began following Meagan Williamson on Instagram and was obsessed with all her blog content.
When I saw she was offering a Pinterest Accelerator Course to become a Pinterest Strategist, I jumped headfirst into her program and never looked back.
Q: How did you become a brand designer and how do you combine the two in your business?
One of the many aspects to being a Pinterest manager was customized Pinterest graphic creation that I offered as a service for my clients.
During the time that I was a Pinterest manager, I started to really fall in love with creating the Pinterest graphics. There were times that I would sit at my computer and batch out 30, 40, or 50 customized graphics, all from scratch, and I loved it!
The more I started creating, the more my love of design started to come out in my work. It was during a time in my business where I was feeling overwhelmed with running a business, and decided to really focus on the things that would light me up.
When I realized that designing was a huge passion of mine, I made the hard decision to transition to becoming a brand designer and offer it as a service in addition to Pinterest marketing.
Q: I am such a fan and I'm obsessed with all your designs I see you post on Instagram — where do you get your inspiration from?
First of all, thank you so much! That's the best compliment I could ever receive 🙂.
I get my inspiration from many places. It could be a book, a blog post, a movie that I watched, music that I listen to, my family, my nursing profession, or other creatives in the online space that I've come to know and respect so much.
I truly believe that inspiration is around us all the time, whether we are looking for it or not. There have been so many times that I've received the creative intuitive nudge from simple everyday tasks in life.
I've learned over time that when I feel that intuitive nudge, to make sure I document the thought or sketch out the idea before it gets lost.
You can often find me with multiple notepads on my desk or in my travel bag. If I don't have these items with me, I simply whip out my phone, voice record my idea or write out my thoughts in the notes of my phone.
Q: What if I wanted just a logo? Do you do that or would I have to do a complete brand redesign to work with you?
You know, if you were to ask me this when I first started out, I would have said that I do not design just logos, but as of recently, I've started to reconsider this for any potential clients that reach out to me.
If you are wanting to have a logo designed by me and you are in the health and wellness industry (my target market who I love to work with), there is a potential that we can work together!
Depending on my client bookings, I may take on a logo design project, but it truly would be on a case-by-case basis.
A potential client would still have to reach out to me via my contact page, fill in the information & complete a client application which I would review.
Once I see that we'd be a good fit to potentially work together, we'd sit down on a virtual chat and discuss your needs further. If we're a good fit, then I'd start the onboarding process for your logo design project which consists of a branding questionnaire with very specific questions about your business.
These customized logo designs can take anywhere between 2-4 weeks to complete (once again, depending on my availability and on a case-by-case basis).
One thing that I've started to test out with my business has been premade logo design projects. Premade logo designs are perfect for the business owner who's just starting out and may not have the full budget to invest in a four-figure branding project but still really wants to work with me.
Looking for a modern, minimalist logo design at an affordable price point? I’ve dedicated a part of my online shop to helping others get the design experience from a brand designer if you’re just starting out. Make sure to head to my shop to see what I have. New designs are updated frequently! >> PREMADE LOGO DESIGNS
Q: Why do you specifically only work with health & wellness entrepreneurs?
I chose to niche down to health and wellness entrepreneurs because I am a health professional and entrepreneur myself. With my work as a Registered Nurse, I feel like I can relate in many ways to entrepreneurs who are in this space who are altruistic in nature but struggle with building a business of their dreams, especially one that will make them money.
Q: How long do most branding projects take?
Good question! Although each branding project is unique on its own, depending on what is required for the brand, most branding projects take between 6-8 weeks in total.
Q: How did you grow your business and become so good at what you do?!
Aw, thanks so much for that compliment!
The only way that I became good at what I'm doing right now is because I truly immersed myself in my craft.
Every. Darn. Day.
I can't even tell you the number of times my family said to me that I'm out of the loop on so many events that have taken place in the world because I barely watch TV or Netflix. I'm always reading a blog, a book, watching a video, taking a course (P.S. I think I'm obsessed with learning - I'm constantly buying courses!), or listening to podcasts.
The other thing that I've implemented in my business this year 2021 that has grown my business and positioned me as an expert has been...
Blogging.
Yes. I said it. Blogging is NOT dead (despite what others may want to think).
Blogging has really given me that boost of confidence I so needed as an entrepreneur. Many times, imposter syndrome would sneak up and want to make me feel like I'm not good at what I do. But the only thing that has made me feel truly alive and excited for what I get to do on a daily basis has been sharing my message in written form.
Anytime I learn something new, I blog about it because I feel that knowledge is power and that in order for me to change the world on a greater level through my gifts and talents, I need to share with others what I know.
I learned this very powerful lesson from Paige Brunton - someone who I truly admire. I have been following her for years and have always marveled at how she's been so transparent with her audience about what she knows & how she can help them, and the way she has always shared her knowledge has been through her blogging platform.
Q: What do you like best about branding?
I love EVERYTHING. Especially when I get to work with a dream client - it's like a chef's kiss 🙂
Many people wonder what’s the big deal with branding, especially since I think now in the design world, "brand strategy" or "branding" or "brand strategist" is sort of like a buzzword.
I'll paraphrase what Marty Neumeier says in The Brand Gap of what branding is (awesome read by the way! – once again, I'm constantly reading).
Branding is essentially filling the brand gap that exists between business strategy and design.
From my experience with clients, I have found there to be a huge disconnect with how branding can not only help their business become more distinct in their industry, but branding (especially GOOD branding) is bridging of how we look at building a business strategically while using design skills to help attract the right audience/customer/client to our business.
So in essence, I love taking logical, analytical, concrete thinking and infusing it with intuitive emotion and visual creativity to design the best branding for businesses.
If you are ever curious about how I accomplish bridging brand strategy and brand design, take a look at these two recent projects I completed:
From The Archives: Logo & Branding Design for The Wellness Collective
A Brand Identity Shoe Design for Healthcare Workers: Sweet Stride
Q: I know in your email newsletter a few weeks ago, you mentioned you're working on a new website and new services packages. How's it going and what will your new services be?
Yes! I'm in the process of getting my website re-done and it's gonna look soooo good!
I've seen the wireframes that were built and I'm telling you guys, it's pure genius (can you tell that I'm obsessed already?!)
Ok, so my website that I currently have has been through quite a few transitions from when I was a home decor blogger, to Pinterest consultant, to now a brand designer and Pinterest consultant.
This means, as I've transitioned, I've had to design my website to keep up with the changes.
On. My Own.
And although I am a brand designer, I am NOT a website designer. I can do a few certain things that involve minimal coding, but nothing extravagant to the point that would WOW someone when they landed on my page.
As I've transitioned my business, I started to not fall so much in love with my website. I knew my website could be designed better - not only aesthetically - but more importantly, to provide my user experience.
Even the times I would check out my website, I realized that it could be better in ways of attracting my target audience, and on the backend of things, converting my audience.
So, I've said goodbye to the DIY approach to designing my website and sought out a web design expert.
Yes, even your girl had to take her own advice when it came to her business!
The same thing that I tell clients, I then had to use on myself, so when I say that I understand that stepping out and seeking a professional's help can be scary, it's something that we all should really consider and just do if we have the means to do so.
The amount of peace and satisfaction that I've received during this whole process has been nothing but wonderful.
When I think about how much time and effort I would have to put into the whole process to design my own website, it would easily take me well over a year (in my opinion, but I'm not 100% sure it would lol).
In all, I’m hoping to have my website debuted for the new year coming :)
When it comes to the services that I want to offer, I've taken a look at what services were popular and what services I truly enjoyed working on.
With that, I've decided to further niche down what I offer into two (maaaaybe three) services that will provide the best value to anyone I work with.
I've spoken about this before on my Instagram, and I briefly touched on the topic here as well in this Q&A.
I had to re-evaluate a few things in my business this year, and my website and services were some of the top items on that were on the list.
I'm at a happy place right now with where my business is going and the type of clients I've been blessed to work with.
I'm very much excited to see how things progress from here on out & I cannot wait to serve you even more through branding, design, Pinterest marketing & strategy.
THINKING OF WORKING TOGETHER?
Book your free consultation call with me so we can chat further about how my brand design & Pinterest services can help your business.
Disclosure: There are affiliate links added to this blog post which means if you click on the link provided and make a purchase, I receive a small commission that is no charge to you but simply supports my business to provide amazing resources like this for you in the future.
Let’s Connect
@cwillisandco
