EP16: How and When do you find a Co-Founder? – TOP 3 BRAND ADVICE W/ SARAH AND TERI (FEMALES WHO SIDE HUSTLE)
(From Co-Founders, Co-Podcasters, and Business Owners’s perspective)
- Listen in to hear Sarah and Teri (FEMALES WHO SIDE HUSTLE)’s TOP 3 pieces of advice on branding and business and hear from her perspective. Sarah and Teri are the co-founders of Females Who Side Hustle – a community to support, educate and empower those who hustle! It’s a community and missile where women can hare their success, vocalize their struggles, support, educate and empower one another. With a newly launched podcast called “Save Her Seat”, and a series of events aimed at bringing women together, they are ditching competition and encouraging females to life each other up and collaborate.Enter the giveaway to win a podcast shoutout of your brand a business on the BRANDING GEMS podcast, AND, a Save Her Seat Hat!
Enter here. - TOPICS WE DISCUSS: Finding your Co-Founder, Why Cold DM’s Work, Brands with Co-Founders, Collaboration Reasons, Co-founder tips Community Building Tips, Collaboration Community, Making Brand Connections, Relationship Building, Business Partnership, Digital Friendships, Digital Community Building, Internet Connections, Brand Promotion Benefits, Confident Brand Moves, Proud Brands
TRANSCRIPTION:
First tip: 0:07:56.0
Second tip: 0:18:05.1
Third tip: 0:26:09.5
[0:00:00.0] Diana: Through, say, by writing. That really leads you forward and you can start from a place of knowing the impact that you’re going to make on others and why it matters.
[0:00:11.5] Peggy: You’re listening to the Branding Gems podcast, a podcast that’s not just interviews and conversations. It’s to bring you guys the best of the best women in branding and business to answer this question: What are your top three valuable tips and lessons that you learned along the way? And then, we discuss it. To fuel your passion-filled lifestyle business, I promise to bring you the best of the best women in branding and business and together, we can grow and learn from the extracted advice that they provide. I’m Peggy Bree, and let’s get growing!
Hi! Welcome, welcome, welcome! Thank you for being here. If you’re not following me on Instagram, if you’re not following our podcast on Instagram yet, definitely do so @blankroomdesin or @peggybree, which is me. And definitely reach out, just connect with me. Let me know who to bring on this podcast, let me know if you want to be on this podcast, and just connect with me there on Instagram. And of course, last week we had a giveaway and it was pretty cool! It was our first giveaway for this podcast, and the giveaway winner is not @knotreallyart, so congrats to them! They have a shoutout and they have a Save Her Seat hat from our last week’s guest episode. And so, their shoutout is that Knot Really Art is a business located in Niagara region run by Maddy Wassink and they specialize in custom wood signs and DIY craft kits for children and adults. Established in 2019, their work is sold across North America and proudly handcrafted from start to finish. You can find them at @knotreallyart on Instagram and knotreallyart.com. And knot is spelled with a K, like knot, which is so cute! And I love supporting small businesses and brands and women-founded passions. They’re just such a core of me, and I love doing that, so this giveaway shoutout and this shoutout to this awesome craft maker and business owner is truly one of a kind and I love doing these. One more thing, Zencastr sponsored this episode, so thank you so much to Zencastr. And you can definitely use my code @PeggyBree to get 40% off for three months and two weeks free. And what is Zencastr? Well, Zencastr is a platform for you to record audio or video and you can use it for your content. It is awesome! It’s like HD recording. And you don’t have to use it for podcasts. You can use it for social media content. You can just record the voice, you can record the video that you need, and you can also record with people around the world, so there is that opportunity if you want. So use my code @PeggyBree to try it out. And yeah, I feel like I talked a lot in this pre-intro, but I’m glad that you’re here and thank you so much again for just being here, for supporting this podcast, and stay tuned! I love this guest and I hope you will too. I know you will! Talk to you soon. Bye!
Hi! Welcome back to another episode of Branding Gems. I have such a lovely guest today, and I’m so excited to share her top three tips and advice in branding and business, and also what she learned in her journey so far. So today, we have Diana, and she is the founder and writer behind Required Reading, a brand copywriting studio that works with passionate, intentional, and life-centered brands to create distinct voices and copy with character. Welcome, Diana!
[0:04:06.2] Diana: Hi! Thank you so much for having me!
[0:04:09.1] Peggy: You’re awesome. And Diana’s one of the authors for our book, Branding Quickies, where we got 20 women from around the world to share their insights, tips, stories, and everything in between in branding and business, and I absolutely love Diana’s section. [Laughter]
[0:04:29.5] Diana: Thank you.
[0:04:29.7] Peggy: It was just so real and relatable, and she took people through the thought process of what it’s like to leap from the 9 to 5 world and how her business was shaped afterwards. And I also want to note that Diana is one of the best copywriters that I know and I love her dive-in process because she’s also a deep thinker like myself, so she is awesome.
[0:04:57.7] Diana: Thank you so much for that intro. Yeah, writing for the book was honestly such a fun process and yeah, I’m just honored to be part of it with so many amazing women.
[0:05:07.5] Peggy: Yes. Seriously, your section was really relatable because I remember you mentioned about how you’re at the office and then it just became like an epiphany of some sort where you realized that you wanted to take that leap into starting your own brand and copywriting studio. And in that thought process, I’m sure it was a fearful thing to leap to, but you came out of it and your studio is awesome.
[0:05:36.8] Diana: [Laughter] Thank you so much. Yeah, that’s right. I mean, I’m sure so many people listening can relate, but when you’re in a 9 to 5, you’re working for an agency, whatever, client, there’s always something that you feel like is missing because, I mean, there are some amazing studios and agencies out there, and not to say that they aren’t, but I think when you get to a point in your career where you really want to niche in on something, you just start to look for, “Okay, where’s that place that’s going to fulfill me creatively, is going to offer the kind of lifestyle that I want?” And I think it’s hard because when you’re in a 9 to 5, you don’t really realize that there’s another way to work. At least that’s what it was for me. I knew that it was possible because I started seeing these designers on Instagram starting to pop up and the creative entrepreneurship life. And I didn’t know anything about that, but I was intrigued and so, I just watched that for a while and then tried to figure out how I could do that for myself.
[0:06:44.4] Peggy: Mm-hmm. It’s so true because when you’re so far from that reach of accomplishing what you want to accomplish, it’s sometimes a wonder where it’s like, “Okay, how did those people get from A to B and then C to D?” And then when you start to figure out those pieces and directions on your own pace, it’s incredible what one can learn from it and that process throughout, so it’s awesome.
[0:07:16.1] Diana: It is, yeah. It’s really like the school of observation and social media. [Laughter]
[0:07:22.2] Peggy: Right, it’s so true.
[0:07:24.6] Diana: And community-building. There’s something to say about the communities that you can join and insert yourself in and really be a part of on Instagram because I know that’s a huge platform for all creatives right now. And there’s something to be said about why it works. It’s because you get to learn from others and yeah, I’m excited to talk a little bit more about that too.
[0:07:47.8] Peggy: It’s so true. Let’s dive right in. What are your top three tips in branding and business? And let’s start with number one.
[0:07:56.0] Diana: Number one. So this was the first thing that came to mind and it’s really about value, and I think that for any creative business owner, for anyone who’s trying to figure out where they are in their journey, whether it’s with their craft or starting some kind of online business. I think knowing not only just what you value, but the value that you specifically offer. So what is that value that you are able to reflect through your craft or expertise? And I think if you know that, if you come from a place where you’re not second-guessing and obviously, we’re human [laughter], all of that insecurity is real and I am a huge, I guess, victim of that [laughter] like we all can be, but I think what you can really outline for yourself, “This is the value that I offer for people through, say, by writing.” That really leads you forward and you can start from a place of knowing the impact that you’re going to make on others and why it matters. So yeah, that’s my first.
[0:09:07.5] Peggy: I love that. It’s so true that to know your value for your brand and business, but to also seek out what you can provide for other people and who you’re serving is so important. And that leads me to the question of the word “value” because I’m sure the world could define it as a monetary value and to have money behind it, but what does it mean to have value for your audience and your business that’s apart from monetary value?
[0:09:44.7] Diana: When I think of value, it’s such an interesting thing because it goes beyond just price or investment or putting a number to something, but rather, value really is like an intrinsic quality that we place on something. And so, if you look at, say, any household good like a candle or something, there are some candles that cost $5 and there are some that cost $60. And so, where does that value come from in that range? And that’s more specifically about price, but when someone puts value on something, it immediately attains that and tells others they should value this in the same way that we do. And so, when we do that for ourselves, I think it’s really honoring to ourselves to remember to push past the doubts that we inevitably have, the insecurity, the impostor syndrome that tends to run so rampant. But I think the really amazing antidote to that is remembering the value that you can ultimately place on yourself and then from there, your business. So if you show your clients and peers that “I put value on what I do, on what I offer,” that’s going to be communicated to everyone else and they’re going to see that and also value that.
[0:11:14.6] Peggy: Mm-hmm, that’s so true and it’s interesting because in that way, for the audience that comes in favor of your brand and business, they also can see that you value not only your brand and business, but you value them and they know, as a service provider, that you are invested in creating the most value for them too. And in your case, it would be through copy and written words and finding the ways to communicate that, so that’s so amazing!
[0:11:43.7] Diana: Right. Yeah, that’s such a good point you bring up because it starts with you so that you can, in and of itself, have a way to qualitatively sell what you’re doing. You need a way to relay to someone, “This is why this is important. It’s not just about selling a good or service. It’s because I really do want to make an impact on you.” And then, I think from that place of knowing your value and your worth or what your craft is worth, then you can go and do that to the best of your ability for someone else because you believe that it’s important not just for you, but for them. And yeah, I think brands and businesses who really operate from that place, I think they stand out and I think that’s why they’re successful. It’s because they’re really in tune with that and they’re able to take that time to really figure that out before so that it informs their work. And trust me, this is all easier said than done. [Laughter] But yeah, just some things that I’ve really started to learn and reflect on as time goes by.
[0:12:58.2] Peggy: I love that. I love that. It is an ongoing process that can be refined over time because I’m sure, even as starters or maybe someone who’s in the middle who is stuck in that process of value for their business and brands and their audience, it’s not always something that gets right on the first try all the time. It’s really a refinement. It’s a process and it gets better over time.
[0:13:26.0] Diana: It really does, and you learn how to pivot and you have lessons along the way that humble you or you have to even defend yourself. There are a lot of people who might not readily understand what you’re offering and the value that that brings or even how it will make an impact on their business and so, the curse and the beauty of [laughter] the entrepreneurship that we do is that it really is up to us to be able to define that for people and set those parameters, and it really does test you. And I’m naturally not a person who [laughter] really stands up for myself when it comes to things like that. I hate conflict. I try to be really easygoing, and so that’s definitely been something that stretched me within my business, is learning how to do all that.
[0:14:24.8] Peggy: Mm-hmm. That’s so good. And before we get into your second tip, you talked a little bit about defending that value. What does that look like? Because I’m sure that not everyone will always be on the same eye with whatever price or value you put out. So when someone is in disagreement of what you put out in that way, how do you defend yourself through that? Or what kind of words are said to sound professional, but also to stand your ground?
[0:14:58.0] Diana: Yeah, and what a hard balance, right? Even just talking about that, I’m sure everyone listening is like, “Oh, that’s such a hard line to teeter.” But yeah, it’s probably been about almost three years in this business and so, along the way, I’ve had so many incredible clients, and I’m sure everyone can attest to having a bad client experience at one point. But yeah, there have been times where I’ll talk about my process or explain the investment, and even throughout the years at varying levels, there’s been just a couple clients who have not really understood where that comes from, where the price itself comes from, or why I make certain decisions, or not just plain happy and are like, “I guess this isn’t what I thought it was.” And that gives you the chance to really reflect on yourself and strengthen your own processes, but there are times where you just notice that people are just, I think, maybe missing it. And in those situations, I think that it’s definitely a good idea to stay kind, and I think kindness and clarity really wins the day in those situations. There are times when you can own up to your shortcomings, but then there are also times to push in and ask them to clarify what they feel like is missing. And I think sometimes when you do that, it can really reveal where their source of frustration is coming from, and in some of those cases, it’s been because they’re not clear on what they’re looking for. And so, I would say, yeah, apology where it’s needed is great, but in the chance where you’re just trying to figure out where their doubt or their pushback is coming from, I think pressing back in in an, obviously, respectful way to ask more clarifying questions or “I would love to make this better,” or “This is why this is priced this way. This is my experience. This is the value that we place on it and this is how long it takes or the process.” Or for designers, there are so many other working parts that you have to quote for, so I think really outlining everything for them, and then if it’s still not something that they’re gravitating towards, press in with more clarifying questions about what they’re looking for.
[0:17:38.1] Peggy: Mm-hmm. Oh, that’s so good and I really love what you said about kindness and at the end of it all, just overcoming that with extra kindness, even as much as a client or so is not in that same level of communication, it’s always great to just overcome it, so I love that.
[0:17:59.6] Diana: Yeah, definitely. [Laughter]
[0:18:01.7] Peggy: What’s your second tip on branding and business?
[0:18:05.1] Diana: Yeah, so it kind of was a segue off of the first one, but I really do think, and it’s probably because I’m a classic introvert at heart, but I think taking the time to be introspective. And it plays into knowing your values and you only know your values and the value that you offer from really sitting down with yourself and thinking about why you do what you do. But I think yeah, just taking the time to be introspective, whether it’s because you need a break, because you need to creatively step away or recenter yourself on “This is who I am. This is what drives me. This is what in turn drives my business and what I value and what I want to bring through to my business.” I think that once we create that space or that silence, it shows us then what is worth filling that space with or filling that silence with. In that way, and I think creatively, this definitely helps because there are so many trends out there, whether it’s in types of content or social marketing or even where we get our inspiration, but I think coming back to our self to know what makes us most energized and inspired, and yeah, I really feel like there’s such value in taking that time to really understand who we are. Because as a business owner, and I’m sure everyone can attest to, if you’re working for yourself creatively, it really shows you what you’re made of. [Laughter] And I’ve talked about this a little on my Instagram as well. Yeah, it’s definitely a learning curve that doesn’t just show you how to run a business, but it shows you a lot about yourself and so I think when different parts of yourself are revealed, taking the time to pause and look inward and assess yourself, and then figure out how to make a step forward or a decision.
[0:20:19.1] Peggy: Mm-hmm. I love that because I’m sure, as many entrepreneurs and business owners can relate to, sometimes the world is so fast and it’s ever so moving and the pace is quick too and hard to catch up to, and I think you’re right. It’s so true. When you find moments to really think and pause and just reflect on everything that you’ve done and deciding on the next step from there, it’s so key. It also helps the refining process within your brand and business, but also overall as a business owner. You can’t just be on the go every single time of your life because that’s hard for anybody. So it’s so true, really thinking and taking that time to pause.
[0:21:13.7] Diana: Mm-hmm. Yeah, because I’ve noticed that as someone who works for themselves and does a creative service, sometimes the days can feel so different from each other or sometimes, weeks go by and it’s like you’re just doing the same thing day in and day out, but we still change as a person, we notice that our clients might change, the types of clients we’re attracting over time. I think that I’ve found that refined cluster of types of clients that I really love working for. And yeah, like you say, that happens over time and so, I think that I noticed that I have to recenter back and figure out, “Okay, how should my business shift?” And maybe it doesn’t need a huge shift, but maybe the way I structure my packages or if I make packages at all, and I’m going through this right now so it’s top of mind when I’m creating a new pricing guide and trying to figure out the bones of it. And I think it’s because I felt like my business has been in a really cool transition where I’m starting to really attract the types of projects that I’ve always wanted to and the types of services that I want to lean into more. And so yeah, taking that time to see “Okay, if everything externally is shifting, then maybe the internal side of my business needs to shift along with it.” And yeah, that makes sure that everything is kept in alignment and feels really true to you as you change, if any of that makes sense. [Laughter]
[0:23:08.1] Peggy: No, it totally makes so much sense. And with that, you mentioned that you are starting to attract the right clients that you really enjoy working with or the type of clients that work with your brand as well. So, I guess, what are some tips in doing so?
[0:23:28.8] Diana: Yeah. Well, I think work attracts more work. And it’s so funny, this is totally a blessing because I’ve been just so distracted by, I don’t know, I guess like an analysis paralysis where I haven’t had a full website up in probably a year, but my business is continuing to grow without it. But I think that’s because I’ve partnered with designers who are working on brands that I gravitate toward, and then word of mouth spreads, so I think that just digging in, getting at least that one ideal project and really doing well on it so that you can show the next client that’s in a similar industry or has a similar style or mindset or offering or even a value system, I think that those things attract more. I mean, it has grown that to be two to three to four of those projects that have really been satisfying for me and has shaped the body of work that I’m trying to do.
[0:24:41.9] Peggy: Oh, I love that and I really loved what you said about partnering with designers or other creatives who are in that same field, and then all in all, it would just gravitate towards the same interests, projects that you want to work with, so that’s so true. I love that.
[0:25:01.5] Diana: Yeah, yeah. You got to go where your people are, you know. [Laughter] And I think that that’s a tip that a lot of experts talk about when it comes to market to, or on I should say, but it goes the same for even finding the type of work you want to do. You have to go where those types of projects are being done or you find different circles or niches to learn from and be a part of. And yeah, it’s such a fun journey. It’s such a fun learning experience to figure out what works and what doesn’t.
[0:25:35.6] Peggy: It is because I feel like when a standard comes or when people just think, “Oh, I’ll just go to this general marketing event that only shows business cards and you just walk off.” Those relationships built there are nothing from the ones that you find on your own community and conversations and through people. That is a whole different experience, so it’s definitely an interesting world. I can definitely agree. It’s so true. And what’s your final, most valuable tip in branding and business?
[0:26:09.5] Diana: Well, this is another perfect segue, but it’s about not going at your journey alone. And I really don’t think that it was meant to and it’s an interesting dichotomy because we’re, for the most part, working solo, working on our own. We’re a business of one or maybe two or three. And so, in and of itself, it is a very isolating job that we’ve all taken on, but then the community is so big and so connected, and I can’t tell you how many times, mostly all of my client referrals have come because someone knew someone that worked with me or heard me talk about something, and it’s just so alive and kind of like its own living, breathing network. And so, I have to remind myself as well to interact and lean on others for wisdom or even just for, yeah, conversations like this like, “Tell me what you’ve learned or how have you dealt with this situation.” And I want to point out too that the struggle with comparison is also such an unfortunate downside to being in such a rich and talented community of people who are in parallel industries, but what I’ve learned, even from working with so many designers on your own brand copy and brand voice strategy, is that there really is room for everyone. And someone told me, I think it was a designer that I was working with on her website copy and she’s like, “How do you make sure that all of the designers that you write for don’t all sound the same?” Because we’re essentially offering, when you strip everything back, it’s the same services. And really, it’s because it’s different people and so, every single designer is a different human so what they have to say and how they say it is going to be vastly different. So it’s actually really fun to do that because it’s a good challenge. And I have to remind that for myself as well. Every writer out there, every other creative person doing strategy, everyone is so different and there’s a whole pool of clients that are perfect for everyone, so yeah.
[0:28:39.7] Peggy: Mm-hmm. That’s so true because it’s like even if a website or a brand identity looks similar to another particular brand or company and the tones are similar, at the end of it all, it’s still vastly different in itself because it’s created behind and it’s so unique to them and it’s so unique to each other and every single one that’s out there, so I love that you pointed that out.
[0:29:11.6] Diana: Yeah, and if ever anyone needs further reminder of that, there are so many big brands out there that share the same space and might look the same, but everyone knows how different they are because they’ve created their own distinct little corner of their market, and I think the same can go for the creative industry too.
[0:29:34.6] Peggy: Mm-hmm. It’s so good. Oh my goodness, because I know that as creatives, that everyone finds inspiration from around, and even when there’s inspiration from around, accumulatedly collect it all when you make something of your own, it’s still going to be different because it’s of your own twist to that particular gather of inspiration. So it’s nice that everyone really has this ability to do so. Even if someone who’s not creative, they can still make something of their own at the end of the day, and it’s so true. It is so true.
[0:30:16.5] Diana: Yeah, and if you think really high up in terms of brand awareness, like Nike and Adidas essentially offer the same exact products, but people know the difference. People know, and obviously branding helps between the three stripes and the swoosh, but in and of itself, they’re pretty similar but people understand the difference, and there are different loyal fans for each. I think thinking about those things, is if those brands can do it, solo business owners can do the same. [Laughter]
[0:30:57.7] Peggy: That’s true, and that they can still be able to sustain in itself in their own business because I’m sure that people probably wonder like, “Oh, if I do this, am I going to even make money from it if it’s similar to this competitor because they’re going to be getting all the sales and stuff like that?” But it’s true, the people that will gravitate towards what you have to offer is a different set of people, or one person can also have two interests in those as well. But at the end of it all, you can still have one particular person that will gravitate towards your brand and your business, and it’s a good reminder because you forget about how big the world is sometimes, or I do. [Laughter]
[0:31:43.8] Diana: I know. Sometimes, I’m like, “How many businesses are really out there that need all of these services?” There can’t be that many, but year after year, I’m like, “Okay, I guess there are more people to serve.” So yeah, that’s totally true.
[0:31:57.1] Peggy: Oh, thank you so much for coming on here and for sharing such amazing tips!
[0:32:01.2] Diana: Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me and letting me ramble. [Laughter]
[0:32:05.6] Peggy: No, I love it. [Laughter] And what’s next for you? What’s happening in the studio or even in your world?
[0:32:12.9] Diana: Yeah, so I have, I feel like I’ve been working on it for so long, but I really am [laughter] working on an updated website and then working on some free and purchasable downloadable resources for the future, so creating a mini-shop, and yeah, just continuing to serve my clients, so yeah.
[0:32:38.6] Peggy: Sounds exciting! And where could people find you now, if it’s not through the website?
[0:32:44.6] Diana: Yeah, so the website will be updated pretty soon, but that is reqreading.co, so just required for short, req, and then the same on Instagram, @reqreading.
[0:32:59.5] Peggy: Amazing! Well, thank you so much for coming on again. And yeah, you’re awesome and I love that we’re connected. And yeah, if you have anyone who wants some amazing copywriting done for their brands and business, definitely reach out to Diana. She is awesome.
[0:33:18.4] Diana: Mmm. Thank you so much, Peggy.
[0:33:21.0] Peggy: And we are signing off!
Welcome to the end! All in time, and then we’re going to say goodbye soon. I just wanted to quickly say please, please, please screenshot this and share it on your Instagram, share it with your people. Let them know what you think. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad. I want to hear it all. And of course I want to hear the good, but I want to hear you. I think that’s what I want the most. And I appreciate you, so thank you so much for just spreading the word about this podcast. I appreciate you for that. And last but not least, Zencastr, you’re awesome, they’re awesome, and you can use my code @PeggyBree for 40% off for three months and you get two weeks for free. So you can use it to record all your content, and that includes audio or video, and you can use it to record from around the world. They’re a powerful platform for you to do so, and you can definitely rely on them. I use them. They’re awesome. Use that code @PeggyBree. And I’ll keep you posted for the next time and talk to me! Okay, bye!
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