Over the last few months I have received dozens of emails, Facebook messages, text messages and phone calls about goals. I love how much you share with me. I truly brings tears to my eyes.
That being said, I know I have several readers who want to launch a business or blog in 2017. Regardless of what type of business you launch, the BRAND you create is everything. I’m not an expert by any means, but I do believe my brand is a perfect representation of me and my message. The hardest part is knowing where to start…Luckily for you, Im going to give you all the tricks I learned for a successful launch.
SAVE DAT MONEY. I saved $5,000 over the course of a few months. I took every babysitting job I could get my hands on (staying over night, nannying, date night babysitting). I said no to every invite I got that I knew would cost money. It wasn’t always easy but it was definitely worth it
CREATE YOUR VISION. Before meeting with the stunning duo at Silverbox Creative Studio, I spent hours on Pinterest combing through fonts, color schemes, web designs and logos. I included pictures with the vibe I wanted each reader to feel. I put them all together in a document and brought it with me to our meeting. They were able to see my vision through the bits and piece of inspiration I shared with them.
START. Whatever your dream is, start working on it today. If you want to be a blogger, set aside 30 minutes to write everyday. It doesn’t all have to be good. Study blogging by watching YouTube videos and reading other people’s work. See what you think works about their brand and what doesn’t. Create something (anything) everyday.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. After figuring out my target market (17-27 year old girls) I created my ‘reader’. Essentially, every time I sit down to write I think of ‘Jessie’. She is a natural blonde who just graduated from a small private college in South Carolina. She works in PR but her main passion is yoga. She moved to a tiny little apartment a block from the beach that is just big enough for her and her bulldog, Mark. To be able to afford said apartment she traded in her VW Bug for a bike with a basket. She is a terrible cook ( she burns water…). Her energy fills every room she walks into especially when she smiles…her grin takes up her entire face. Seafood makes her gag and she cries at the Folgers Christmas commercial.
No ‘Jessie’ isn’t a real person, but she is my inspiration. She is a combination of all my favorite people and places. The bulldog, for example, represents my best friend Crystal. South Carolina is my favorite place on earth, so naturally that is where she lives. She has the same hair as Megan, my blonde bombshell BFF. Every time I sit down to write I think of her and how she would relate to each post. It’s my way of keeping my writing consistent and on brand.
BE YOU. There are thousands of businesses and blogs, but only one you. Don’t try and be a carbon copy of someone else because people will notice. The best part of just being yourself… you don’t have to try.
BE PATENT. A business doesn’t blow up over night. Don’t get caught up in the number of followers you have or visits to your website each day. The followers will come with time. I have a handful of ‘YouTube’ famous or ‘Blog Famous’ friends. I would NEVER ask them to promote my brand. Why? Their followers wouldn’t relate to my content. If their tribe followed me on say, Instagram they wouldn’t get the content they crave. Plus, I wouldn’t be reaching the people who I want to connect with. It is a lose-lose situation so steer clear of the follow-for-follow shenanigans on social media.
I hope this helps light a fire under your booty! I want to see you follow your passions and THRIVE. If you have any questions personal to you and YOUR brand leave a comment or send me an email!!!
xoxo
K