I was asked by etsy to write an article on business and motherhood. One of my personal favorite tips from our Mom,Inc. book was on creating a “Mom Statement.” If your business has a mission statement, why shouldn’t your role as a mother have one too? To see the full article on etsy click here!
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by Designing Mom Heidi Yarger
As I sit nestled amongst the redwoods, waging a mental copy war against myself in trying to write my website copy, I thought I’d take a break and continue my little journey of rebranding Spitfiregirl Design. Over the next 2 months I’ll be sharing more tips and insight into my rebranding journey…I hope you’ll join me in my journey, and share YOUR tips as well!
In case you missed tip 1, see here.
Tip 2: Treat yourself like a client
When you embark on a big project like a website or brand redesign, it’s best to make a plan. That means taking all your coffee-stained notebook pages, random sticky notes and those awesome aha! ideas you get in the shower, and creating a list of actionable items, with deadlines. For some, a business plan* is in order. In my case, I created my branding “bible”…er…binder. Yup, a lovely linen clothed binder houses all of my company’s hopes & dreams.
Inside you’ll find sections for Strategy, Finance & Operations, Inspiration, Identity and Web Design. It’s a catch-all for my ideas, inspiration and vision for Spitfiregirl. But to be successful you need to take it a step further….treat yourself like a client.
Giving your project the same priority and professionalism you would to a client is paramount if you don’t want to loose your way. To help keep me on track, I use Basecamp. In fact, I use this project management program for all of my clients. Just as I would for a paid project, I created a hefty number of action items and milestones, with dates attached. So if I happen to miss a deadline, Basecamp is there to remind me. It’s also great for collaboration with any vendors you are using along the way.
* tip 2.5 Write a business plan
Right before I formally started Spitfiregirl Design in 2000, I attended The Renaissance Center and completed their Business Planning and Advanced Marketing Classes.
The end result of each class was a solid business & marketing plan. If you’re in the Bay Area, I highly recommend checking them out!
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The wholesale and retail side of things have definitely given me a sense of appreciation for good packaging. Your product is your foundation, but the packaging can often make or break the sale, especially if you want to sell to retailers who are displaying your product. I have carried Voluspa candles in the retail section of my studio/boutique ever since I opened my Russian Hill location. Their packaging has won awards for design and it’s easy to see why: dedicated attention to packaging the candle like a gift, uncompromising details like velvet, foil, intricate patterns in concert with competitive pricing. They have attuned their packaging designs to retailers who rely on beautiful displays. As you can see by the photos, I’m not necessarily a visual display expert so I appreciate how well they sit up on my shelves without hardly any of my efforts…their attention to every corner and square inch of the product allows for pretty visuals from every angle. From a wholesale perspective I have always relied on the bread and butter of my repeat retailers. I have stayed loyal to Voluspa for their continuous innovation and how pleased customers are with such attractive packaging.
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Late last fall, I took it upon myself to give Spitfiregirl Design a redesign. A rebrand in fact – evaluating not only how my business looks aesthetically, but how it’s run. Ever so slightly daunting!! I know many of you may be in the same boat. Our big reveal comes in early June, but in the meantime I thought I’d share some tips I’ve learned along the way.
TIP 1: Get a mentor
I have 2 actually. One for business… I work with Sean Low, of The Business of Being Creative. Sean has worked with some of the best in the wedding/creative industry…including fellow designing mom Abby, of Style Me Pretty. I love his no-nonsense approach. He helps me to cut through the emotion of running a business and apply practical, strategic ways to make it even more successful.
I also have a mentor for my business operations & finances. When you wear so many different hats – designer, business owner, mother, wife, etc – sometimes you need a little extra help on the areas you either aren’t good at (or don’t enjoy!). I found my mentor through this amazing and free! service called MicroMentor.
MicroMentor pairs a small business owner with a business mentor, in the field of your choosing (like business strategy, finances, or marketing). You simply fill out a mentoring request that describes the goals you want to achieve. A mentor will either reach out to you, or you can reach out to them via their extensive database. It is SO helpful to have someone experienced in these areas, that holds me accountable for all of my to-dos!
Over the next 2 months I’ll be sharing more tips and insight into my rebranding journey…I hope you’ll join me in my journey, and share YOUR tips as well!
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The Mom,Inc. Book that I have been working on with my co-author Meg Ilasco is going to be releasing soon and we’re so excited! I hope you stay tuned as I will be writing about the new developments and fun things we have in store as the release date nears! This first post is not so much about the actual writing of a book but about getting there…to a place where you have the time, energy and frame of mind to write, create or ideate. And by book I don’t necessarily mean a NYT bestseller as it could be a journal of family stories that you bind and give to your family or a series of letters for your children to open when they graduate from highschool.
The Mom,Inc. book is a business book/guide with interviews from designing moms and our own experiences on how to start a creative business and hold down the fort at home. My background is in fiction writing and this was quite a departure from what I was familiar with. But no matter what type of writing you are pursuing, you will need some key things before you dive in:
• Support. It was only after we finished writing the book that Meg and I decided to start a book club. How we wish we did this during the time of our book writing! You are going to be lost into the world of your words and ideas and to have girlfriends cheering you on or giving you some honest feedback is a real asset. Sign up for a writing group, a book club, ask a friend if you can swap ideas with her.
• Read. I read to know what’s out there and what not to write. But when I am tongue-tied with my writing I turn to reading to unblock myself. I usually have one or two books next to me at all time and they are tattered, old favorites that I’ve had since my college days. I’ll flip to any random page and start reading to get everything in my head back into sync again.
• Oceans of time. Unfettered chunks of time to focus. If you’re a mom then you’re laughing along with me on this one. But you need to assess your schedule and start dropping things. You need to make this one of your top three work priorities and if things shift into gear then it becomes your top priority. I scaled back on my production projects and referred business to colleagues during the busiest time of my writing. And during this busy time period of the book release and my project deadlines I am even streamlining this blog by writing more about what’s happening in my every day.
• Organize. Start setting up systems. Start an online doc or calendar and sign up for Pinterest so that you can start to bookmark and file away research, notes and ideas. You’ll want an organized “black hole” to sink your inspiration into.
So all of you out there who have some journals or scribbling activity going on…start dedicating some time and thought to them! Next post will be about your writing voice…
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