News & Events
Random Thought(s) of the Month(s) - October
October 14, 2011
Long time no newsletter. WTH?
We haven’t done a newsletter since April. Yeah, that’s right… April. I’m sure the three of you that read this newsletter regularly (I know who you are) have been eagerly waiting for this day to arrive. So to make up for lost time, I give you five short, random, barely coherent rumblings in honor of the five months we neglected.
For those of you that could care less about fantasy football, allow me to apologize for you having to hear your friends and or family members conversing about their “teams” within earshot. It must be incredibly annoying to listen to (mostly) grown men talk about their brilliant managerial moves and trades as if they really had a hand in something important or even… cough-cough, clearing throat… real. Even worse, having to hear how intense it was when their “team” was down by one point on Monday night when so-and-so caught a pass from whats-his-name and… victory! I annoy myself talking about it, and I hate hearing other people talk about their teams, so I can only imagine how you must feel. For the people that do care, I have three words… Calvin. Johnson. Wow.
I’m trying to lose some weight. Back in college I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I didn’t work out regularly. I slept maybe an average of three hours a night, and did all the other unmentionable stuff that your average college student does (and I don’t mean homework). I never had to worry much about my weight. But now? Oh dear. If we’re honest, we all know that it’s a way of life to be healthy, eat healthy, moderation, exercise… blah blah blah. I don’t have a problem with any of that. But why do things that are so bad for us always taste and feel so darn good? I mean if beer tasted like liquefied brussel sprouts, I guarantee you I’d never have another drop - I don’t care how funny, charming, tough, and good looking it makes me. Also, what’s the deal with running? Something that is supposed to make you feel so good shouldn’t hurt this bad. I must be doing something wrong… like running.
I lost my iPhone whilst visiting Cincinnati several months ago. And just to drive home one of my earlier thoughts, if beer tasted like brussel sprouts I probably wouldn’t have lost it. Anyway… it really is amazing how much we depend on our cell phones. One of these days I can’t wait to say something like this to my son: “Back in my day we used our cell phones to communicate with other people using our voices. You kids these days with your LOL’s and your OMG’s, you don’t know how easy you have it…. OK, TTYL.”
Speaking of text messages and shorthand. Unless it’s something really simple like “LOL”, or “WTH” I’m probably not going to understand it, and that will make me feel stupid so I won’t even bother asking what it means, and I’ll end up pretending it never happened… I think we need to have common sense/common courtesy laws in place for cell phone usage. Like if someone is laughing and talking loudly on their cell phone while on the elliptical machine next to you, you are allowed under the common courtesy law to punch that person in the throat. Until those laws are put into place I don’t think I’ll be able to see another movie on the big screen. I’m too busy to be sent to prison for attacking a group of teenagers for texting during the feature film – don’t they realize how bright those things are?... Speaking of receiving messages…
If you’re reading this on your Blackberry, it must be November. Sorry, couldn’t resist. Some of my favorite comments and jokes below.
• What did one BlackBerry user say to the other? Nothing.
• By far the worst part of this Blackberry outage is that I have to admit I have a Blackberry.
• Statistically, 10 out of 10 Blackberry users wont get this joke.
• Dear Blackberry, do you know what the iPhone said to the Blackberry? … “iWork”
Do Good For Indiana
April 20, 2011
Written by Lily Hay, Aglow Marketing
Last October Laura & I met Alan & Anna from Creative Roots for the first time. Little did we know that this meeting would not only change our lives but the lives of our community as well. Together we dreamed up a program called Do Good For Indiana where we would implement a marketing program for smaller non-profits who have big hearts but lack big budgets to take their missions to the next level. This year we vowed to bring this program to life.
The first project that we’ve implemented is benefiting Seeds of Hope, a recovery program for women suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. While the cause may seem sobering, it is truly uplifting to work with the passionate staff and volunteers. The 2010 Annual Report was a signature piece that would set the tone for this current year. To begin to help raise awareness and establish credibility for this 11 year program, Aglow took new professional pictures of Father Glenn, Board President, and Marvetta Grimes, Executive Director. We also snapped a new shot of the Seeds of Hope house, which has recently expanded to house 7 additional women to serve a total of 17 women at a time.
Next Creative Roots established a color palette of green, orange and blue to complement the Seeds of Hope logo and new website. These colors will also be carried through in all upcoming materials. Creative Roots’ ability to create both a presence with color coupled with organizing dense content into a visually appealing end result has been nothing short of miraculous. It has given everyone at Seeds of Hope a renewed sense of pride and the Annual Report has received rave reviews already.
Aglow was also proud to create new messaging alongside the Seeds of Hope logo. Across the top it now reads, "A Women's Drug & Alcohol Recovery Program". Across the bottom the new tagline reads, "Where a life of addiction ends and a life of hope begins."
We are all so honored to be trusted to help Seeds of Hope "find their voice" and to work alongside the determined staff and volunteers. As part of our overall strategy and marketing program for Seeds of Hope you’ll soon be seeing the Annual Campaign details, new business card and letterhead plus a program brochure. We’ve also had our first meeting with Indy Reads and Jameson Camp and look forward to sharing more of their stories soon, too.
To learn more about the Do Good For Indiana program, visit our website at www.DoGoodForIndiana.com
Wishing Your Life Away
March 11, 2011
Starting a business is like raising a baby. Sometimes you plan it out months or even years in advance. Other times it’s a bit of a surprise. You start off with an awesome sense of pride and excitement. The newness of it all is intoxicating and you are ready to take on the world. No matter how many people tell you how hard it is starting out, you can’t really comprehend that word “hard” until you haven’t slept for two straight weeks, and those weeks are a hazy blur of messy clean-ups, appointments you can’t keep straight, and bills you’re not sure how you’re going to pay. At some point in time, you will have a “what the (insert expletive) did I get myself into?”, moment.
You quickly adjust to all the early stress and sleep deprivation. Maybe even start gaining some confidence. The thing no one ever tells you about business or having children is there is never time to be comfortable, at least not during the first few years. Those feelings of joy and excitement are closely followed by anxiety. I would sum up the entire first year as alternating cycles of joy and terror.
You imagine how much easier things will be when baby starts crawling. When baby starts crawling, you remember how much easier things were before. You picture how much better things will be if you can just land that one big client. After you land that big client, you remember how much easier things were before.
After looking forward to the day baby starts walking, you find yourself trying to keep him from pulling lamps off the end table and running head first into the television. After looking forward to the day when you are busy and your billings are consistently profitable, you find yourself trying to keep the business from spiraling out of control and running head first off a cliff.
In the very short time I’ve been a father and a business owner I’ve made some stupid mistakes, and a lot of difficult decisions. But every one of those taught me valuable lessons – and I’m still paying for some of those lessons today. I take responsibility for my decisions and make right my mistakes. Sometimes it takes longer than I’d like, and I long for the time when I no longer have those worries. But I guess when that time comes there will be new things to worry about, and I’ll remember how much easier things were before.
I suppose the moral of this badly written story is to always live in the moment. It’s good to have an eye on the future, but not at the expense of the present – and all the other tired clichés that apply. As a kid, a family member once said to me, “You are always wishing to be old enough to do this, old enough to be that. One day you’re going to wake up and be an old man like me and wish you could have back all that time you wished away… don’t wish your life away”.
Now if only my son would start talking, and repeating the things I say. Things will be easier then…
Happy New Year!
January 12, 2011
Now that most everyone is back to work, we thought we would take this opportunity to wish everyone a prosperous and successful 2011.
I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions. I usually don't even make any personal New Year's resolutions, let alone stick to them. But I do like lists. Specifically top 10 lists. Here is one I enjoy from a company called Six Disciplines. Cheers!
Resolve to create a profile of your ideal customer and stick to it.
Figure out who you can best serve and use this understanding as a guide for determining who to work with and who to refer on.
Commit to working with only your ideal customers for this year.
You'll feel happier and your business will be more joyful.
Promise yourself to make business decisions guided by your heart, head and finances.
Too much of any one is not good but a little of all three can be very helpful when considering new opportunities or approaches.
Agree to let yourself be known.
Get more comfortable with promoting yourself and your business and let people know who you are and what you do.
Tend to your current best customers and ask for referrals to more customers just like them.
This is the fastest and easiest way to grow your business.
Freshen up your marketing strategies.
Try a new marketing approach, especially if it makes you stretch. Keep yourself on the growing edge and keep refining your marketing.
Learn something new.
Seeking out new knowledge and new methods can keep you feeling interested and enthusiastic even with the occasional ups and downs of business.
Master a positive mindset.
Keep your mind free of self doubt, worry, or fear. You can achieve what you desire or else you wouldn't want it in the first place.
Ask for help.
Allow others to mentor, guide, support and coach you to reach your goals. The journey is better when it's shared. And it's more likely you'll get there - with help, than on your own.
Savor your accomplishments.
What's the point of continually achieving business milestones if you never savor the feeling of accomplishment? The more you enjoy your business success, the more success you will have to enjoy.
© 2011 Six Disciplines, LLC. All rights reserved.
Random Thought of the Month (November)
November 04, 2010
Mettings that end in Hugs
In my world, a typical business meeting ends with a handshake and a promise of delivery. Whether that is a delivery of service, product or just an estimate and more information. I genuinely enjoy working with all of our clients, and I sincerely want to see them and their respective businesses succeed and prosper. That’s why a recent meeting that ended with all participants embracing in hugs left me thinking differently about a lot of fundamental things. And I’ve thought about it every day since.
Now before I get ahead of myself with this post, I must admit to a few of what would be perceived as my major business flaws: I am a terrible salesman. I’m not well spoken and I stumble over my words. I’m the opposite of smooth. I’m just big enough to be dangerous in a “bull in a china shop” kind of way. Not only could I not sell ice to an Eskimo, I most likely would not be able to sell him or her a deeply discounted space heater. I care, and I am emotionally invested.
This is a time when we are bailing out billion dollar companies so they can make the rich richer, and millionaire athletes worry publicly about needing to be able to feed their families. It’s a time when people are consumed with getting what they “deserve”, entitlement, looking out for number one. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and the silent majority is left with the rest.
As many of you know, we (Creative Roots and Aglow Marketing) are currently trying to get funding for a project called Do Good For Indiana. A couple months ago Anna and I met with Cathi from CanINE Express and Jane from the Brown County Humane Society, (my chosen organizations for the Do Good project). They are full of compassion and selflessness. Meeting them in person and hearing their story really put things in perspective for me. They do what they do because they love animals and believe that what they are doing is truly important, not just for the countless animals they save from pain and suffering, but also for the humans those animals save in return. I am in awe of these two ladies, and anyone else who day after day fights the good fight, and does what is right not because someone is watching or because there is a financial reward involved, but because it’s the right thing to do.
By the end of our meeting, Anna and I felt inspired and re-energized, and Cathi and Jane were so openly thankful for what we are attempting to do with our project. We all hugged when we said our goodbyes. And it hit me. How good it felt to be emotionally connected to what we were doing.
I learned fairly young that we should always stand up and help people (and animals) that can’t help themselves, and that it is important to know the difference between “can’t” and “won’t”. Now I know that sometimes those that do the right thing for a living deserve a little help too. If caring and being emotionally invested is perceived as a weakness in business then color me weak. Seems to me that it’s time for some of our perceptions (and perspectives) to change.
It's Time to VOTE!
November 03, 2010
New Indiana Marketing Education Program Eligible for Pepsi Refresh Grant in November
Indianapolis, Indiana:
Four Indianapolis-based organizations have been selected to be a part of the pilot project for a new non-profit marketing education program called Do Good for Indiana. Do Good for Indiana was created to assist non-profit organizations with better sharing their message through more effective marketing & communications. The program will provide training as well as hands-on assistance with the creation of marketing materials to meet each group’s goals. At the conclusion of the pilot project, the program will create a sustainable marketing education workshop for future Indiana non-profits and community groups.
Here is how you can help
(every day from Nov 1 - Nov 30):
• Send a text to: 73774 (Pepsi) with the message: 103035
Standard text rates may apply.
• Go to our page on the Refresh Everything website: refresheverything.com/DoGoodForIndiana
(you will need to fill out a short one-time registration)
• Go to our website and sign-up for daily voting reminders: DoGoodForIndiana.com
• Share! We need your help, so please pass this on to anyone who may be interested.
Program organizer Lily Hay stated, “We know that by establishing a strong basis for a non-profit’s marketing program it will aid them in helping more people, recruiting more volunteers and impacting the community in a positive way.”
Do Good for Indiana is a program developed by Aglow Marketing & Creative Roots, two local marketing & design firms who are dedicated to helping non-profits share their stories more effectively.
For more information on the program, visit www.DoGoodForIndiana.com
Do Good For Indiana
August 31, 2010
Random Thought of the Month (August)
August 26, 2010
It's Good to Shop Around
I got ripped off a few years ago buying gutters.
The salesman was a nice enough guy. He sat at our kitchen table for two hours extolling the virtues of these man-made miracles. I’d never have to clean the gutters again! Throw in the fact that he was giving us the special secret clearance price… well I couldn’t get that check written fast enough.
In his defense, I could have taken a couple days to think about it, maybe even gotten some price comparisons from competitors. But if I’d done that, I wouldn’t be writing this particular “thought of the month”. Needless to say, shortly after the gutters were installed I found out that I had overpaid. Actually, overpaid doesn’t explain it properly. I had grossly, spectacularly, government paying $2000 for a hammer – overpaid.
At this point you’re probably asking yourself, “what the (expletive) does this have to do with graphic design?”. Probably nothing, but for our purposes it’s more of a lesson in business and the value of relationships. So many times in the design industry a potential client will make a vendor decision based solely on price. This is a fine strategy when purchasing flour from the grocery store… or gutters for that matter. But design is not a commodity, and if you are treating it as such, you most likely are missing out on the value a strong designer-client relationship can add to your business.
Look at it this way: if Designer A charges $100/hour, and Designer B charges $50/hour, clearly Designer B is cheaper, right? But if Designer A is an expert, easy to communicate with, and delivers a project you are completely satisfied with in 5 hours, versus 12 hours for a so-so project from Designer B, who you could never get on the phone… who offers the best value?
On the flip side of that, and even though I’m typically a “you get what you pay for” kind of guy, you don’t always need to pay top price to get the value and quality you desire. This is why I encourage all our potential clients to meet with several firms of different sizes and get multiple proposals and estimates.
Look at their work… can they produce the quality and meet the deadlines you require?
What type of relationship are you looking for with a design firm? Will you be comfortable telling them exactly what you want, or do you prefer they tell you what is best, or somewhere in between?
Do you like/trust them? I say this all the time, but it’s true, at the end of the day people do business with people they like.
There are several factors that go into choosing the right design firm for your business or company. The moral of this story is to take the time to shop around so you don’t get stuck with the wrong one… or get ripped off buying gutters.
Do Good for Indiana
August 25, 2010
This is a new venture we are partnering on with our friends from Aglow Marketing.
Much more info on this coming very soon... Meanwhile, feel free to visit DoGoodForIndiana for updates. The full site will be coming at the end of September.
Noble Building Group website goes live!
August 15, 2010
New website for Noble Building Group goes live. These guys do AMAZING work. Check out the site here.
Great Blog Post from our friends at Aglow Marketing
July 30, 2010
Check out their take and personal story about partnerships here.
Random Thought of the Month (July)
July 23, 2010
Professional Partnerships
My school of thought when it comes to business is, “stick to what you do, and do it well”. However, as a business owner, I don’t want to limit the types of projects, and more importantly, the clients that we can work with. We, at Creative Roots, are experts in branding and print design and we’re pretty darn good at website design too. But can we come up with a detailed marketing plan or develop programming for a website? Nope. This is why I think professional partnerships are so important.
A great partnership, where all parties share common values and goals, creates opportunities without compromising your core business. Because of our relationship with the talented team at Aglow Marketing, we can confidently offer their services to our own clients, which in turn might open new opportunities for us to do what we do best.
Add this to partnerships with web developers, photographers, copywriters and printers, and you have a formidable team that rivals large agencies, but with small firm pricing. It’s win-win for all involved. And most importantly, if the client is happy, everybody is happy.
Total Electronics website goes live.
June 23, 2010
Just wrapped up the website for our friends at Total Electronics.
Check out the site here.
Random Thought of the Month (June)
June 22, 2010
What is "branding" and why is it important?
What exactly is "branding"? You can ask 10 different designers and you will likely get 10 similar, but slightly different answers. "Is it my logo? Yup. Is it my website? Uh-huh. Is it my stationery? You bet." None of those answers are wrong, but they aren't entirely right either. Saying your logo is your brand is like saying your front door is your house. Someone might not be able to get into your house without coming through your front door (... well, legally anyway), but if your house didn't have a front door, it would still be a house. Right?
Branding isn't so much a thing as it is a concept. It's the process of creating a unique name and image for a product or service in the consumers' mind through design with a consistent theme. Branding should establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers. From your logo to your advertising to the signature on your emails, everything your customer or potential customer comes into contact with that carries your brand should be sending the same message - and you better be sure it's a positive one.
"So why is branding important?", you ask. Successfull branding that has been well thought out and executed with good design should create a look that identifies a product or company and differentiates it from its competitors. Over time, this look should become associated with a level of credibility and quality in your customer's mind. In a competitive and crowded marketplace, this association is crucial.
Now let's talk more about your front door or lack thereof. If you're selling your house (in this market!?), let's presume that someone coming to see it will be coming in through the front door. It's a nice front door, fresh paint, sturdy lock. The first thing they see upon entering is your beautiful hardwood floors, nice new countertops in the kitchen. Great space to start a family they think. And then they see it. On the dining room rug. It can't be. Can it? Oh yeah, that's dog doo. Now you still might make the sale regardless. But wouldn't you have been more confident if you had done a better job of branding... err... cleaning.
Random Thought of the Month (May)
May 12, 2010
Why the "I’m not sure what I want, but I’ll know it when I see it" approach, translates to "You’re gonna spend a ton of time spinning your wheels and end up charging me more than I wanted to pay."
Though sometimes clients are faced with a project they genuinely have no idea about, the "I’m not sure" approach should generally be saved for shoe shopping and food items.
Keep in mind that design is a process. There is no magic "create something cool" button on our keyboard. Sometimes a great idea comes right away in a flash of inspiration. The first idea is approved with rave reviews and all is right with the world. Most of the time it doesn’t. Even in an ideal situation, where the client has provided great direction, briefs and examples, designers still must explore different paths, fonts, colors, etc. Usually the majority of our energy and time is exerted before you see the first round. By then the hard part is done. By having no idea what you want, or more importantly, what you don’t want, all this spent time and energy can be for nothing. The designer is back to the proverbial drawing board, no closer to a solution than they were before the project began.
So what can you (the client) do to help keep the designer off the ledge of sanity, and save yourself from blowing the budget?
Depending on the project, write up a brief description of what you are trying to accomplish.
And answer these questions: What is it? Who will see it? What message should it convey? Will it be printed, online, both? What would make this project successful?
And these: Is there a style or color that I want to incorporate? Is there a style or color that I hate? Give examples.
A few more: Do I have a budget for this? What is it? Is the designer I’m working with an expert at this type of project? Do I need an expert to accomplish my goals?
Remember, a little direction is better than no direction at all. If you take 15 minutes to answer a few questions, you’ll not only save yourself hours of design time spent exploring the wrong directions, you’ll probably have a better understanding of the project itself.
Creative Roots begins "Plant a Seed" marketing campaign
May 11, 2010
Creative Roots Design Group recently launched it’s “Plant a Seed” marketing campaign focused on creating new relationships in the non-profit industry, while donating a percentage of profits to The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps.
For each new client, Creative Roots has committed to donate 10% of profit from the first completed project to The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps which provides camps and programs around the world for children living with serious and life-threatening medical conditions.
New Creative Roots website goes live
May 11, 2010
The team at CR has been working and writing, and re-working, and re-writing, and... you get the idea. We’ve been at it for a while now. We always try to adhere to the “market hardest while you’re busy” philosophy, but that is much easier said than done. The website is in it’s early stages right now, but we hope you have a minute to check out samples. Love the site? Hate it? Feel free to send us a note. You won’t hurt our feelings...just our pride.
