If time is not my enemy, but rather my ally, then why do I feel like I’m constantly competing against it?
⏰ If you’re anything like me — a first time entrepreneur or small business owner, or maybe even someone who is just still figuring it all out — time never seems to be on our side. It is constantly escaping us, finding ways to weave in and out of our days until the deadline is upon us.
👋 As a 3 on the enneagram and an ENTJ, time and order are necessary for achievement and innovation. I have always prided myself on *excellent* time-management skills.
But there was one ingredient to those prior environments that I have yet to achieve as a small business owners.
Structure.
Did I implement time-blocks? Of course!
Do I have a solid to-do list that I update daily? DUH.
Am I relating productivity with my time and defining my success for the day? Sure am!
But all of a sudden, there was a noticeable imbalance. My ability to navigate the flexibility, modify the openness of my schedule, regulate my own day caused a conflict in how I previously reported my time to a corporate structure and now being my own time-clock approver.
How do I fix this?
Four words.
✨ PLAN.
✨ FOR.
✨ THE.
✨ MARGIN.
Plan for the moments in between.
Determine the hours I am most productive.
Batch work.
Find my focus client for the day.
Build the structure of time within my business.
🫶 If you’re on this journey too, let me know! We can work together to restore balance to our TIME.
Time is a gift, constant and defined, so lean into that blessing in a world where everything else is changing.
XOXO
#Strategy #SocialMedia #TimeManagement #Entreprenuer #SmallBusiness #SmallBusinessTips #SocialMediaTips #SocialMediaHelp #Instagram #Coaching #Consulting #PublicRelations #Professional
‘Cause it’s a big one…. 🛍️ Shop “LOCAL” 👉 To support the retailers in your zip code / county / tax zone. These retailers can be small business, large business, or big box. 🛍️ Shop “SMALL” 👉 To support the individuals who have built a business from scratch. These businesses can be makers, cottage bakers, artisans, vendors, or brick & mortar.🛍️ Similarities 👉 Supporting both local and small business impacts your community directly. Every purchase affects the tax base that your community relies on for infrastructure, education, and economic development.🛍️ Differences 👉 Supporting small business diversifies your community’s landscape, fosters the spirit of entrepreneurship, preserves your community’s culture, and creates unique spaces for your community to thrive. 🛍️ Note 👉 Shopping in YOUR community contributes to its economic health, job creation, and the possibility for growth. It keeps the money in YOUR community, and ensures that your hard-earned dollars are well-spent. ….So shop / support / experience / live LOCAL to your community and support SMALL businesses every chance you get! ✨ LOVE | O ✨…#SmallBusiness #ShopLocal #ShoptheShoals #ShopSmall #ShopAlabama #SupportAlabama #SupportSmallBusiness #VisitTheShoals #Instagram #DigitalMarketing #Strategy #Economics #EconomicDevelopment #RetailDevelopment #MediaAgency #Community
Research continues to prove that expressing gratitude realigns the heart and mind in a posture to give and accept joy and goodness, while actively combatting depression and anxiety. This year's Thanksgiving reminds us that despite what any day may hold, we are grateful to know that the Author of our story is still in control. For Him, for you, and for so much more, we are grateful.
We had so much fun writing our first commercial and watching Kevin record it, mix it, and run it in with all of the other on-air promos! Of course we wrote a commercial about shopping LOCAL, and we can’t wait for you to hear it on the Singing River Media Group stations 🎙️My 101.5 / New Country 949 The Bull / WLAY 100.1 - Country's Greatest Hits ✨ Please remember to #SupportSmallBusiness this Christmas! ...#SupportSmallBusiness #BrandAgency #ShopLocal #ShoptheShoals #VisitTheShoals #Copywriting #ContentCreation #ThisisAlabama #MustardSeedMedia #WomenOwned #Entreprenuer
The moment so many of you have asked for is coming!! ✨ Tune in tomorrow at 11:00 for ALL the details!
✨NATIONAL SELF-CARE DAY✨
We've thought a lot about today, what we wanted to say, and all the businesses we could highlight. But as we reflected on our own journey, these words kept coming back as the most important ones we've learned in how we care for ourselves.
No matter how you define 'self-care,' we hope you've learned to love yourself.
XOXO | O + M
#NationalSelfCareDay #selfcare #selflove #CoreValues #SocialMediaMarketing #BrandAgency #branding #publicrelations #communications #relationship #emotionsmatter #SupportSmallBusiness #womenownedbusiness #entrepreneurlife
📚 P R O J E C T 📚 U P D A T E 📚
The Alabama Literacy Association is a state-wide professional organization on a mission to transform lives through literacy. We were fortunate to partner with them to significantly elevate their influence by creating a brand new website, with a new logo, refreshed focus on their mission statement, and a continued partnership that allows them to contract with us as their organizational needs grow.
As a state-wide organization that promotes literacy, the need for a clean, crisp, and concise website was substantial and we worked closely with the organizational leadership to create the right aesthetic that promoted this significant mission.
Thank you, ALA, for allowing us to be your partner. We have loved learning more about your vision for growth and we are proud to be members of the ALA now too!
**Shoutout to our intern, IVY, for creating this video!! We are so grateful for you!
📚📚📚📚
🌳P R O J E C T U P D A T E🌳
Murphy Bros. Landscaping has been serving North Alabama for more than 40 years, so when the next generation took over, they entrusted our team to learn about their priorities and provide a refresh of their brand.
We began by reviving their logo, modernizing the quality and font choices to reflect cleaner lines and adaptability.
Next, we designed a full brand guide to equip the Murphy Bros. team to continue elevating their marketing strategies that maintain alignment with the authenticity of who we've all known Murphy Bros. to be for the last several decades.
Lastly, we built them a brand new website, building out multiple pages to showcase their work and providing opportunities for their target audience to learn about them and their brand🌳murphybroslandscaping.com
Multi-generational and long-standing businesses are poised to elevate their business strategies with a few minor touch-ups and refreshes, and we prioritize intentionality in honoring the foundation of the business while providing relevance and optimization.
Thank you Mac, David, and Kai for allowing us to be a small part of your continued growth and success! We can't wait to watch how you continue to beautify The Shoals over the next 40 years! ☀
#Collaboration #mediagency #brandagency #contentpillars #publicrelations #relationship #BrandManagement #campaigns #digitalstrategies #communications #instagram #SmallBusiness #supportlocal #SupportSmallBusiness #COREVALUES #consulting #VisitTheShoals #mediaagency #SupportLocal #SocialMedia #brandkit #landscaping #landscapinglife #landscapingcompany #landscapingdesign #outdoors #summer #summer2023
Branding. Matters. As brand and social media managers, it is our job to recognize and reinforce our clients’ brands. But often we hear, “How do you keep it all straight? Will my business start to look like another one?”Our first response is “Do you have a brand?”Just because you have a logo, doesn’t mean you have a brand.Branding is the bones and muscle of your business; it’s the emotional and physical connection your clients have to you. A strong brand tells a story about your business. It’s your fingerprint; it’s what make your business UNIQUE.The first thing we do for all of our clients is build a brand board. This helps us keep all of the details for whatever the project straight.But for the client, we build out much more than what you see here. We research and identify your keywords, the messaging that aligns with your mission, and intentionally choose phrases, hashtags, images, templates, and visual elements that encompass every touchpoint for a client with your business.Branding creates consistency in how your business behaves, speaks, looks, and conveys your business’s vision in a way that people can emotionally attach too. Branding is your opportunity to and define how your organization is positioned in public perception.Based on that alone, we’d say that branding matters. And it’s why we’re here. XOXO | O & M 🫶 #MustardSeedMedia #BrandExperience #BrandIdentity #VisualBranding #BrandStrategy #BrandStoryTelling #BusinessBranding #Branding #TheShoalsAL #BrandAgency #VisitTheShoalsAL #SocialMediaManager #Instagram #SocialMedia #DigitalMarketing #SupportSmallBusiness #SupportLocal #SmallBusiness #WomenOwnedBusiness #Entreprenuer
✨ We are so excited for the opportunity to pamper a MAMA with this goodie basket from our dear friends at Complete Aesthetics Care!!
Watch this video for instructions on how to enter and to see all of what's included in the basket! 🌸 Winner will be announced Saturday afternoon!!
#GIVEAWAY #Mothersday #LoveMom #TheShoalsAL #SmallBusinessLove #SupportSmallBusiness #supportmomsbusiness #upneeq #Lipoject #SupportLocal #supportlocalbusiness
We have friends reach out to us all the time asking "Where do I even start?"
👩💻 As clients of the Alabama SBDC: University of North Alabama, we cannot speak enough positive things about the staff and the resources this office provides.
The mission of the Alabama SBDC at University of North Alabama is to strengthen Alabama’s economy by providing high-quality one-on-one confidential assistance, training, and education to small businesses targeted for increasing employment, fostering growth, and improving financial stability.
The advisors in this office offer training services at no cost and are skilled, knowledgeable, resourceful, and encouraging. They will continue to champion your business and provide lines of communication for all of the hiccups and challenges that come with starting a new business!
Visit their website today to schedule an appointment 🤝 https://sbdc.una.edu/
✨ They really do want to help your dreams SUCCEED!
#SmallBusinessGrowth #AlabamaSBDC #UNA #TheShoalsAL #supportLocalBusiness #ShopLocal #BrandManagement #brandidentity #New#newbusinessdevelopment #alabamaeconomy
Branding is more than just your logo. Branding is the emotional connection between your organization and its target audience. It’s a creating a shared sense of belonging, a loyalty to a common purpose. It’s about identifying the wants and needs of your desired clients and incorporating those into your growth strategy.Your brand is more than just the visuals, it’s the whole experience, it’s every touchpoint a potential consumer has with your organization. It’s the way your organization looks, behaves, speaks; it’s where people decide to either trust you or walk away. Whether you like it or not, your target audience is associating you with something. Branding is your opportunity to and define how your organization is positioned in public perception.That’s why your brand is more than just a logo.And it’s vital you invest in it now.We can help 🤝 Send us a message today!XOXO #MustardSeedMedia #BrandExperience #BrandIdentity #VisualBranding #BrandStrategy #BrandStoryTelling #BusinessBranding #Branding #TheShoalsAL #BrandAgency
Project Update
✨ We were beyond honored to partner with Chelsea Kennedy Weddings to create a Brand Style Guide that accurately reflects the elegance of the services and designs by Chelsea.
✨ So, what is a brand style guide?
- A brand style guide determines the unified manner in which a brand presents itself to the world. It comprises all applicable assets that are responsible for the way a brand is perceived (looks, sounds, and feels). A style guide is inclusive of a brand's mission, core values, visual identiy, tone of voice, and more.
- A brand style guide connects the WHY behind the brand to the consumer. It creates consistency in appearance and builds trust in the validity of the brand. A style guide communicates the story of the brand and ensures that partners of the brand effectively and properly share the brand.
✨ Why was it important for Chelsea's brand?
After attending a 6 month mastermind and reaching her 10 year service mark, Chelsea realized it was time to redesign her brand, which included making the investment of creating brand consistency. With a new website and updated logos, it was imperative that brides and vendors understand that Chelsea's approach is a soft, detailed passion that unites elegance and excellence. The style guide allows her to train her team with the proper voice that conveys the core values of the brand and promote the proper way for partners, vendors, and brides to reproduce or share her brand.
✨ Thank you, Chelsea, for trusting us with this process and for being a beautiful example of a small business owner who understands the importance of their BRAND. We absolutely adore you!!
