Episode 34: The Importance of Brand Design and Community for Women Business Owners with Lindsay Williams
Elevating Women-Owned Brands: A Conversation on Brand Design and Community Building
I’m so excited to share this Throwback Thursday episode with my friend Lindsay.
As business owners, we have brand imagery that we hope to evoke emotion and recognition.
Today, we welcome Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Williams Design. Lindsay Williams is an intuitive brand strategist and visual problem solver. She elevates women-owned brands in a way that beautifully reflects and authentically connects them to their customers. She has a BFA and MFA in visual communications and absolutely loves her job. She's a military spouse and mama to the best tiny human and a circus of animals.
Visit Lindsay’s Site - https://www.lindsaywilliamsdesign.com/
Are you ready to Design Like a Pro in Canva? Join the waitlist for Lindsay’s course - https://www.lindsaywilliamsdesign.com/courses
You can also connect with Lindsay on:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lindsaywilliamsdesign/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lindsaywilliamsdesign
Thanks for tuning in to Collab with Kiva.
Are you ready to take massive action in your business and make data-driven decisions? Click the button below and let’s chat 👇🏽
Podcast Transcript:
Kiva Slade: [00:00:01]
Hello, and welcome to Collab With Kiva. I'm your host, Kiva Slade. From the marbled halls of the US Congress to my racing-themed office chair, I've learned that there is no perfect path to the life of your dreams. My journey over the past 20 years has included being a legislative director for a member of Congress, policy director for a nonprofit, stay-at-home mom, homeschooling mom, jewelry business owner, and now the owner of a service-based business. Whether your journey has been a straight line or full of zigs and zags, join me and my guest as we share insights, hope, and lessons learned from our female entrepreneurship journeys. May the collaborative sharing of our stories be the tide that lifts your boat. Let's dive in.
[00:00:55]
Hello-hello-hello, welcome to another episode of Collab With Kiva. I am your host, Kiva Slade. And yes, we are throwing it back again this Thursday. This throwback Thursday features my ... I love to say, my graphic designer. She's a graphic designer, but she also worked with me on my brand. We've actually developed a friendship. And it's none other than Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Williams design. If you've seen my logo, whether it's for my business or my podcast, those were designed by Lindsay. Her process, just everything with working with her was eye-opening and more than I had imagined, which is sometimes hard. I have a very vivid imagination. But I am sharing with you guys these episodes that have been the most listened to episodes on my podcast.
[00:02:01]
And it's so wonderful to take this look back or walk back down memory lane because most of these episodes aired in November or December of last year, which seems like an eon away, but it really wasn't. So, I hope that you enjoy this episode with Lindsay. Make sure to visit her website, check out her work. Also, check out her course. If you're not at that point yet where you're ready for a full-on brand redesign. So, listen up and let me know your thoughts. See you next time. Hello everyone, and welcome to this episode of Collab With Kiva. I'm your host, Kiva Slade. And today I am super excited to share with you my guest, Lindsay Williams. Lindsay is an intuitive brand strategist and visual problem solver. She elevates women-owned brands in a way that beautifully reflects and authentically connects them to their customers. She has a BFA and MFA in Visual Communications and absolutely loves her job. She's a military spouse and mama to the best tiny human and a circus of animals. Welcome to Collab With Kiva, Lindsay. How are you?
Lindsay Williams: [00:03:16]
I am so good. I'm so excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me on the podcast.
Kiva Slade: [00:03:22]
Yes. I am super excited. And just so everyone knows, Lindsay and I have worked together before. She's my brand designer and I cannot say enough things about her, working with her, the quality of her work, the product that she produces. Literally, I can grow crushed on her all day, every day. So, I will tell you that ahead of time. So, Lindsay, let's talk about that alphabet soup for a minute. BFA, MFA, talk to us about this background that you obviously have in this field of visual communications.
Lindsay Williams: [00:03:57]
Yes. No problem. So, I went to undergrad and I got my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications, it’s a graphic design program. But I also really thought I was going to be a medical illustrator, so I did a double major in the biology department. And then the military happened. I met my husband and we got married two weeks after I graduated and moved directly to Alaska, so I never really got to explore the medical illustration side of things. But I landed a great job with an amazing designer in Alaska, which I never thought ... I was super panicked when I moved, so I was like, I will have no job opportunities whatsoever. And so, luckily I found an amazing designer. She's actually out of D.C. and had gone to Alaska to volunteer with the sled dog races there and fell in love and just stayed. So, we had a great time together. It's still one of my favorite jobs. And she's an amazing human. [unintelligible 00:04:55-00:04:57] in Fairbanks, Alaska, but she's just awesome. So yes, I did that.
Kiva Slade: [00:05:02]
Oh, my goodness.
Lindsay Williams: [00:05:03]
Yes. And then during one of the deployments that my husband did, I just went back and got my Master of Fine Arts, which was really nice. It went through a lot more of what I go through with my clients, like doing your ideal client avatars and coming up with personas and just going through that process. It helped solidify my process now with my clients, so that was really helpful. I really enjoyed that.
Kiva Slade: [00:05:28]
Oh my gosh, I love that. Because who would have thought, "Hey, I'm going to Alaska ... Wait, there's an amazing designer and I actually get to do what I love to do? And I get to live in this beautiful amazing place that is Alaska." So, I absolutely love that. All right, this is great. So, talking about your process, because obviously, I've gone through it and I think I sit in shock and awe at many times where I'm like, "How did you get that out of that that I gave you?" Because what I felt like as a client that I presented you with was an absolute mess. And you were able to pull out of that something with so much clarity that formed the brand that I was like, I'm in love with and that people constantly say, "Oh my goodness, that looks exactly like you. It feels like you, it looks like you." All the different things. So, talk to us about your process, and then what are some of the pitfalls that you see happen with clients?
Lindsay Williams: [00:06:27]
I can definitely do that. So, my branding process is not all designer's branding process, so I just recommend if you're working with a designer, hop on a discovery call with them, ask them about their process because it may or may not be a good fit. I'm a designer that likes as much information as I can. Think of it like a funnel to get to your final brand design, so all the information I can possibly find. And I think the thing with branding that can get a little bit confusing is that you're holding space to honor your own ... Because I've worked with service providers, so that tends to be a little bit more of a personal business.
[00:07:02]
So, you're holding space to honor your own services, your own business, your own values, but then you're also holding space for your ideal client, which they might not be the same as you as far as their design aesthetics or what they're looking at or what they want. And so, you're trying to come to a balance of honoring yourself, obviously, but then making sure that you're attracting your ideal client. So, I go through a process of asking my clients to tell me what their mission, vision, and values are. And that's actually a pitfall that I see, too. If you haven't spent time in your own business figuring out what your mission, vision, and values are, what your ideal client is ... And I'm not saying you have to have that entirely nailed down. Because I think especially when you're starting out, you're not even going to know that until you get ten, 15, 20 clients under your belt and have actually worked with some horrible people. You need to have those experiences to figure out where you want to be. But I think if you can constantly be assessing that part of your business, it's only going to help your brand designer, whoever you choose, be able to hone in on something that's going to be good for you.
[00:08:09]
So, I take people through a pretty extensive questionnaire at this point, and they tell me all the things about their business, and then they tell me all the things that they know about their potential clients. And so, I just kind of visually, and you know I'm doing weird internet research, I've found rabbit holes of this speaker went to this [unintelligible 00:08:27], went to this thing. And so, I'm looking at all the things that their ideal client sees in the world to make sure that whatever I do for them makes them feel like they're in the space that their ideal client is looking at, so the ideal client feels welcome, but still sets them apart from whatever their competitors are doing. So, it's a tricky balancing act. So, I like to have as much information as possible going forward. So, I see problems, like I said, when people are not spending time ... like almost jumping the gun on doing brand design first.
[00:09:02]
Honestly, just use a font [unintelligible 00:09:04] to get you started if you need to, just something super simple, and take the time to work on that part of your business before you invest in branding. I think that that's a better way to do it. It's really easy to feel like I should have this shiny, pretty awesome brand. It's super easy. I got it. I'm a small business owner too. I got it. Because you want to look good when you're presenting yourself to your clients. But I think taking the time to work on those hard questions for yourself is going to set you up better when you finally make an investment in a brand. So, I actually think your visuals shouldn't come first necessarily. Another thing is I think that people can also get really attached to their ideal client avatar. They know where they shop. They know what books they read. They know what podcast they listen to. They know how old they are, They've got a name. And that's great because the entire point of having this ideal client avatar is to remove yourself from making personal decisions for your brand.
[00:10:05]
If you can say, I like the color purple, but Suzy really wants the color teal, that's a better way to be making decisions if you can put yourself in the headspace of your ideal client and honor that, that's great, but you can get really hung up on that and spend a lot of time focusing on that, that you don't need to be doing. And then you can also start getting really clever and clever can get you into trouble. For example, I've done some work for some people. We're not naming any names. This is not meant to hurt anybody. But they just got really invested in the theme of their business. It got to the point where it was almost like when they were talking about their business, it was like I was going to a travel agency instead of to their business where they were helping people manage their own business.
[00:11:08]
They were doing OBM work, I think. And so, you don't want to get so clever that someone's going to show up on your site and be like, "Well, what actual business is this? What do you actually do?" Please tell people what you do and how they can work with you. Don't get so clever that you forget to tell them those things because that's the whole point of this. So, those are some major issues I see. And then also just being so cluttered. Pick one thing that you want people to know and just highlight that. Just choose one message for each thing that you put out. And remember that, especially with visuals. I think on Instagram and things like that, I feel like people try to cram all the text into the picture. Remember, you have captions to support you. Remember, you can send people to a link on your website to get them more information if they're interested. Just remember, you don't have to do it all in one shot in an eight-point font that runs to the edge of everything and takes up the whole space.
Kiva Slade: [00:12:11]
I love. It's like for the most part, I'm so pulled out. We need to keep it simple. We are really trying to overcomplicate so many aspects of the business process as well as our design process. And it's like, I love what you've shared. You're like, "Okay, look, you cannot fit all of that into one graphic, so you need to stop." And let's be real, eight-point font, most of us aren't going to be able to read it like, so we're not going to even retain what you've put in there. But also not putting our branding ... A lot of people do feel like, "Oh, you started, do you have a logo?" You're like, what? And it's like that, that feeling that you need to rush to do this branding. And you're actually saying, "Hey, it's okay, have a font and a signature, and let's move forward with really some more of the business basics that are more so solidified before you go to that investment of branding." And I love that because I feel like it's atypical to what we're pretty much thought to do or what we should do in this kind of space that we inhabit. It's like logo, branding, what are your colors? And you're like, "I don't even know what my colors are." And so, being able to keep it simple, solidify the work that you're going to do, keep it simple with, tell people how to work with, honestly, and tell them what you do like. That is something that totally can get glossed over in this "I have this pretty logo and these pretty colors and all of this stuff, but oh wait, I have never told anyone how they can actually contact me to actually pay me to do whatever it is that I do. Because, oh, by the way, I haven't shared that either. Wow." All right. If you guys take nothing else away, keep it simple, okay?
Lindsay Williams: [00:14:07]
Oh, my gosh. I'm a military spouse, so this happens in the military world too. Keep it even simpler than you think you need to. If you're using an acronym, please explain what the acronym is. You're in your world and so you know what those things mean, but your audience or your ideal client might not have a clue, or you might be trying to educate. Maybe you're not even looking for work right now, maybe you're just trying to educate someone. I didn't know until I started working with a couple of them what OBMs were, or mission vision values is MVV. Once you start being in the space, you start knowing these things, but you can't assume that everybody knows those things. They might mean different things. Like in the Army, it means one thing, in the Marine Corps, it means another thing. I just make up ... I have no idea what any of them [unintelligible 00:14:57].
[00:14:59]
But, yes, I think keeping it even more simple, you have to take a step back and think through what someone who might not know anything is looking for. Just remember what it was like when you were first starting your business. Or if you're first starting your business, just remember how lost you can feel out there, googling, what do I need... what am I doing ... what app is better for... Gosh, I spent last week searching through different email service providers. I'm going to start an email list. I really don't understand what the difference between half of them is or why I would pick one or the other. So, maybe you should just explain to people what makes you really good at the thing that you're doing. That would be helpful.
Kiva Slade: [00:15:44]
I love that though. And yes, let's not talk about email service providers.
Lindsay Williams: [00:15:48]
Oh, my gosh.
Kiva Slade: [00:15:49]
I recently was looking to make a change and I went to one company's website; I could not understand the pricing.
Lindsay Williams: [00:16:00]
No.
Kiva Slade: [00:16:02]
I was like, So you have a master's degree and you're kind of smart some days. Literally, I stared at the computer screen for so long and I was really trying to decipher what I was seeing and reading. And so then it said to book of demo call. So I'm like, "Okay, I did that."
Lindsay Williams: [00:16:28]
You got further than I did.
Kiva Slade: [00:16:30]
But the funny thing about it was my interpretation ... And this goes back to what you were saying about like keeping it simple. When I hit the book of demo call, I was expecting a virtual conversation with someone that was going to be a demonstration, which I thought demo was short for, and I was going to get a lay of the land of the software.
Lindsay Williams: [00:16:57]
Yes.
Kiva Slade: [00:16:58]
I was wrong. Sadly was [crosstalk 00:17:00] mistaken. It was an actual phone call. A with a person from the company to ask me additional questions and basically guide me through the pricing matrix that I could not understand. And then if I wanted to have an actual demonstration call, (I'm not even going to call it a demo call) I was going to have to take another step. And at that point, I was just like. Huh? That is what I felt. Because even the rep on the phone, she was hilarious because she was like, "Yeah, I don't know why the pricing is so complicated." I'm like, Honey, you work there, you chose to try to convince me that this is like not too hard to decipher. And she's like, "No, it's really complicated." So, basically, I'm literally like this is hilarious. So, book a demo call, just so we're all clear, does that mean the same thing on all sites. Just for the record.
[00:18:01]
It does not mean what you're probably thinking it means if you go certain places. So, it seems like it would be just intuitive ... like that's what it would be. No, that's not what it is. But it's like that branding was there, the nice button and their nice brand colors. And I clicked expecting something that I did not get. So, I think that's just like make it [unintelligible 00:18:27]. That pricing matrix could be so much simpler, like literally [unintelligible 00:18:31] that. And let's not talk about airline travel because I've been trying to book that [crosstalk 00:18:38]. So, it's priced this, but if you want to pick your seat, that's this, if you're having two bags, that's this. I'm like people, I just need one number.
Lindsay Williams: [00:18:49]
So, maybe that's even a good takeaway. I tell people that all the time, don't make it hard to get to. If I want to hop on a call, make it easy, or if I want to email you because sometimes I have a toddler running around in the background who may or may not be happy about the day, maybe I just want to email you ... Make it so simple for me to just talk to you because honestly, it's taking me more than 5 minutes to figure out what's going on, on your website, I either need to talk to you about it or I'm done. I don't have time for that. And so, I think that people that are successful or people that I found to be successful may not have the prettiest system. They honestly might not have the prettiest brand. Just look at some of the successful people out there, they're doing amazing things ... I really think their brand work is hideous, or it's really old. But their backend, their services, their customer experience, whatever that is, that's what they've got nailed down. So, you can do great things with minimal effort as far as your brand goes. Just pick a color, pick a font, and hopefully, that'll work. But pick something, stick with it, move forward with that until you're ready to do something. Until you're ready to bring in a professional, I guess.
Kiva Slade: [00:20:17]
Yes, pretty much. That's it. Literally, everyone button up all the other parts of your business and do those so amazingly well so that when that brand design work comes forward, you're like, it's added, it's the sprinkles, it's the whipped cream. It's all that good stuff that we like to put on top, but it's all supported by a solid business foundation instead of trying to have your brand support your business, which is flaky and flimsy and probably moving around like a piece of flan, so, you know that's it pretty much. I love how you've shared that. So, I want to switch gears a little bit because you and I have conversations quite often via Voxer about a whole myriad of things. But let's talk about finding other like-minded women entrepreneurs or women in business to connect with. Why is community important or why do you feel community is important in this process?
Lindsay Williams: [00:21:17]
Oh my gosh. So, I was remote working before remote working was cool.
Kiva Slade: [00:21:24]
You were in Alaska, just so we all share.
Lindsay Williams: [00:21:26]
So, we move around frequently. I've had a bunch of different jobs. And then I just got sick of trying to find a new job at every location. And the conversations are interesting because, technically, it's actually illegal for you to ask me as someone who might employ me, how long I'm going to be around as a military spouse or any of that. But the conversation happens and it's usually you can tell by where I've been or my resume ... And I'm in a military town so you can tell where I've been and that I'm probably a military spouse. And it's usually like, "Oh, we were just looking for someone who's going to be able to invest in the company for longer." Or "Oh, we were looking for someone who had a little more experience." Because technically I've only had entry-level jobs and a couple of random ... like that kind of thing.
[00:22:16]
So, I started working online. And it's lonely to be sitting behind your computer. I'm talking to real people, but it can get really lonely. So, I realized that I need a community. And it can be really difficult to find just in those spaces that I'm in, in my everyday life, to find other people who are doing business things but also stay at home and maybe have a kid and have a husband that they support. And so, it's a weird space that I don't just run into people on a regular basis who are like, "Oh yeah, I'm building my business, I'm doing these things."
[00:22:57]
And so, luckily through a different job that we had together, I got to know my business coach Melissa Froehlich, and I joined her free community, her free Facebook group. And through there I just started seeing who was there. I don't know if you know this, but I saw your stuff long before we ever connected and I was like, I want to work with this girl. [crosstalk 00:23:33-00:23:26].
Kiva Slade: [00:23:27]
She was like that girl needs help.
Lindsay Williams: [00:23:32]
So, I just started participating. I think it'd be great ... like the Facebook community ... because [unintelligible 00:23:37] on Facebook, honestly. But finding a Facebook community with people who are remote working and building their business, it's probably whatever that community ends up being ... Because I think you then end up making connections within that group. I made connections with you, we work together. I've talked to you every time I'm making dinner because apparently, it's like a panic moment [unintelligible 00:23:58] I think to talk to people. So, having you, I've made other friends through that community. That community in particular has just been really where I've spent a lot of time and effort making those connections.
[00:24:10]
But even through the people that I've met in that community, it's expanded to friends of friends who are like, "Oh, you could connect with this person, you might be able to connect with this person." And recently, I think it was last weekend, Melissa had just posted a retreat. And the in-person, just the ability to be in a room with other women was so amazing. This group was so willing to be vulnerable with each other and share with each other. And that's, I think, the special place of finding other like-minded individuals is that you realize you're not the only one having this particular business struggle or even a particular work-life struggle or the particular toddler struggle.
[00:24:57]
And I didn't realize until I became a mom how much I needed specifically other moms in my life. I didn't have the biggest network of mom friends. And that has been life-giving since, really investing in those relationships and really focusing on working with other moms, too. Because I feel like it's just a different dynamic, especially with COVID, as my kid may or may not be at school, she may or may not be running around in the background, she may or may not be upset that Daniel Tiger has just stopped in the middle of one of my meetings and she needs that taken care of immediately. So, that has just made the hugest difference for me. And I don't know if you feel the same way, but there are some times when I need other people to believe in my business when I can't. And that's what that community has done for me. Because sometimes it's just hard and you're not seeing any results, and you're slogging through stuff.
[00:25:58]
And I'm not going to lie, there are times when I'm probably doing all the things they shouldn't be doing except for the one thing that I need to do, and I just need a little like, "Hey, you ... I thought you were going to do this thing that you said you were going to do like six months ago." Accountability from people. So, that has been really huge for me. I don't know how you feel, but that's been really important in my journey, I think.
Kiva Slade: [00:26:21]
Yes. Definitely. I think it's that accountability. It's its accountability. It's the vulnerability. Being able to actually experience, I think, a level of vulnerability with people that you haven't in some cases met physically. It's like we've not actually been in the same space with one another, but because of so many different common shared interests and common share conversations, and things of that sort that we actually feel comfortable to say. Even on Boxer, like, "Yeah, today I was about to burn it all down to the ground. Any thoughts of words of wisdom before I light this match."
[00:27:07]
And it's someone who's like, "So, Kiva, seriously, you're not going to do that. And this is why you're not going to do that because you've done this, this, and this." And you're like, "Oh, okay, great. Let me go put the matches away." But it's that level of connectedness that I think we as humans, I think we always have strived for. But I think the combination, maybe, of remote work plus ... hey, everybody is locked in their own houses. It's like the combination was a weird combination to be like, "I need more friends, I need more people. I got to rethink." Because it's like you couldn't do some of the things that you would normally do. And then like you shared ... I don't want to say your regular friends, but typically your circle. If there aren't people who are trying to balance an entrepreneurial kind of lifestyle, it can be complicated because there's always that ...
[00:28:09]
My mother even said to me, "So, do you like what you do?" And I'm like, "Yes. Why?" Because I think you always think in the back of their heads, they're like, "You could just go work for somebody and not have these issues." And they're doing it to be helpful. There's so not any shade. There's no we don't believe in you. It's just like, "Wow, this seems really hard. And there are some days that you seem a little bit [crosstalk 00:28:39]."
Lindsay Williams: [00:28:39]
It's like I don't understand what you're doing.
Kiva Slade: [00:28:42]
Yes. Or why you're doing it. And it does ... it feels like sometimes your nose is so far down to the ground that you don't take stock of the growth that you've had in your business, the progression that you've made. And some of it might be seemingly small in the sense that it's not like business revenue, it's just straight mindset shifts that you've had that you're like, "Wait a minute, I'm showing up differently for myself." And that is huge in that trajectory. That is your business journey. But we don't always give ourselves credit for it. So, I think having a community, a space to have people who are reminding you that please, you are doing amazing, look at this, this and this, and you're like, Oh yeah, that's right. So, they're kind of your cheerleaders, your accountability partners, your whip you back into shape when you're actually trying to fall off the ledge, all of those things wrapped into one. And so, then to couple that with that opportunity to meet them in live living color is like, oh my gosh. And I totally feel that way.
Lindsay Williams: [00:29:57]
So, this is a little funny to share, but …
So, I love yoga. I used to dance for my whole life and I feel like yoga was my adult ... I couldn't dance as an adult if I did ballet, or it was really hard to find adult ballet classes just based on where we were going so I chose yoga. And that has been really good for me and really good for me mentally as well. I just need to move my body and get out of my head sometimes, and that's super helpful. But there's that I feel like at the end of a really good yoga class, it's just that peaceful, and that sound, that mmm, everybody's just like, mmm, that was really good. And that was such a retreat for me. That sound of women together that are supporting each other, being vulnerable with each other, and sharing and offering their special strength and services to support each other, was what this experience was. And I didn't know. It was honestly, logistically a nightmare to make it happen.
[00:30:59]
But I'm so glad that I did because it was what I needed to kick me into gear for what I needed to be doing going into the next year. And so, it's something that I'm hoping now that I've realized that about myself ... Because I don't know about you, sometimes I can get going head down work mode, in my little office space, doing my own thing. I'm like, I'm doing great, this is awesome. And then stuff like that gets me out of my comfort zone and interacting with new people. And it's like, oh, like I kind of needed that. Like you need to open the windows and just air things out and get a little bit of fresh air in there. And so, I'm hoping now to incorporate that more into my life. And I wish I had done it sooner. I feel like especially as an artist ... I feel like maybe it's changed. I really hope it's changed. So, this is just speaking from me going to college years ago at this point. But no one really supported us in any way with an understanding of as an artist, you're essentially an independent contractor or a businessman. That's what you are as a thing.
[00:32:12]
You're either selling your work personally or showing it in galleries, or you're contracting for ... Maybe you're working for a design firm. But you're probably doing freelance gigs a lot. That's what you are. And I had no foundation in business in my undergrad school, so I felt like I was spinning my wheels for the longest time and I couldn't get ahead, and just didn't know what was the right thing to do. So, luckily I knew Melissa, and I was working as a contractor for a particular client that I just needed out of. And the timing was perfect because they were doing event management, and I needed out because things had come to a head at that job. I'm not a super confrontational person, but it was not a good fit, and then they were just not respectful of my time or my boundaries now that I had had a kid ... Because I had a kid while we had been working together. And so, I contacted Melissa. Because I think that's the other thing about finding your people. For me, Melissa, it's not like maybe the next step ahead, she's a few steps ahead of me. But we knew each other before we had kids. We've both had kids a few months apart. I can see her progression and what she's able to do as far as her kid close. And so, I knew seeing that, but I was like, oh, this will be possible when my kids are able to go to school more often or I could take a step back and have perspective from that. But I wish I had worked with a business coach sooner. I wish someone had told me that sooner. [unintelligible 00:33:42] that really helped me.
Kiva Slade: [00:33:45]
It jump-starts you. I think it helps move you. You're going to move from point A to point B, it just moves you faster. It's like at the airport, do you walk or do you take the little walker that's motorized next to it? And you're like, you're both going in the same direction, but let's be honest, the people on the little motorized little escalator-like thing are going to get there faster, even if you're speed walking on that other side. It's just not the same. And so, I think that's what happens when you work with the coach. It's like you go from A to B, but you just get there faster than you would have if you just did it on your own. So, I think that's awesome.
Lindsay Williams: [00:34:29]
You don’t distracted along the way. You're not going into the little kiosk. You're on a little ... You can't get off your …
Kiva Slade: [00:34:35]
The wheel and your luggage isn't messing up and you're having to stop and fix it. Literally, everything is moving right along. So, I think that's the part that really ... It just accelerates. It accelerates that. And like you said, it lessens the distractions that are sometimes just our own distractions. You're walking and it's like, oh gosh, I'm getting a little hot, so now I've got to stop. I got to take off my jacket. Where if I was just on the other side, I wouldn't have to do all of those things. So, it lessens our distractions and accelerates, I feel, our progress and how we move forward. So, I love that though, because I think that just in general community, and I always talk about collaboration ... There's really enough space for every single one of us to shine so brightly to do all of the things that are our heart's content. But I do think that finding those people and finding those cheerleaders for you is super important. Because there are days when you're going to feel like burning it all to the ground and you're not going to see your progress, and you're not going to feel like anything is moving forward because you don't realize all the seeds basically you've planted, and you don't see what's taking place under the dirt. It's about to start sprouting, but you're at the point of throw the pot away. And it's like, nope, don't throw the pot away. That's why you have all of us to say, "Don't throw the pot away. Trust me, it's coming." And it's right there and normally right around the corner, but we don't see that. So as we get ready to wrap up, I think that you have something to share because I understand from the grapevine there might be a course or something coming up. Tell us more about that.
Lindsay Williams: [00:36:19]
Oh, my gosh. I totally forgot about that, actually. So, I am in the process of recording. And by in the process, I mean I really need to get myself in here and record this thing. I have it all mapped out.
Kiva Slade: [00:36:31]
That's a step.
Lindsay Williams: [00:36:32]
But for Black Friday or December, it's a work in progress, I am putting together a course on how to use Canva like a pro basically. So, I want to get you to ... Please tell them I just want you to stop wasting money, actually. Stop buying all the templates you don't need all the time. Stop buying all the stock photography subscriptions. You don't need all of those. If you have Canva pro, it's actually like the one thing weirdly. And I have a love-hate relationship with Canvas, so don't get me wrong. But I don't see how as a small business owner without a graphic designer on hand how you're going to get by without using Canva for your social media. Or if you have a small team, like a social media manager that's contracting with you or something, I don't see how you can do it these days very easily. And if you have the Canvas Pro subscription, you're paying for it already. You're paying for templates, you're paying for photography, you're paying for elements, you're paying for videos, you're paying for all this stuff. So, I'm putting together a course to teach you how to set up Canva with a workflow like a designer. Because realistically, Canva can get messy. There are a bunch of folders and situations that happen. So, I'm going to teach you how to set up your brand kits with all your branding. I'm going to show you where to go if you need to start from scratch. I'm just going to give you some tips and tricks that I like to do with clients. I'm going to show you how to set up all your folders for a design workflow that I think makes sense at least.
[00:38:03]
And then I'm going to show you how to take any template that you already have in Canva, how to search for them, and then customize it so that it'll look like it's on brand for you without looking like all the other people's templates that use the same template on Canva. And that's not to say anything bad about anyone. Because it's like once you see it, you can't see it. Everybody's there in Canva. Everybody's using the things. The only reason you know that someone needs to Canva template is that you're using it too. You wouldn't know otherwise. But I would really love to do that because I think ... And until you understand how much a system... And for my system-minded people, it's a system. And that's the magic of branding. Your logo, your colors, your font, it's all a system. And if you're able to see that it's a system and use that consistently, you're not going to have to spend money on templates because you're going to be able to customize anything that you have and be able to change it up. So, I'm just going to show you some tips and tricks on that. And I'll have the whole workflow set up.
[00:39:01]
And then I'm going to show you how to export anything that you need, and I'll give you some extra resources if you need it. But that's my goal because I want you to stop wasting money and use the assets that you have, especially as a small business owner when your assets are limited. Let's just get the biggest bang for your buck out of any of these things. But it would also be good ... I was just thinking this the other day ... If you're a VA and you want to level up your skills, if you're working for multiple clients, this might be a good way to just ... You would now have the skills to go in and set up a client's account and manage that with a better design workflow or manage their templates. So, whoever needs this. Let's stop wasting money and use what we're already paying for.
Kiva Slade: [00:39:43]
Yes. That is literally the whole point of having systems so that we are not out there spending more money than we actually need to. And you're right, we're already paying for Canva pro, so why do we need to have all of these extras that are so not necessary that we're also spending money on? And let's not talk about, oh, goodness, all the template bundles we have that are just sitting in our inbox. Let's not talk about some of them. Some of us might have gone a step further and uploaded them to Canva, but let's be realistic, we're still not utilizing them. So, I love this and I love this idea. And I know this course is going to be amazing because we all need this and we need to utilize what we're already using in a much better way. And you're absolutely right. I had to laugh when you were like, "Once you see it, you can't unsee it."
Lindsay Williams: [00:40:38]
Yes. You can't.
Kiva Slade: [00:40:39]
Exactly. You really do know because you're like, Oh, wait, I've used that template too. So, even though there might have been some color changes, you're like, "I might have used that same exact one just the other day. Thank you kindly." So, I love that, Lindsay. So, super awesome. And where can we find out more about this course?
Lindsay Williams: [00:41:02]
You can find out more about this course on my website, it's lindsaywilliamsdesign.com, or you can follow me on Instagram @lindsaywilliamsdesign, or I'm on Facebook, I think, at Lindsay Williams design. I hope that's correct. I'm [unintelligible 00:41:16] haphazardly. Apparently, I'm all over the place. But if you can find me at Lindsay Williams design, then you're doing well. So, feel free to me or whatever. But yes, I'm really excited because I want you to stop ... I also just want to take away the overwhelm of creating visuals. I get you can just sit there and spend 3 hours and then just be annoyed by what you did. And some of that is just taking a step back and taking a deep breath, and going for a walk or something and coming back to it. Because it's probably not as bad as you think it is.
Kiva Slade: [00:41:51]
It never is.
Lindsay Williams: [00:41:51]
It really isn't. You just need a minute. So, go do something. Go get some food. Stop being hangry, you'll be fine. But I just want to take away the overwhelm and give you some techniques to just change [unintelligible 00:42:34] change that, and you're 80% of the way there. And then you can fiddle with the rest
Kiva Slade: [00:42:09]
I Love it. Awesome. So, thank you so much, Lindsay, for being here today. I have so appreciated this. So, remember everyone, keep it simple. And in some cases even more simple than you thought it needed to be. Because you are doing a level of educating when it comes to sharing about your business and people may not know some of the terms you use or what those actually mean, and they can actually mean different things in different industries. So, keep it simple. Solidify your business first before you go, spending all the big bucks on making everything pretty. And also, find your people, find your tribe, your community, but connect with others because this journey can definitely be a lonely one and it doesn't have to be. So, you want to find those people who will hold you accountable, be your cheerleader. Also, just commiserate with you on those days when that's just all that's needed, or in our case, actually, share what are you cooking for dinner? "Okay, so I'm making this." Oh, cool. I'm going to go make this. So, you never know what those friendships might lead to, but definitely make the time to invest in making those friendships. So, if you want to learn more about Lindsay, you will visit her at lindsaywilliamsdesign.com. And I want to thank you again, Lindsay, for an awesome episode where you have totally shed a lot of light on branding and design.
Lindsay Williams: [00:43:34]
Well, thank you so much for inviting me. I'm so excited about this podcast for you because I love when you tell me things. So, I can't wait to see what this does.
Kiva Slade: [00:43:43]
Awesome. So, everyone tune in next time and check the show notes for all the details on Lindsay's course coming up for Black Friday. See you next time. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Collab With Kiva. Each of us has a different path. And I hope that this episode gave you some takeaway that has left you inspired and motivated to keep pressing forward on your unique path. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss out on any future episodes. And of course, your reviews on Apple are greatly appreciated. If you're a small business owner, ready to start making data-driven decisions in your business, and you know that without the data, you're really just guessing, make sure to visit my website, the516collaborative.com, and let's schedule a time to talk to make sure that you can harness the power of data in your business. I'll see you next time. Bye.
Meet Kiva Slade - the Founder and CEO of The 516 Collaborative. With a unique background in high-power politics on Capitol Hill and sixteen years as a homeschooling mama, Kiva found her calling in the online business world as a trusted guide for entrepreneurs looking to build the business of their dreams.
Kiva's work began behind the scenes, orchestrating the back end of businesses and managing teams. But her inner data diva couldn't help but notice that small businesses needed help harnessing the power of data for growth. So she and her team set out to uncover and tidy up the data required to enable clients to grow their businesses confidently and easily.