I'm hearing from lots of small business owners how tough it is out there at the moment. Money is tight, sales are down. I was feeling it at the very beginning of the year too.
We got you. On Tuesday mornings bookings for the Brand Clinic will be open. These are FREE 40 minute consultations to talk about anything you may be struggling with, pain points if you will, in your branding and marketing. The aim is to provide you with some quick wins and recommendations to help you through without costing you a cent.
If you don't need it but know someone that is struggling a smidge, forward this on to them. Let's help each other.
Contact me to book your brand clinic session, I’ll be running them through July and August 2024.
Useful reading
Ironically, when a recession hits one of the first things a business will do is start cutting costs, the advertising department is often top of the list to slash at the budget.
This is one of the worst things you can do.
Why? Think about it. This is what all of your competitors are doing too... the marketplace is quiet, the visual noise is a dull thrum... it's the ideal time to get YOUR message out there while others are hiding/riding it out.
Have a read of these Forbes and Harvard articles to learn more about why you should INVEST in more marketing during an economic downturn.
How to market in an economic downturn by Harvard Business Review.
Surviving a recession with a strong marketing strategy by Forbes
Latest Projects
The Nomad Creative price guide
Helen Wall aka The Nomad Creative - photographer extraordinaire has not only updated her website, but organised her pricing for the upcoming wedding season. Lemonface Creative was happy to help put together her handy digital brochure to help lovebirds plan their big day. We have other bits and pieces in the works that are so exciting and I can't wait to share more soon.
You can download her price guide from her brand spanking new website
Reflections
I find it hard sometimes to 'find my tribe' when it comes to business. I have plenty of awesomeness supporting me but tend to lack the right networking events in my calendar. For the past 6 months, I have been (irregularly) attending a networking group down the line in Porirua. I particularly enjoy this one because it has been created for women - we tend to do things and connect with others differently to blokes and the standard business networking models don't do it for me.
Some smaller networking groups have the stipulation that only one person per industry can attend, which I find isolating and fosters more competition than community. Not at this women's group! I have mixed and mingled with other creatives, swapped stories and challenges, successes and advice which I find refreshing. I may have found my 'networking tribe'.
Rachel Klaver said "you can't become good unless you are shit first". The perfectionist in me resonated with that, I'll often delete posts that aren't perfect (in my eyes) or procrastinate from creating graphics for my socials because I will want them 'just so'.
It's ok to be a bit shit! It will be temporary until you become good.
Finally, I have been reflecting on the seasons, there is this tree I drive past every week and I always look at it, admire it, I don't know what it is about this tree and perhaps I don't need to know, I watch it change in the most dramatic ways every season and wonder how much I change and grow season to season.
Lemonface Lens
@lemonfacelens is a Lemonface outlet for creative expression, a place for play and joy.
This month I’m admiring the frosts. Here is a frosty buttercup, the last of autumn before we head into winter.
Boo the Dragon
Boo is lucky she woke up when she did, though why she chose to wake up during winter is beyond me. Here she is enjoying the last of the Lewis Farms strawberries for the season.
