While running my own business, I began studying marketing. I developed a ‘voracious’ appetite to learn more. I enjoyed it so much, I decided to share my experience and the things I’d learned, with other business owners that were searching for answers and help. It’s probably best that I share with you a ‘defining moment’ that brought me to where I am today, working with business owners just like you! There were actually a series of incidents that happened. I had a storefront located on Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach CA. I was successfully doing interior design and custom window treatments for almost 20 years, but the economy was getting really bad. I was stressed out, unable to sleep, had a tremendous amount of overhead to cover and was going further and further into debt. I eventually made the difficult decision to close my store. And to be honest, although it was a very hard decision, it was also a big relief too. About 2 – 3 years prior to closing my store, I got really serious about studying marketing. At the time, I had a website and was sending an email newsletter but that was it. Other than that, I was clueless on how to market my business on the internet. I got heavily involved in social media, video creation, graphic design and blogging. Then I was offered a marketing position with a local company. They specifically created the position and was grooming me for the “Director of Marketing” position that would be open in a few months. I worked 12 – 14 hour days. I remember my life at the time was wake up, go to work, go home, shower, go to bed. Pretty dull. It was then that I had a defining moment… I remember it clearly. Sitting at my desk, I said to myself… “I like getting a steady paycheck. But my life has no zest or zing.” It felt as dull and dreary as a cloudy day. I started to think about my previous business. I was able to do high level strategic planning (the left side of my brain) AND creative work – such as working with color, balance, beauty and harmony (the right side of my brain)! It was then that I knew how important it was. I must include creative work in whatever I do! I had to find a way to do both – the mentally stimulating part (strategic marketing) AND the creative side (beauty, color, balance, creative expression, and harmony). As time went on, I started sharing my enthusiasm for online marketing with family and friends. Soon, people heard about my marketing successes and started asking me to help them. I started designing their websites, postcards, business cards, ebooks, flyers, hand outs, and even custom proposals for $120,000 + projects. I also gave them ‘homework’ and very specific tasks to do. The next time we talked, they’d say… “Barbara, guess what…?

 

• “I’ve gotten several calls asking for proposals!”
• “They found me on the first page of Google!”
• “They really liked what you wrote for my website!”
• “I’m getting so many calls now every week!”
• “We need to work on …… next!”

And… the rest they say is history!

I’m known for being tech-savvy, and for finding fun, fresh approaches to marketing. I look for and find “untapped ways” to bring in more business for your company.  

I’m not just a marketer or a website techie or a graphic designer. I’m actually all three! And did you know there is a big difference? A graphic designer can create marketing materials and a ‘pretty website’ that wows and moves and talks and does all kinds of great things… but does it have the necessary marketing elements that will get your prospects to contact you? A marketer can put ‘calls to actions’, keywords and all the information your prospects could ever want or need on your website – yet if it’s busy, unattractive, or focusing on the wrong things… your ideal prospect gets overwhelmed and clicks to go to another website. Again, does your website get your prospects contacting you or do they click away because you don’t have a blend of both the BEAUTY and the MARKETING that compels them to contact you?  

I bring the creative expertise (focus, scale, balance, rhythm, harmony, etc) together with the technical marketing skills (copyrighting, calls to action, keywords, SEO, WordPress blogs, website development, etc) so your ideal prospect is ‘compelled’ and eager to work with you and you alone. I provide – the beauty of the design, the marketing and the technical side of things.

I ONLY work with small to mid sized business owners who are

• Motivated and really ready for a change.
• Willing to invest in themselves (through mentoring and training).
• Know they must invest in marketing before their business will succeed.
• They are motivated to achieve results.

I’m not a generic, diluted, coach-of-all-trades or a low end, “do-it-yourself” advocate. What that means to you is that I am very focused and specific about the strategies I teach. I only teach strategies that work and they will require an investment on your part – time, energy or money (or a combination of all three). What you get with me is, as one of my coaching clients said recently…

“Barbara you are down-to-earth and a straight shooter. Exactly what I need, to get me out of the mess I’m in.”

I provide the following, for my clients –

 

• Private one-on-one consulting about Marketing and Client Attraction
• Marketing products, ebooks, audio products I’ve written for those like to ‘do it yourself’
• Marketing workshops, webinars and trainings
• Website Design – Development, strategy, implementation
• Graphic Design – Print and Digital – Postcards, business cards, Powerpoint presentations, welcome packets, pre-selling materials, Facebook banners, Twitter backgrounds, branding, etc.
• Sales Page Design and Set Up – when selling a product

I also provide Done-for-You services, but only for my high-level clients. This is where they do not even have to ‘think about’ lifting a finger, or spending much time on marketing their business. They only have to field the phone calls that come in.

I work with professionals just like you who are really good at what they do. However, they’ve never been taught exactly how to market their business or how attract the right clients, CONSISTENTLY. The industries I work with run the whole gamut of professional services:

• Interior Designers
• Landscape Architects
• Dentists
• Industry Partners & Manufacturers
• Chiropractors
• Product Vendors – Furniture, Wallcoverings, Window Treatments, Flooring, etc.
• Window Treatment Professionals
• And more

Please know I’m very selective in who I work with and I hand pick my clients, choosing to (gently) turn away people who aren’t suited for my programs and won’t get the results they would have signed up for (it’s just not fair to them.) My marketing systems are NOT for those who have no consistent revenue coming in and are absolutely, financially desperate. It’s been my experience that people in financial crisis do not consistently send out the materials I recommend and therefore will not get the results they need. (Maybe because they’re worrying about where to get next month’s rent or mortgage payment.) If you fall within this category, it’s absolutely OK. We’ve all been in times of financial crisis at one point or another. Do yourself (2) favors: 1. Get some money coming in with a full-time or part-time job at the very least, and then call me. This will take the edge off and provide you some peace of mind and mental clarity. You’ll then be able carve out the time and energy to focus on your marketing and the BIG picture of creating your ideal business. Once you start hearing from clients as a result of our work, you can then start reducing the hours you work at the other job and focus on your own business. 2. Sign up for my complimentary marketing ezine (sign up box is located in the right hand side of the screen). The information will get you started in the right direction at no additional expense for you. Doing these two things will help you get primed for our products and services. When you’re ready, call me and we’ll get started. (I’m in no rush and will be here when you’re ready.)

Yes. I won’t work with the negative Nelly, a complainer, chronic skeptic, blamer, unaccountable, needy hand-holder, or those who consistently challenge every aspect of my services or recommendations. If you are one of these people, I gently and respectfully ask that you not call or inquire and I hope you understand why. We’ll probably just not work well together and I wouldn’t want you to waste your time or money. Fair? Fair.