Vinson & Sons Pecans
This was such a fun project for me to work on! Kate from GG&R is married to a guy (Alex) whose family has a pecan farm. The Vinson farm has been in their family for 7 generations and they started farming pecans in 1925. Recently Kate & Alex got the opportunity to use their imaginations to expand the family business and they brought me on board to help!
This project was slightly different because the marketing meetings happened while we shelled pecans… so it was double the fun/work. ;) I learned a lot about pecans let me tell you! We worked on their ‘story’ for the bags and also this lovely logo designed by our very own Nicole Hensley at colehensley.com. She did an amazing job bringing Kate’s vision for this project to life.
I personally think the ‘tag line’ brainstorm was the absolute BEST. We started out tame but they got ever so slightly inappropriate towards the end…. I mean the subject matter is nuts. LOL
Here were some suggestions from our brainstorms:
Prized Fall Line Pecans
Best pecans on the fall line
100% Fall Line Pecans
Only the best grow on the Fall Line
Proudly grown on the Fall Line
Farming heart healthy nuts since 1925
Pass the pecans
World's most addictive nut
Healthier than almonds. Yup.
Crack into yum.
Nut Different. Eat Pecans.
Nut yeah.
Superior nuts for all.
Wanna try me boys?
You’ll love the Vinsons sons nuts :)
In the end Kate came up with ‘Vinson grown. Nature perfected.’ Which of course is the perfect tag line… but I think I see a solid V&S merch line in the future.
We are currently working on bag designs for next harvest season and also looking at how we can increase the production because these pecans are FLYING off the shelves!
Available in’ Roasted’ and ‘Sweet ‘n Spicy’, the first test batches of Vinson & Sons Pecans are now on sale at ggandr.com.
Go on and get you some!
New project: #calm | hashtagcalm.com
This project has been a labor of love for me. Rob is my brother and brought me on for branding, start up, website and consulting. Rob has been dreaming about the opportunity to own his own company for some time and I’m thrilled this project has officially launched.
What I am most proud of is Rob’s unwavering support of mental health and how he has taken his struggle and used his story in the hopes of helping others who have the same experience.
I know this is only the beginning for #calm. And I really look forward to growing this company and this dream.
Check out the site! hashtagcalm.com
Small Business Survival: Find new revenue streams
Walking into this January many of my clients have had to adjust their entire business models to meet the challenges left in the wake of 2020. While I can’t take credit for their ideas or visions of what their businesses should achieve, I can confidently say that working with them this year was challenging and personally rewarding.
With my focus primarily on small businesses, I have a unique perspective as to what it takes to make a business survive when the world goes haywire. I had clients who had to shut down their businesses completely for long stretches of the year, while others were able to jump and jive their way to finding new ways to do business and generate new revenue sources.
What was really key for survival for all of my clients in 2020 was finding new revenue sources.
One of my clients is a boutique owner whose main revenue source is ‘in person’ retail shopping. Clothing, jewelry and home decor were her top revenue generating products. Her online sales made up approximately 10% of her revenue stream.
In 2017 this same small business owner had the vision to start carrying boutique wines. Prior to 2020 it was not a major revenue stream. Then covid hit and she shut her doors for 5 months. It was then she had the idea to host weekly virtual wine tastings. Her marketing strategy was simple and was just to send emails to her current list of customers and also to post on social media.
She started doing virtual wine tastings in April of 2020 and they not only sustained her through the closure but her online business went through the roof.
Another client who owns a coffee shop and cafe was also facing closure of her business during the early days of the shut down. After many hours we came up with a plan for her to turn her cafe into a grocery store and she started offering “$30 Family Meals” which could be picked up or delivered. It was a huge success! She too had a healthy email list we had captured over the years which was instrumental in marketing her efforts.
If your business is struggling to do business in the same way it always has my advice to you is to dare to think bigger, lean into something new and try it.
Wishing you success in the new year!
~Christy
Teel Reef Certified
Teal Reef Certified
In celebration of Earth Day I am officially launching an idea I’ve had for YEARS. I originally had the idea about 7 years ago when I was frustrated over not being able to decipher whether or not what I was doing was environmentally friendly or not. I felt like the information out there is all over the place (and it is). Making me feel incredibly overwhelmed to make any kind of decent decision about what was a good or bad environmental choice.
I also felt like because I wasn’t perfect about all my choices that I couldn’t share what I was going through.
Then I realized… I don’t have to be perfect about my environmental choices… because that’s virtually impossible…. but what I could do was share the information I did have with others.
So the idea to create a “Stamp” that would indicate a what I would value as a good environmental choice. Sort of like what the Non-GMO Project did with GMO foods. You know when you see that logo you can trust there are no GMO’s in the food you are eating. It’s the same type of idea.
In addition to foods, products and services I want to also help families make good choices when eating out, choosing vacations & experiences and also tips/tricks for day to day living.
Maybe it’s a lofty goal… but it’s one of those things that keeps coming up… so I’m putting it out there.
Stay tuned for my first certified choice…
Stay Healthy & Sane Friends
~Christy
Social Media Can't Save You
Social Media Can’t Save You
It’s one of the hottest, trendiest topics facing small business owners and entrepreneurs at the moment… the unicorn in the room is (drum roll)…… SOCIAL MEDIA!
The good news is that social media can’t save you. So if you’re tanking…. social media isn’t the answer. (Doesn’t that make you feel better?) So quit wasting your time thinking “If only I had a better social media presence my business would be rockin’!” It’s completely false.
If your business isn’t doing well do yourself a favor and take a step back and ask those hard questions, find an honest friend or hire a good consultant to take a look at what’s working and what’s not.
Social Media is important… but proceed with caution….
I see it all the time. Small business owners and entrepreneurs pleading for help with their social media. So they make the mistake of trying to hire an outside company… like me.
In theory I’m always a fan of “When in doubt, pimp it out”….BUT social media is a completely different beast. For the past year I’ve been advising/guiding/pushing/shoving clients to find someone within their organization to run their social media.
The biggest problem with hiring anyone on the outside of your organization is just that… they are on the OUTSIDE. They aren’t privy to the inner-workings of your business, your staff, your clients, your products or services… or most importantly your business’s personality.
Social media demands an intimate look at the key players of an organization and their quirks and sense of humor. It demands front row seats to what is happening within your organization. That’s really what people want.. an intimate connection.
What I find is most small business owners are savvy enough to know this but have ZERO time to worry about social media. They want it, they know it’s important but simply finding the time to invest in engaging content seems daunting. But trust me… it’s not that hard… here are a few tips….
SLAY SOCIAL MEDIA IN 5 MINUTES
Find the funniest person in your organization you trust and pay them a few extra bucks a week to post 2-3 funny and engaging stories, photos or videos about what is currently happening. And if that person doesn’t work out… go on to the next one. It’s important not to over think this… humor and being real is the way to people’s hearts.
Go LIVE whenever the mood strikes you. I like going LIVE because it’s the most intimate and real experience you can share with your audience and it’s so so so easy.
Post your events. Post your events. Post your events. And then boost them so everyone knows what you are doing.
Spend some money boosting your page so it shows up in your customers feeds.
Rinse, lather and repeat.
Happy social media-ing.
~Christy
Getting "Un-Stuck"
Most of the time when I get called into to meet a potential client they are stuck in the trenches of operating their business day to day…. just doing what it takes to survive.
Usually Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners find themselves being the ‘Jack-of-all-Trades’… they are the CEO, the CFO, the HR Manager, the Operations & Facilities Manager, the Customer Service Manager, PR & Marketing… etc…etc…. It’s exhausting.
I find that the very last thing small business owners & entrepreneurs have time for is the creative process. The creative process is so critical because it is all the things they have been thinking about to solve their businesses’ biggest problems. Butfinding the time and resources to implement these great ideas is literally next to impossible when you are ‘STUCK’ in the trenches.
Getting ‘Un-Stuck’: Here are a few tips I offer my clients when we are tackling how to grow their business.
1. Go back to ‘why’ you started this business. Just do it.There was a reason why you decided to go down this path and build this business in the first place… go back and examine that first initial dream and see where you have drifted off course. Make a list of all things you wish to accomplish in the next 5 years.
2. Identify your biggest energy suckers in your day and hire someone else to take on those jobs. Just do it.You can’t grow if you literally don’t have the time to focus on it.
3. Set a weekly/bi-weekly meetings with your staff to go over all that needs done in the coming week. Small businesses are notoriously terrible at scheduling staff meetings (for good reason… time is so very limited). Just do it.Engage your staff to help you solve all those little day to day problems so you can focus on the big picture.
4. Make time for creative meetings. Just do it. Identify a few staff members and/or even a consultant like me to help take the business to the next level. Sitting in creative space with others who share your passion is the only way to grow your business and achieve your dreams.
Growth is imperative to survival…. So find the time to get ‘un-stuck’ and invest in the success of your business.
Cheers.
-Christy
Meaningful Marketing Campaigns
Gone are the days of using your entire marketing budget on placing ads in traditional print. These days it’s all about figuring out what is important to you and your business and attmepting to create ‘meaningful content’.
Creating meaningful social media and email contect is tricky. On one hand you want to highlight your products and services but on the other you want to connect with your customers in an ‘un-pushy’ way.
For many businesses owners this idea leaves them feeling confused. What do you mean?
Let me break it down:
FIND A CAUSE - If you notice most big organizations are spending their marketing dollars telling you what causes they support. Take Verizon… during the SuperBowl this year they spent MILLIONS to tell you how they support 1st responders. Find a cause near and dear to your heart and figure out a way to support them
What can your business do to support some worthy organizations /groups in your community? Are you a restaurant? Can you donate left over items to a food pantry or shelter? Do you provide a service that an organization could benefit from?
GET FUN - Highlight the ‘fun’ things in your daily business. Do you have an employee that always cracks up you and the customers? What are your running office jokes? Do you have funny customers you can highlight on your social media?
CONNECT - Customers want to feel connected to you. Use your real voice when writing a post or email not your ‘sales’ voice.
BE GENUINE - Don’t create posts or emails just to generate posts or emails. Use the voice you really use when talking to customers and post things that are ineresting to you and your customers. The most engaging posts and email usually are the ones that highlight the staff, service and products in a way that is fun and lighthearted.
Get to Work Making Small Plastic Swaps in 2019
This is me walking with a friend this week along the Banana River Lagoon… I actually found a giant plastic bag while walking and started to fill it with plastic.
There have been multiple stories in the headlines recently about how the waves of plastics washing up on shore and choking our waterways. Birds & sea animals are being found dead with bellies full of small plastics. By now we are all aware of the giant whirlpool of trash spinning off the coast of California.
The images literally haunt me. And even though I’ve personally committed to changing my own consumer habits to reduce plastics in my life… as I sit here typing this I realize I have broken my own rule this weekend and purchased eggs in a plastic container and a bottle of fabric softener. Gah!
The other thing I’ve come to realize is that recycling isn’t the answer. I have the pleasure of attending a workshop put on by my city’s Sustainability Committee and our Waste Management provider. I learned I’m recycling ALL WRONG and about 40% of recycled material is going straight to the landfills. Did you know those plastic containers berries come in from the grocery store are NOT recyclable? And in most cases glass is sent to the landfill because there are no buyers for it…. <face palm>
During this presentation was the first time I had ever heard of “Wishcycling”. This is where you really don’t want to throw something out and toss it into recycling wishing and hoping someone will make something else out of it. But ITS NOT RECYCLEABLE. Become educated about what is and what is not recyclable in your town.
In the end… we must manufacture and consume less plastics. You as a consumer have the power to make this happen. I have dreams of living in a world where consumers have pushed major companies to go back to using materials in manufacturing that can be reabsorbed by the earth and not kick micro-plastics and chemicals back into our environment. I also dream of being the person who all those companies come to so we can figure out how to manufacture, package and sell items cleaner and greener. So bring it Target, Walmart, Nabisco, Proctor & Gamble, Hershey’s and every grocery store in the country…. I’m waiting for you.
I know this all seems daunting but you can make a difference in your homes and your business with very little effort.
First, take a hard look at your plastic consumption. Immediately what are the things that jump put to you? Take a look at the following suggestions and see if you can implement them into your daily life…
Switch to bar soaps.
Use bar soaps instead of buying plastic pumps in the bathrooms.
In your business you can take this idea to the next level by partnering with a local soap maker and let them put their soap in your bathrooms and sell their products at your business. Win/Win.
Stop using plastic bags.
I play a game with myself… every time I forget my reusable bags I have to buy more. I also request paper when available.
In your business do you offer plastic bags to your customers? STOP. Figure out how to either use paper bags or make using reusable bags part of your customer experience.
Stop using plastic straws and other single use plastics.
Prior to 1960 every single human ever born just drank out of a cup… without a straw or a plastic bottle. <GASP> Get yourself a fancy reusable cup and get to work.
In your business stop giving away plastic straws and cups. Make customers ask for straws. Take this one to the next level and up-charge for paper or bamboo straws.
Take a look at the packaging of the items you are buying… gifts, food, candy, snacks, drinks etc…
When purchasing items… take a look at the packaging is there an option without plastic?
Corporate giveaways and gifts. Stop ordering little plastic items with your logo on them….. A. We don’t want your plastic crap. & B. Choose to make a difference and not contribute to the problem. Instead choose items like reusable straws, bags, or here’s an idea… go back to that local soap shop and have them toss your logo on some cool soap. Or maybe you have a cool local coffee shop that will toss your logo on some Free Trade coffee… the ideas are endless.
Feeling inspired? Awesome. Tag us with your own Awesomeness. @tealreef
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