Flowers. Everywhere. I love spring. The smell, the energy, the longer days. It’s the perfect time to do some decluttering and cleaning up. I started writing this “how-to spring clean for your business” checklist. But then I stopped because 1) It was sounding really boring and 2) You probably don’t need a reminder to backup...Read More

The best change I made for our Design Sidekick clients (and my overwhelmed inbox) in 2017 was improving the way we manage our marketing and design projects. We were using Basecamp for our internal back-and-forth’s on projects and then I would send the proofs to the client. It worked… but it seemed so clunky and messy. Plus,...Read More

First of all, you need to know that I really had to restrain myself from turning this quick-read list into a giant novel. There’s really so much more to talk about when it comes to keeping overwhelm under control (and a lot of it isn’t as simple as a tool you can buy online). That...Read More

Your design and marketing projects are all over the place. They are either DIY’d by you, your in-house marketing team, or scattered between various designers. You’ve thought about hiring an employee (or two). But you don’t have enough hours to bring someone on full-time. (Plus, sometimes you just need extra help for a few months during...Read More

This question (or some form of it) comes up all the time in small biz circles: Do I need to pay a designer to create my logo? Should I hire a professional to do my website? Do I need to have branding in place before I start my business? I’m going to answer this question with...Read More

You used to have a website for your business. Now you have a glaring white screen with a few lines of code. And that code makes absolutely no sense to you. (Why should it? You have enough going on running your business, you can’t be a developer too.) It might look something like this: That’s what my...Read More

The All-Access Pass is my newest package for event marketers and producers. It’s a creative services retainer that gives you access to all of my creative services for your event or business. If you’re wondering EXACTLY what that means, here’s a list of tangible items we can work on for your event: Logo Design Visual Branding Brand Guide...Read More

When one of my clients first asked if I’d be open to working on a retainer basis I had no clue what a retainer was. It turned out to be a win-win situation and we’ve had one in place for over five years. A creative services retainer is an agreement you make with your designer (or other service provider)...Read More

Don’t be embarrassed. We all do it. We all tell little lies to ourselves. Sometimes in the back of our mind we know we’re lying. Like how I tell myself, “Tomorrow, I’m going to get up early and workout!” Sometimes we accept the lies as truth, without question, we don’t even realize we’re doing it. Maybe...Read More

Honestly, I didn’t come up with the All-Access Pass Retainer package, one of my favorite clients did. Back in the early 2000s they needed a beer tasting program designed. I had plenty of print experience and a love for beer – it was a perfect match. After that first project they continually added more items and events to my to-do list...Read More