Style Magazine - Be Brave, Be You and Be Consistent
Starting a small business can be an exciting and often daunting task.
And for those of us who have been in business for a little while, we can now reflect back on some of the challenges that we have faced.
This month I thought I'd discuss the process of starting a business and how branding is really important to the success of your business.
I remember the time when I decided I was going to start my business back in 2017. At the time I was teaching at TAFE and got word that my contract was coming to an end and it would not be renewed. As disappointing as this was, this invigorated an idea I'd had for some time of starting my own small business. I first looked at the skills and expertise that I'd gained over the last 30 odd years since I had left school and how this might benefit others.
So it seemed logical to start a consulting business given my experience in retail, sales, business development and management.
I was also drawing from my experience from teaching Small Business Management, Diploma levels of Business and Management. I thought I was in a good position to pass on this knowledge together with my collective experience to the wider business community.
After deciding what the business was going to be and who we would serve, we had to decide a business name. For some, this is an easy process and for others, it's a bit of a process. The latter was true for us. First, I outlined several criteria that the business name had to have. For example, it had to be memorable, it had to be unique, and easy to spell amongst other criteria. And the icing on the cake - it had to include an animal as I knew from my marketing experience that this certainly helps your marketing, and you can have a bit of fun in terms of your branding.
So Little Pig Consulting was born. One critical facet of the new business was the look and feel of the business. Its identity is the way it presents itself. To get started, I considered who would be purchasing from me. At the time I thought my clients would be predominantly female, so the branding and colours tended to favour pastels. Given the choice of animal we went with, some pastel pinks and greys were our colour palette – pretty brave!
From the very beginning, we knew how important a logo and colours would be throughout the years that were ahead of us.
Looking back, I don't know that I would change too much. Our brand is now highly visible and recognisable in the local Toowoomba business community.
The colour choices have served us well over the years. We have kept up with the consistency in all aspects – from uniforms to the coffee cups and promotional items.
We quite often get the comment “we see guys you everywhere”. Of course, this isn't true - it’s just that the brand has become so recognisable and memorable. And this is what we always wanted for our businesses.
Top Tips
To finish off, here are my basic tips if you are thinking of starting your own business and getting seen:
- Research: Who will be buying from me and why?
- Be Creative: Come up with a catchy business name & identity.
- Investigate: Make sure it's available on ASIC & all social media platforms.
- Get Legal: Register your business name and all the appropriate domain names.
- Grab What You Can: Secure all of the social media handles, (even the ones you may not use at the start) ideally using the same name.
- Get Colourful: Develop your colour palette for your branding and initial logo concepts.
- Test: Get a focus group together to give you feedback.
- Commit: Get your branding sorted with the help of professionals.
- Consistency: Let your style guide direct your brand and use it across all areas of your business.
Finally...
Starting and running your own business is one of the most satisfying things you can do. One of the best pieces of advice I can offer you is, stay true to your goals for the business and remember your WHY.
Be Brave, Be You & Be Consistent.
Need help with social media management for business? Book a free 45-minute consultation with the best business coach in Toowoomba.
First published in Style magazine, May 2024:
https://issuu.com/armcustompublishing/docs/style_may_2024_complete_digital_edn/22
