You can DO this! First things first.....

One of the first things I suggested Tina to do for her shop, Heartful Expression, was create a logo and then once she had that, a banner. I helped design her logo and she did her banner from there. It looks good! Go take a look and compare it to the picture from the previous post.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/heartfulexpression

Doesn't it look much more put together now? I love it!

The best part of this, is now she has her “look”….her “brand”. This is huge, huge, huge, HUGE! Even if you are a one man shop, or solopreneur, you absolutely MUST have a logo and “look” that is distinctly your business before you begin putting yourself out there.

Why, you ask?

This the mantra I repeat over and over and OVER to the shops I help or give critiques to…

If you look like a business, you will feel like a business and once you start feeling like a business, you will start acting like one and once you start acting like one…well then, people will start treating you like one!!!

I mean really? Who’s going to take you seriously if YOU don’t? And not having a “look” or “brand”, gives the appearance of you not caring or at the very least, not being invested in your business.

Now your first argument will be….”But I can’t afford it…”. You can’t afford not to! This is one of the most important things that so many one man shops blow off. Because of the internet, you now CAN start a business with relative ease. But it doesn’t mean you SHOULD take the “easy” way out and just do it half-assed. (Forgive me…I’m blunt.) If you do, half-assed results is what you’re going to get! Take your business seriously…you should invest as much into it as you would a brick and mortar business because regardless of where your storefront is, the fact remains, it’s still a storefront and one that you want people to want to shop at!

I’m going to post links to a couple of articles that talk about the importance of having a logo and branding yourself in a straight to the point voice and not a bunch of marketing mumbo jumbo that is next to impossible for someone who doesn't have a marketing degree to understand. (Which, for the record, I don't have. 15 years involved in the real estate industry is my "degree.")

http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/branding-logos/3580-1.html

http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/branding-logos/3579-1.html

Next up for Tina is going to be some marketing ideas, ways for her to get her name out there and get some traffic to her now fantastically branded shop!