8 Ways Your Corporate Job is Preparing You To Be an Entrepreneur

Like many of you, I’ve always known I wanted to be an entrepreneur. But like a lot of you, I had to work in the corporate world before I could make that dream a reality. It’s often difficult to enjoy your 9-to-5 when you’re hoping to go out on your own. You go to work everyday thinking, “If only I were going to a job I was passionate about.”

Luckily, I didn’t hate my 9-to-5, however, I was constantly dreaming of “one day” when I would own my own business. While I was able to design every day, I wasn’t passionate about the work I was designing or the clients I was working with. I knew what I wanted and that wasn’t it.

I found it difficult to see past the annoyance of not having what I wanted immediately. And once I had set a timeline for myself of when I planned to quit, everyday at my current job seemed like a waste of time. I’m willing to bet several of you reading this feel the exact same way. You know it’s not your forever job and you’re just trying to get by until that glorious day of sunshine when you hand in your resignation and head out into the world of entrepreneurship.

Friends, I’m here to tell you take heart. Your time is coming. For now, even though it may seem like a waste of your time, it absolutely is not. You are being molded and shaped into a better you. The BEST you who is going to accomplish amazing things when your time comes. But for now...

BusinessCasi LongFebruary 6, 2017Comment

Why Simple Design is Working

People often think good design equals more design. More colors, shapes, photos, patterns. However, the most effective design is often what appears to be less design, when in reality it’s simply smarter, more efficient design.

I ran across this quote and I thought it summed up my thoughts quite well:

“Apple pie has endured through the years because it’s something people easily understand. In the same way, a simple, classic design that doesn’t require your audience to think too hard to understand the message will still be relevant after years of fancy fluff and bad trends have come and gone.” —Speckyboy Design Magazine

In a world of fast-paced, hustle and bustle, I for one think simple design is working quite well. Here’s why:

DesignCasi LongFebruary 3, 2017Comment

One Simple Thing That's Holding You Back

We all know the person who talks the big talk, but rarely walks the walk. They are constantly spouting off the things they're going to do, saying how much they hate their job, or dreaming of moving somewhere exotic. Do they ever actually do the things they love to talk about? Not very often.

On the contrary, we also know the person who just gets things done. I call them doers. They hardly ever go on and on about what they're up to, but all of a sudden they've accomplished great things.

There's a reason they don't spend time talking about it—they're too busy actually doing it. After all, actions really do speak louder than words.

BusinessCasi LongJanuary 31, 2017Comment

Why Your Brand Is More Than a Logo

I would define a brand as the visual and emotional recognition of a business. Webster defines it as: “a class of goods identified by name as the product of a single firm or manufacturer”

“Put simply, your “brand” is what your prospect thinks of when he or she hears your brand name. It’s everything the public thinks it knows about your name brand offering—both factual (e.g. It comes in a robin’s-egg-blue box), and emotional (e.g. It’s romantic).” —Forbes

Have you ever considered what makes up a brand and considered why it's important? Today, I want to talk about why a brand is much more than just a logo.

Branding + WebsiteCasi LongJanuary 26, 2017Comment

When + How to Invest in Your Business

Spending money on your business can be hard. Especially when you are first starting out and have little-to-no money coming in. Most entrepreneurs spend their first couple of years just trying to get by, which can often mean you’re not investing anything back into your business. You’re cutting corners every chance you get in order to keep your business afloat. Trust me, I get it.

Have you ever considered that investing a little bit of money into your business could potentially set your business up for success? If invested in the right areas, you could actually see more benefit and more income than if you hadn’t spent any money at all.

I am a firm believer in, “you get what you pay for.” Sometimes exactly what your business needs is a little TLC and blind faith that it will all pay off in the long run.

BusinessCasi LongJanuary 23, 2017Comment

Brand + Website Launch | The Dusty Baker

One of my dear friends is a wonderful baker. She’s constantly blessing others with her delicious baked treats and everyone raves about them. For the past couple years, I—and several others—have been telling her she needs to open a bakery and sell her goodies.

This friend is also a huge baseball fan (all the more reason why we’re friends). She particularly loves the Washington Nationals and their head coach—Dusty Baker.

So when she mentioned her dream bakery would be called “The Dusty Baker” and would be located right in our neighborhood, I thought it was genius. I knew I had to create a branding package for her.

No, this isn’t an actual building or an actual bakery (yet!), but it sure was fun to create the brand + website for when she does decide to make it happen!

Client WorkCasi LongJanuary 16, 2017 Comments

The Best Websites for FREE Stock Photos

We all use photos on a regular basis. We use them for social media, blog posts, powerpoint presentations, pricing guides, websites and many more things. If you're a business owner, you've likely ran into the challenge of finding high-quality photographs at an affordable price.

I know I certainly have.

To prevent you from scouring the web for hours in search of the perfect photograph, I've put together a list of stock photo sites I use on a regular basis. And get this—they're all completely FREE!

BusinessCasi LongJanuary 5, 2017 Comment

6 Guidelines for How to Set Achievable Goals

It’s that time of year where we dream of all the things we’re going to accomplish in 2017. We love to dream BIG dreams of getting in the best shape of our lives, traveling the world, and building our businesses into six-figure success stories.

I, too, am a big dreamer. I lie awake at night thinking of all the things I want to accomplish in my business. I then lie awake stressing out about how much time it will take and how little time I have.

All of our BIG dreams are 100% attainable, but they can seem overwhelming when you don’t have a plan for how to reach them.

I personally like to break my goals up into categories: health + fitness, business, spiritual + emotional, relationships, and financial. Once I’ve done that, I follow these six guidelines for creating achievable goals.

BusinessCasi LongDecember 12, 2016Comment

Branding Client Update | Wunderhaus Interiors

I recently made several edits to this brand and I wanted to share it with you guys. I created a full brand style guide as well as collateral items and social media branding.

During two of my summer breaks in college, I worked for a woman and her husband who ran their own directional drilling company out of Oklahoma. At that time, I was planning to get my degree in Interior Design, and this woman—Beth Ketchum—had worked as an interior designer for years, so we hit it off right away.

Beth and I stayed in touch after I returned to school (and ultimately decided to forgo the interior design route). A few months ago she messaged me about creating a logo for the new design + consulting company she was starting, Wunderhaus Interiors Design + Consult.

I was so thrilled to work with Beth again on such a fun project! She is super talented and I can’t wait to see all the beautiful homes she will create.

Client WorkCasi LongNovember 30, 2016Comment

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