Client Case Study Courtney Fanning - When I Grow Up

Client Case Study Courtney Fanning - When I Grow Up Um, do you know that Ive coached hundreds of women since I started offering dream career guidance in 2008? And that these women are freakin rock stars, leaving soul-sucking jobs and traveling the world and launching creative, grown-up businesses and simply doing work that fits their lifestyle goals? Well ya do now and youll hear their stories firsthand in my  Client Case Studies series! Im so thrilled to introduce you to Courtney Fanning, whose business  Big Picture Branding  just launched last week! Shes taking over a decade of experience in the industry and focusing it to work on her favorite subset of clients: businesses who make the social good a priority. A dream business built for do-gooder businesses? Whats better than that?! I cant wait for you to meet this smarty-pants powerhouse. Why did you decide to work with me? I knew that I could have all the motivation and gumption in the world, but unless I had some sort of structure or process in place, my business would live inside my head forever. I decided to work with you first and foremost because it was clear that youve worked with a ton of creative professionals like myself and know what works and what doesnt. There would be no time wasted. The clincher was your positive, you-CAN-do-it-and-you-WILL-do-it energy. Starting a dream business can cause all those awful uncertainties and doubts to come out of the woodwork, but with you, I knew I wasnt taking a blind leap into the unknown. More like a carefully calculated leap with a clear and visible landing pad at the end! What were you doing work-wise when we started working together and what are you doing now? For four years I had given everything I had to my previous employer and in the end, found that the daily frustrations and abuses were not serving me as a person or a professional. Building on a decade of experience as a creative marketer and brand strategist, the timing felt right to leave that all behind and focus on work that better aligned with my values helping purpose-driven businesses build brand strategies that lead to greater impact. Big Picture Branding is my brain-child and I am all in! What was your biggest takeaway from our work together? Whatever Michelle says to do, do it. HA! But in all seriousness, I would hmmm and hawww about a decision for days (regarding copy, design, service model, etc.,) going in circles, and then almost always realize that yes, your input was always the best choice. The practice of exploring all my options was super valuable in terms of figuring out what I wanted to stand for and convey as a business owner, but I probably could have saved myself some time and anxiety by just doing whatever you originally suggested! Think of someone who is currently in the shoes you wore when we first started working together. What advice do you have for her? There is value in what you have to offer and yes, someone will actually pay you money for it. I have come across so many brainy-meets-creative-meets-savvy women who, for one reason or another, have been led to believe that their skill set and abilities arent valuable. I was one of them. But when the support isnt there, go out and find it. You deserve it. Work with a coach who is realistic, no bullsh*t, but also empathetic and inspiring. Find people who lift you up to help you realize your goals. Even the most badass boss out there has a support system, so create yours. Its the best investment you can make for your professional self. Is there anything thats been a game-changer for you when it comes to your business that you can share? Wed love a good resource or a mindset/productivity tip! Since my skillset errs on the side of creative strategy and messaging, I can use all the help I can get when it comes to design! I love Canva for social media graphics, Coolors.co for playing with brand color combinations, and YouTube for helpful Squarespace hacks. I also depend on a regular lineup of podcasts for helping me get into the right mindset on days when I need a little jumpstart or for inviting curiosity back into my life when Im feeling uninspired. Some favs: Women, Work, and Worth has some great interviews from fellow entrepreneurs trying to figure it all out. NPRs Hidden Brain uses science and sociology to explain the world around us super interesting as a person who has made a career studying what motivates and influences us! Forever35 is a podcast about self-care and the strong girl-power vibe is everything when I need a small escape. NPRs How I Built This dives into the stories behind some of the worlds best known companies. Spoiler Alert: No one knows exactly what theyre doing, exactly how theyre going to do it, and where theyre ultimately going to go, no matter how brilliant an entrepreneur they are! (There, now dont you feel better? Keep persevering!) This American Life is a masterclass in brilliant storytelling. 99% Invisible explains the thinking behind the things we interact with every day that go unnoticed like why some doors are push and some are pull, why pants pockets were invented, and whats the deal with barcodes? Whats on the horizon for your business? Wed love to hear about any upcoming offerings or goals!   A brand strategy can seem like a really big and nebulous concept to grasp, but its really just because most businesses have no idea where to start. Right now Im offering a complimentary and 100% personalized brand assessment in 48-hours. (Yes, really.) Just scroll to the bottom of my homepage and fill out the form. Well touch base, youll tell me where I can find your business online, and in 48-hours youll find out what’s hurting you the most (and what to do about it!) Having someone who can objectively see your business through your customers eyes, and then tell you whats missing based on where you want to be in a year or ten years is like having a business Fairy Godmother. If you want to go to the royal ball and snag a prince, were going to need to upgrade a few things and get you communicating like the shiny princess you are, honey. Where can we find you and your work? www.bigpicturebranding.com, @bigpicbranding on Twitter and @BigPictureBranding on Instagram. While Courtney launched her business through my  90 Day Business Launch  program, Im fully booked through the spring wont be opening those spots til next month! If you wanna get started *next week* AND launch your biz *this* July, then check out  Dream To Done, A Guided Year to Clarify, Launch Build Your Dream Business.  No-obligation apps close on Wednesday, so dont wait too long!