Hey you,

Here’s your mission for the week: examine your brand.

Virgin. Oprah. Apple. Beyonce.

These four brands should spark something inside of you, because their brands are strong and alive.

Now think of the brand that you have created for your small business.

What feelings does it evoke? Does your business have a strong brand? Does it have a brand at all?

Today we are going to dive into the topic of branding. I’m going to give you the largely misunderstood definition of branding, followed by the steps I took to build such a strong brand for my own business and how you can do the same.

Get ready for a heavy dose of bad-ass branding advice to take your brand to the next level:

Don’t forget to leave a comment below! Our community is an inspiring one, a positive one, and a passionate one – and I can’t do it alone, so get involved!

If you’re smart enough to be on my VIP list, you have full access to my exclusive Bonus Material waiting in your inbox. Enjoy!

And if you’re not on the list – hurry to sign up today so you never miss out again!

I hope you have a beautiful Tuesday. One quick note: the five limited edition actions will be expiring on the 1st of March. I know many of you are saving up to make Dress to Impress yours, and if you want the limited edition actions to be yours: it’s now or never. Check it out here.

Thanks for being awesome, and keep me updated on your quest to a better brand. I want to know what worries or questions you have concerning your brand! Take it to the comment section, baby.

Talk soon!
Big hugs
xoxo
Alex

Hey you,

Merry Christmas! I hope you are enjoying every second of your holiday and that you are spending time with those who you love the most. Christmas is AMAZING so I hope you take a second to appreciate every single person by your side, and I hope you let them know just how much they mean to you. Time is fleeting, and nothing will stay the same forever, so enjoy the moment as it is today, enjoy your family and friends, and soak it up. Oh – and take lots of pictures 😉 haha.

But let’s get to business, shall we? I’ve heard from so many of you who suffer from what I like to call “target market overload”. It basically means that you are trying so hard to attract a variety of different target markets – each of which have different needs, wants and desires. This video will tell you exactly how to overcome “target market overload”. Not only is it going to cover how to overcome “target market overload” but it’s going to drive home a lot of key points that I think so many creative business owners miss. Your brand is your baby. It’s your job to take care of it, and target market overload is like shooting yourself in the foot. Literally.

So grab some hot chocolate, and listen up for your solution to spreading yourself too thin when it comes to picking the right clients:

BAM! And there you have your weekly dose of business goodness. PLUS it’s all wrapped up in a special Christmas special 🙂

“Your brand is the number one most important thing you have when it comes to your business” @alexbeadon

Big hugs
xoxo
Alex

P.S. Big changes are coming to my business, and I’m not sure how much longer these Photoshop Actions are going to be available for you. So if you want them, now’s the time!

Hey you,

Ever struggle with your “about me” page? It’s one of the most important parts of your site, and also one of the most difficult. Why? Because there are very few of us who feel 100% comfortable and confident when talking about ourselves. You don’t want to seem as though you are bragging, but simultaneously you want to get across the point that you are awesomely talented and totally worth hiring!

This week’s Chatty Tuesday video is going to give you eight tips to creating an incredible and effective about me page!

If you want to make the most out of this video, join in on the conversation by leaving a comment below.

Do you have any tips for Abby on writing your “about me” page? What struggles, successes or lessons have you learned when it comes to “about me” pages? And if you’re feeling brave – leave a link so that we can check yours out!

I can’t wait to hear from you!
Big hugs
xoxo

Remember the other day when I said my sister and I went for lunch? Well, after we finished up our lovely meals we still had 20 minutes to kill so we decided to walk around Covent Garden. We soon found ourselves in The Body Shop. There were so many products I didn’t even know where to look. I tried on some of the body butter. It was nice. We walked out, not a purchase in hand.

And then my sister suggested we go to Lush – which I said I had never been to before. She was in. shock. that I had never been, so off we went.

As soon as we could see the store – we could smell it. The gorgeous smell carried throughout the surrounding outside areas of the store. Yum.
Pleased Senses? A+.

As soon as we walked in, the staff joined in on the conversation my sister and I were having. We were talking about our pizzas at Pizza Express and how delicious they were, and the woman and man at the front desk joined straight in on our conversation. And not in a creepy way, either. In a cool way. In a “we have known each other for years” way. At first, it shocked me – but they were lovely.
Friendliness? A+

We walked into the shop, down the stairs, and my sister started pointing out all of these products that look NOTHING like what you would expect. Seriously – half of their products look more like desserts than actual shampoos or body butters. I mean, who says shampoo has to come in a bottle? I was hypnotised and I felt like a little girl exploring DisneyLand for the first time.
Product originality? A+

My sister was midway through pointing out a shampoo, Big Liquid Shampoo to be exact, when our friend from the entrance came up to us and said that he was going to let us sample it. “Cool!” I thought to msyelf. Although I didn’t quite know what he meant because we couldn’t exactly wash our hair in the shop, right? That’s when he came up to us with this tub. As in – he gave us a free sample to take home and try out. Me and my sister? Well, we were shocked.
“For free?” I asked. “For free.” he assured me. I couldn’t wait to get home to try out this new shampoo haha!
Going ABOVE and BEYOND for their customers and potential customers? A+

At this point I just want to buy something. No joke. We walked in there just to look around, as we did in The Body Shop, and I had no intention to purchase anything that day. But at this point I’m so in love I simply have to leave with more. I needed to buy my friend a gift, and asked him for his recommendation. He said he had just the thing. He brought me to these gorgeously wrapped boxes and pointed at the one he recommended to me, but also went through the others to help me make sure I was making the right decision.
Customer Service? A+

It’s funny. We went to The Body Shop and spent nothing even though there were loads of products on sale. And ten minutes later found ourselves purchasing from Lush. Similar stores, two very different approaches, and Lush ends up on top because of their originality.

Unsurprisingly I left Lush feeling ten times happier and better than I had when I walked in. Oh, how in love I am with my Lush experience so far. And you know me. I have an obsession with taking my FAVOURITE aspects of other businesses and trying to infuse similar concepts into my own business.

And so, I sit here, pen and paper in hand as I ask myself the following FIVE questions. I dare you to do the same:

1) How can you please the senses of your customers?

2) How can you be extra friendly?

3) How can you package your products in an original, totally unexpected “purple cow“-kinda way?

4)  How can you go above and beyond for both your potential and existing customers?

5) How can you make your customer service something that lifts people’s spirits whenever they are in contact with you and your business?