by Amanda Daniels-Allen | Oct 14, 2020 | Mindset & Inspiration, Social Media |
Have you ever found yourself sitting and wondering WTF you are doing? Questioning your every move and wondering what you are doing wrong? You are doing everything you are supposed to and even have “professionals” telling you what to do.
You lean in on their learning, follow the recipe and do what they say and still nothing.
Crickets.
No clients.
Like you are speaking into a void that time forgot.
WTF is the point
Frustration gets stronger and brings the tears. Tears of commitment, devotion and hard work that you put in for years and yet you are still in the same place as you have been for many of them?
I hear you.
I hear you loud and clear.
And what I need to say is this.
Welcome to Entrepreneurship
The journey is long and bumpy, there are no guarantees you will get to your destination, but enjoy the ride.
The ups are up, and the downs feel like you have fallen off a cliff and there are times when you just CANNOT bounce back no matter how much you try.
You watch the affirmation videos on YouTube, meditate, get into the right head space, read books, learn something new every day, but it’s not enough.
It is not satisfying.
Because you are not getting anywhere.
This happens because your faith in yourself (and or your business) is waning.
You need to keep believing and have faith, like in Santa and Magic!
“Faith is having the audacity to believe in the not yet seen” – Jen Sincero, You are a Badass
There are times you want to give up and get a proper job, but let’s be honest, that’s not you anymore.
It makes me shudder to think about going back to the corporate world where most go unheard and are misunderstood. How does it make you feel?
So, here’s what I propose
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and bounce the fuck back!
You have so much to give in the world and they haven’t seen your all yet.
There are those that are all over social only showing the good side not the dark, but I see your shadows. The imposter, comparison, not worthy or undeserving.
The strange thing is, I see it and hear it, even when you don’t speak it.
Right now, I understand where you are and how you feel, because I have been there myself.
I see you, I hear you, I honour you and I love you.
You’ve got this, so keep going even if it gets harder. Bring a different game to the table and tap into the people work are working with more.
Step into your power and let that light shine bright. There maybe people out there “doing what you do” but they do not do it the way you do or have your je ne sais quoi!
Let’s talk when you are ready.
You’ve got this and I’ve got you!
Book an Unearthing Session with Amanda to get your questions answered and discuss which option is best for you
Amanda’s style is relaxed and informal, but she cuts through with laser precision to the heart of what you maybe lacking to drive your business forward. Very insightful session and thoroughly enjoyed. Would highly recommend if you are short on time and need a quick delve into your marketing tactics.
Cheshire Granite Worktops
by Amanda Daniels-Allen | Sep 10, 2020 | Brand, Message |
The biggest challenges of creating or building trust starts with you. What I see everywhere is that the business owners and entrepreneurs want the lifestyle, the money and everything that goes with it, yet does not want to put the work in.
They don’t put the work in because they don’t trust that they will make the right decision, therefore no decision is made and they sit on the fence and dip the toe into the sea of marketing activity and expect people to want to work with them.
Trust building starts with you, if you do not trust, how can you be trusted?
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters – Albert Einstein
4 Steps…
There are 4 steps to building brand trust through marketing authentically;
Be Reliable
Keep the promises YOU make
If you say you are going to do something do it! This is not just for your clients, this is also about the promises you make to yourself. Finish what you start by creating daily routines and processes within your business.
Be Consistent
Show what YOU truly stand for
Show up even when people are not watching, liking, commenting, sharing or engaging. Become so focused on watering your own grass, others come and ask you how you can help them do it!
Be Honest
Speak YOUR truth
The context of your life informs your beliefs in what you do and the actions you take. If you cannot be yourself and always compromise, others cannot see if you are truly for them and how you fit into their world.
Be Open
Share YOUR thoughts and opinions
Be willing to go to the place’s others won’t by asking real questions and being controversial even when most don’t think the way you do. This sparks debate and debate leads to people thinking differently.
Click to DOWNLOAD the Building Brand Trust through Marketing Authentically by Koogar
by Amanda Daniels-Allen | Apr 17, 2020 | Marketing Strategy |
As the leaves fall to the ground in preparation of the winter, the earth tilts. It’s time for change… A rebrand for Koogar.
“Change is inevitable, but transformation is by conscious choice”
What does Rebranding mean?
Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors, competitors, and other stakeholders.
It is not just about evolving a logo, colours and visuals. It’s about ethos, purpose, mission, principles and message.
All of which have changed for Koogar for many reasons. Some business, most personal.
The process includes our thoughts, feelings, questions we are asking and answering.
I’m not going to lie, this process is so much easier when we do it for our clients than it is for ourselves. We want to get it right so it allows us to speak our truth and be seen by our perfect clients. So it’s back to the drawing board.
I wrote this in November 2019… and now I’m ready to show you how Koogar has evolved!
11 Steps to Rebranding
- Why now?
- Reflect
- Audience
- Message
- USP
- Strap line
- Vision, Values and Mission
- Offering
- Logo and Colour Pallet
- Visuals and Style
- Release
So as you can see there is a lot to go through to get to your final result. A lot of thinking, designing, trying and testing, sitting and waiting and then… you’ll notice it come together.
What our Logo means to us
We have redesigned out logo to match Amanda, along with her values and beliefs.
We have become more defined, fluid, centred and bold.
Defined – by evolving our brand and our offering, we now know with absolute clarity who we are and what we stand for and how we best help our clients. We now have a variety of options for the Solopreneur through to the Established Business Owner.
Fluid – the font has changed to an oriental handwritten font to match Amanda’s love for graphology and to ensure that everything we do with you, or for you; is integrated, organic, sustainable and the natural order of flow for you and your clients.
Centred – our colour pallet has been derived from the Chakras (the body’s natural energy centres), to align you with your brand and business. Giving you clarity, confidence and consistency with your life and business. We also bring empathy and intention with us in everything we do, this is something we do naturally.
Bold – we are now who we have always meant to be. We pride ourselves on our openness, honest opinion and approach to business. This is what our clients come to us for, even if we talk ourselves out of business. Our sole priority is to serve you and your needs and to to it well with honesty, integrity and authenticity.
Our message is simple
We are here to make marketing manageable by integrating your marketing to influence your audience.
Integrated Marketing is about pulling all marketing elements together, and is a combination of traditional and digital marketing activities. When assembled well, marketing integration creates an organic and natural customer journey for your target audience to follow.
Using our Marketing Integration Eco-System™, we take potential customers from being “interested” in what you do to buy from you… and then refer you on!
Let me know what you think…
Next Steps…
My next step is to get our website to match our new brand and offerings. We have already started telling people about them and they are being received well.
I’ll be in touch with the next instalment soon.
Namaste.
by Amanda Daniels-Allen | Oct 25, 2019 | Brand, Koogar, Opinion + POV |
When rebranding, its always good to go back to the reason why you set up in business in the first place. Remind yourself of the situation and re-live it.
#koogarrebrand
Why did you set up in the first place?
Write the story of how your business came to be.
Why did you set up in the first place?
List the reasons, the situation, thoughts and feelings you had back then.
Write it down and get it all out onto paper or a word document if you prefer.
This will also drive you to keep going when you lose focus.
Koogar was formed on 6th November 2006. I was being approached by many Business Owners asking if I could “build a websites for them” and I’ve been asked to build all sorts of websites!
At this time, websites for business were a new marketing element businesses wanted to add so they could now be found online. The problem was, they were VERY expensive, and the quality of website being built was poor.
WordPress or “build your own websites” didn’t exist then. Websites were made using Notepad (or Text Editor) where you needed to know how to code.
Because I noticed the quality of website that was being made, I looked into them further to find most were not portraying the businesses well at all. These Business Owners were not getting the presence they really deserved and knew I could do a better job.
Checks and Research
Graphics
Logos seems to be made in Word and visuals were either taken from the internet or taken by the owners but the sizes were wrong. Out of proportion, slow loads times and not good enough quality.
Content
No effort went into the content.
These sites were full or jargon and no personality!
No calls to action, customer journey or experience created for the user. At one point, usability is the main part of my job, so needed to ensure the user of the website can easily understand the wording, buttons and navigation amongst other things.
Code
Some of the sites I looked at were shocking (some are still this way today) but I knew I could make the code leaner and more up to date.
Love and Passion
I was in my 8th year of working in the Internet/Web industry in 2006 and I was getting a little bored. The software house I worked for wanted me to become a programmer, but I knew that wasn’t my path.
I loved art and design; qualified from college as a Graphic Designer, enjoyed client meetings and putting what they wanted into the websites after asking the right questions.
So, I thought to myself… “can I make websites for businesses?”, bearing in mind, that year I was building multiple websites for companies like HSBC, head of usability and in client meetings every week.
So, the answer was, “yes, of course I can!”
Koogar was born.
1st Koogar Client
My first client (as Koogar) that year was a Hotel based in North Wales. Ged had worked with me for a very long time (13 years), like most of our clients have. He retired in 2019, selling the hotel on to a chain who took over the marketing and digital elements.
I had taken what I had learnt during my career as an Internet Developer and mixed it with what I had learnt from my parents; customer service, experience and people.
My Dad was Head Maître D in the best hotel on the island of Bermuda and my Mum was an entrepreneur and ran many businesses.
Over the years, I’d learnt the digital way of creating customer journey’s, understanding the user as well as the traditional version of customer service by understanding people and being in front of them.
Marketing is about psychology NOT technology.
Technology will change but people are people.
Marketing is about communicating well so no matter where your message is, the RIGHT people will notice you and take action. Leading them to the sale…
Without marketing (awareness or attention) you don’t get the sale!
In Summary
Koogar was born because of lack of standards and quality; not only for the websites but how they looked and sounded to the people using them.
The whole experience!
I wanted to deliver the best service as a web designer but also get the attention the Business Owners wanted and giving them the presence they all deserved.
Your 2nd Step
If you are looking to rebrand, take a step back in time.
Go back to the day you had the idea of running your own business. Remember WHY you set up in the first place. What was wrong with the industry that made to start your business?
This exercise will put fire back in you belly. Making the evolution of your brand even better than it has been!
- Check out your 1st Step in Rebranding
by Amanda Daniels-Allen | Oct 24, 2019 | Brand, Koogar, Marketing Strategy |
As the leaves fall to the ground in preparation of the winter, the earth tilts. It’s time for change… A rebrand for Koogar.
I have decided to share the journey so you can follow the process. #koogarrebrand
“Change is inevitable, but transformation is by conscious choice”
What does Rebranding mean?
Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors, competitors, and other stakeholders. Taken from Wikipedia
It is not just about evolving a logo, colours and visuals.
It’s about ethos, purpose, mission, principles and message.
All of which have changed for Koogar for many reasons.
Some business, most personal.
The process of Rebranding
Over the coming weeks I’m going to share with you why Koogar is rebranding and what it means to us.
We’ll go through the process including our thoughts, feelings, questions we are asking and answering.
I’m not going to lie, this process is so much easier when we do it for our clients than it is for ourselves.
We want to get it right so it allows us to speak our truth and be seen by our perfect clients.
So it’s back to the drawing board.
Why is Koogar rebranding?
The first step to rebranding is asking yourself why?
Why now? What’s changed?
Here is my answer…
Koogar will be entering our 13th Year on 6th November and things have changed.
Over the last 4 years, I have personally gone through the 3 D’s; Divorce, Dementia and Deaths.
As you maybe aware, my Dad passed away in 2018 which has been a tough road and one that pushed me over the edge and showed me that life is too short. I understand what this means now.
Read – He is Gone – 9 Life Lessons from my Dad
Too short to do things you don’t want to do; with people you don’t want to do it with, sparking my trip to Thailand in search of finding myself.
Read – Stop holding yourself back (Thailand)
Isn’t “Finding yourself” cliché?
Yes and no.
In my situation, I had lost my identity over many years. I stopped doing things that brought me joy, made me happy and gave me purpose. When my Dad passed, it was the final straw.
Fast forward to coming home from Thailand, my whole outlook had changed. Not only about myself but to life and the world in general.
I started understanding what was important to me. This time, I wasn’t going to compromise.
It was like I was reborn, looking through my eyes as a different person but in the same body.
Integration
Integration is a huge part of finding yourself. It’s about fitting it in what you’ve just learnt about yourself, with the world you currently live in and removing what no longer serves you.
It doesn’t come easy, in fact, its ongoing.
Learning lessons every day from small things like how people talk to you, ah ha moments, dark days to when you’re feeling bright and ready to take on the world and your morning yoga session.
Realisation
I know I am here for greater things.
I also know I help my clients with more than JUST marketing them and their business.
My clients trust me, tell me about personal challenges and issues they have, tell me things they haven’t told anyone else, things that are hard to admit. I’m very privileged to be in this position.
My clients also want and need their ass kicking from time to time but most importantly want someone to give them a true and honest appraisal of what they are trying to do from neutral ground.
My reason why
I’m rebranding is because I haven’t been true to myself.
There are things I want to do, ways I want to work and specific types of people I want to work with and to do all of this, I need to strip back my message.
It’s scary, I worry what people are going to think. Will they carry on working with me or walk the other way but this way I know I’m being me and true to myself.
I am here to challenge you to communicate your own truth so that your marketing speaks to the audience you want and that you step into your own power to be seen.
Your 1st step
If you are looking to rebrand, ask yourself why? Why now?
A rebrand won’t necessarily bring you more money, but it does allow you to be yourself and step into your own power, which in turn will draw your perfect client towards you because your message is not only true to you but to them also!
This exercise is not only cathartic but also provides a new perspective on your journey and where you are headed.
Namaste.
by Amanda Daniels-Allen | Jul 31, 2019 | Business Growth, Marketing Strategy |
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A marketing membership may not be right for you and there are many reasons for this;
- haven’t got time to either do it yourself or spare a team member in the business
- it’s a reoccurring cost that you don’t want to incur
- can’t afford the expense right now
- maybe you’re thinking it might not work for you and your business
Then again, you may have been thinking joining a Membership right now could really help you with your marketing. Which is perfect, let me explain the many benefits of joining a marketing membership…
Be kept accountable
If you work by yourself as a solopreneur it’s hard to make sure you do everything you need to but more importantly have someone else to bounce your ideas off!
If you work within a marketing department or small team, there are times you want to speak to an expert to find out if your heading in the right direction and are on track to achieve goals or K.P.I.’s.
Either way, having someone keep you accountable by giving you tasks, exercises and resources every month allows you to take control of the marketing of the business by steering you in the right direction and giving you things to think about that you may haven’t even thought about. Having a fresh pair of eyes look at your business could just be the thing to push you in the right direction.
Get MORE done, take action and implement your ideas
Finding the time to market can be hard especially if you’re by yourself. Having a team of other like-minded people around you spurs you on and keeps you going even when you don’t feel like you can or want to. To take action you need to know what you need to be doing. A membership can give you the structure you need to bring into your business.
Develop confidence in yourself and business
Confidence is one of the biggest challenges we face when putting ourselves, products and services out there. We feel like we could be ridiculed or publicly criticized for the decisions we make we tend to not do anything at all. Let the Koogar Academy help you develop more confidence in yourself by helping you gain clarity of who you are and what the business stands for!
Be with like-minded people
Being with other people who feel the same way as you and have the same kind of problems is a safe place to be. Within this space we can ask question, give opinions and decide how we would approach that particular activity and if it’s for you at all.
Share your struggles and frustrations in a safe environment
Let’s be honest, we all have them. It happens to us all at different stages within our life, marketing, personal knowledge and situation AND business. Asking for help isn’t a bad thing, it is something we all need to do to enable us to grow faster.
Learn a new marketing tactic every day
Embracing a student-like mindset allows you to learn every day, helps you adapt to your situation, decision making is easier and every day you become better at what you do. What was the last thing you learnt before reading this blog? Pop a comment below.
Become a part of something that gives you motivation and picks you up when you feel nothing is working
SOS a.k.a. Shiny Object Syndrome, overwhelm, scatter gun approach to marketing and the feeling of being lost impacts everyone. Gaining momentum is what is needed for you to be motivated in the first place. Within the Koogar Academy, we’re good at giving you a kick up the bum or pep talk when you need one.
Make some amazing connections
We have a Members Meet Up every quarter where you can meet other Koogar Academy Members and put a face to a name. Many of our current members have met and have done business too.
Grow your business through marketing better
This is what we are here for right? So, let us do it together making sure your headed in the right direction.
Expand your thinking and knowledge of yourself and your business at the same time
Most of our Member have come in with a particular plan and idea of what they want to get out of the Academy, but we have been blessed to have some amazing members who have taken their goals and ideas to the next level! Like adding 5 figures to their bottom line, being able to by a 2nd car and a house in some cases!
Stay outside your comfort zone
Being in an uncertain place, not knowing what to do, where to start, who to ask for help is tough enough.
When you know all the answers to all of that and are now ready to take it to the next level, your comfort zone will be pushed but that’s where miracles are made.
Stop holding yourself back!
Visit www.koogaracademy.co.uk
You don’t have to be technologically savvy to join the Koogar Academy because we are here to help you AND show you how to do it.
Marketing isn’t about technology it’s about psychology and understanding the person you are trying to get in front of!
Marketing is something every business must make time for. If you don’t it gets pushed to the wayside and left alone until there is NO business coming in…
So why a Marketing Membership?
There is a reoccurring cost to a membership (depending on which payment option you go for) but there is also reoccurring learning when it comes to marketing due to shiny object syndrome when new platforms and ways of doing things become apparent and because marketing is an ongoing element throughout every business, staying abreast of it is better than lagging behind!
And yes, let’s be honest which ever membership you join might not work BUT if you make time, complete the exercise, attend the masterclasses and take action…
I guarantee you will see results not only in your thinking, in the amount of action you start taking and how people start interacting with you but also in your feelings towards marketing yourself and your business… the confidence will start appearing and there will then be no stopping you!
None of us know everything…
The simple fact is that when running or working within a business we cannot know everything. It’s just not possible. Because of this, we need to expand our team and work with people who can help us achieve our goals.
If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants – Isaac Newton
If marketing isn’t your strong point OR you are looking to up your game, then the Koogar Academy is for you. The reason is because, we can always learn something new or be reminded of something we are not doing.
New technology and marketing activities will come and go but the basics of it and foundational elements will always be the same. Until you understand who your perfect client is as well as;
- how they think
- what they are looking for
- how they make a decision
then excellent marketing will always elude you.
Is Koogar part of other Memberships?
The answer to this is YES and the reason is, is because we don’t know everything either.
Koogar is a member of 3 memberships as we speak;
- help us up our own marketing game
- all things business operations
- growth and scale and one for technical know how
If we are telling you to do something, it’s because we are doing it or have done it ourselves.
If you have any questions about the Koogar Academy, please email Amanda at info@www.koogar.co.uk, alternatively have a look at our K.A. Frequently Asked Questions.
