My experience with Brenits Creative has been fantastic. I wish I would have contacted Andy back when I first started Cyclone Shipping!
But back then, I probably would have had some of the same doubts as when I first met Andy many years later: Do I really need to take on this marketing and branding work? Is it worth the time and money?
Talking with Andy, I knew the answer was yes. I needed his help to bring to life the dreams I had about growing my business and reaching more customers in a new, compelling way.
Working with Andy was different than what I first expected it to be. I figured a marketing firm would be all talk and no listening. But Andy really heard my ideas and expectations about how I wanted to partner with him.
As I got to know Andy better and learned of his background in the corporate world working with large, well-known brands, I was actually surprised to know of his interest in working with my small business. I became excited about working with a person of Andy’s caliber, and that re-energized my interest in keeping Cyclone Shipping going and into the future.
The confidence Andy gave me to work on the branding and marketing projects with him can’t be understated. (This was something I wasn’t expecting.) Andy understood my business and did a great job explaining the entire process of how we’d work together — from our initial discussions about my industry, customers and Cyclone’s strengths and challenges, through the new logo, company messaging and sales collateral he would eventually create for me.
I remember Andy asking if I was comfortable with the plan he was proposing and checking to see if I was ready to begin what would be a months-long effort. I was certain it was the right direction for Cyclone and told Andy I was all in.
Every time I talk with Andy, my business seems to get better. I know it’s kind of crazy to say, but he always gives me new and different ideas to think about. Andy has a great way of keeping me on track, too. He will remind me of the marketing priorities we agreed on that I need to address. (Sometimes, the business pulls me away.) I like that Andy can be flexible and understanding of my other obligations, but I appreciate the fact he’s adept at keeping our assorted projects on task and moving forward.
There’s another aspect of our partnership that stands out to me. My company is small and I have just one key employee. She’s younger than I am, but she’s been with me for a long time and is a big part of why our company is successful.
When Andy and his team first met with us, I noticed the attention and respect they gave my team member. Not that I was expecting anything different, but when I saw how they were truly listening to what she shared about our business and the questions she asked, something jumped out at me: Andy cares about all aspects of my business, including the perspectives of my valued team member.
As Brenits Creative began developing the new branding elements and content for our website, we were blown away by what they created. They understood our business, industry lingo and were able to nail messaging that spoke to our target audience.
Andy’s understanding of my business actually made me more confident meeting — not just with new prospects, but with my existing customers, too. When I meet with people I’ve known for years, they remark on the big steps I’ve taken to better-position Cyclone Shipping. They talk about the professionalism of my new website and sales collateral, and it feels great.
With the changes Brenits Creative made and my re-focused attention and excitement for what I do, I’ve been able to land new accounts – and sometimes this happened right on the spot during my first call with the prospect!
There’s one other thing that I have to mention: I have my own Cyclone Shipping calendar now. Let me explain.
People who work in my industry rely on a wall calendar that shows a three-month view at-a-glance. I’ve always wanted to create one of these for my company but never got around to it. Early on, I told Andy of my interest in having a Cyclone Shipping-branded calendar to give to customers and prospects. When we started focusing on the initial work of my logo, messaging and website, the calendar idea was set aside.
But Andy remembered how important this collateral was to me. Months later, he brought the topic up again (that pleased me to no end), designed the calendar and had it printed in record time, even saving me some money in the production of it.
I’ll soon be mailing the calendar to key contacts, and I’m excited to share it with them. If I would have tried to tackle this calendar on my own, I would have never seen it in print. But Andy knew it was important to me and made it happen.
It seems like everything that was in my head about my business — from the calendar to the new website to a new way of showing how I can help my customers — Brenits Creative was able to bring to life. And I can’t thank Andy enough.
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