Shel Design

I know there's been lots of comparisons done about how businesses are like children. But here's another one

After having Child #2, I remember thinking "If I knew what parenting was REALLY going to be like, would I have done it?". Meaning, if someone had written down all the pros and cons on a piece of paper, would I (pre-kids) have thought that looked like a good idea?

Being completely honest, I'd have to say "no"!!

But would I change ...

Ok so I'm a design nerd. I went to a Powderfinger concert on Sat night, and although I LOVED the music, the highlight for me was the amazing graphics playing on the screens behind the band. For a few of the songs I was totally mesmorised and completely "design-inspired". I'm not going to describe the images, because it wouldn't do it justice - you needed to be there!

And then on Sunday night, I was relaxing with my family with the new Sting album (Symphonicity) playing in ...

I've been realising more and more that business relationships have many comparisons to personal relationships - and are often as complicated! I've come up with a list of "relationship questions" to work out if your business is a "good catch":

• what first impression does my business make? Does it catch the eye of potential clients or does it blend in with the crowd?
• is my business attractive to potential clients? Is it "well dressed"/well presented?
• what values

...

Chaos.

The word conjures up many scenarios and images for me. Recently, it is the word I've used to describe the juggle of my life and the feeling that each week I'm managing to "get through it" rather than feeling any sense of "control".

And until recently, it was something I avoided analysing but also felt like I had to do something about it. So I set a goal with my business coach: to be content with the chaos.

I was pretty sceptical ...

We've all heard it before - is your business brand consistent? But time and again, I have clients come to me with logo in hand but little else in the way of a consistent image. Or worse, their image IS consistent, but it's not conveying the message they think it does.

You've also probably heard many times that 'branding' doesn't just refer to whether your business cards match your website (although consistent marketing materials are important). It also refers to the overall image you ...