Stop to Celebrate

Too often, we find ourselves working day-to-day, finishing to-do lists, completing a difficult task or wrapping up a huge project just to move quickly on to the next item on our list. Being busy, non-stop, hyper-productive, it feels good right?

When you think about the word “busy,” what comes to mind? Do you often use it to describe your schedule? Your workload? Your entire lifestyle? Think of using the word “busy” as the equivalent to purposely giving someone the busy signal. Describing yourself as busy can make you seem inaccessible. Instead, challenge yourself to use more accurate and positive synonyms. Below are a few examples:

- Blessed with many projects

- Fortunate to have numerous ongoing clients

- Not boring (that’s my favorite!)

Not only does it have an optimistic spin on the term “busy,” it also serves as a conversation starter. Busy feels like a door being shut; a positive phrase seems like an invitation to hear about the on-going excitement!

Within these bursts of productivity, make sure you find time (schedule it if you have to) to celebrate an accomplishment and/or milestone. Just stop for a few minutes to reflect on the success of the project. What worked? What didn’t work? What are the strengths of the project and what did you learn in the process? What will you do differently next time? What goals will it help you ultimately reach, and what recognition could this bring to you and your company?

Acknowledging your accomplishment and, ultimately, progress in your personal and career goals will help to re-motivate you to keep going. That confidence will increase your productivity so that you can continue to improve and succeed during your exciting and fulfilling schedule!

We’re hiring!

We’re hiring! Exciting, yes! Easy, no.

The process of hiring can always be intimidating, especially to a small, close-knit company with a very distinct “personality,” aka company culture.

Our company culture comes naturally from being our authentic selves, caring about each other and working with our individual talents. Our titles and roles are ever-evolving to play on our strengths, instead of trying to fit a cookie-cutter job description. The collaborative and open environment encourages creative brainstorming and accessibility for help or advice. We even spend time with each other outside of the 40-hours a week that we “work” together.

As the most recently hired designer (almost 3 years ago!), I’ve had the privilege of growing my skills and my love of design with Worx. From my first business card design to, more recently, complete re-branding packages, growth is apparent all around me. Our lovely new office with teal walls and room for more team members; of course the creation and ongoing initiative of The Green Couch Project!

I personally happen to be in the desk position to potentially play footsie with the new Worx employee. I look forward to having another team member to encourage, help and learn from! We’re looking for a Junior Graphic Designer with strong logo and branding skills, who is team oriented and loves to collaborate!

So, what can you do to really define your company culture and invite growth to come your way?

- Be authentic.

There are times to be more relaxed and times to be more professional, but always be yourself. People like REAL.

- Be realistic.

Having very high goals set for yourself and your company is always a great thing. However, having a realistic plan of attack for reaching those goals, one step at a time, makes the short-term goals more achievable.

- Be honest.

With being authentic, comes being honest. Do you have an open door policy? Do your employees or co-workers feel intimidated or feel that they don’t have access to help or resources? Create open, helpful and encouraging dialogue to ensure positive communication and honesty.

- Be intentional.

Be intentional about each team members’ strengths and weaknesses and work with them. While it’s important to fill a “role” that needs to be filled, let it morph into what works best for them, you and the company. There’s no job title that’s one-size-fits-all for all companies.

-Be fun.

Everyone likes to have fun. While everyone’s definition of fun is different, finding common ground of something enjoyable to do together as a company will build the team up as a whole and just lift everyone’s spirits. If everyone feels appreciated and is presented an opportunity to relax and have fun, when it’s time to get back to work, they will feel refreshed, motivated and ready to go!

Top 3 reasons brands don't survive

Branding. It seems like such a strange word to those outside of our office. What is it anyway? Some might say a logo; some might say a color scheme. And while both of those things are right, they are just small portions of a company's brand. 

Branding is a combination of every interaction you have with your customers. When people see you, they see your company's brand. Are they having the same experience across the board? Here are a few branding elements that you may not be aware of:

• How you answer the phone
• The type of information you share on social media
• The type of music you play in your lobby
• The tone you use in your verbiage (website text, email signature, blog posts)
• Customer experience - how do you make your customers feel?

The strongest brands are born from leaders and team members living the brand. It should become second nature to walk the walk and talk the talk. As an example, I'll share a little about the Worx brand.  Our company culture is all about being authentic and enjoying life. We care for our clients in a way that they become family. When my team is excited and happy, our clients are excited and happy. That's why it is important to me to take care of my team. I invest in their knowledge, push them out of their comfort zones and celebrate their victories. And to me, this is second nature. It's not forced it's just the Worx brand, which happens to be the Laura, Amber, Kassie and Momina brand. We're the same people from 9-5 as we are from 5:01pm- 8:59am.

As an entrepreneur, I understand that everyday things can get in the way of growing your brand. Here are the top 3 reasons I think brands don't make it...

1.  Not educating your staff. Often your team is interacting with your clients more than you are. If your team does not understand what your company stands for, how to communicate with customers and have a big picture of where the company is going, then how can they be advocates of your brand? Your employees should be part of your business, not just working hands. Invite them to understand your company culture and be part of the big picture. Get them excited about working for you and that will translate into your customer’s experience. 
2.  Not being consistent. When you start your business, you get everything in place. Your logo, business cards, website, brochures and social media are all set up and in place. But do they look the same? Is your brand consistent wherever people are seeing you? Perhaps it was when you first set things up, but a few months have gone by, and now you've gotten lax on your brand. You’re using different fonts, not following up with clients how you used to and have stopped updating your social media. It's important to be aware of how your clients are or are not seeing you.
3. Not trying new things. It's so easy to get in your day-to-day operation. Paperwork needs filing, products need to be made and bills need paid. All very important things. But staying stagnant with tunnel vision can ruin a brand. What is up and coming in your industry? Or better yet, what trend can you set? What can you add to your marketing strategy that keeps people’s attention longer? What new method could you introduce? If you keep doing the same things, you'll keep getting the same results. Spruce it up from time to time!

Your team and your clients deserve the best you. If you want people to keep not only coming back, but turn into cheerleaders for your company, treat them well, every time. Give them the same experience no matter how they are connecting with you and bring them new and innovative ideas that position you as the leader in the industry. Why would they go anywhere else when they have you!

Communication

Learning to communicate is one of the first things we learn to do as an infant. We find ways to express our wants and needs to others without using words. As adults, somehow the use of words can make communicating more difficult. You would think it would ease the process. Learning to communicate effectively with people around us is important on a professional and personal level.

There are 3 key steps to this process:

1.  Thought: It enters your brain as a potential topic for future conversation.

2. Encoding: We as the communicator have to find the most accurate and best way to convey our ideas and thoughts to the listener.

3. Decoding: The listener has to understand and absorb our information, and we hope it is a similar translation on all levels.

Most often the communication stops at the first step. There are many more thoughts that aren’t shared with others than the ones that are, which is perfectly fine. However, when those thoughts turn into worries, concerns and topics that need to be addressed to achieve inner peace, following through steps 2 and 3 are critical. These steps can easily cause anxiety and guilt. What if I upset someone else? What if I’m crazy and no one understands me? What if I’m the only one? More than likely, the thought dwelling in your mind begging to be communicated will put you at ease once you let it out of the cage of your mind.

A few things to consider when communicating with the listener (decoder):

- Timing: Is this an appropriate time to bring this up? Consider things like time of day, how busy or distracted the listener will be and is it an appropriate setting? Nobody wants to cause a scene.

- Tone: How is the tone of your voice, body language and your heart? Be sincere without being over-dramatic.

- Technique: Are you remembering to not blame others or play victim? Are you willing to have an open-minded conversation with the listener? Are you ready to accept suggestions on how to come to a solution?

- Truth: Well… is it? Sometimes if we think something long enough, our heart and mind starts to believe it’s true. If you assume something you make an…well, you know the rest.

While it’s important to communicate both good and bad topics with others, these tips might seem more applicable in certain circumstances where communication might otherwise be uncomfortable. Communicating positive ideas and exciting thoughts might come more naturally for most people, so keep up the enthusiasm! Are you ready to improve your thought process, encoding practices and decoding skills? Try to incorporate these tips slowly into your life on personal and professional levels.

Introducing the Worx Girls

How well do you know us? We bring our personalities with us, and you can always count on meeting the authentic Worx team. We embrace each other’s differences and help fill in the gaps of weaknesses with strengths to create a close-knit, un-breakable, one-of-a-kind team. I spend more time with these girls a week than with anyone else. Let me introduce you to…

Our fearless leader, Laura:
She’s so brave; Braver than I can fathom and I think the other girls would agree with me. The things she gets herself into blows my mind. She’s involved, motivated and dedicated to the many roles she plays. She’s mother to Kandon, age 6; wife to AJ; sister and friend; Creative Director of Worx Graphic Design; creator of The Green Couch Project; President of the American Advertising Federation of Greater Frederick; a member of Business Networking International; the Greencastle, PA Chamber of Commerce; as well as the Hagerstown, MD Chamber. Some of her non-professional titles would include athlete, interior designer, accountant, professional organizer and party-planner. She is a visionary and loves to brainstorm with our clients to help take their ideas to the next level as well as building their brand from the logo –up.

The web guru, Amber:
She’s the introvert of the group. She is also the healthy-inspiration member of Worx. Her healthful vegetarian lifestyle has inspired all of us to explore juicing and running 5K’s. You should see the vegetables this girl eats (even her daughter, Morgan snacks on peppers and cucumbers!). Her usual days of “plugging in” with headphones and designing websites are (almost) free of distractions. Her daughter Morgan joins us in the office a few days out of the week. Her off-the-scale cute factor makes up for her threenager mood swings. Amber’s patience with her is very admirable. Amber can say that she has a genuine fear of public speaking and will go to great measures to avoid it. Her addiction to Etsy and Pinterest are evident off-the-clock. She is the expert of website design and with her Masters degree in branding, she writes our proposals to clarify the goals of the project.

The Word Master, Momina:
The newest Worx girl may not be a designer, but she definitely thinks like one! How many copywriters have a “logo inspiration” board on Pinterest? Her vocabulary and writing skills are phenomenal, and she loves a good play-on-words. She knows how to put the personality of a business into their materials, as well as brainstorming with the team on advertising strategies. She is the fashionable one of the group and inspires us all to look a little more like our Style inspiration boards on Pinterest. She is a Twitter master, tweeting more fluently than some birds I’ve heard. Sitting across from her playing peek-a-boo over our giant computer screens has added to my experience at Worx in the past 9 months.

Then there’s me, Collateral Kassie:
It’s hard to believe I’ve been here over two years, but I feel like I’ve known these girls for my entire life. Whatever I’m doing – brainstorming, collaborating, coaching, designing – I’m passionate about and give it my 100%. I’m over-enthusiastic and have an unnatural obsession with glitter and sparkly things. I’m even wearing a shirt as I write that deemed me with the nickname “sparkle pits.” I love to dance and party on the weekends but love also just relaxing in a hammock listening to reggae. I love to create materials consistent with the company’s brand and tend to handle rush projects well. I enjoy helping a client meet a tight deadline; they are always grateful.

Our differences and similarities make for quite the chemistry of team members. The office experience we live everyday is one like no other. Our company culture creates an environment for personal and professional growth. This makes work fun, life enjoyable and clients happy.

When your vision turns reality

A few years ago, I came across a lime green couch that I knew needed to be in my life. It seems silly that I would grow so close to a piece of furniture, but I'm a firm believer in following your gut-so we bought it. For a while it sat in our studio as a place for meetings, but as the years have passed I felt like it had a higher purpose. I have had ideas that never came to fruition, some that I thought were awesome, and some that were not. I always knew it would have something to do with helping people, but could never put my finger on it. One day it clicked after an impromptu brainstorming session with the Worx team. Risk takers spilling their gutsy is the purpose of the couch.

Late 2013 we started to develop the look of the brand. By the way, if you are a creative, or know someone who is, you'll know that creating your own stuff is the hardest. Quite frankly it's a pain in the rear. But when you hit that moment-ahhhhhh! The gates open, angels sing and the idea that was once lost in your head starts taking form-it becomes real.

Fast forward to just a few days ago. After six months of interviewing, filming, photographing, writing, designing, listening and inspiring, the website for The Green Couch Project went live. It's one of my favorite moments because everything you've worked for comes to life!

If you've ever poured your heart and soul into something, you know the emotions that come along with it. It's part of the deal when you're an entrepreneur. Here are some that I experienced, perhaps you can relate... 

• Excited!! Wow this is really happening!
• Scared. What if people hate it. What if no one cares?
• Fulfilled. This is something I've wanted to do for a lonnnnng time.
• Nervous. Now we have a promise to fill. There are expectations out there now.
• Happy. I love it! Every time I look at it I am filled with joy and peace.
• Anxious. I want to keep this momentum, lets keep moving forward!

All of these emotions and feelings are completely normal. I want you to know that you're not alone when you go from happy crying to scared crying within a moments notice. Starting and running a business is challenging. But notice that I did not mention regret. Were there hard times? Absolutely. Running Worx and creating a whole new side project is no easy task! But where there is passion and a vision, all things are possible.

If it's encouragement you're seeking today, I hope that the story behind The Green Couch Project is proof that it can be done. I encourage you to visit the site, listen to the stories and absorb the journeys of people just like you. 

If you're hungry for more, join the conversation by signing up for our newsletter and visiting the blog where the gutsy stories continue. Go ahead. #spillyourgutsy

Kick fear in the rear

Fear. What does that mean, anyway? Well, Webster says it's an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that something or someone is dangerous, or the feeling of anxiety concerning an outcome of something. There are fears of objects, fears of people, fears of the unknown. Today I want to talk about the fear of failure.

The fear of failure is something many entrepreneurs face. There's comfort in doing the same thing we've always done. You know how to do it, and it’s safe. Wait! (Insert screeching car tire sound effect...) If you keep doing the same thing won't you keep getting the same results? Ouch. That hits home.

I discovered a secret this week (make sure to watch the video above from The Green Couch Project). Fear can do one of two things for you:

1.     Drive your passion or

2.     Stall your success

Here's my challenge to you: Think about something that scares the heck out of you. I'm not talking about a scary movie or making a decision, or something that doesn't feel right in your gut. I'm talking about that big idea you have; the expansion of your business, hiring a new employee, moving your office, raising your rates, risking all you have to live your purpose. Get that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach? Good.

Now, think past that fear. Stop looking at all the what ifs and the how am I going to's. What does your life look like when that dream, goal or passion is in place? Are you excited? Does it feel right? Are you happy?

That is the dream to act on, my friends. When you can see past the unknown and look into the future and visualize what life looks like when you've reached that goal; you're setting yourself up for success. Whenever fear tries to sneak back in, visualize that successful place:

· Make a collage of that vision

· Draw a picture

· Create a Pinterest board

· Verbalize it with your closest loved ones

· Write about the emotions in a journal

When you give life to a dream, you crush the fear. Negative energy cannot live where positive energy thrives.

Lets redefine fear. False Expectations Appearing Real. Fear only has as much power as we allow. False expectations. The “belief" that something is dangerous. See a common thread? We create fear! Acknowledge the feeling, then release it and focus on your life purpose. You have the power and drive to achieve anything and everything you've ever wanted.