Applying the Enneagram at work can help leaders to understand a fuller picture of their team. “How we get to a healthy organization is that we understand the way people operate,” says Madeline. But that comes with a grain of caution—it can be detrimental to cage people into their number, or use the system too prescriptively.

For one reason or another (ahem, the pandemic), people are beginning to notice that strong brands carry relatable, powerful stories that bring people together, and storytelling is precisely where Root + River has found their niche.

We are a passionate, collaborative team. We produce a huge volume of work—and 100% of it is informed by a prior strategic process. We begin with brand strategy because it lays the foundation for all the content, recommendations, and materials we create for our clients.

After running a successful marketing agency for 14 years, Kelly sold it at a profit and walked away. She was left wondering what to do with everything she had learned from founding, operating, and leading her business. While she knew she didn’t want to start another agency from the bottom up, she was positive she had valuable lessons to share with other leaders.

From founder and CEO Madeline Pratt: “Moments for consistent connection are built into the everyday rhythms of my company.”

To help you prepare for the upcoming holiday, we asked five moms on our team for their insights into the kinds of gifts they’d love to receive. Some of the ideas they shared might not be completely within your power as an individual (unless you’re reading this, President Biden), but they’ll give you a sense of what moms are thinking about in 2021.

Many people have a hard time asking for help, and marketing is no exception. Here are 7 indicators to look to when determining if it’s time for outsourced marketing.

Networking is essential for business growth. For those of us in referral-based industries, it’s important to make a regular point to meet new people in order to broaden our connections and expand our client base. In a world where everything is done via Zoom and every event is still TBD, it can feel harder and more awkward to put energy toward meeting new people.

Tone and voice are two words that get thrown around a lot in branding and marketing spaces. The terms are used frequently, haphazardly, and sometimes even interchangeably, so it’s no wonder that many people struggle to understand exactly what tone and voice mean. Both are an essential part of creating a strong, memorable brand identity.

I suffer from inbox anxiety. In addition to the emails that flood my inbox daily, my social media channels are full of messages and comments awaiting responses. Feeling the pressure to respond to every message is something I’ve struggled with a lot over the years. Through my recent conversations with entrepreneurs, I’ve learned that I’m not alone in the anxiety that overfull inboxes can induce. In fact, the only leaders I know that are not facing some level of inbox overwhelm have found peace by giving up entirely on keeping up with the constant stream of messages.

From start to finish, our rebrand took 5-6 months. There’s no standard amount of time for a rebrand, and shorter timelines certainly exist. But we knew from the beginning that we wanted to take the long way. We designed a lengthier process that relied on the entire team’s input to guide us home to a refreshed brand that accurately reflected each of us.

Here are some of the methods we used to make it happen.

Yearly client recognition is especially necessary for those of us working in relationship-based industries that involve trust and personal information. For some people, making holiday cards for clients is a caring ritual to look forward to. For others, it doesn’t come so easily. Here are some strategies to consider when writing to clients.

One of the main ways I cope with my anxiety is over-planning. Because I rely on preparing myself and knowing as much as I possibly can about literally everything, COVID-19 has thrown me for a real loop. Suddenly, I can’t plan past this week with any kind of confidence. No one has the answers to any of my questions, because no one knows what will happen next. Even the most pandemic-proof plans wind up being forced to change at the last minute. So, how do you cope with the anxiety and fight the overwhelming feelings that inevitably crop up in times of crisis?

Generations of gender stereotypes and misogyny have placed womxn at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to entrepreneurship and the world of business. Forging partnerships with other womxn is one of the most powerful ways to reclaim power from a sexist society. The patriarchy––being as ubiquitous as it is––often foils attempts by womxn to ally with each other. How? By conditioning womxn to participate in a culture of competition, pitted against each other, where winning requires apathy and intolerance.

I’ve had many identities over the course of my life. I've been a star student and I've been a troublemaker. I was once a rabble-rouser but I'm growing into myself as a renegade. I love language, I love words, and I love the process of branding as a way to define who we are in this world. While my personal brand has developed quite organically, some might be surprised to find out I've put a lot of effort and thought into my company's branding.

Get ready to fall in love with mood boards––because we have, and we’re never looking back. At Fearless, we make one at the beginning of most big projects, including our forthcoming rebrand. “Mood boards are the perfect jumping off point for any design project,” advises Sampleboard, a blog for designers by designers. “Creating mood boards allows you to collect thoughts, ideas, color schemes, and moods in one place and define a coherent design concept without risk of losing sight of the bigger picture.”

Avoid the scarcity mindset and go vertical to up your value. Right now, we’re all at risk of getting trapped in a scarcity mindset. It’s one of many repercussions of doing business during a pandemic––we try and take on any, and as many clients from within the industry we work. Instead, lean into your niche. This is especially true for small businesses owners, agencies, or firms wanting a consistent revenue stream, a loyal customer base, and competitive lead on the supply and demand ratio. Plus, niching better positions you as an expert in your field.

“My entire career has been built around my ability to build relationships that lead to sales,” says Madeline. “I believe that we should sell like we would want to be sold to. Great selling is about educating and empathizing with the customer to build connections, and when the time is right, that customer will trust you enough to transact with you. It should never be about pushing or selling someone on something they don’t need or aren’t ready to invest in.”