April 22, 2025 • 41 mins
Are you a creative entrepreneur, wedding pro, or service-based business owner who feels like your website isn’t doing your brilliance justice — this one’s for you.
In today's episode of Leading Her Way, we dive deep into what actually makes a website profitable (spoiler alert: it's not just pretty pictures). Emily Foster of Emily Foster Creative shares how she helps creative service providers in the wedding and hospitality industry design websites and brands that work.
From identifying your ideal client to understanding what your website needs to say (and what it shouldn’t), this conversation is packed with the kind of real-world, revenue-boosting advice most designers don’t tell you.
Plus, she’s gifting you two powerful free resources to take action today (linked below)!
3 Takeaway Actions You Can Start Now:
- Download the Brand Clarity Workbook
Before you build or rebrand anything, you need to understand your ideal client and the transformation you offer. Emily’s workbook will help you get clear on your message, audience, and what makes your brand magnetic.
👉 Grab the free Brand Clarity Workbook - Audit Your Website with the Elevated Website Checklist
Don’t guess what’s working. Use Emily’s proven checklist to ensure your site is aligned with your goals and optimized for user experience.
👉 Get the Elevated Website Checklist - Update Your Instagram Bio for SEO
Quick win: Add your niche and who you serve directly into your IG bio. This small change increases discoverability and helps your dream clients say, “Yes, she’s for me.”
Ready to take your brand seriously?
Follow and connect with Emily to start building a brand that reflects your genius and sells while you sleep:
- 💻 Website: emilyfostercreative.com
- 📸 Instagram: @emilyfostercreative
- 📘 Facebook: Emily Foster Creative
- 💼 LinkedIn: Emily Mae Foster
Want to attract aligned clients with less hustle and more heart?
Follow @nkbizguru on Instagram and get access to Nikisha’s 5-Star SCALE™ Framework at her More Profit, Less Chaos masterclass.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Leading Her Way with your host and
business guru, Nakesha King.
This podcast is the ultimatedestination for women, creative
entrepreneurs, who want to breakfree from burnout.
If you are overwhelmed byclient demands and feel like
you're doing this all alone, you, my friend, are in the right
(00:23):
place alone.
You, my friend, are in theright place Now.
Let's dive in for steps to takeback your time and simplify
your workflow.
All right, Nikisha, take itaway.
Nikisha King (00:40):
Hello, gorgeous Everyone, welcome to Leading Her
Way podcast.
Today we are in for a treat.
We have Emily Foster, who is, Iwould consider, the.
She's going to tell us more,but I believe she's one of the
best branding and she's websitebuilder that I know of.
She's really good in what shedoes, she's like flawless in her
(01:02):
SEO organization and I'm sohappy she's here with us today
because she's going to give youguys the lowdown and the secret
tips that I think you needsometimes because there's so
much noise and I just thinksometimes it's good to hear from
someone who specializes insomething that they know exactly
(01:22):
these important parts that willhelp you move from point A to
point B.
So welcome, Emily.
It's a gift to have you with us.
Can you let us know and theaudience how do you transform
your client's life through whatyou do and share a little bit
about what you do with ouraudience?
Emily Foster (01:41):
Hi, thank you so much for having me.
So yeah, like Nikisha said, I'ma brand and website designer
and my approach is really basedin strategy and personalization,
especially for the types ofbusinesses that we work with.
With my studio, I own EmilyFoster creative and we're niched
specifically in the wedding andhospitality industry but work
(02:02):
with all kinds of creativeservice providers like coaches,
therapists, really anyone whooffers some kind of service and
has some level of creativity intheir business.
And I would say the biggesttransformation that we make for
our clients is helping them toshowcase the amazing work that
they already do.
(02:23):
I think that there's atransformation during the
process for our clients wherethey get more confidence, like
right, when we start to worktogether, because we dig into
their brand strategy right awayand there are questions asked
that maybe they never eventhought of or that they actually
already know the answers to,but they never thought that that
was what needed to be frontfacing in their brand.
(02:44):
So there's like that beginningof the process when we work with
clients and then we developtheir brand identity and their
websites and there's thatinstant confidence after the
project when they can show upbetter in the world because they
have a brand and website that,frankly, doesn't embarrass them.
I was actually on a callyesterday with a client a past
client whose site we launched atthe beginning of last year, and
(03:07):
she's like I feel like what Ihad before was good, but now
this is like my big girl brand,like this was like my big girl
look, and I'm like that's sotrue, because the transformation
that you feel when you have arebrand with us is kind of like
the transformation when you'regetting ready to go interview
for a huge job, like youwouldn't just show up in a
t-shirt and cut off shorts, youwould show up with this amazing
(03:29):
brand that accurately representswho you are and, especially
with our niche, it's that blendof strategy and speaking to your
ideal clients or your alignedclients, but then also infusing
some of your personality,because so many of the brands in
the space are personal brandsor small teams.
Nikisha King (03:49):
Thank you, and that is so true.
It's that big girl websitewhere you move up a notch.
Because, about being a businessowner.
You're always going totransform.
That is one of the tasks in it.
That is a requirement If youdecide to stay still in the
website in the systems.
(04:10):
That's where your growth getsstagnated.
So that's a really good point.
The part about the questionsand clarity and confidence let
me tell you that is so big,emily.
It's normally people think it'sthe website that transformed
you and it's not.
It's the work you had to do toget to that website.
Emily Foster (04:28):
So tell me, when you ask questions, what kind of
questions you ask and does thesequestions lead to the copy that
you have put on the website?
Yeah, it does.
So our biggest package is likean all-inclusive approach where
we do everything for them,including SEO and copy, and we
(04:49):
use that same approach with allof our packages, even if we
don't write their copy in SEO.
So I still ask a lot ofintentional questions and then
they get a guide to write theirown copy for, like our lower
ticket offers.
So even in every call, we'restill getting this lens that I'm
about to go in.
So even in every call, we'restill getting this lens that I'm
(05:20):
about to go in.
But we spend a lot of timetalking about ideal clients and
more than just what they likeand what they do Like, it's the
combination of demographics andpsychographics.
So demographics ignore thosefacts surprisingly, like.
I think that we know that theymatter for ideal clients.
But people get a little bituncomfortable when I ask them a
question like what does yourideal client make every month or
every year for their householdincome, and they like don't know
the answer to it.
But it's like how do you expectto know if they can afford your
(05:43):
pricing if you don't actuallyknow what their lifestyle looks
like.
So that's like the demographicside.
The psychographics that we getinto are specifically their
emotions and their wants andwhat they desire from your
services.
Why would they invest in yourservices to begin with?
But then also we talk aboutlike why would they invest in
your services over someone elsewho's a cheaper option?
(06:04):
About?
Like, why would they invest inyour services over someone else
who's a cheaper option?
For a lot of our clients who arelike wedding planners or
photographers or venues, thislooks like why would they invest
in your services versus havinglike aunt sally be their
coordinator?
Um, so, talking about like,what is the value that they
perceive there?
And then, when they're notwedding planning or when they're
not engaging in your service,like what does their lifestyle
(06:24):
look like?
Where are they spending theirmoney?
And it's that cliche that we'veprobably heard of like, oh,
they like Starbucks and theyshop at Target.
But it's deeper than that.
It's thinking about like whatkind of lifestyle are all of
their friends engaging in?
And kind of like, what'sinfluencing their sphere?
So a lot of conversation aroundthat and then also end results.
(06:47):
So, talking about their forwardgoals, like what do the next
five years look like?
And one of my favoritequestions is what do you want
your ideal client to feel whenthey land on your website?
And then also, what do you wantthem to feel when they're done
working with you and they'releaving a review, because I
think that we often think like,oh, I'll just launch the website
(07:08):
and then everything's done.
But part of the brand strategyprocess is showing up after
people click on your website, soafter they convert to an
inquiry like how are you goingto continue to engage with them
through the sales process andyour onboarding and client
processes?
Nikisha King (07:22):
Right, so good, so , so good.
Emily Foster (07:25):
A little wordy.
Nikisha King (07:26):
No, but it's fine.
It's giving details, right.
That's the whole point ofhaving also a website.
I was listening to somethingand I loved there's a difference
between a website and there's adifference between funnels
because, the website is thefirst entry point and then the
funnels lead them somewhere.
In you doing websites, firstentry point and then the funnels
(07:47):
lead them somewhere.
In you doing websites, how doyou categorize it or how do you
see it?
Because it's like a brochure,it's like this warm welcome.
And I want you to express itfrom your point of view, since
it's your specialty.
How do you see it?
Emily Foster (07:59):
Yeah, I see it as part of the funnel.
Sometimes I think that it'slike dynamic because I think
that if your goal is to get mostof your clients through SEO,
it's definitely like I view itas your digital billboard.
It's the first thing thatpeople see and you have to
attract them.
So that's where SEO matters somuch, because for a lot of our
(08:19):
clients, like in their industry,seo is a no brainer, like you
have to have it.
Like in their industry, seo isa no brainer, like you have to
have it.
But also we're in this likereally dynamic space where it
might be the third or fourthtouch point that they get from
you.
Like they might find you onInstagram first or through an
Instagram ad and then theyreferred to you or they find you
on like a preferred vendorslist, so they might have
(08:42):
multiple touch points in yourother marketing.
That isn't even the website andthe website is like that last
trigger to convert them.
And I think in the ideal world,everyone would inquire and
convert into a client, likeright on the sales call, right,
like you wouldn't have to funnelthem into other things.
Or another path that we see alot of clients do is like they
(09:03):
find you on Pinterest, theydownload your lead magnet and
then they come back to yourwebsite and engage there and
then make the inquiry, likesometimes weeks or months later.
So we talk about thatstrategically of like what,
where is your energy going inyour marketing?
Where do you want to spend themost time?
Because I think it's totallyokay to say like I don't want to
(09:24):
be on Instagram or I don't wantto have a lead magnet and an
email list, like it's fine tomake those decisions.
We just have to be intentionalabout how we're building the
website around that.
Yeah, I say that it's like yourvisual storefront, even if
you're a service provider andyou're not technically selling
your physical products on there.
I think that's the most commonthing that I use and your brand
(09:47):
is the visual voice of yourbusiness.
Nikisha King (09:50):
It is, it's the announcement, it's the you know
when you have someone on thehorn that's what I feel like it
is.
It's always speaking about youand what you can do for them.
Emily Foster (10:02):
So when.
Nikisha King (10:02):
I say, speaking about you, I got to be really
intentional, because there'ssomething about copy where
people keep talking about thecompany and I'm like stop
talking about the company,exactly the transformation, the
outcome that they're going toget.
Why are they here?
Like tell them they're here andyou get it Exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
So good All right.
Nikisha King (10:20):
I want to ask you why is knowing about your ideal
client the starting point formaking real money in your
business?
Emily Foster (10:28):
I feel like it's like saying, like why would you
go to the doctor?
Or it's like why would yousolve a health problem without
going to the doctor andunderstanding what's wrong?
It's like you can't make moneywithout understanding who you're
selling to.
Sure there's going to be someluck Like you can always make
money without being super clearfor a little bit but it's not
going to be a sustainable incomefor your business, which we
(10:51):
want sustainable, like slowgrowth.
You know we don't want likefast, overnight growth most of
the time.
So understanding your idealclient gives you a base to come
back to when you kind of havethat doubt and you aren't sure
what to do next in your business.
And it gives you a base to comeback to when you kind of have
that doubt and you aren't surewhat to do next in your business
.
And it gives you certainty thatyou're also serving someone and
solving someone's problems.
(11:12):
So I think for a lot of us thatcan help with mindset and any
like sort of doubt that weexperience in our business,
because you know exactly whoyou're for and you know, like,
the skills that you have tooffer and it kind of takes that
guesswork out of the equationFor me and for a lot of my
clients, like, understandingyour ideal client is an
(11:34):
essential key to your marketing.
It makes everything so mucheasier because it's the cliche,
but if you're speaking toeveryone, you're speaking to no
one, and it's literal Like ifyou've ever sat down and tried
to write Instagram captions forjust everyone.
You have no idea what you'retalking about.
And then you do default totalking more about the service
(11:55):
or the features and benefits ofyour offers, versus actually
talking about the transformationthat you're offering to your
clients.
Nikisha King (12:04):
So true, so true.
The other thing about it alsois when working with you and
getting the copy.
I think that's gold, becauseeverything they're telling you
becomes copy that they can useon their social media.
It's like taking those and thenspread it the word, because
people need to hear a thing morethan four or five times.
They need to have contact withyou.
(12:24):
And if you take the copy fromyour website and you're able to
create little pieces and littletidbits of it and put it on a
static post, or create a reallot of that sometimes we don't
have to work harder, we can justwork smarter.
It's so easy.
Emily Foster (12:40):
People are shocked when I tell them.
So, like to preface, I useChatGPT not for anything SEO
related, because that can berisky, but sometimes for
captions or email newsletters itcan be a really great tool and
I actually give chat GPT mywebsite and say like please come
up with something using thewording and the voice on this
website and it might pullliteral pieces.
(13:01):
So I know it's original contentbecause I wrote that pull
literal pieces.
So I know it's original contentbecause I wrote that, or I had
my copywriter write it in mycase, because we're like the
cobbler without shoes we cannever get outside of our own
heads enough to do our ownmessaging.
But it's such a handy tool andpeople are so shocked they're
like oh, I never thought aboutputting my website into chat GPT
, but it's like you're feedingthis AI beast and like letting
(13:26):
them run with something and thenyou're also guaranteeing its
original content.
That's actually like soundslike you and doesn't sound like
the generic AI written contentthat we might see.
Nikisha King (13:36):
Yeah, so good.
Can you share an example of howunderstanding your target
market has helped a clientcreate a more profitable brand?
Emily Foster (13:48):
Yeah, I was trying to think of a good client
example.
So we have a venue that welaunched last year and
understanding what packagesalign with the right couples has
helped them really visualizetheir marketing a lot easier.
So they have like an elopementpackage where they can rent out
(14:11):
the venue for a weekday and thatkind of client is totally
different than the client that'sbooking a full weekend and
staying in their overnightlodging.
So understanding their twodifferent kind of ideal clients
in that way has allowed them toshow up consistently for both of
them on social media and wewrite their blogs now too so
being able to have messaging forboth of those and kind of pull
(14:34):
out that messaging when neededto serve their revenue goals.
So ideally, booking out everyweekend is a goal for this venue
, but then we also have thesefiller spots for elopements.
So talking about that and that'salso where I think
understanding your ideal clientis really essential, because it
might not be one person.
We talk a lot about what I callsecondary clients.
(14:55):
So I always want to know, likeyour dream client and the main
person that you would work withevery day if you could.
But then a lot of us have somesort of supplemental service or
revenue outlet that we reallywant to sell and that might not
be for that same person at all.
So it's important to kind ofhave those two different
archetypes to work with.
Nikisha King (15:15):
Such a really great point.
A secondary, especially thesecondary, because we all have
it.
That's why a lot of us get inthe I don't know who I'm
speaking to.
I can't focus on one person,right, because they know there's
a secondary.
But it doesn't mean you cannotfocus.
You focus on your primary andthen you capture your secondary.
Emily Foster (15:33):
Yeah, yeah, and I think something that's
interesting that people don'tthink about enough is the client
journey.
And I don't mean necessarilylike your funnel and the way
they're finding you, but for alot of us not that venue example
in particular, becauseelopements and weekend weddings
are so different For, like a lotof planners or photographers or
designers, like everyone wantsthe highest package they just
(15:56):
might not be able to afford itor they might not see the value
in the same way.
So there's this journey of like.
There's phase one of a clientwho, like they're just dipping
their toes into your service.
And then there's phase two,like they're more committed, and
phase three, like they want thefull package.
So we'll talk about that too oflike, how do we speak to your
most ideal client but still helpyour other clients to aspire to
(16:21):
that, even if their financialreality doesn't look like
affording that?
Nikisha King (16:31):
So true, so true.
Favorite question because thisis the one that I think a lot of
people get confused about whenit comes to website design
what's the difference between apretty brand and a profitable
brand?
Emily Foster (16:41):
Yeah, I love this question.
A pretty brand is often trendy.
It looks good, it's the onethat your friends are like, oh,
this is beautiful.
But then you don't attractclients in the following couple
years after launching and youend up changing it again.
So pretty brands often changeover time.
(17:02):
You don't stick with your colorpalette, you don't stick with
the same typography or it'sreally trendy and you start to
look outdated in just a fewyears.
I would say a profitable brandis built on strategy first.
So there's been a conversationhad of like we're choosing the
color red because it'smeaningful to this goal and it
speaks to this kind of idealclient and it tells this story
(17:26):
for our brand versus red becauseit's your favorite color.
So all of those strategicdecisions are made for every
single aspect of the brand andthen it's used consistently so
that you can continue to havethe similar messaging, get the
regular brand recognition thatyou need from people, for I
think the stat is that they haveto see it seven times for them
to actually commit to investing.
(17:47):
So, they need to recognize yoursame brand seven times and show
up then and that's when you knowit's profitable, is when it's
starting to help you convertthose clients and showing your
value.
You shouldn't have to work sohard to show your value.
It should come from your visualand your written voice and it
should be selling for you allthe time.
Of course, there's going to belike short-term kind of sales
(18:09):
copy and like marketing copy,like instagram and blogging and
building a new sales page for anew offer and things like that,
but your brands should stayconsistent across all of that
such a really great pointstrategy is like the quick
answer to that.
Like pretty brands are trendyand profitable brands are
strategic.
Nikisha King (18:29):
Yes, that is so true.
For me it always also pretty.
Brands don't talk about thetransformation, they talk about
the features.
Yeah, they're like listing itout, explaining it, doing a lot
of over explaining with prettypictures.
Emily Foster (18:44):
Yeah, and sometimes stock photos too.
Right, like it's very generic,it's not specific.
Yeah, and pretty brands areoften more scared to niche down,
like you're still speaking toeveryone and kind of like
staying in that safe zone versuslike telling people who you're
for and who you're not forExactly, exactly.
Nikisha King (19:05):
So good, I know that because I was a pretty
brand at one point.
Emily Foster (19:08):
Yeah, we all start there.
Nikisha King (19:10):
We do.
We all start there.
It's not a bad thing, Meaningit's not.
It's not something that'snegative.
It's part of the process.
But as you mature on yourjourney, you realize everyone's
not for you, because youencounter everyone and you're
like no, this is not going towork.
Emily Foster (19:27):
Yeah, you have to have that life experience, it's
true.
Nikisha King (19:31):
Yes, and then you start to understand the strategy
of it.
Wanting it to work for you.
If you're going to invest in it, yeah, so that's good.
How can business owners useclient pain points and their
desires to shape the heart oftheir brand and increase
conversions?
Emily Foster (19:48):
Yeah.
So one book I always referenceis Building a Story Brand by
Donald Miller, and it talksabout client pain points and the
transformation and storytelling.
So understanding your client'spain points, before you even go
into the brand identitydevelopment or the copywriting,
is essential to building thosethings and it can help you
(20:10):
because you can answer thosequestions.
So basically, every pain pointis a question that your client
is asking or something that'swaking them up at night, and
then your solution or thetransformation or the win that
you're giving them is the answerto that question.
So it's showing up with yourtagline or your headlines on
(20:30):
your website and your copy andbasically just answering those
questions.
Like I think people sometimesovercomplicate it, but it's
really just like showing up andin a better worded way saying
like I see you're worrying aboutthis thing.
Here's how we help you solvethat.
And then answering thatrepeatedly throughout your
website with the strategy Inyour brand itself, the brand
(20:53):
identity.
It might be having a tagline inyour logo designs or having more
research about, like, what kindof aesthetics your ideal
clients are paying attention toand then leaning into those a
little bit more for your branditself.
And then the consistency, too.
It comes back to that ofcontinuously answering those
(21:15):
pain points over and over againand bringing them up in your
marketing.
Bringing them up at least seventimes because algorithms,
including the algorithm ofGoogle, are going to show people
even less than seven times.
So continuing to repeat ituntil you get tired of it.
I always say that a strongbrand is one that you start to
(21:36):
get tired of, because onceyou're tired and sick of it and
bored, it's when people are juststarting to pay attention 100%
correct.
Nikisha King (21:44):
There's moments I'm like this is so repetitive
and I forget.
This needs to be repetitivebecause they forget the first or
second time?
And when are they having a touchpoint with you?
I'm the one creating content,so I'm constantly seeing the
same thing, but they're not.
They're coming in and out of myworld and they're finding me in
different places, but messagingis always the same and that's
(22:07):
why I need it to be repetitive,so they can hear the base of it.
Understand.
This is Nikisha.
Like she's not one thing oneday and another thing tomorrow.
Emily Foster (22:16):
Yeah, and it gets boring, like honestly, I think
some of us designers get boredwith it Like.
I'll give an example One of mydream jobs out of college would
have been to work for Starbucksas a designer.
And when I think about it,working for any kind of
corporate company or like anonprofit, anything where you're
only doing their content allthe time, it's really old
(22:37):
because you're just using thesame basic color palette, the
same typography over and over,but you don't see these huge
global brands changing things,like even the brands that are
over 50 years old.
They've done a few rebrands,maybe every few decades, but
they're just using the samething over and over again.
So those kinds of jobs aren'tusually appealing to really
(22:58):
creative people.
For that reason and we have toremember that when we are the
creators in our business, likedeveloping all of those
marketing assets- so true, sotrue.
Nikisha King (23:08):
All right Now for someone who's struggling to
stand out and attract payingclients.
Where should they begin withtheir brand strategy?
Emily Foster (23:17):
to turn things around, yeah, I think gathering
as much data and insights as youcan early on is good, like I
think if you are struggling toattract clients, the answer
right away typically isn't anexpensive rebrand and website
Like expensive I know issubjective, so I hate to say it,
but it is a luxury, I realize,like investing in your brand and
(23:40):
website and I think that it'smuch more worth it to do it
right and pay more to get itdone right than it is to
piecemeal it and, for example,hire a chief designer on Fiverr
right away.
So, if you're just like not inthe point to make that launch
with your brand and website yet,start collecting the data,
start gathering clienttestimonials, take the time, if
(24:03):
you can, to have like aquestionnaire or some kind of
follow-up coffee with your pastclients and ask them why they
invested in you, what was itthat they were seeking and why
did they feel confident enoughthat you were the person that
could solve that pain point forthem essentially understand
their pain points.
If you don't have a lot ofclients, like if you're very
early on in your business, thenmarket research I think can be a
(24:25):
really great way to do this too, like basically networking and
then offering something topeople in exchange for asking
them a few questions about whythey've invested.
Like, for example, one thingthat I did very early on in my
business is I started messagingsome wedding pros, and
especially ones who had alreadyworked with a designer, not to
(24:47):
pitch or anything like that, butjust to ask how their
experience was and what made youdecide to work with this
designer.
Or, if they hadn't worked witha designer before, ask, like,
why would you choose to workwith a designer?
And it was really interesting tokind of learn more about my
ideal client and my not idealclient, because you would come
to realize, okay, not everyoneis willing to pay for the value
(25:10):
of this service, so it couldhelp align a little bit more
with that.
So having like a database whichwhen I say database it can be as
simple as a Google Doc withthis information and starting to
understand who you want to workwith, can be really helpful and
then using those pain pointsvery quickly to try to generate
some connection.
So I think doing that marketresearch will help you to
(25:33):
network and it can open up apoint where you might be able to
kind of make that connectionand get your first few clients
or get a few new clients ifyou've had a lot in the past and
you're just looking for morework.
So getting out there andnetworking is one of the
quickest ways.
And building those connectionsbecause that referral base will
help you over time and when youshow up in the future with your
(25:56):
rebrand.
That's really strong Like thosepeople will notice and will
already be in your network.
And then using that data tocreate content based around pain
points, like instagram content.
Get your website launched, evenif it's like a basic template in
the beginning right and you cando your best with your copy,
then ask yourself some of thesequestions get it launched,
(26:20):
follow some seo basics just tostart driving up some traffic
and get that momentum.
And then it's one of thosethings that it's like a snowball
effect.
It will happen eventually.
It's just a matter of time ofbuilding up that momentum and
telling yourself that yoursuccess is inevitable and then
the rest will come.
Nikisha King (26:39):
Such a good point.
Now you mentioned ideal client,and we started off with ideal
client.
Who is your ideal client?
Tell me about that.
Emily Foster (26:47):
I love it and I know it's always evolving a
little bit.
But for the last four years soI've been in business just over
four years now it has been thecreative wedding or event
entrepreneur who in general isabout two to 15 years in
business and they're bookingtheir ideal.
(27:09):
They're not booking their idealclients.
I should be clear on that.
They're booking clients andthey might already be making
some of their revenue and profitgoals, but the goal is to level
up and niche down more intoclients that they are more
passionate in working with, sothey've developed their skillset
they know that they are morepassionate in working with, so
they've developed their skillset.
They know that they have a goodoffer.
It's just that there's kind ofthat gap.
(27:30):
It could be that they aren'tcharging enough yet.
They're charging enough to befull-time in their business, but
they aren't charging enough tobe able to work with the clients
that they find the most dreamy,or they don't have enough to
outsource to a team, or theyhaven't necessarily built up
enough momentum in their mainbusiness to try a second venture
(27:53):
, like education or a course ormentorship or something like
that.
So a lot of my ideal clientsare in that phase of leveling up
and they know that they need abrand and website to get to that
next phase.
And they're smart enough toknow that they shouldn't be the
one doing it.
They have gotten to their pointof where they've been able to
(28:15):
DIY for a certain amount of time, or they hired the cheaper
option for a while, but theyreally understand that the next
step is to level up with anexpert who can dig into
everything that they've builtthemselves and get them to that
next empire building stage intheir business.
Nikisha King (28:31):
So good.
I love that.
I hope everyone heard that.
And it's so good when it'sclear.
Yeah, because when you see it,you know it.
It's like qualifying someone.
That is what your ideal.
I'm a real estate investor, sowe call something a buy box, but
for you, know it, it's likequalifying someone.
That is what your ideal I'm areal estate investor, so we call
something a buy box, but foryou, it's a beautiful ideal
concept of who my person is.
(28:53):
So when they show up and theyinquire and you're like, oh,
they meet these specific points,oh, this is my person, they're
ready to up-level game.
And with you saying that, Iheard it and I was like I'm
ready and I'm like, all right,I'm going to go chat with Emily.
Cause, at that point where I'mlike, okay, for my coaching
website, I need help and I'mlike I don't want to do all of
(29:13):
it by myself.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
You know what I mean, can I?
Nikisha King (29:16):
Yes, but, like you said, as a cobbler with a shoe
incident, right Like we don'thave shoes because we're busy
making everybody else's.
So I love that you shared that,emily, thank you so much and
what we're going to do.
To close out, I want to knowfrom you if you can give our
audience three actionable stepsthat feel like something that
(29:37):
they can do to maybe, if they'renot ready yet to step fully
into rebranding their website,what are three steps or three
actionable steps that they cantake to just get them started?
Emily Foster (29:51):
I love that.
Are you okay with me offering aresource on here?
Nikisha King (29:56):
Yeah, and we'll put it in show notes.
Emily Foster (29:58):
Okay, great, I would say.
Number one is to fill out thisbrand clarity book.
I'll send that to you, um, butit's emilyfostercreativecom
slash brand clarity workbook andit essentially will help you
dig into your ideal client moreand answer some of these
questions.
So that's the only one.
That's the most work.
I'm not going to give you threeworkbooks, I promise.
(30:18):
So that's number one is startdigging into that, um.
Number two is to update the SEOin your Instagram bio, if you
have an Instagram for yourbusiness, and add your niche in
there.
So word exactly what you do andwho your ideal client is in
your bio, and that can helpstart getting some traffic to
your Instagram.
(30:39):
So that's number two.
And then number three is is toI don't want to tell you to
build a website like right now,because even that's a lot of
work if you do it on your ownbut I would say to do a basic
logo that's professional forright now.
If you don't have anything orif it looks really clip arty, go
(31:01):
into canva, which we don'tbuild brands in Canva when we
work with our clients, to beclear, and it's not a permanent
solution but build a text basedlogo, something that chooses
like a high end font that alignswith your clients and have your
brand name along with a catchytagline, and create a few
options there so that you canget that up on your social media
(31:23):
posts and your website to getsome momentum.
Nikisha King (31:26):
Thank you so much Thank you.
We truly appreciate you andyour wealth of information and I
love that.
I'm going to ask you one lastquestion because I think this is
important.
You've been in business forfour years.
There is something you did toescalate your progress.
(31:47):
What did you do?
Emily Foster (31:50):
That's so much pressure.
I'm like it's so hard becausewhen we're in it we don't see it
.
Nikisha King (31:57):
if that makes sense, let me ask you this
question then how much have youinvested in yourself to get
where you are today, in fouryears?
Emily Foster (32:06):
A lot and that actually my answer before the
clarifying question was going tobe that I just started
outsourcing as soon as I could.
My biggest first investment was5,000 for a coaching program in
like my first six months ofbusiness and that was after
making like an $800 investmentin a coach like my first month
(32:27):
of business and that was scaryto me but she was working with a
coach.
That was the $5,000 option andthat was kind of like the step
up I needed and I think, havingthat mental start at first, I
was inspired to make theinvestment because of the book
you Are a Badass and she madelike I think it was like an
$80,000 investment in herbusiness if you read that book.
(32:47):
So I still haven't gotten tothat level, but having that
initial kind of like fear driventhing taken away really helped
me.
Like full disclosure, I put iton an interest free credit card.
It was nice because we weregetting married at the time, so
we got some cash back to use andI paid it off within like the
(33:08):
timeframe I think it's like ayear that you don't get charged
interest and I paid it off muchfaster than that but that even
now like might seem like a lotof money for a certain kind of
investment.
But it seemed like a lot morethen and it kind of helped my
nervous system get comfortablewith those kinds of things.
And then I would say about thelast like two and a half years
(33:29):
I've taken an approach that Iheard about in a book that I
heard through that coachingprogram.
It's called the big leap.
And it's about working in yourzone of genius.
And I find that whenever I getto a stuck point in my business
and I'm not able to grow morelike last year was a time when,
like I was just really burnt outand working a lot and I
(33:50):
realized like I physically can'tmake more money, like doing
these things just on my own,like it's just people don't
really talk about it, but likeyou can only make so much money
on your own, like you don't haveto have a full team, but you do
have to have some sort ofsupport.
So every time I get to a kindof stuck point like that, I
examine, like what do I need totake off my plate and who can I
(34:12):
give it to?
And that looks like everything.
It looks like getting ourgroceries delivered through
Instacart.
Nikisha King (34:19):
I just did that and that's been a lifesaver.
Emily Foster (34:22):
I'm like why would I waste like?
There were weekends where wewere spending four hours going
to like Safeway and Costco, likedifferent grocery stores, to
get everything we need and itwas sort of fun, but not the way
that we wanted to be spendinghalf a day of our weekend.
So now it's like we only go ifit's for enjoyment or like a
quick grab.
I have outsourced cleaning alittle bit in our house.
(34:45):
It's something that I want todo more of, but it's just
continuing to invest in thingsthat aren't my zone of genius is
an essential, and it's a littlechallenging every time that you
start to get to that like wallwhere it's uncomfortable and
maybe it's a bigger investmentthan you're expecting or maybe
it's something new that, likeyou, have some kind of mindset
(35:07):
issue around.
Like I feel like grocerydelivery and cleaning are big
ones for a lot of people becausewe're all capable of it, and so
we feel bad, especiallydepending on how you grew up and
the influences in your life.
Like you feel bad havingsomeone do that for you, but
it's essential to continue toadvance in some way with those
things.
A virtual assistant is huge.
(35:28):
I've had a virtual assistanthelping me for the last couple
years and it like gives meanxiety now to think like if I
had to take all of this back,like there's no way I could do
it and I don't want to.
Like it's just soul draining todo some of the things that I
have outsourced.
There's one book I recentlylistened to that affirmed it we
(35:49):
Should All Be Millionaires.
Yeah, have you listened to thatone?
Yes, it's a good one.
Yeah, she talks about littlemicro economies in society.
It's just further validationthat you can only get to a
certain point doing it on yourown.
Nikisha King (36:03):
So true, and no business is a solo business, no
business that we look at andknow about doing things in the
world.
To change things is no solobusiness.
They always started out withthe growth of people, more than
one.
Emily Foster (36:17):
Yeah, and whether it's someone giving you
knowledge or time or skills, itcan be however, you need it to
in this moment.
But yeah, maybe start with thegrocery delivery, because it's
something small.
You just pay a small fee,people complain about it all the
time.
Nikisha King (36:33):
And I think when I didn't do it, I was like, oh,
this is a lot.
Then it was that moment.
The moment happened when I waslike I'm not able to and we need
food and I have no time forthis.
Yeah, I did it.
Do you not know how much moneyit saves me?
Me walking in Costco is like a$500 bill.
Oh yeah, totally.
I'm in an Instacart.
It's like a $250 bill.
(36:54):
It's like half of my bill.
Emily Foster (36:56):
Exactly when I say we have fun going grocery
shopping.
It's for those impulse buys,yes, and you get the hot dog on
the way out.
Nikisha King (37:06):
Oh, my goodness.
So I see the benefit and nowI'm just like what do we need?
I pulled my phone out.
I'm like whatever.
And I'm happy to pay the tipbecause when they drop it off,
I'm happy to know that I'm stillin my robe while I'm picking up
my groceries from my front door.
So I'm happy to help someonewho needs that help, because
that's another thing.
Right?
(37:26):
People do these jobs becausethey need extra cash.
There is nothing wrong withthat and you're 100% right about
that.
So thank you for sharing aboutyour growth, because there are a
lot of business owners whodon't invest in themselves and
when they're stuck, they don'tknow where to go.
They really believe is theexternal factors in the world
(37:49):
that's stopping them from makingmoney.
They blame everything outsideof them.
It's just like the prettywebsite.
The pretty website is justpretty and it doesn't convert
and doesn't do anything.
But a strategic website will beprofitable, Just like a
strategic person who invests inthemselves will be profitable.
Emily Foster (38:08):
Yeah, and I'll add something too that was
essential.
Related to this is, I thinkafter my first year, year and a
half, in business, I realizedlike you can pick two or three
people in your personal life whoaren't entrepreneurs but
otherwise like be very, veryintentional about who you tell
your investments to.
(38:29):
So find your network of fellowentrepreneurs and find your very
intimate network of like yourspouse or partner or a parent,
or like good friend, and likeconfide in people about those
next level steps you're taking.
But your world gets a lotcalmer and focused when you
don't share all of yourentrepreneur plans with non
(38:50):
entrepreneurs, because that'sanother thing is like we're
wired in the corporate world tonot make these investments.
Like to not get your groceriesdelivery delivered, to not
invest in your business becauseit's not essential.
Like your life is built morearound like this guaranteed pay.
Like you can only scale up somuch in most careers.
(39:11):
Like there's not this likeinfinite amount of money that
you can make in most nine tofive jobs.
So people just don't see theinvestments the same way.
Like I feel like accounting isa great example of like most of
us you know pay at least $2,000for an accountant to manage our
taxes as a business owner,because that's essential to find
someone quality and someone ina nine to five just doesn't have
(39:32):
to pay that, so they would kindof balk at those prices.
And I feel like if you receivea lot of that judgment in your
life from outside sources, itruins your confidence and makes
it a little bit harder to dothose things.
Nikisha King (39:45):
Such a go nugget moment.
Emily Foster (39:47):
Thank, you Protect your peace.
Nikisha King (39:50):
Yes, thank you for sharing that, and it's okay.
It's okay however you do it,but that's a really great point,
because not everyone can seewhat you're doing, because they
don't live that life like you.
Emily Foster (40:03):
Yeah.
Nikisha King (40:05):
Thank you so much, Emily.
Before you go, share witheveryone where they can find you
.
We'll add it to the show notes,but you're more than welcome to
share it here as well.
Emily Foster (40:13):
Yeah, so brand consistency.
You can find me as Emily Fostercreative.
My website isemilyfostercreativecom.
You can email me at hello atemilyfostercreativecom, or I'm
emilyfostercreative on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
Perfect.
Nikisha King (40:30):
Thank you so much, thank you so much.
Emily Foster (40:33):
This is amazing.
Nikisha King (40:34):
Thank you guys for coming.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
Thank you for joining us today on Leading Her Way.
We loved having you with us.
Remember on leading her way, weloved having you with us.
Remember each action you take,no matter how small, adds up to
big results.
If today's episode fired you up, hit subscribe for more
insights and visit our resourcehub, which is linked to the show
notes.
There you'll find tools tostreamline, organize and grow
(41:00):
your business.
Keep moving forward and we'llbe right here to cheer you on
next week.
Welcome to Leading Her Way with your host and
business guru, Nakesha King.
This podcast is the ultimatedestination for women, creative
entrepreneurs, who want to breakfree from burnout.
If you are overwhelmed byclient demands and feel like
you're doing this all alone, you, my friend, are in the right
(00:23):
place alone.
You, my friend, are in theright place Now.
Let's dive in for steps to takeback your time and simplify
your workflow.
All right, Nikisha, take itaway.
Nikisha King (00:40):
Hello, gorgeous Everyone, welcome to Leading Her
Way podcast.
Today we are in for a treat.
We have Emily Foster, who is, Iwould consider, the.
She's going to tell us more,but I believe she's one of the
best branding and she's websitebuilder that I know of.
She's really good in what shedoes, she's like flawless in her
(01:02):
SEO organization and I'm sohappy she's here with us today
because she's going to give youguys the lowdown and the secret
tips that I think you needsometimes because there's so
much noise and I just thinksometimes it's good to hear from
someone who specializes insomething that they know exactly
(01:22):
these important parts that willhelp you move from point A to
point B.
So welcome, Emily.
It's a gift to have you with us.
Can you let us know and theaudience how do you transform
your client's life through whatyou do and share a little bit
about what you do with ouraudience?
Emily Foster (01:41):
Hi, thank you so much for having me.
So yeah, like Nikisha said, I'ma brand and website designer
and my approach is really basedin strategy and personalization,
especially for the types ofbusinesses that we work with.
With my studio, I own EmilyFoster creative and we're niched
specifically in the wedding andhospitality industry but work
(02:02):
with all kinds of creativeservice providers like coaches,
therapists, really anyone whooffers some kind of service and
has some level of creativity intheir business.
And I would say the biggesttransformation that we make for
our clients is helping them toshowcase the amazing work that
they already do.
(02:23):
I think that there's atransformation during the
process for our clients wherethey get more confidence, like
right, when we start to worktogether, because we dig into
their brand strategy right awayand there are questions asked
that maybe they never eventhought of or that they actually
already know the answers to,but they never thought that that
was what needed to be frontfacing in their brand.
(02:44):
So there's like that beginningof the process when we work with
clients and then we developtheir brand identity and their
websites and there's thatinstant confidence after the
project when they can show upbetter in the world because they
have a brand and website that,frankly, doesn't embarrass them.
I was actually on a callyesterday with a client a past
client whose site we launched atthe beginning of last year, and
(03:07):
she's like I feel like what Ihad before was good, but now
this is like my big girl brand,like this was like my big girl
look, and I'm like that's sotrue, because the transformation
that you feel when you have arebrand with us is kind of like
the transformation when you'regetting ready to go interview
for a huge job, like youwouldn't just show up in a
t-shirt and cut off shorts, youwould show up with this amazing
(03:29):
brand that accurately representswho you are and, especially
with our niche, it's that blendof strategy and speaking to your
ideal clients or your alignedclients, but then also infusing
some of your personality,because so many of the brands in
the space are personal brandsor small teams.
Nikisha King (03:49):
Thank you, and that is so true.
It's that big girl websitewhere you move up a notch.
Because, about being a businessowner.
You're always going totransform.
That is one of the tasks in it.
That is a requirement If youdecide to stay still in the
website in the systems.
(04:10):
That's where your growth getsstagnated.
So that's a really good point.
The part about the questionsand clarity and confidence let
me tell you that is so big,emily.
It's normally people think it'sthe website that transformed
you and it's not.
It's the work you had to do toget to that website.
Emily Foster (04:28):
So tell me, when you ask questions, what kind of
questions you ask and does thesequestions lead to the copy that
you have put on the website?
Yeah, it does.
So our biggest package is likean all-inclusive approach where
we do everything for them,including SEO and copy, and we
(04:49):
use that same approach with allof our packages, even if we
don't write their copy in SEO.
So I still ask a lot ofintentional questions and then
they get a guide to write theirown copy for, like our lower
ticket offers.
So even in every call, we'restill getting this lens that I'm
about to go in.
So even in every call, we'restill getting this lens that I'm
(05:20):
about to go in.
But we spend a lot of timetalking about ideal clients and
more than just what they likeand what they do Like, it's the
combination of demographics andpsychographics.
So demographics ignore thosefacts surprisingly, like.
I think that we know that theymatter for ideal clients.
But people get a little bituncomfortable when I ask them a
question like what does yourideal client make every month or
every year for their householdincome, and they like don't know
the answer to it.
But it's like how do you expectto know if they can afford your
(05:43):
pricing if you don't actuallyknow what their lifestyle looks
like.
So that's like the demographicside.
The psychographics that we getinto are specifically their
emotions and their wants andwhat they desire from your
services.
Why would they invest in yourservices to begin with?
But then also we talk aboutlike why would they invest in
your services over someone elsewho's a cheaper option?
(06:04):
About?
Like, why would they invest inyour services over someone else
who's a cheaper option?
For a lot of our clients who arelike wedding planners or
photographers or venues, thislooks like why would they invest
in your services versus havinglike aunt sally be their
coordinator?
Um, so, talking about like,what is the value that they
perceive there?
And then, when they're notwedding planning or when they're
not engaging in your service,like what does their lifestyle
(06:24):
look like?
Where are they spending theirmoney?
And it's that cliche that we'veprobably heard of like, oh,
they like Starbucks and theyshop at Target.
But it's deeper than that.
It's thinking about like whatkind of lifestyle are all of
their friends engaging in?
And kind of like, what'sinfluencing their sphere?
So a lot of conversation aroundthat and then also end results.
(06:47):
So, talking about their forwardgoals, like what do the next
five years look like?
And one of my favoritequestions is what do you want
your ideal client to feel whenthey land on your website?
And then also, what do you wantthem to feel when they're done
working with you and they'releaving a review, because I
think that we often think like,oh, I'll just launch the website
(07:08):
and then everything's done.
But part of the brand strategyprocess is showing up after
people click on your website, soafter they convert to an
inquiry like how are you goingto continue to engage with them
through the sales process andyour onboarding and client
processes?
Nikisha King (07:22):
Right, so good, so , so good.
Emily Foster (07:25):
A little wordy.
Nikisha King (07:26):
No, but it's fine.
It's giving details, right.
That's the whole point ofhaving also a website.
I was listening to somethingand I loved there's a difference
between a website and there's adifference between funnels
because, the website is thefirst entry point and then the
funnels lead them somewhere.
In you doing websites, firstentry point and then the funnels
(07:47):
lead them somewhere.
In you doing websites, how doyou categorize it or how do you
see it?
Because it's like a brochure,it's like this warm welcome.
And I want you to express itfrom your point of view, since
it's your specialty.
How do you see it?
Emily Foster (07:59):
Yeah, I see it as part of the funnel.
Sometimes I think that it'slike dynamic because I think
that if your goal is to get mostof your clients through SEO,
it's definitely like I view itas your digital billboard.
It's the first thing thatpeople see and you have to
attract them.
So that's where SEO matters somuch, because for a lot of our
(08:19):
clients, like in their industry,seo is a no brainer, like you
have to have it.
Like in their industry, seo isa no brainer, like you have to
have it.
But also we're in this likereally dynamic space where it
might be the third or fourthtouch point that they get from
you.
Like they might find you onInstagram first or through an
Instagram ad and then theyreferred to you or they find you
on like a preferred vendorslist, so they might have
(08:42):
multiple touch points in yourother marketing.
That isn't even the website andthe website is like that last
trigger to convert them.
And I think in the ideal world,everyone would inquire and
convert into a client, likeright on the sales call, right,
like you wouldn't have to funnelthem into other things.
Or another path that we see alot of clients do is like they
(09:03):
find you on Pinterest, theydownload your lead magnet and
then they come back to yourwebsite and engage there and
then make the inquiry, likesometimes weeks or months later.
So we talk about thatstrategically of like what,
where is your energy going inyour marketing?
Where do you want to spend themost time?
Because I think it's totallyokay to say like I don't want to
(09:24):
be on Instagram or I don't wantto have a lead magnet and an
email list, like it's fine tomake those decisions.
We just have to be intentionalabout how we're building the
website around that.
Yeah, I say that it's like yourvisual storefront, even if
you're a service provider andyou're not technically selling
your physical products on there.
I think that's the most commonthing that I use and your brand
(09:47):
is the visual voice of yourbusiness.
Nikisha King (09:50):
It is, it's the announcement, it's the you know
when you have someone on thehorn that's what I feel like it
is.
It's always speaking about youand what you can do for them.
Emily Foster (10:02):
So when.
Nikisha King (10:02):
I say, speaking about you, I got to be really
intentional, because there'ssomething about copy where
people keep talking about thecompany and I'm like stop
talking about the company,exactly the transformation, the
outcome that they're going toget.
Why are they here?
Like tell them they're here andyou get it Exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
So good All right.
Nikisha King (10:20):
I want to ask you why is knowing about your ideal
client the starting point formaking real money in your
business?
Emily Foster (10:28):
I feel like it's like saying, like why would you
go to the doctor?
Or it's like why would yousolve a health problem without
going to the doctor andunderstanding what's wrong?
It's like you can't make moneywithout understanding who you're
selling to.
Sure there's going to be someluck Like you can always make
money without being super clearfor a little bit but it's not
going to be a sustainable incomefor your business, which we
(10:51):
want sustainable, like slowgrowth.
You know we don't want likefast, overnight growth most of
the time.
So understanding your idealclient gives you a base to come
back to when you kind of havethat doubt and you aren't sure
what to do next in your business.
And it gives you a base to comeback to when you kind of have
that doubt and you aren't surewhat to do next in your business
.
And it gives you certainty thatyou're also serving someone and
solving someone's problems.
(11:12):
So I think for a lot of us thatcan help with mindset and any
like sort of doubt that weexperience in our business,
because you know exactly whoyou're for and you know, like,
the skills that you have tooffer and it kind of takes that
guesswork out of the equationFor me and for a lot of my
clients, like, understandingyour ideal client is an
(11:34):
essential key to your marketing.
It makes everything so mucheasier because it's the cliche,
but if you're speaking toeveryone, you're speaking to no
one, and it's literal Like ifyou've ever sat down and tried
to write Instagram captions forjust everyone.
You have no idea what you'retalking about.
And then you do default totalking more about the service
(11:55):
or the features and benefits ofyour offers, versus actually
talking about the transformationthat you're offering to your
clients.
Nikisha King (12:04):
So true, so true.
The other thing about it alsois when working with you and
getting the copy.
I think that's gold, becauseeverything they're telling you
becomes copy that they can useon their social media.
It's like taking those and thenspread it the word, because
people need to hear a thing morethan four or five times.
They need to have contact withyou.
(12:24):
And if you take the copy fromyour website and you're able to
create little pieces and littletidbits of it and put it on a
static post, or create a reallot of that sometimes we don't
have to work harder, we can justwork smarter.
It's so easy.
Emily Foster (12:40):
People are shocked when I tell them.
So, like to preface, I useChatGPT not for anything SEO
related, because that can berisky, but sometimes for
captions or email newsletters itcan be a really great tool and
I actually give chat GPT mywebsite and say like please come
up with something using thewording and the voice on this
website and it might pullliteral pieces.
(13:01):
So I know it's original contentbecause I wrote that pull
literal pieces.
So I know it's original contentbecause I wrote that, or I had
my copywriter write it in mycase, because we're like the
cobbler without shoes we cannever get outside of our own
heads enough to do our ownmessaging.
But it's such a handy tool andpeople are so shocked they're
like oh, I never thought aboutputting my website into chat GPT
, but it's like you're feedingthis AI beast and like letting
(13:26):
them run with something and thenyou're also guaranteeing its
original content.
That's actually like soundslike you and doesn't sound like
the generic AI written contentthat we might see.
Nikisha King (13:36):
Yeah, so good.
Can you share an example of howunderstanding your target
market has helped a clientcreate a more profitable brand?
Emily Foster (13:48):
Yeah, I was trying to think of a good client
example.
So we have a venue that welaunched last year and
understanding what packagesalign with the right couples has
helped them really visualizetheir marketing a lot easier.
So they have like an elopementpackage where they can rent out
(14:11):
the venue for a weekday and thatkind of client is totally
different than the client that'sbooking a full weekend and
staying in their overnightlodging.
So understanding their twodifferent kind of ideal clients
in that way has allowed them toshow up consistently for both of
them on social media and wewrite their blogs now too so
being able to have messaging forboth of those and kind of pull
(14:34):
out that messaging when neededto serve their revenue goals.
So ideally, booking out everyweekend is a goal for this venue
, but then we also have thesefiller spots for elopements.
So talking about that and that'salso where I think
understanding your ideal clientis really essential, because it
might not be one person.
We talk a lot about what I callsecondary clients.
(14:55):
So I always want to know, likeyour dream client and the main
person that you would work withevery day if you could.
But then a lot of us have somesort of supplemental service or
revenue outlet that we reallywant to sell and that might not
be for that same person at all.
So it's important to kind ofhave those two different
archetypes to work with.
Nikisha King (15:15):
Such a really great point.
A secondary, especially thesecondary, because we all have
it.
That's why a lot of us get inthe I don't know who I'm
speaking to.
I can't focus on one person,right, because they know there's
a secondary.
But it doesn't mean you cannotfocus.
You focus on your primary andthen you capture your secondary.
Emily Foster (15:33):
Yeah, yeah, and I think something that's
interesting that people don'tthink about enough is the client
journey.
And I don't mean necessarilylike your funnel and the way
they're finding you, but for alot of us not that venue example
in particular, becauseelopements and weekend weddings
are so different For, like a lotof planners or photographers or
designers, like everyone wantsthe highest package they just
(15:56):
might not be able to afford itor they might not see the value
in the same way.
So there's this journey of like.
There's phase one of a clientwho, like they're just dipping
their toes into your service.
And then there's phase two,like they're more committed, and
phase three, like they want thefull package.
So we'll talk about that too oflike, how do we speak to your
most ideal client but still helpyour other clients to aspire to
(16:21):
that, even if their financialreality doesn't look like
affording that?
Nikisha King (16:31):
So true, so true.
Favorite question because thisis the one that I think a lot of
people get confused about whenit comes to website design
what's the difference between apretty brand and a profitable
brand?
Emily Foster (16:41):
Yeah, I love this question.
A pretty brand is often trendy.
It looks good, it's the onethat your friends are like, oh,
this is beautiful.
But then you don't attractclients in the following couple
years after launching and youend up changing it again.
So pretty brands often changeover time.
(17:02):
You don't stick with your colorpalette, you don't stick with
the same typography or it'sreally trendy and you start to
look outdated in just a fewyears.
I would say a profitable brandis built on strategy first.
So there's been a conversationhad of like we're choosing the
color red because it'smeaningful to this goal and it
speaks to this kind of idealclient and it tells this story
(17:26):
for our brand versus red becauseit's your favorite color.
So all of those strategicdecisions are made for every
single aspect of the brand andthen it's used consistently so
that you can continue to havethe similar messaging, get the
regular brand recognition thatyou need from people, for I
think the stat is that they haveto see it seven times for them
to actually commit to investing.
(17:47):
So, they need to recognize yoursame brand seven times and show
up then and that's when you knowit's profitable, is when it's
starting to help you convertthose clients and showing your
value.
You shouldn't have to work sohard to show your value.
It should come from your visualand your written voice and it
should be selling for you allthe time.
Of course, there's going to belike short-term kind of sales
(18:09):
copy and like marketing copy,like instagram and blogging and
building a new sales page for anew offer and things like that,
but your brands should stayconsistent across all of that
such a really great pointstrategy is like the quick
answer to that.
Like pretty brands are trendyand profitable brands are
strategic.
Nikisha King (18:29):
Yes, that is so true.
For me it always also pretty.
Brands don't talk about thetransformation, they talk about
the features.
Yeah, they're like listing itout, explaining it, doing a lot
of over explaining with prettypictures.
Emily Foster (18:44):
Yeah, and sometimes stock photos too.
Right, like it's very generic,it's not specific.
Yeah, and pretty brands areoften more scared to niche down,
like you're still speaking toeveryone and kind of like
staying in that safe zone versuslike telling people who you're
for and who you're not forExactly, exactly.
Nikisha King (19:05):
So good, I know that because I was a pretty
brand at one point.
Emily Foster (19:08):
Yeah, we all start there.
Nikisha King (19:10):
We do.
We all start there.
It's not a bad thing, Meaningit's not.
It's not something that'snegative.
It's part of the process.
But as you mature on yourjourney, you realize everyone's
not for you, because youencounter everyone and you're
like no, this is not going towork.
Emily Foster (19:27):
Yeah, you have to have that life experience, it's
true.
Nikisha King (19:31):
Yes, and then you start to understand the strategy
of it.
Wanting it to work for you.
If you're going to invest in it, yeah, so that's good.
How can business owners useclient pain points and their
desires to shape the heart oftheir brand and increase
conversions?
Emily Foster (19:48):
Yeah.
So one book I always referenceis Building a Story Brand by
Donald Miller, and it talksabout client pain points and the
transformation and storytelling.
So understanding your client'spain points, before you even go
into the brand identitydevelopment or the copywriting,
is essential to building thosethings and it can help you
(20:10):
because you can answer thosequestions.
So basically, every pain pointis a question that your client
is asking or something that'swaking them up at night, and
then your solution or thetransformation or the win that
you're giving them is the answerto that question.
So it's showing up with yourtagline or your headlines on
(20:30):
your website and your copy andbasically just answering those
questions.
Like I think people sometimesovercomplicate it, but it's
really just like showing up andin a better worded way saying
like I see you're worrying aboutthis thing.
Here's how we help you solvethat.
And then answering thatrepeatedly throughout your
website with the strategy Inyour brand itself, the brand
(20:53):
identity.
It might be having a tagline inyour logo designs or having more
research about, like, what kindof aesthetics your ideal
clients are paying attention toand then leaning into those a
little bit more for your branditself.
And then the consistency, too.
It comes back to that ofcontinuously answering those
(21:15):
pain points over and over againand bringing them up in your
marketing.
Bringing them up at least seventimes because algorithms,
including the algorithm ofGoogle, are going to show people
even less than seven times.
So continuing to repeat ituntil you get tired of it.
I always say that a strongbrand is one that you start to
(21:36):
get tired of, because onceyou're tired and sick of it and
bored, it's when people are juststarting to pay attention 100%
correct.
Nikisha King (21:44):
There's moments I'm like this is so repetitive
and I forget.
This needs to be repetitivebecause they forget the first or
second time?
And when are they having a touchpoint with you?
I'm the one creating content,so I'm constantly seeing the
same thing, but they're not.
They're coming in and out of myworld and they're finding me in
different places, but messagingis always the same and that's
(22:07):
why I need it to be repetitive,so they can hear the base of it.
Understand.
This is Nikisha.
Like she's not one thing oneday and another thing tomorrow.
Emily Foster (22:16):
Yeah, and it gets boring, like honestly, I think
some of us designers get boredwith it Like.
I'll give an example One of mydream jobs out of college would
have been to work for Starbucksas a designer.
And when I think about it,working for any kind of
corporate company or like anonprofit, anything where you're
only doing their content allthe time, it's really old
(22:37):
because you're just using thesame basic color palette, the
same typography over and over,but you don't see these huge
global brands changing things,like even the brands that are
over 50 years old.
They've done a few rebrands,maybe every few decades, but
they're just using the samething over and over again.
So those kinds of jobs aren'tusually appealing to really
(22:58):
creative people.
For that reason and we have toremember that when we are the
creators in our business, likedeveloping all of those
marketing assets- so true, sotrue.
Nikisha King (23:08):
All right Now for someone who's struggling to
stand out and attract payingclients.
Where should they begin withtheir brand strategy?
Emily Foster (23:17):
to turn things around, yeah, I think gathering
as much data and insights as youcan early on is good, like I
think if you are struggling toattract clients, the answer
right away typically isn't anexpensive rebrand and website
Like expensive I know issubjective, so I hate to say it,
but it is a luxury, I realize,like investing in your brand and
(23:40):
website and I think that it'smuch more worth it to do it
right and pay more to get itdone right than it is to
piecemeal it and, for example,hire a chief designer on Fiverr
right away.
So, if you're just like not inthe point to make that launch
with your brand and website yet,start collecting the data,
start gathering clienttestimonials, take the time, if
(24:03):
you can, to have like aquestionnaire or some kind of
follow-up coffee with your pastclients and ask them why they
invested in you, what was itthat they were seeking and why
did they feel confident enoughthat you were the person that
could solve that pain point forthem essentially understand
their pain points.
If you don't have a lot ofclients, like if you're very
early on in your business, thenmarket research I think can be a
(24:25):
really great way to do this too, like basically networking and
then offering something topeople in exchange for asking
them a few questions about whythey've invested.
Like, for example, one thingthat I did very early on in my
business is I started messagingsome wedding pros, and
especially ones who had alreadyworked with a designer, not to
(24:47):
pitch or anything like that, butjust to ask how their
experience was and what made youdecide to work with this
designer.
Or, if they hadn't worked witha designer before, ask, like,
why would you choose to workwith a designer?
And it was really interesting tokind of learn more about my
ideal client and my not idealclient, because you would come
to realize, okay, not everyoneis willing to pay for the value
(25:10):
of this service, so it couldhelp align a little bit more
with that.
So having like a database whichwhen I say database it can be as
simple as a Google Doc withthis information and starting to
understand who you want to workwith, can be really helpful and
then using those pain pointsvery quickly to try to generate
some connection.
So I think doing that marketresearch will help you to
(25:33):
network and it can open up apoint where you might be able to
kind of make that connectionand get your first few clients
or get a few new clients ifyou've had a lot in the past and
you're just looking for morework.
So getting out there andnetworking is one of the
quickest ways.
And building those connectionsbecause that referral base will
help you over time and when youshow up in the future with your
(25:56):
rebrand.
That's really strong Like thosepeople will notice and will
already be in your network.
And then using that data tocreate content based around pain
points, like instagram content.
Get your website launched, evenif it's like a basic template in
the beginning right and you cando your best with your copy,
then ask yourself some of thesequestions get it launched,
(26:20):
follow some seo basics just tostart driving up some traffic
and get that momentum.
And then it's one of thosethings that it's like a snowball
effect.
It will happen eventually.
It's just a matter of time ofbuilding up that momentum and
telling yourself that yoursuccess is inevitable and then
the rest will come.
Nikisha King (26:39):
Such a good point.
Now you mentioned ideal client,and we started off with ideal
client.
Who is your ideal client?
Tell me about that.
Emily Foster (26:47):
I love it and I know it's always evolving a
little bit.
But for the last four years soI've been in business just over
four years now it has been thecreative wedding or event
entrepreneur who in general isabout two to 15 years in
business and they're bookingtheir ideal.
(27:09):
They're not booking their idealclients.
I should be clear on that.
They're booking clients andthey might already be making
some of their revenue and profitgoals, but the goal is to level
up and niche down more intoclients that they are more
passionate in working with, sothey've developed their skillset
they know that they are morepassionate in working with, so
they've developed their skillset.
They know that they have a goodoffer.
It's just that there's kind ofthat gap.
(27:30):
It could be that they aren'tcharging enough yet.
They're charging enough to befull-time in their business, but
they aren't charging enough tobe able to work with the clients
that they find the most dreamy,or they don't have enough to
outsource to a team, or theyhaven't necessarily built up
enough momentum in their mainbusiness to try a second venture
(27:53):
, like education or a course ormentorship or something like
that.
So a lot of my ideal clientsare in that phase of leveling up
and they know that they need abrand and website to get to that
next phase.
And they're smart enough toknow that they shouldn't be the
one doing it.
They have gotten to their pointof where they've been able to
(28:15):
DIY for a certain amount of time, or they hired the cheaper
option for a while, but theyreally understand that the next
step is to level up with anexpert who can dig into
everything that they've builtthemselves and get them to that
next empire building stage intheir business.
Nikisha King (28:31):
So good.
I love that.
I hope everyone heard that.
And it's so good when it'sclear.
Yeah, because when you see it,you know it.
It's like qualifying someone.
That is what your ideal.
I'm a real estate investor, sowe call something a buy box, but
for you, know it, it's likequalifying someone.
That is what your ideal I'm areal estate investor, so we call
something a buy box, but foryou, it's a beautiful ideal
concept of who my person is.
(28:53):
So when they show up and theyinquire and you're like, oh,
they meet these specific points,oh, this is my person, they're
ready to up-level game.
And with you saying that, Iheard it and I was like I'm
ready and I'm like, all right,I'm going to go chat with Emily.
Cause, at that point where I'mlike, okay, for my coaching
website, I need help and I'mlike I don't want to do all of
(29:13):
it by myself.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
You know what I mean, can I?
Nikisha King (29:16):
Yes, but, like you said, as a cobbler with a shoe
incident, right Like we don'thave shoes because we're busy
making everybody else's.
So I love that you shared that,emily, thank you so much and
what we're going to do.
To close out, I want to knowfrom you if you can give our
audience three actionable stepsthat feel like something that
(29:37):
they can do to maybe, if they'renot ready yet to step fully
into rebranding their website,what are three steps or three
actionable steps that they cantake to just get them started?
Emily Foster (29:51):
I love that.
Are you okay with me offering aresource on here?
Nikisha King (29:56):
Yeah, and we'll put it in show notes.
Emily Foster (29:58):
Okay, great, I would say.
Number one is to fill out thisbrand clarity book.
I'll send that to you, um, butit's emilyfostercreativecom
slash brand clarity workbook andit essentially will help you
dig into your ideal client moreand answer some of these
questions.
So that's the only one.
That's the most work.
I'm not going to give you threeworkbooks, I promise.
(30:18):
So that's number one is startdigging into that, um.
Number two is to update the SEOin your Instagram bio, if you
have an Instagram for yourbusiness, and add your niche in
there.
So word exactly what you do andwho your ideal client is in
your bio, and that can helpstart getting some traffic to
your Instagram.
(30:39):
So that's number two.
And then number three is is toI don't want to tell you to
build a website like right now,because even that's a lot of
work if you do it on your ownbut I would say to do a basic
logo that's professional forright now.
If you don't have anything orif it looks really clip arty, go
(31:01):
into canva, which we don'tbuild brands in Canva when we
work with our clients, to beclear, and it's not a permanent
solution but build a text basedlogo, something that chooses
like a high end font that alignswith your clients and have your
brand name along with a catchytagline, and create a few
options there so that you canget that up on your social media
(31:23):
posts and your website to getsome momentum.
Nikisha King (31:26):
Thank you so much Thank you.
We truly appreciate you andyour wealth of information and I
love that.
I'm going to ask you one lastquestion because I think this is
important.
You've been in business forfour years.
There is something you did toescalate your progress.
(31:47):
What did you do?
Emily Foster (31:50):
That's so much pressure.
I'm like it's so hard becausewhen we're in it we don't see it
.
Nikisha King (31:57):
if that makes sense, let me ask you this
question then how much have youinvested in yourself to get
where you are today, in fouryears?
Emily Foster (32:06):
A lot and that actually my answer before the
clarifying question was going tobe that I just started
outsourcing as soon as I could.
My biggest first investment was5,000 for a coaching program in
like my first six months ofbusiness and that was after
making like an $800 investmentin a coach like my first month
(32:27):
of business and that was scaryto me but she was working with a
coach.
That was the $5,000 option andthat was kind of like the step
up I needed and I think, havingthat mental start at first, I
was inspired to make theinvestment because of the book
you Are a Badass and she madelike I think it was like an
$80,000 investment in herbusiness if you read that book.
(32:47):
So I still haven't gotten tothat level, but having that
initial kind of like fear driventhing taken away really helped
me.
Like full disclosure, I put iton an interest free credit card.
It was nice because we weregetting married at the time, so
we got some cash back to use andI paid it off within like the
(33:08):
timeframe I think it's like ayear that you don't get charged
interest and I paid it off muchfaster than that but that even
now like might seem like a lotof money for a certain kind of
investment.
But it seemed like a lot morethen and it kind of helped my
nervous system get comfortablewith those kinds of things.
And then I would say about thelast like two and a half years
(33:29):
I've taken an approach that Iheard about in a book that I
heard through that coachingprogram.
It's called the big leap.
And it's about working in yourzone of genius.
And I find that whenever I getto a stuck point in my business
and I'm not able to grow morelike last year was a time when,
like I was just really burnt outand working a lot and I
(33:50):
realized like I physically can'tmake more money, like doing
these things just on my own,like it's just people don't
really talk about it, but likeyou can only make so much money
on your own, like you don't haveto have a full team, but you do
have to have some sort ofsupport.
So every time I get to a kindof stuck point like that, I
examine, like what do I need totake off my plate and who can I
(34:12):
give it to?
And that looks like everything.
It looks like getting ourgroceries delivered through
Instacart.
Nikisha King (34:19):
I just did that and that's been a lifesaver.
Emily Foster (34:22):
I'm like why would I waste like?
There were weekends where wewere spending four hours going
to like Safeway and Costco, likedifferent grocery stores, to
get everything we need and itwas sort of fun, but not the way
that we wanted to be spendinghalf a day of our weekend.
So now it's like we only go ifit's for enjoyment or like a
quick grab.
I have outsourced cleaning alittle bit in our house.
(34:45):
It's something that I want todo more of, but it's just
continuing to invest in thingsthat aren't my zone of genius is
an essential, and it's a littlechallenging every time that you
start to get to that like wallwhere it's uncomfortable and
maybe it's a bigger investmentthan you're expecting or maybe
it's something new that, likeyou, have some kind of mindset
(35:07):
issue around.
Like I feel like grocerydelivery and cleaning are big
ones for a lot of people becausewe're all capable of it, and so
we feel bad, especiallydepending on how you grew up and
the influences in your life.
Like you feel bad havingsomeone do that for you, but
it's essential to continue toadvance in some way with those
things.
A virtual assistant is huge.
(35:28):
I've had a virtual assistanthelping me for the last couple
years and it like gives meanxiety now to think like if I
had to take all of this back,like there's no way I could do
it and I don't want to.
Like it's just soul draining todo some of the things that I
have outsourced.
There's one book I recentlylistened to that affirmed it we
(35:49):
Should All Be Millionaires.
Yeah, have you listened to thatone?
Yes, it's a good one.
Yeah, she talks about littlemicro economies in society.
It's just further validationthat you can only get to a
certain point doing it on yourown.
Nikisha King (36:03):
So true, and no business is a solo business, no
business that we look at andknow about doing things in the
world.
To change things is no solobusiness.
They always started out withthe growth of people, more than
one.
Emily Foster (36:17):
Yeah, and whether it's someone giving you
knowledge or time or skills, itcan be however, you need it to
in this moment.
But yeah, maybe start with thegrocery delivery, because it's
something small.
You just pay a small fee,people complain about it all the
time.
Nikisha King (36:33):
And I think when I didn't do it, I was like, oh,
this is a lot.
Then it was that moment.
The moment happened when I waslike I'm not able to and we need
food and I have no time forthis.
Yeah, I did it.
Do you not know how much moneyit saves me?
Me walking in Costco is like a$500 bill.
Oh yeah, totally.
I'm in an Instacart.
It's like a $250 bill.
(36:54):
It's like half of my bill.
Emily Foster (36:56):
Exactly when I say we have fun going grocery
shopping.
It's for those impulse buys,yes, and you get the hot dog on
the way out.
Nikisha King (37:06):
Oh, my goodness.
So I see the benefit and nowI'm just like what do we need?
I pulled my phone out.
I'm like whatever.
And I'm happy to pay the tipbecause when they drop it off,
I'm happy to know that I'm stillin my robe while I'm picking up
my groceries from my front door.
So I'm happy to help someonewho needs that help, because
that's another thing.
Right?
(37:26):
People do these jobs becausethey need extra cash.
There is nothing wrong withthat and you're 100% right about
that.
So thank you for sharing aboutyour growth, because there are a
lot of business owners whodon't invest in themselves and
when they're stuck, they don'tknow where to go.
They really believe is theexternal factors in the world
(37:49):
that's stopping them from makingmoney.
They blame everything outsideof them.
It's just like the prettywebsite.
The pretty website is justpretty and it doesn't convert
and doesn't do anything.
But a strategic website will beprofitable, Just like a
strategic person who invests inthemselves will be profitable.
Emily Foster (38:08):
Yeah, and I'll add something too that was
essential.
Related to this is, I thinkafter my first year, year and a
half, in business, I realizedlike you can pick two or three
people in your personal life whoaren't entrepreneurs but
otherwise like be very, veryintentional about who you tell
your investments to.
(38:29):
So find your network of fellowentrepreneurs and find your very
intimate network of like yourspouse or partner or a parent,
or like good friend, and likeconfide in people about those
next level steps you're taking.
But your world gets a lotcalmer and focused when you
don't share all of yourentrepreneur plans with non
(38:50):
entrepreneurs, because that'sanother thing is like we're
wired in the corporate world tonot make these investments.
Like to not get your groceriesdelivery delivered, to not
invest in your business becauseit's not essential.
Like your life is built morearound like this guaranteed pay.
Like you can only scale up somuch in most careers.
(39:11):
Like there's not this likeinfinite amount of money that
you can make in most nine tofive jobs.
So people just don't see theinvestments the same way.
Like I feel like accounting isa great example of like most of
us you know pay at least $2,000for an accountant to manage our
taxes as a business owner,because that's essential to find
someone quality and someone ina nine to five just doesn't have
(39:32):
to pay that, so they would kindof balk at those prices.
And I feel like if you receivea lot of that judgment in your
life from outside sources, itruins your confidence and makes
it a little bit harder to dothose things.
Nikisha King (39:45):
Such a go nugget moment.
Emily Foster (39:47):
Thank, you Protect your peace.
Nikisha King (39:50):
Yes, thank you for sharing that, and it's okay.
It's okay however you do it,but that's a really great point,
because not everyone can seewhat you're doing, because they
don't live that life like you.
Emily Foster (40:03):
Yeah.
Nikisha King (40:05):
Thank you so much, Emily.
Before you go, share witheveryone where they can find you
.
We'll add it to the show notes,but you're more than welcome to
share it here as well.
Emily Foster (40:13):
Yeah, so brand consistency.
You can find me as Emily Fostercreative.
My website isemilyfostercreativecom.
You can email me at hello atemilyfostercreativecom, or I'm
emilyfostercreative on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
Perfect.
Nikisha King (40:30):
Thank you so much, thank you so much.
Emily Foster (40:33):
This is amazing.
Nikisha King (40:34):
Thank you guys for coming.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
Thank you for joining us today on Leading Her Way.
We loved having you with us.
Remember on leading her way, weloved having you with us.
Remember each action you take,no matter how small, adds up to
big results.
If today's episode fired you up, hit subscribe for more
insights and visit our resourcehub, which is linked to the show
notes.
There you'll find tools tostreamline, organize and grow
(41:00):
your business.
Keep moving forward and we'llbe right here to cheer you on
next week.
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