… an amazing process

“Even though I’ve just begun the process with Colleen, I feel like I’ve already made leaps in my business! She’s helped me get so clear about my market and what I offer them.

The night after our first meeting, I had a difficult time sleeping because I was both excited and terrified – terrified that I won’t have the support I need to handle the extra business. I know … a good problem to have, right?

Anyway, it’s been an amazing process so far. She takes something very vague and fuzzy and creates a simple, actionable step-by-step plan – just for you. Exciting stuff!

I look forward to updating you very soon with how much business and time I’ve gained from working with Colleen!”

~ Alana Fletcher, Managing Agent & Insurance Advisor, Square-Stone Insurance
Square-Stone.com

… a partner in my success

“I’ve been thankful for the opportunity to work with Colleen. In just a couple of coaching sessions, I gained so much clarity in regard to the value I offer and the markets I’m serving.

As a startup business owner, you get so overwhelmed with all of the little things that at times it becomes difficult to look at the big picture. I think I had lost my purpose in those details and Colleen was able to help me take a few steps back and look at my business in a new way.

The clarity I’ve gained about who my readers are helped me to define who will benefit most from advertising in my publication. In fact, because of that clarity and newfound confidence in my business, I was successful in negotiating the first of many advertiser contracts. Very exciting!

Happy readers, happy advertisers … and well on my way to being a one-stop shop for busy moms to find invaluable information and resources – not only in the Minneapolis market, but also many other markets to come!

The thing I really enjoyed about working with Colleen is that I could tell she was interested in seeing my ideas take form and she was invested in my success. She continues to check in with me and send me resources and feedback. I’ve come to think of her as a partner in my success.”

~ Lisa Sommer, Owner/Publisher, Metro Mom Guide, LLC
mpls.metromomguide.com

… intuitive to our needs

“Colleen and her team did an absolutely incredible job with our website. She “got it” … understood our goals and our message and wrapped it all up into a beautiful and well-functioning site. Our customers appreciate that it’s so user-friendly. I love the fact that everything we need has been seamlessly integrated and it’s simple for our team to manage!

Completely revamping our site was a really big project for us. I wasn’t sure where to start, but Colleen was intuitive to our needs and able to create a strategic plan to specifically meet our goals.

She’s also a great project manager – kept the entire team, including my staff and I, on track and focused. I felt like she really had my best interests at heart, and managed her team to deliver the absolute best product possible.

She was more like a partner to me than a vendor – she turned a potentially stressful and time-consuming project into a very worthwhile venture.”

~ Carla Rutt Bainbridge, President and CEO, PredictiveProfiles
predictiveprofiles.com

… creative professionalism

“I’ve worked with Colleen for more than eight years now, in a variety of capacities and have grown to count on her creative professionalism.

As a project manager, I’ve worked with a variety of creative professionals. Colleen is a talented designer, but she brings so much more than that to the table. Her attention to detail, knowledge of brand and positioning, patience, and ability to communicate design and marketing concepts and complicated technology to her clients have all contributed to the success of so many projects.

Currently, as creative director and designer of TFW, Colleen brings the magazine’s content to life in a real way. She helps us bring our audience – professional women from eight countries and growing – a relevant and high-quality lifestyle resource.”

~ Melissa Curzon, President/ CEO, Triumph Solutions / Publisher, Today’s Financial Women (TFW) magazine
triumphsolutionsinc.com / tritfw.com

… a true marketing partner

“As an entrepreneur juggling many activities, I feel very grateful to have found Colleen. I appreciate how she cares about her work and more importantly, how she shows a genuine ongoing interest in my business. She has been a true marketing partner to me.

Colleen’s expertise helped me expand my business quickly when I decided to add my own line of natural skincare products. She provided me with one-stop shopping at a time when I wasn’t sure I could take on new projects.

She worked with an exceptional team of experts, including trademark attorney, copywriter and web programmer, to bring my brand to life. And, Colleen managed all projects effectively and efficiently so I didn’t have to.

A talented designer, expert strategist and efficient project manager – add to that outstanding customer service and a genuine interest in seeing you succeed – Colleen creates a true partnership experience that any entrepreneur would benefit from.”

~ Sue Donnellan, Owner, Direct Connections Worldwide / Owner, BodyVerde
bodyverde.com

… an invaluable resource

“I’ve worked with Colleen for more over a decade – as a client, and as a partner on a variety of client projects. And, the common denominator among the many projects we’ve done together is that they always have one outcome: success!

As a small business owner focused on developing, supporting and connecting women business leaders, I really appreciate that Colleen shares the same values and drive to help women succeed.

She helped me build Red Ladder’s brand from the ground up and, more recently, she has become an invaluable resource for me in developing Women at the Top®. Colleen is able to step into the minds of my customers and has helped tremendously with everything from brand and market positioning to product offerings, pricing and more.

I recommend Colleen’s expertise and highly attentive service to anyone looking to strategically create and build a successful business. You’ll get exactly what you need, but you’ll also learn a lot about your own business and customers in the process. That’s simply invaluable.”

~ Regina Barr, Founder/CEO, Red Ladder, Inc. / Founder, Women at the Top® (WATT®)
redladder.com / thewattnetwork.com

… she made things easy

“Colleen has helped me tremendously in the startup of my business. I literally went from idea to a functioning business in less than six months! And it makes me very proud that I did it the right way the first time – thoughtfully, strategically.

Being a startup business owner, I had to spend my budget wisely. I did that in hiring Colleen for some coaching, and to help me with the design of my logo, stationery and website.

Thanks to some productive strategic calls with Colleen, as well as some very helpful forms and tools, I was able to get really clear about whom I serve and the unique benefits that I offer. I was also able to do some of the work myself so I spent less money. She made things easy and was available to answer my questions.

My business is brand new – but my brand speaks volumes about the value I offer to my clients. That value is communicated whether or not I’m there in person – and that is value that will pay for itself many times over.”

~ Max Pegors, President, Engagement HR Services, LLC
engagementhr.com

… learned so much

“We were very fortunate to have Colleen’s expertise to take our startup magazine from a local interest piece to a valued resource. Like many startup business owners, there has been a lot to learn – especially when it came to our brand and positioning.

Colleen helped us create a true local resource in a way that was professional and strategically planned. Her knowledge, skills and talent are the best. We hired her as a designer, but truly she’s so much more than that. Her experience and expertise were invaluable – not only in the way that she effectively communicated our unique message, but also in her business acumen. We have learned so much about our own business from her.

Colleen has been an integral part of our business’ evolution.”

~ Mary Defayette, Owner, MyTown Informer / Editor, Eagle Informer magazine

… easily captured our mind’s eye

“Colleen helped us create an entire brand and corporate identity for our startup company, Maryland Shore Pet Resort. I was thrilled with the results!

She easily captured our “mind’s eye” – the idea that your pets are part of your family, and we treat them like our family while they’re here, plus she was also able to incorporate some of our additional features into the brand – such as the fact that we are in a country setting and are light-hearted and fun. I was amazed that she was able to capture all of these messages in a seemingly simple logo!

Colleen translated our company branding into usable collateral very well – from the illustrated logo, to our stationery and fabulous note cards, to all of the beautiful photos used for all our corporate marketing, all the way to the signage placed around and in the resort. It all conveys and reinforces our message so effectively not only to our wonderful customers, but also is very helpful for our staff.

In fact, when we needed to update our logo for our farm, we of course worked with Colleen again. She’s a pleasure to work with and makes the whole process so easy. I know her expertise and talent has played a part in our success!”

~ Terri Stevens, Owner, Maryland Shore Pet Resort
MDShorePetResort.com

… I count on her to make me look good

“I’ve been working with Colleen for almost 10 years now, and I highly recommend her creative skills and her award-winning design expertise.

There are many reasons I’ve continued to work with her – she’s talented, but also very efficient, flexible, reliable and professional. In fact, we’ve continued to work together even after I moved to a new company in a different state.

I can see that she’s committed to seeing my organization succeed, and I can count on her to make me look good, every time.”

~ Catherine Doucette, Marketing Director, Memorial Health Center
memhc.org

… felt more like we were partners

“Colleen worked with us to develop a new brand under the University of Minnesota umbrella. She was excellent at identifying and creating our vision through our logo, website and collateral.

She managed the project well and we especially appreciated her flexibility and follow-through. The relationship felt more like we were partners in the enterprise and less like we were the client.”

~ Peggy Johnson, Associate University Librarian, University of Minnesota Libraries
lib.umn.edu/infonow

… made it a really fun process

“Creating our website was a huge undertaking for a group of volunteers! Colleen managed her team and the project so well, and made it a really fun process. I loved working with her because she’s very strategic and was always thinking of questions and things that I’d never think of. She kept us on track and I know she was really committed to helping us succeed.”

~ Alisha Ellwood, Chair, Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership
healthliteracymn.org