Musing | g4change

January 6, 2020 by Sherri

Plus ça change…

Faced with relentless change in the workplace, what do you value most? If you’re like me, it’s relationships. Friendships that have stood the test of time. Colleagues who have your back. Mentors, if you’ve been lucky. Professional relationships based on trust and mutual respect.

When I founded G Strategic Branding & Communications in 2010, my goal was to create positive change by helping my nonprofit and public sector clients do well while doing good. Over the years, GSBC grew from a branding and graphic design consultancy to encompass market research, web design, and copywriting. I am so proud of the work I’ve done with many outstanding organizations in the past decade.

They say you’re only as smart as the people you surround yourself with. Since meeting Tina Finelli in 2015, I’ve been feeling very smart indeed. Founder of Etal Marketing, Tina answered my call for a strategic partner to help me take my company to the next level. Tina has been building custom “dream teams” to overcome any challenge her C-Suite clients have thrown at her for over two decades. We clicked immediately, partnered up on an initial multifaceted capital campaign branding and marketing project, and have been collaborating ever since to offer senior-level strategic and creative services with a no-fuss, friendly approach our clients love.

Ask any branding expert about their biggest challenge and you’re likely to hear that it was branding (or rebranding) their own company. When I realized that GSBC’s website was falling short in expressing my company’s evolution, I decided to seize the opportunity to rebrand. It occurred to me that the word that best encapsulated both my eclectic career and my passion for the work I do had been with me all along, in GSBC’s “inspire change” tagline.

As I celebrate my first decade as an entrepreneur, I couldn’t be prouder to finally launch my new company, G4Change. Plus ça change…

Do you find the idea of constant change stressful, or stimulating? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Sherri-)

February 12, 2015 by Sherri

Creative Thinker Seeks Like-Minded Partner

I’m always looking for relationships. No, not that kind. I’m talking about client relationships. As a graphic designer-slash-branding specialist working in the not for profit sector, I am always on the lookout for that special someone who will see me as a strategic partner, a creative thinker they can count on… as opposed to a (shudder) ‘supplier’ of graphic design.

It’s not just semantics. In this age of message saturation and A.D.D, how I express what I do for my clients is an ongoing challenge. Not that I lack the right words, but rather because the people I am trying to reach (Marketing, Communications, and Development Directors and Managers, Executive Directors) are bombarded by the same claims and promises. Ad nauseum.

The prevailing wisdom in communications these days is to banish ‘marketing-speak’. Be real. Cultivate your authentic voice. Well, good. Works for me. The trouble is, the word ‘authentic’, is bandied about to the point of meaninglessness. Sigh.

In fact ‘authenticity ‘ is central to my process (yes, it’s literally in the middle) – right there on my website: “insight, authenticity, and inspiration“. I recommend to my clients to know why they’re doing what they do, and tell the world. To have a powerful brand story that will resonate. To be great while doing good. I think it makes sense to apply that same spirit of authenticity to how we work together.

When I receive an initial inquiry or quote request from an organization by email my first impulse is to fire one back asking when we can schedule a short chat. I feel it’s important to ‘meet’, at least briefly, the person I will potentially be working with over the course of a few weeks or even months. Experience has shown me that our first interaction is a good predictor of how the entire process will unfold.

When all goes well, I get a chance to prove that I’m the real deal, ready to go above and beyond what’s expected, to take my client’s branding and communications to the next level. Ideally, a dialogue is created, based on mutual respect and integrity. Over time, my client develops a comfort level with my knowledge of their organization, environment, and communications challenges. They know they can count on me to deliver. I know I’m doing my best for them. A beautiful working relationship ensues. And who doesn’t want that?

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