We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Courtney Sloan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Courtney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Sloan Sloan began as a way to support living a life that I love which, for me, looks like traveling to new and familiar places, spending time with loved ones, and riding my horse. I felt so fulfilled, and realized that every woman should be able to have those same opportunities — to enjoy what lights her up and create a life that she can’t wait to wake up to every day. By offering intentional branding and website design rooted in strategy, I knew that I could help other small business owners tell their unique story, spark a connection with their audience, and inspire action.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As a kid, creativity was my middle name. I spent my younger days collaging and crafting (hello, Perler Beads and Shrinky Dinks!) and as I got older I dabbled in the more advanced mediums of painting and photography. When it came time to go off to college, I loved the idea of going to art school but feared the stereotyped “starving artist” path.
I ended up going the more practical route of double majoring in Business and Psychology, and after graduating I landed a job as a Marketing Manager for a leadership development firm. Through the process of social media strategy and graphic design work, I developed a cohesive brand presence for the company. Then something clicked – I realized I could satisfy my creative side while also bringing home enough money to support myself.
That’s when Sloan Studio was born.
I specialize in helping women transform their business through minimalist design and intentional strategy. All of my design projects start with strategy so we can build a brand that tells my client’s unique story, resonates with their dream clients, and helps them show up more confidently and authentically in their marketing — with tangible results. I’ll ask my clients questions like what their goals are for their business (both big and small!), why they really started their business, what makes them truly stand out from their competitors, and more. This helps me get to the heart of all aspects of their business and I’ll consider all of this information when starting the design work.
In the design phase, I’ll capture the essential elements of their brand through letter manipulation, hand-drawn illustrations, and color psychology while maintaining a clean and minimalist style. I strive to communicate as much as possible with as few elements as possible, meaning that every aspect of the design has a purpose without being visually overwhelming.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
When my clients share their successes with me after we’ve worked together! I love hearing that they’ve gained clarity and confidence in their business, feel re-inspired to work on projects they’ve put off, surpassed their revenue goal, or all of their latest inquires have been from dream clients. Watching them successfully implement their new branding and get tangible results from our work together is the most gratifying feeling in the world. It’s really inspiring to know that I played even a small role in contributing to the successes of their businesses.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
The majority of my clients find me through Instagram, and even though the constant algorithm changes are difficult to keep up with, I still find it valuable to show up in that space. Putting a social media strategy in place has been such a helpful way to guide my content creation.
I started by creating a few different client personas that depict my ideal clients. I gave each persona a name, uploaded a stock photo of what she might look like, and then wrote down specific information about her such as her hobbies, where she shops, her goals in life and business, and the pain points she’s currently experiencing. I’ll reference back to this document with my client personas when I’m planning out content and writing copy to make sure I’m speaking directly to the clients I want to attract. After creating my client personas, I regularly refer to that information to plan out content that speaks to my ideal clients and showcases my brand values. This is a great way to ensure you’re posting meaningful content that align with your brand image and personality.
I’ve also found social media to be an amazing place to create connections, not just with ideal clients, but with other designers and creatives! I’ve made some incredible friendships after exchanging messages with someone who inspired me or when reaching out to another designer to ask a question.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sloanstudio.biz
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sloan.studio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sloan.stdio
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/sloan_studio/
Image Credits
Emagen Photography, Noissue, Moyo Studio