We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jenn Nash Franks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jenn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

When I start a new branding or Squarespace web design with a client I always send them a questionnaire to fill out on their own time so I can get to know their business even better. This questionnaire can often take them a while to fill out and have them thinking through things about their business that they haven’t devoted time to yet. So I like to send them a $5 gift card to Starbucks (or a local place if I know one they like) and say something like, “Enjoy a cup of coffee/tea while as your working on this fun step for your business.”

Jenn, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I often joke that my business all started because my hairdresser ghosted me. I’ve always been creative and into art, I minored in art in college but didn’t do ANY computer design while I was there. It wasn’t until probably 2008/2009 that I first started taking online classes to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator and how to create brands for businesses.

When my hairdresser ghosted me I landed in the seat of a brand new hairdresser that would eventually become my first “real client”. I followed her from that salon to her very own salon where we chatted and I learned that she needed a website. I was just learning how to create a website on WordPress at the time and I offered to create her website. I loved digital design and helping solve problems for people and I thought, you know, I could do this for more people.

I am in the Air National Guard part-time and traveled a lot with work at the time, so doing something on my laptop that I could take anywhere was very appealing. I helped a few other friends and co-workers along the way, but it wasn’t until 2016 that I say I officially started my business. I had just given birth to my first child and it somehow felt like the perfect time to start a legit business. I gave the business a name, Nash Franks Creative, built myself a simple website, and started seeking out ways to connect with other business owners online to learn how to build a design business.

By this time I had continued to develop my graphic design skill, learned more about creating brands that resonate with their intended audience, and learned how to design Squarespace websites. Over the years since then, I have really focused on providing the best possible experience to my clients. Many of them have zero design background so I really enjoy educating them on the process and teaching them the best design principles so they can actually use the branding and website that I create for them. Pursuing this job as a part-time gig (side-hustle) does afford me the privilege to be selective of when I work and how many clients I take on. I am slowly building the business with the intent to perhaps make it my full-time job at some point, but for now, I love being able to take on one client at a time and give them my full focus.

Bringing a client’s ideas and vision to life visually is the most fun. I love being able to take their unique perspectives and translate that into an individual brand identity that helps them stand out from others in their industry.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

The majority of my clients are referrals and nothing makes me happier than being able to deliver a design experience that someone recommends to one of their business owner friends. It is just the best. When I wrap up a project I tell my clients that I am available for them to hire me for design days if they have any design needs that pop up in the future. Then I go straight to my calendar and make a note of the 6-month and 1-year anniversary of our project wrapping up so that I can email them and check in with what they are up to. Usually, at the 6-month mark, the email is a simple hello, hope you’re doing well and I ask them if they have any wins they might want to share that they’ve had since we completed their project. At the one-year anniversary, I ask the same questions and remind them about the designer day service they offer in case they have any projects they need help with.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for me has been maintaining relationships with my previous clients and offering ways I could possibly help their audience. I have worked with a lot of hair salon owners because of my very first client. In addition to owning a salon, she started a salon business education company to teach other salon owners.

Shortly after she started, I offered to teach her audience about branding in her Facebook group for free. I love to teach and it was such a fun way to learn about these salon owners and provide them value. I did an entire series of Facebook Lives in their group which did two things. It helped my client earn credibility and trust with this new audience by providing them value and it landed me two new clients. Another positive outcome was solidifying the connection with that particular client in a way that has benefited us both throughout the past 8+ years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nashfrankscreative.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nashfrankscreative/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nashfrankscreative/

Image Credits
photographer: Audrey Seymour https://www.instagram.com/audrey.creative/ https://www.audreycreative.com/