We were lucky to catch up with Lydia Venjohn recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Lydia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.
I’ve been running my own business for about a year and a half. While there’s still much to learn and lots of room for growth, one thing that has significantly helped my business succeed is networking. As a creative service provider, the key for me lies in connecting with the right people—other business owners who can benefit from my services or individuals who can refer my offerings to their network. On the flip side, you never know who you will meet that can help fill a need in your own business, someone you can hire to better your processes or add value. Networking is like a web, the more you do it, the more it grows and catches the right people. Invest the time up front, because the connections you make never expire, they only multiply. It’s mutually beneficial.
Initially, I was focusing my efforts in social media marketing, which undoubtedly holds value. However, I’ve learned that leads convert more quickly and efficiently through referrals. If I were to start over again, I would challenge myself to attend in-person networking events at least once a week. Meeting all sorts of people and understanding their needs, builds the foundation of these referral-based relationships. This was the most important factor to getting my business up and off the ground.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hi, I’m Lydia, founder of Venlo Studio. We help small to medium sized businesses in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area enhance their brand through personalized photography. Our services include brand photography for solopreneurs, teams, products, coverage of business events and graphic design services.
My love for photography blossomed during a study abroad photography course in Rome, Italy. I found myself obsessed with capturing the small, everyday moments that could have been easily overlooked. I loved capturing raw emotion, as I watched people doing the thing that they loved–living out their passion. A baker kneading dough in his bakery, a barista pulling a shot at the bar, a musician playing guitar in the streets, a local artist painting at a market. I took in Europe through my viewfinder and came back to Minnesota with a whole new appreciation for photography.
Venlo Studio was created out of my passion to help small businesses succeed. As a photographer with a graphic design degree, I quickly realized through helping businesses with branding, many lacked high quality photos of their products/services, photos of their location and thoughtful images of behind-the-scenes moments. I love to capture the essence of a brand through my camera lens and use those photographs to tell the brand’s story in an authentic and meaningful way.
Our purpose is to show the “why” behind our clients’ businesses so they can better tell their story. We know the work they do is more than just for a paycheck. It’s a reflection of their innermost passions, their most whimsical ideas, their deepest purpose. We help brands look more confident, professional, and legitimate – but more importantly, we capture the essence of a business, all the way down to its core purpose.
Any fun sales or marketing stories?
I always keep a list of dream clients in my back pocket. I think about what they would want to see in my portfolio and strategically build it toward their needs. This includes highlighting certain client work and doing passion projects in my dream client’s industry. When I’m feeling a spike of confidence, I will reach out to them & pitch my services. Most of the time, the message doesn’t get opened or it’s ignored, but sometimes it works.
Last year, I encountered a shoe brand online that really resonated with my values, plus they had awesome branding. I thought, how cool would it be to get to work with them?? After scouring their website to learn more about their needs, target audience and brand identity, I decided to reach out. I pitched my offer through Instagram messages, and to my surprise, they said yes! This taught me a very important thing. Be bold, and go all out for the thing that seems impossible. Learn to expect rejection, but don’t let that discourage you to keep going and give it your all. You never know when the stars will align and someone will want what you have to offer them. Learn to pitch your services well and pay attention to the small details to make your offer stand out!
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
I foster brand loyalty through refining an excellent client experience. My goal is to always put my client’s needs first. We deliver on our promise, giving our clients everything they need, plus more that they didn’t know they needed. As one of my business mentors, Jai Long, says, “Over promise and over deliver”. Give them the absolute best experience, and they will come back and tell all their friends about it.
After every session we have with a client, we send them a survey, asking for their honest opinion. We listen and learn so that we can always improve and refine our client experience. We also send out a branded, handwritten “Thank You” card and a little gift, like a branded t-shirt or a gift card. Not only does this serve as another touch point for our brand, but it is a heart-warming gesture that ends our experience working together on a positive note. It’s the small intentional acts that get noticed and remembered.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.venlostudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venlostudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085892635380
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydia-venjohn/
Image Credits
Venlo Studio