We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Taja Coleman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Taja, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

Although I do website design and SEO now, I started as a wedding photographer. When I started my Wedding Photography and Photo Booth business, I spent months learning how to design my website myself and how to acquire free advertising. It was a grueling process, and many nights I stayed up so late my husband didn’t hear when I came to bed. I was so focused on saving the “cost” of hiring a professional designer, marketer, accountant, etc., that it cost me time with my family. headaches and frustration.

I have since learned that hiring professionals are not a cost but an investment in myself and my business. I would tell my younger self to write down the priorities in my business, paying particular attention to the priorities that are income-generating. Then I would tell her to hire professionals to do the work for me or find a reputable coach to teach me. There is no need to step over dollars to save pennies. Ultimately, investing in professional guidance to help me get it right the first time would have helped me generate even more profit- and not just that first year in business, but for years to come.

Even now, eight years later, I work with coaches because they shed light on my blind spots and help me grow faster than I would on my own at “Google University” or “YouTube Academy.” Tiger Woods and Serena Williams each have a coach; why shouldn’t we?

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Although I own All Things Branding, a boutique branding studio specializing in website design and SEO, I started as a wedding photographer. When I started my Wedding Photography and Photo Booth business, I spent months learning how to design my website and acquire free advertising. I didn’t have thousands of dollars to pay for professionals, so as a self-proclaimed tech nerd, I taught myself. I knew I wanted to be #1 on Google because that’s where many people search for services, and if I could be in that #1 spot- cha-ching!- free advertising and free leads!

I went through nearly 300 iterations of my website, consistently optimizing it based on my website visitor analytics and what I was learning about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). By the end of my first year, I had made over 6 figures and worked with over 60 clients! Not to mention, I did land on the first page of Google! My wedding vendor friends took notice, and I designed their websites and they got the same results. (Community over competition! There’s space for everyone!)

Slowly, I realized I enjoyed building websites and doing SEO a bit more than photographing weddings. (Especially having a little one, it’s great to work from home!) I started All Things Branding because I believe a pretty website without strategy is a vanity project. Your website should be pretty AND profitable.

Web design and SEO knowledge should be easier and more accessible to everyday business owners who don’t have the time or bandwidth to learn it on their own. My superpower as a former IT Manager for large tech companies is that I’m great at explaining tech in a non-techy way. Realtors, coaches, photographers, and lawyers have all worked with me and have increased clicks to their websites along with increases in their sales.

For my free checklist of website mistakes that are costing your customers, visit https://www.allthingsbranding.co/freebie-websitemistakes.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As a tech nerd in a creative space, I’m always looking for unique tools to help me run my business. Here are some resources I’ve used to create systems in my business or just make my life easier!:

1. ClickUp for Project Management
2. Canva (yes, I’m an Adobe snob, but sometimes I just need a quick graphic, and this gets the job done!)
3. Later.com, Planoly, or Tailwind for social media management
4. Converktit for email marketing
5. Honeybook for customer resource management (I am an official Honeybook Educator and have a discount code: ALLTHINGS)

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I place a large emphasis on ensuring clients get the results they need and are motivated to tell others about their experience with me. Over time, I built systems to ensure I keep in touch with my customers, and of course, everything is branded, so they associate my brand with the emotion they feel. Here are the top 3 things that I’ve found helpful in fostering brand loyalty:

1. Email Automation: I use a CRM to automatically send out check-ins after a client has worked with me. Typically at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. They are short emails with a fun gif. It lets them know I’m thinking of them, and I still care.

2. Gifts: I love spoiling my clients! In their onboarding with me, I ask fun questions to get to know them. Throughout the course of my project, and even after, if I see something that reminds me of them, I’ll buy it and send it to them. For example, I saw dessert stickers at Target once, so then I picked up a “Thinking of You” card too and sent the snail mail to my client. It made their entire day! (This client loved sweets, just like me.)

3. Language: In emails, speaking 1:1, my website, or anywhere my brand is present, I use words that represent my brand and the way I want my client to feel. In turn, clients feel that energy and speak in the same manner. For example, on my Inquiry Form, I don’t just ask, “Why do you want to work with me?” Instead, I ask, “What makes you excited to work with me?”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allthingsbranding.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthingsbrandingco/