Hello, friends! Today on the blog we’re mixing it up a little bit: I’m inviting a mentor and dear friend of mine to share her story with you!

Bonnie is the brand designer + strategist behind B is for Bonnie Design, as well as an outstanding educator in our industry. I’ve had the pleasure of learning from Bonnie through her signature group coaching program, The Heartfelt Brand Society. She helped me discover potential for growth in my own business, and she does the same for other designers who are seeking to elevate their brand strategy.

I want to let Bonnie share with you a little more about her story, her expertise, and her Brand Strategy School—a step toward elevating your offerings by implementing brand strategy in your business.

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A note from Bonnie…

Fellow designer, I see you right where you are. You have big, beautiful dreams of taking your design business to the next level. You’re dreaming of scaling, adding more to your income, increasing the quality and number of clients you’re working with, or maybe even growing your team.

As a designer, strategist and educator with over eight years of experience for designers just like you, I am thrilled to share the approach I have implemented to grow a sustainable, profitable brand design business that provides for my family and does not require taking on dozens of clients each month.

If you’ve been dreaming of making 2020 the year you free yourself from working more in order to earn more, then adding brand strategy to your process as a designer is the game changer you need.

Meet Bonnie Bakhtiari

Bonnie is a brand designer + strategist, industry educator, wife, and pet parent to the most rambunctious golden retrievers this side of the Mason-Dixon! She is passionate about building authentic brands, encouraging small business owners to chase their dreams, and spreading joy through design.

Let me share a little bit of how I started this journey.

When I first dipped my toes into the world of brand strategy and design, I was in a season of a lot of growth. I was getting ready to graduate from college and marry the man of my dreams that summer. On top of that, we were moving across the country that very same year, so I guess you could say I had a little bit (or a lot) going on all at once.

Looking back, it was definitely an insane time to start a business, but I was so passionate about the idea of serving creative entrepreneurs through strong design and intentional strategy that I just went for it.

But here’s something to keep in mind. When I first started my business, I believed that things would come together much more easily than they actually did. Have you ever found that to be true in your own business?

At the time, I was a little bit naive in thinking that in order to grow my business, I would only have to work hard. I didn’t understand the strategy that initially went into growing my business on my own terms.

But now eight years later, I can look back and see the direct pattern I followed and the way I scaled my business from something that was blending in and barely making it to massively successful.

That business journey now allows me to serve hundreds of creatives through design, brand strategy, and education all across the world. And I want to share that method with you, sweet friend.

Elevate Your Brand Strategy Process

In order to take your business to heartfelt new heights, I believe you need to do some thoughtful work to elevate your process.

If you’re dreaming of scaling your business as a designer, increasing the amount of income you’re taking in, or improving the quality of clients you’re working with, well unfortunately, simply snapping your fingers isn’t going to cut it.

Instead, I want to challenge you to elevate your brand strategy process.

This is a crucial part of the puzzle that allows you to serve your clients better and incrementally raise your rates. With a strong brand strategy in place you can charge more little by little, which then allows you to transform the amount of income you’re able to take on or the amount of income you’re able to see on a monthly basis.

This brand strategy process will help you hit large, powerful goals without having to add more to your plate. Sounds pretty good, right?

When you put all those pieces together by implementing a clear proven brand strategy process as a part of your offerings, you’re able to serve your clients better, increase the value that you provide, and raise your rates.

Enhance the Value you offer

As a result, you can take on fewer clients which means you’re able to earn more while working less, sweet friend.

Instead of taking on ten clients each month at a lower price point, enhance the value to your work through a brand strategy approach that delivers results for your clients. You’ll be able to earn more with less clients by charging more for those higher-value services. 

And then from there you can take on fewer clients and break up with that mentality where you believe that your time is directly tied to your ability to earn.

How to Implement this Brand Strategy Approach

So here’s the deal.

This is an approach that takes a little bit of time. It takes some intentional thought upfront in order to make it happen. But if you can put those pieces in place to elevate your brand strategy process and charge more while connecting with your ideal clients, then I believe you can absolutely scale your business as a designer.

I believe it’s possible because that’s how I’ve made it happen for myself.

Sweet friends, if you’re wanting to dive even deeper into the brand strategy method I’ve created that ensures you can make this happen in your own business—regardless of your level of experience as a designer or how familiar you are with brand strategy—then I want to invite you to tune into a totally free Netflix-style masterclass I’ve created just for you.

In this free training, I talk you through how to triple your income as a designer without taking on more branding clients.

I will show you the three most common mistakes you’re making as a designer that are keeping you stuck in a process that is not benefiting from a clear brand strategy approach.

So if you love the idea of growing your business and earning more without adding more to your already overflowing plate, then click below to grab your seat to this totally free training. I can’t wait to see you there.

Click here to register for the free brand strategy training!

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Thank you Bonnie for joining the blog today and sharing your expertise with us! I have every confidence in Bonnie and her ability to help designers grow their businesses… she certainly helped me!

If you’re interested in learning more after the webinar, you listen to our recent podcast episode to hear about elevating your offerings. Enjoy!

Photography Credit: Laylee Emadi Photography