Episode 6 - Audio
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[00:00:00] Shelley: Welcome to the regional collective podcast. We're all about sharing stories of success, challenges, and the amazing community spirit in small and micro businesses. Here, we redefine small business with big hearts and determined hustle. Get ready to be inspired by regional entrepreneurs making a big impact.
[00:00:33] Shelley: Whether you're just starting out or already on your business journey, you'll find motivation and practical tips to help you thrive. We believe in the power of community. So let's share, support and celebrate regional businesses together. Tune in and get inspired to thrive.
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[00:00:51] Shelley: Hey everyone and welcome back to the [00:01:00] podcast. Today we have a special treat for you. We're joined by Lydia Koleski, a brilliant photographer and storyteller who has spent over a decade capturing the essence of people and brands through her lens. In this episode, we'll dive into the pivotal role of visual branding, share some practical strategies for leveraging Photography effectively, And even on a budget and discuss the art of storytelling through captivating visuals.
[00:01:27] Shelley: So sit back, relax, and let's get started.
[00:01:32] Shelley: Okay, so today we are talking with Lydia. Thank you for joining us.
[00:01:36] Lydia: You're welcome.
[00:01:37] Shelley: So, tell us a little bit about your brand, which is for Abel Photography.
[00:01:43] Lydia: Yes.
[00:01:43] Shelley: And perhaps how you got started.
[00:01:45] Lydia: Abel Photography
[00:01:47] Lydia: is a. Well, it's a Photography business. I do a lot of family Photography business Photography, and I offer some luxe experience Photography as well.
[00:01:57] Lydia: Started my business 13 years ago.
[00:01:59] Shelley: [00:02:00] Wow.
[00:02:00] Lydia: Yeah. In amongst my spare time with kids. You know, slotting in where I can with
[00:02:06] Lydia: those.
[00:02:06] Shelley: I think I was on a photo shoot with you with the little bubs one time.
[00:02:09] Lydia: Yeah, I reckon. Yeah. Breastfeeding shoot.
[00:02:11] Shelley: I think so.
[00:02:11] Lydia: Yeah.
[00:02:12] Lydia: So I'm a contract photographer for the Australian breastfeeding project.
[00:02:15] Lydia: Yeah, yeah. Which is exciting 'cause it means I get to, I love that job 'cause I get to go and take photos and then send the photos off and I don't have do anything else with them. . It's, I like that one. Yeah, that's good. I got started. I needed a hobby. I actually started my business before I had children.
[00:02:31] Shelley: Yeah.
[00:02:32] Lydia: I was working a nine to five job and it was literally beating my brain out.
[00:02:36] Shelley: Yeah.
[00:02:37] Lydia: So I started out doing some landscape stuff with some, I used to do a bit of artwork and stuff with my photos and then having kids and moved in and started taking photos of kids, mother's groups and stuff like that and was told, Oh, you've got a real eye.
[00:02:52] Lydia: Oh, like, Oh, okay. Yeah. So then moved into people and then quickly discovered that [00:03:00] there was a real need for in particular, not necessarily family photos, but photos for businesses and, and things like that. And you, you often as a photographer sit around things pop up on your socials or whatever and go yeah, I think you could do that better.
[00:03:18] Lydia: So I've, you know, like I've researched over the years and come up with some really solid concrete programs or packages that I do with my businesses to make sure that we can get the most out of what they're paying for.
[00:03:31] Shelley: And, and what I like about your approach is that, so you've incorporated, you're the Barossa Storyteller.
[00:03:38] Shelley: So tell us a little bit about your process of when you sort of first engage because we want to talk about how to show up as you are and show your true, you know, brand self, I suppose, and your brand through visual. images. Yeah. So what's your process to be able to capture
[00:03:56] Shelley: that?
[00:03:57] Lydia: So like I said, I sort [00:04:00] of, it was about 2019, 2020 when the imagery and stuff really started getting pushed that you needed to, you know, you need to look past stock images and things like that for your business.
[00:04:12] Lydia: And so I sat back and researched how can, how can I make this work? So that when a business turns up to a photo shoot, it's nice and easy, they know what to expect and they know that they're going to actually get what they want at the session. So it was what I was hearing a lot. I had these photos taken and we just didn't think, we thought it would turn out differently.
[00:04:35] Lydia: Yeah,
[00:04:35] Shelley: or that doesn't really look like me.
[00:04:37] Lydia: Yeah, exactly. Yes. So, you know, like highly. Posed images, you know, photos that have
[00:04:44] Lydia: been, they don't,
[00:04:45] Shelley: if they don't match the brand, that's it. That's a real misalignment there. And it's really hard to, to use them. Yeah. If there were images that I can feel look like me, that's, that's it.
[00:04:55] Shelley: I wouldn't want to use them.
[00:04:56] Lydia: Also, moving past headshot and things, headshot are great [00:05:00] and you do need them and I do do them. But you know, you, you look through a history of headshot and for me, I looked at them and it always looked like the people were. Sitting around looking like they were needing to go to the toilet instead of acts like that Like sitting
[00:05:15] Lydia: forward looking really uncomfortable.
[00:05:17] Lydia: So
[00:05:17] Shelley: yes, you want to make people feel comfortable And then the real, their real selves will come out.
[00:05:22] Lydia: That's it. So I came up with a really unique process that as far as I'm aware No one else is or was really doing at the time where You know, I start off with my clients we have We obviously do the initial emails backwards and forwards, but I actually have curated a series of questionnaires that I work with clients from the start, you know, and then further down the track if they continue to come to me as a photographer, where we actually, we deep dive into what their business is, what their story is.
[00:05:58] Lydia: You know, what their [00:06:00] branding looks like what their aspirations are for their, for their photo shoot. And I go away, I have a look at what they've read over, and you know, they give me words that they associate with their business and stuff in their first questionnaire and that sort of thing. And then I go away, have a little mull over what they've told me and then send through.
[00:06:22] Lydia: like a visual mood board type thing that often has identifies what type of props. I think the things they've told me in their answers to their questions are going to portray what they've told me, locations with that they might like to go to. And from there we do a creative consult and go over.
[00:06:47] Lydia: a location if they have any net questions. So
[00:06:51] Shelley: there's really no surprises when they get to the photoshoot.
[00:06:54] Lydia: Yeah, they know what to expect.
[00:06:56] Shelley: Makes your job easier and their job to show [00:07:00] up as they are easier, doesn't it? Because they've had that preparation.
[00:07:04] Lydia: Yes, yeah, yeah.
[00:07:05] Lydia: So it is really unique. I've been told by many people who've been in an industry to do with having business photos taken.
[00:07:13] Lydia: Yeah website designer.
[00:07:16] Shelley: You're doing a
[00:07:16] Shelley: lot of foundational work there, aren't you? Really sort of helping them almost work out and get clear on their brand as well before, because the visuals can tell such a story.
[00:07:27] Lydia: Absolutely. Yeah.
[00:07:28] Lydia: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:07:28] Lydia: So,
[00:07:28] Lydia: and are you just, Photography can cost thousands if you want it to and you don't want to go and do that and then come away and go, No, that just wasn't right.
[00:07:39] Lydia: That wasn't what I wanted. Yeah, that didn't feel right. That hasn't conveyed our story at all.
[00:07:45] Shelley: Yeah,
[00:07:46] Lydia: and I've had, again clients come to me and just and go I had these done and they weren't right and yeah yeah we looked too posed or we looked uncomfortable or what have you and then they go through this process with me and have their [00:08:00] photos done make their selections and then walk away and give me reviews like yeah this is so unique I felt really comfortable I knew what to expect
[00:08:10] Shelley: and represented their brand as well because because what are some of the sort of I guess so is common mistakes you sort of touched on in terms of in terms of people perhaps not having engaged or not thought about, even as a customer, if they haven't thought about what colors should I wear?
[00:08:28] Shelley: What clothes should I wear? What props should I have?
[00:08:31] Lydia: Yeah.
[00:08:32] Shelley: How can that sort of, I guess, bring out a poorer sort of brand image in result than ideal.
[00:08:40] Lydia: A lot of the time it just looks wow, now what was the word, it's just, it looks inconsistent. And consistency and, people knowing what to expect from you is actually, I feel like it's super important in business.
[00:08:55] Lydia: I don't want to go to someone who's doing one thing one week and then, you know, going and [00:09:00] changing their career the week later, you know, like you want to,
[00:09:03] Shelley: that doesn't build trust.
[00:09:05] Lydia: That's it. Yeah. You need to having common in imagery, things that relate to you and your story, you know, the real continuity through your images creates, builds that trust.
[00:09:16] Lydia: That's what I've got in my notes here. Yeah. But it definitely it builds that trust with your clients. Yeah. If Yeah, probably some of the mistakes I've, you see people do is they'll go from one photographer to another. Each photographer has a completely different style and, and you could take exactly the same clothes, exactly the same props in for three different photographers and your photos are more than likely going to turn out completely different.
[00:09:45] Lydia: And that creates that lack of Continuity through your brand. ,
[00:09:50] Shelley: and I guess, what advice would you have for small businesses on choosing the right Photography style to align with their brand?
[00:09:59] Lydia: So, I [00:10:00] mean, you've got to research your photographers. If you are a skin care company, and you've got a really light and airy feel to your brand, Yeah.
[00:10:11] Lydia: You won't go with a photographer who's got a really dark and moody, contrasty type of Photography because it's just, it's not going to tell your, it's not going to tell your brand story and it's really not going to meet up. It's why when we do that initial process, I ask them to send me what they've got when it comes to their logo, their branding colors, all that sort of stuff so that I can actually go, okay, so this is the type of brand you've got.
[00:10:39] Lydia: At the same time, having said, you know, you're, you've got different photographers. Yeah. I don't believe in having a style of Photography that is so strong.
[00:10:49] Shelley: Yeah.
[00:10:50] Lydia: That it pigeonholes people. Yeah. Into a certain box. Yeah. I think I've said this a number of times on my social media. Your [00:11:00] Brand images should convey you as a brand with the photographer's style, not look like everybody else's photos because of the
[00:11:10] Lydia: photographer's style.
[00:11:12] Shelley: You want it to be, and it's a team effort as well, the way that you approach it. And by considering all of those different elements, you know, you'll come to a really good outcome.
[00:11:23] Lydia: Yeah. Yeah. So I think researching into a photographer is really important. Price is important for people when, and we understand that as photographers, but you know, like if you just jump in one day on a, on a Minnie's day with a photographer, you never heard of, you really have not a lot of idea of how that's actually going to
[00:11:44] Lydia: turn out.
[00:11:45] Shelley: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:11:46] Shelley: And what are some practical tips for those who are perhaps just starting out and. And at that stage yet to be able to engage a professional photographer, how can you capture I guess, compelling and [00:12:00] consistent visual content on a budget?
[00:12:04] Lydia: So there's some really great tools you can use that can create some continuity through your brand.
[00:12:10] Shelley: Yeah.
[00:12:10] Lydia: You've got Canva, where you can put in your logos and brand colors and that sort of stuff. And obviously you can put photos into there. Yeah. There's Adobe Express, which is really quite, that's quite similar to Canva. It's run by Adobe, so it's it's really Photography based. I think having some good photo editing tools, Lightroom, so that you can, and maintain consistency through your imagery.
[00:12:39] Lydia: So if you took this photo, in this bright room and used these settings through filters, then use the same ones so that your photos actually have that continuity through them. And obviously I think engage professional filmmakers. Take the time and invest in it because it's, [00:13:00]
[00:13:00] Lydia: it's well worth investing.
[00:13:01] Shelley: Plan for that and have that as, I think that's a really good aspiration to have and important to have. And I think that's. And like you said, you know, the, the questions about what's your brand stand for? What are you about? What do you hope to get out of it? They're questions that a business owner needs to know anyway.
[00:13:20] Lydia: Exactly. Yeah.
[00:13:21] Shelley: So you need to make sure that you're doing that from the start, being really clear on that. So that when you do engage and you do, you know, invest in professional Photography, that it's well worth it because you're going to get the right outcome. But if you go into it unprepared, not knowing what your business is about, not having a clear idea.
[00:13:38] Shelley: It's going to be a mishmash and a waste of everybody's time and energy and money.
[00:13:43] Lydia: You're better off, I think you're better off holding back on investing in those sort of things to start with until you've really nailed down those core things when you're starting a business. Yep. And then you, you know, you're not wasting your money going and doing it and [00:14:00] then going, Oh, well, I did this before and now I need to do it again.
[00:14:02] Lydia: Yeah. Make sure you've got that really clear pathway forward.
[00:14:07] Shelley: Yeah. And I think also, and would you, I think you would suggest as well in, cause your business evolves, like I've, I've been caught in the trap before where I've gone, well, I've got my professional Photography. I'm done now for the next three or four, five years, I think it was.
[00:14:25] Shelley: Businesses change, you change and how important is that brand? It's not chopping changing. It's actually letting your brand evolve and grow. What's your sort of your take on, on helping businesses to factor that into their strategy?
[00:14:43] Lydia: I've got a friend who runs multiple companies at the same time.
[00:14:48] Lydia: And we've done photos across a 12 month period for both. Again, it's having that really clear idea as you go. So, you know, we made sure that when [00:15:00] we did that, this session, that this one was mainly purely directed towards this company with, with a bit of a crossover through the middle. Obviously it's the same person, obviously not going to have totally different.
[00:15:15] Lydia: One brand is going to be fluoro and other one's going to be monochrome sort of thing. You normally, as your brand evolves, there's normally similarities. Yeah. And I guess as your brand evolves, you, you look over the imagery that you have had and really identifying whether that is still speaking to whatever you're doing as you're evolving on.
[00:15:36] Lydia: You know, you can see with your branding stuff moving from workspace into, into the regional collective, there is quite a still a, a commonality between the two brands. That's it. Because I like the colors Well, and you are the person And I'm the person. Yeah. You don't, just because you change a business, it doesn't, it changes me.
[00:15:55] Lydia: Change you and who you are as a person. Yeah. And whether you like it or not, your [00:16:00] personality comes through to your business. It's what makes your business unique. Unique. That's it. Yeah.
[00:16:04] Shelley: Yeah. And I think sort of, you know, having a really good look at that sort of every six to 12 months is a really good
[00:16:10] Lydia: Mm-Hmm.
[00:16:11] Shelley: timeframe. Because you know, you certainly would go, well, I'm not the same person and my brand is not the same or my business, not the same 12 months ago.
[00:16:19] Lydia: Correct.
[00:16:19] Shelley: So if I'm using the same images. and potentially the same, you know, colours or the same, you know, icons or things like that. There's, there may still, there may be an alignment or there may be a mismatch, but you've just got
[00:16:32] Shelley: to
[00:16:33] Shelley: review that.
[00:16:34] Lydia: That's it.
[00:16:34] Lydia: Yep. I think, I think reviewing it is probably the key factor in there. If you, if you're moving on, it was really important for the client I was speaking about where she had multiple businesses that some of the photos were transferAbel through all of that. Yep. And through, yeah, through three of the businesses that she was
[00:16:53] Lydia: running at the time.
[00:16:56] Shelley: And how can, I suppose, yeah, it's sort of [00:17:00] looking at that adjusting when needed and utilising the tools that you had. What are some small changes or tweaks that people can have a look at, even today, to have a look and make sure that their visual branding, their images that they're using, aligns with their business at the moment?
[00:17:19] Lydia: Ooh, that's a good one. That's a tricky question.
[00:17:22] Shelley: I don't know the answer, so I'm not asking
[00:17:25] Shelley: you.
[00:17:26] Lydia: I guess, I think, you know, you do your mind mapping and that for your business. And I mean, I would, I would go physical mind mapping. I would lay out photos from everything you've done. And then, you know you know, kind of mind map that into whether these are actually going to fit into what you're doing or not,
[00:17:52] Lydia: you know,
[00:17:52] Shelley: and probably even having a look at, well, who's my customer today?
[00:17:55] Lydia: Correct.
[00:17:56] Shelley: Yeah. What's, and it could be even like, what's the season of my [00:18:00] business? Where are we at in my business? Yeah. And colors, you know, like we talk about that that even on a budget, if you go, okay, well, I've got. light pink in my logo. So do you know what, when you take photos and make sure there's a bit of light pink in there, you know, there's some, there's some really sort of simple things that we can do on a budget and when we're starting out as well to make sure that there's that continuity showing who we are.
[00:18:28] Shelley: If you're a copywriter or a writer and you love a particular book, maybe that book makes a cameo.
[00:18:34] Lydia: Yeah.
[00:18:35] Shelley: Lots of, you know, of your images or things like that. So I think I think about those things.
[00:18:39] Lydia: The one thing that will never change is you.
[00:18:42] Shelley: Yeah.
[00:18:42] Lydia: So I mean, that's one thing that you, you need to think about when you're, when you're moving forward with a new business idea or, or what have you is, you know, if you're moving from a corporate, more corporate.
[00:18:55] Lydia: Based business into something that's more nurturing. Yeah, you know, you're obviously you're [00:19:00] going to have very different
[00:19:02] Shelley: Feel to the brand aren't you? Yeah
[00:19:04] Lydia: different clothing. Yeah different ways that you do your hair, other ways to hold your body You know
[00:19:09] Lydia: all that sort of stuff
[00:19:11] Shelley: So one of my questions was going to be how an example of businesses how they can use visual storytelling To connect with their audience, their customers on an emotional level So that's kind of when you just talked about nurturing there.
[00:19:24] Lydia: Absolutely.
[00:19:26] Lydia: That come, yeah. You really need to identify within yourself what stories that you want to tell to your audiences. And then we portray that. So say for instance, you are a real estate agent. agent. Clearly, you'll have head shots, that's all we see, really, you know, the cheesy head shot at the bottom of the property photo and then you've got your property photo as the thing you're selling.
[00:19:55] Lydia: Yes. You know, but there's other things that you do as a real estate [00:20:00] agent that you don't You do to nurture your prospective clients or whatever, you know.
[00:20:05] Shelley: Support them.
[00:20:06] Lydia: Yeah.
[00:20:07] Shelley: It's quite a daunting process.
[00:20:08] Lydia: So, you know, there's, there's so many different types of, I haven't, I get asked it all the time. I did photos for a conveyancer and she said, I do not know what photos you are going to get of us.
[00:20:22] Lydia: sitting around filling out forms for conveyance, like to get all the stuff, you know, for property handover. And I said, well, you're so much more than that. Same with a real estate agent. So, you know, you go to the properties, you listen to your clients tell you that this has been their family farm for 80 years and now they've got to sell it.
[00:20:43] Lydia: You know, you are not just selling property. You are out there walking the streets, dropping flyers, giving people your business cards.
[00:20:53] Shelley: Being part of the community, there's a lot of involvement.
[00:20:55] Lydia: Exactly. Yep. Handing over keys. You know, feeling that [00:21:00] excitement for your clients. People starting new lives and their homes, yep.
[00:21:04] Lydia: There are so many things that you can look at beyond what it is that you actually do.
[00:21:10] Shelley: Yep. Think outside the box. Literally.
[00:21:13] Lydia: That tell your story of what you do within your business. It's kind of a behind the scenes almost. You kind of need to go behind the scenes.
[00:21:22] Shelley: But I think that's where you do dig deeper than going, yep, we're going to take some nice photos.
[00:21:27] Shelley: Good. It's actually, it's telling, like you said, telling those stories. And we as business owners are the keeper of our own stories. And those visuals can help.
[00:21:38] Lydia: Absolutely
[00:21:39] Shelley: tell that and expand. 'cause that's part of business is actually we need to tell people what we're about. Yep. That's what marketing is.
[00:21:46] Shelley: Yes. We need to tell 'em what we're about, why we do it, how we do it, how we can help them, you know, and you selling you. That's it. But the visuals, you know, they go hand in hand with the words. Yep. But no . [00:22:00] Yeah. and I guess I'm looking at businesses and how, how I suppose we look at social media, how can they, you know, make sure that they show up in their visual storytelling on socials, whether it's through stories or reels and yeah, some best practice around that.
[00:22:19] Lydia: Good
[00:22:19] Lydia: question. I'm still trying to figure that out myself.
[00:22:24] Shelley: But sometimes it's about, you don't have to be everything to everyone.
[00:22:28] Lydia: No, you don't.
[00:22:29] Shelley: You just have to do what you feel comfortable in doing, and the visual storytelling that you're comfortable with as well. Yeah. At that point in time. Yeah.
[00:22:38] Shelley: And also, you do want it to be aligned with your brand. Oh. So if you're not a, Hi girlfriend,
[00:22:46] Shelley: here's what I'm doing, get ready with me.
[00:22:47] Lydia: Absolutely.
[00:22:48] Shelley: If you're
[00:22:48] Shelley: not
[00:22:49] Shelley: that, don't be that.
[00:22:50] Lydia: So, and I had this conversation with a friend the other day, I had a meeting with a prospective client, and you know, my brain was saying, [00:23:00] it's a school, so, you know do your hair nice, put your makeup on, get a nice jacket on, this and that, and I'm like, but the reality is, I'm actually not going to turn up to their photo shoot looking like that.
[00:23:13] Lydia: Yeah. I'm gonna turn up looking like this. Yeah. Because I need to be able to run around. Jump Yeah. . I need my hair outta my face. Yeah. And yeah. Yeah. It's, it's really important to, to stay in alignment Yes. With who you are because there is no point portraying something online and then. And then turning up in your active wear.
[00:23:38] Lydia: Yep. Because you just, people, it's going to throw people off straight away. It's just, it adds just that barrier of between you and their trust.
[00:23:47] Shelley: I was going to say, and it's
[00:23:48] Shelley: that trust level. So if you're pretending to be something that you're not.
[00:23:51] Lydia: Yep.
[00:23:52] Shelley: And then people meet you in real life and you're saying this to Kat the other day.
[00:23:55] Shelley: But when she shows up online, and then in real life, you're going, yep, that's Kat. Yeah, [00:24:00] I'm a bit the same. Well, exactly, because you don't want to, you know, yeah, and I think that's the same as, you know, there's just thinking about that for, you know, any businesses that are wanting to be influenced by what they see on social media as well.
[00:24:16] Shelley: You can't be other people. So just be you.
[00:24:18] Lydia: That's it.
[00:24:19] Lydia: And you need to show up to show up authentically. You need to be, you actually need to be ready to do so. Yeah. Don't show up just because someone's telling you that you need to.
[00:24:30] Shelley: Yeah.
[00:24:31] Lydia: Show up because you actually want to be doing it. Yeah. Because your customers can see straight through the shit.
[00:24:38] Lydia: They can, I'm making sense. They can see straight through it. Yeah. I can.
[00:24:43] Lydia: Yep.
[00:24:44] Shelley: Got a good
[00:24:44] Shelley: bullshit.
[00:24:45] Lydia: And you know, a lot of the time, if you show up unauthentically, You'll actually contradict yourself for something else that you've said in the past. Yeah. And it is, it just stands out.
[00:24:56] Shelley: Yeah.
[00:24:57] Lydia: Like, talk and shit.
[00:24:58] Lydia: Like, you can just [00:25:00] I was going to say dog's balls. But yeah.
[00:25:03] Shelley: It's a not
[00:25:04] Shelley: for kids show, so that's fine. So we can,
[00:25:06] Shelley: we can swear.
[00:25:08] Lydia: Yeah, I think I had a real down point in the last, like, over the, over the school holiday period and stuff was, I Child going to high school and big emotional shifts happening.
[00:25:19] Lydia: And I just did not, I didn't wanna show up.
[00:25:22] Shelley: Yeah.
[00:25:23] Lydia: But I know that over 13 years of running my business, I have built such an engaged community. Yeah. That I knew that I could take that time and then come back and my engagement would go back up. I feel very blessed as a business owner that I have a little.
[00:25:40] Lydia: I've got a little volume dial, dial down that I can, I can dial down if I need to and dial it back up when I want to, and I know that things will pick back up again. I think that is like the, the real indication that you've really nailed being authentic. You know, running within an alignment of you [00:26:00] and really speaking to your audience.
[00:26:02] Shelley: And
[00:26:02] Shelley: knowing who your audience are and going, Yep, do
[00:26:04] Shelley: you
[00:26:04] Shelley: know
[00:26:04] Shelley: what?
[00:26:05] Shelley: This audience, because I'm not trying to please everybody, but the audience that I have, the customers, the client base, they'll get it. Yep. And if they don't, then that's, that's okay, because you can't actually do more than, than that on it.
[00:26:17] Lydia: I found a really useful tool, I don't know where, it's something that turned up in social, but It was very useful, wouldn't be able to tell you what it was now.
[00:26:26] Lydia: But you could log in on this website and you could put in a social media handle and it actually told you how engaged their community actually was. And you know, you go, you, you, I put in some bigger brands and went, That's not, that's not amazing. And then I went, Oh, put in mine, put in mine. And like, I've got a hundred percent engagement across the board, which is huge for me.
[00:26:52] Lydia: Yeah.
[00:26:53] Shelley: Yeah. And, and that's the thing. Sometimes you don't be misled by you know, there's teams of people [00:27:00] helping to make brands look really great. So if you're a start out, like a startup and there's only you, you don't feel Too bad.
[00:27:07] Lydia: No, no. Absolutely not. You'll find that as, as brands have teams
[00:27:14] Speaker 8:
[00:27:14] Shelley: so I think that's a really good way to, to finish up there. But thank you so much for all of those insights into. Visual branding, telling your story, showing up as you really are. But yeah, thank you so much.
[00:27:27] Lydia: No worries.
[00:27:28] Speaker 9: Well, thanks for tuning in to the Regional Collective Podcast. We hope you enjoyed today's episode. Don't forget to subscribe and follow us. And you can join our community each year to get exclusive resources, expert advice and connect with other regional business owners as a member of the Regional Collective.
[00:27:49] Speaker: Check out our website to learn more. There you can also find free tools like Strategies to Grow Locally and the Ultimate Business Startup Checklist. Stay connected with us on [00:28:00] social media for more tips and updates. Let's thrive together and make your business shine. Keep pushing forward. You're not alone on this journey.
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