http://http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/ The Greenhouse Studio Blog en kat@gogreenhouse.com Copyright 2011 2011-01-25T21:34:33+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/brand_sprout_shout_out http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/brand_sprout_shout_out#When:21:34:33Z On our first birthday, Greenhouse decided to give back…one year later, we helped build a brand, that is giving back.  This is our Brand Sprout 2009 success story.  Giving is contagious…pass it on! After Greenhouse was one year old, we decided to give back by giving a budding company (that was less than a year old) and brand…for free.  It was our way of giving back, and this wonderful initiative has blossomed into an amazing company, run by good hearted people and benefiting a cause bigger than ourselves.  It had been a highly creative experience for us and grown into wonderful and prosperous partnership. Thank you Javen and Ben for sharing your vision with us, and allowing Greenhouse to bring it to life…we so appreciated the thoughtfulness for you to send us your story and we look forward to the many successful adventures ahead.  The story…as they tell it… We are EarthBee Foods and this is our Brand Sprout story. Two years ago, a couple of old college friends had an idea. As a company, we are committed to selling the finest products in the world, as well as giving back to the people and communities that make it possible. The 4 pillars of our business philosophy: people, planet, product and partnership. EarthBee Foods is the exclusive importer and roaster of KapePur, the World’s Finest Coffee. KapePur is made from the finest Filipino coffee beans and boasts a rich and unique taste. What makes the coffee so unique? KapePür is a rare combination of naturally selected, naturally “processed” and finely roasted coffee that can be found no where else. Civet coffee at its finest. So here we are. We’ve got our mission, our suppliers, our product, our save-the-world idea. What about a clear brand identity? No. A website? Not a great one. Packaging, collateral, business cards? No, no and no. As best we could, we began building a website from online templates, fumbling through Photoshop and stretching our creative skills to the limit. Luckily for us, we met Greenhouse Studios. In October 2009 we interviewed at Greenhouse for the chance to win 1 year of branding and creative support for KapePur. And we won! And now, we’ve got it all. Clear brand identity? Check. Website? Check. Ridiculous killer website? Check. Packaging, collateral, business cards? Check, check and check. We can’t speak highly enough about the creative genius that is Greenhouse Studio. The KapePür website is nothing short of awesome. And don’t just take our word for it. The site was listed as one of `32 Tasty Coffee Websites to Inspire You’ by webdesignledger.com and one of `90 Beautifully Delicious Coffee Website Designs’ by instantshift.com. Good props, right? And then there’s there are the gift boxes. So far, customer feedback has included words like “awesome”, “world-class” and a “very impressive product”. High praise indeed. See for yourself at http://www.kapepur.com Thanks to the team at Greenhouse for all the work and support over the past year. We’ll say it again, creative geniuses! Oh, and did we mention they are a heck of a group of awesome peeps to work with. Greg, Kat, Mark and Spencer - huge thanks from EarthBee Foods and the people of Mindanao, Philippines. We can honestly say that we wouldn’t be where we are today if not for you. Javen Figueroa and Ben Johnson Co-owners of EarthBee Foods Brand Sprout 2011-01-25T21:34:33+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/heart2heart_a_brand_an_initiative_an_experience http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/heart2heart_a_brand_an_initiative_an_experience#When:14:24:23Z A brand, an initiative, and an experience. Greenhouse was privileged to be asked by Mandarin Christian School to brand and launch their capital campaign, Prepare4Rain. Once the campaign was launched, and began seeing some grass roots success, the director came to us and said they had an opportunity to bring the former first lady Laura Bush to a fundraising event for their cause.  At that time, things were still uncertain and a bit of a distant reality, but a week later the director circled back with us and said, “GO, she’s committed.” We dove right into the project and piece by piece the H2H identity, invites, advertising, program, video, etc all began to come together.  We were also asked by MCS to take all of the photos at the VIP reception with Laura Bush and the VIP sponsors, the biggest shoot of Spencer’s career (luckily her assistant was nice enough to capture a shot of the Greenhouse team). It’s a surreal experience to meet someone so iconic and historic to our country, such as the first lady, and one that very few have the opportunity to encounter.  The most amazing part of it is to realize how human they are…from shaking her hand, to the one armed hug, to the appreciation she had for our team in taking care of the campaign and photos, to her speech…she’s experienced a life that is absolutely extraordinary, but still tells stories of being in her slippers and walking her dogs and her best friends she still has from elementary school, and then she shakes your hand she looks you right in the eye as if it was “nice to meet you too.”  Always refreshing to me to realize no matter how big, famous, rich or iconic people can be in our world, it’s always nice when they are just genuine people. Check out the great things that MCS are doing with the Prepare4Rain and Heart2Heart initiatives: prepare4rain.com/heart2heart. Our congrats to Carmen, Karen and Dawn for a wildly successful event, and thank you for letting us be a part of it!   Greenhouse 2010-09-04T14:24:23+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/morning_slumber http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/morning_slumber#When:01:38:50Z Thanks to everyone who joined us for Refresh Jax. Great discussion and I look forward to many more.  Special thanks to Joey Marchy, Varick Rosete and Dennis Eusebio for putting this together. This is a quick little video the Greenhouse crew shot for the Refresh Jax demo.  This was captured on a Canon 5DMII, and edited in FCP over a few hours one morning. Enjoy. Greenhouse 2010-06-22T01:38:50+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/a_timely_arrival http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/a_timely_arrival#When:18:58:24Z We all know there’s nothing better than a freshly baked cookie! That’s why we are proud and delighted to work with such a wonderful company as The Cookie Momsters. A more timely arrival could not have been coordinated, as coincidentally today is National Oatmeal Cookie DayThe Momsters, as we affectionately call them, are the winners of this year’s Greenhouse Studio small business outreach project “Brand Sprout” and we are excited to share that the brand is developing nicely. In addition to the launch of their website http://cookiemomsters.com, the business cards featuring their new look and messaging came in today. A more timely arrival could not have been coordinated, as coincidentally today is National Oatmeal Cookie Day. Although The Cookie Momsters don’t offer oatmeal cookies because of their gluten-free focus, we felt it was still a fun occurrence and a blog worthy notation. The Cookie Momsters are a Jacksonville based cookie company started by moms and former teachers Lynn Yeager and Janice Copley. Their creed “Mom’s on a Mission for Those with Special Dietary Needs” speaks directly to their passion and desire to create the finest confections possible while paying close consideration to organic and dietary standards. They offer products that are gluten, casein, soy and nut free, becoming heroes in the eyes of kids, parents and other adults alike that are allergic to such ingredients. Their story is a touching one in which you hear tales of the tears of joy that are shed by parents when they realize their child can eat delicious cookies once again – a treat removed from many pantries due the the allergic nature of many of the ingredients. The business cards and website are merely the beginning of the roll out of their new brand which will also include menus, packaging, pamphlets, mailers, signage and more. Keep an eye out for more from this quickly growing Jacksonville cookie company. Seeing the drive and desire to make a difference in the lives of families across the country is truly unparalleled. I can’t imagine anyone having more potential than these two courageous women, with keen knowledge and appetite for dietary resourcefulness. For more information on The Cookie Momsters visit their website at http://cookiemomsters.com or stop into their shop for a more mouth-watering experience! Greenhouse 2010-04-30T18:58:24+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/a_brand_admired_to_a_brand_expressed http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/a_brand_admired_to_a_brand_expressed#When:14:48:24Z In our early discovery meetings with Peninsular we discussed brands admired, Carolyn, the president of Peninsular, had no hesitation to proclaim Chick-fil-A…  Little did she or Greenhouse know that we would get national coverage four months later and compared to the very brand she had on her hit list. Once our identity direction was approved we sketched up a “not sure if you’ll like this, but what do you think…” concept for a 3-D billboard.  Instead of doing a series of them around the market, and with already having a landmark billboard at I-10 and I-95 corridor, we suggested to do one and really rock it. We met with Clear Channel to explore the likelihood that we could pull off our concept in Jacksonville.  Once we lost the motion and smoke, we actually had a 3-D concept that we could bring to life.  We worked with the guy that actually builds the 3-D Chick-fil-A cows (this is where it comes full circle), and a week after the unveiling, Peninsular has received national recognition for the innovative way they are expressing their brand. Cheers Carolyn!  Thanks for trusting us and investing in our creative napkin sketch. Check out the article in PCT Magazine.   Greenhouse 2010-04-24T14:48:24+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/a_little_card_story http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/a_little_card_story#When:17:13:05Z Greenhouse produced a little short about the making of our new business cards. The letterpress process is fascinating and we wanted to capture it on film, while having a little fun. It’s amazing how something that was originally used over 50 years ago can still have a huge impact.  Oh yah, and if you haven’t met Jackie Robinson from 42Pressed.com, you should. Thanks for everything Jackie and sorry about your arm! I promise we won’t get that thick 220# stock again. Greenhouse 2010-03-16T17:13:05+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/creative_insights http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/creative_insights#When:21:23:31Z So I’ve spent a good deal of time at the Mayo Clinic this week, and as I have been fascinated by my sister’s surgeon and the overall work they do at Mayo, I had a little epiphany about our business. These surgeons are there to fix and help people that need to be better.  They spend years, almost a decade, studying medicine and best practices, and continually educating themselves on modern medicines for the most effective outcomes.  And I could go on and but at the end of the day they help people.  They do their absolute best job and engulf themselves in these procedures so that these patients have a chance at a positive outcome, literally by taking them apart and putting them back together. Once the surgeons have done their work they help nurture these patients back to a functional state, whatever that may be, and then guide them to a better life.  They then leave it in the hands of the patients to continue onwards with whatever quality of life they have been given. Again, it all depends on the situation, condition, patient and possibilities…but it’s their job and their calling. We tend to get a lot of push back, hesitation and aversion to change, as we should, but really we are putting our best talents and expertise to help your company truly be better.All that being said, it made me reflect on what I do.  Of course I am not saving human lives, but I did find some analogous ties from my observations to our work at Greenhouse. We tend to get a lot of push back, hesitation and aversion to change, as we should, but really we are putting our best talents and expertise to help your company truly be better. We are here to help. That’s what we want, what we set out to do and that what we love to do. Discovering, taking apart, moving things around, repositioning, crafting, building, etc so that we can help you have a stronger and more effective brand. Everyone tends to be guarded about it, and they should be, just as if they were being told by a surgeon, “we are going to physically change your body, but trust me you’ll have a better life.” But it is rewarding to see a company be re-inspired, re-energized and better positioned for growth. So I guess for a minute I looked at us as creative surgeons, which was really kind of a cool and positive parallel.  We try to make a brand better and then we hand it off to our clients to have a more positive quality of life within their respective company and guide them along the way. It all kind of hit me this morning when my little sis called me after they changed out all of her lines/IVs just to tell me that she was pimpin her Greenhouse t-shirt I had brought to her last night. Represent kiddo, that’s awesome (I later snuck a pic in). Thank you again Dr. Landmann, you have been truly amazing and inspiring, and have done wonders for my sister. I am forever grateful. Greenhouse 2010-01-28T21:23:31+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/the_effectiveness_of_branding http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/the_effectiveness_of_branding#When:21:17:00Z This is a great testimony for Greenhouse, but more importantly showcases the impact that a brand and image can have for a company…even in less than a week!  It’s all about what “they think you are” and Jeff Whitaker, owner of the newly rebranded GatorGear, has recently come to understand the power of a brand and had these nice words to share with us… We had no idea about the power of branding and marketing.“For over four years, we’d been grinding and pushing our business, hoping that our hard work would eventually lead to successful growth in our industry. We had no idea about the power of branding and marketing, and were seeing only marginal growth in our profits each year.  In the fall of 2009, we were introduced to Greenhouse Studio, and our lives have been forever changed.  The new website and marketing campaigns have been remarkable, and within one week of the launch of our new brand we experienced more customer traffic and response in one day than in the previous 3 months!  We are going to be forced to go out and hire a couple new employees to handle the workload that has come in since we went live. There are numerous tangible statistics that reflect the positive effect Greenhouse has had…sales and exposure have soared.  But what has truly resonated from our experience with Greenhouse is the education they provided us regarding how to give our company a focus and a direction.  Most importantly, Kat, Spencer, Greg and the gang made us feel like the success of our custom headwear business was at the top of their agenda every day.” And if you need some awesome new, customized hats…check out GatorGear!  You’ll see some sweet lookin’ Greenhouse Studio ones around town soon. Cheers from Greenhouse to your successes Jeff! Branding, Greenhouse 2009-12-10T21:17:00+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/meeting_2_cookie_momsters http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/meeting_2_cookie_momsters#When:01:04:44Z Thinking outside of the box. The Momsters have such an amazing story, delicious product and bakery shop and we look forward to helping them showcase it all on a new levelThe Cookie Momsters and the Greenhouse team had a constructive, creative and thought provoking brain storm session today.  We collaborated on the gluten-free diet, advocacy, packaging, the bakery, challenges and uniqueness of autism and the brand vision.  Our discovery meeting was inspiring and a true team effort which will lead to great things ahead.  The Momsters have such an amazing story, delicious product and bakery shop and we look forward to helping them showcase it all on a new level.  We’ll be getting back together in the next couple weeks to review concepts and identity, and help them truly connect with every Mom.  Our collective goal to make them a household name, and help them continue to touch lives of Moms and families with special needs, started today. We’ll be sharing their new look soon!   Brand Sprout 2009-12-04T01:04:44+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/meeting_2_kapepur_team http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/meeting_2_kapepur_team#When:01:02:25Z How will Greenhouse help brand the finest cup of coffee in the world with a philanthropic purpose? We had a great brain storming meeting the the KapePur leadership and the entire Greenhouse team to begin establishing the direction, tastes and tones of the KapePur brand.  After hours of collaborative discussion and understanding of the KapePur experience, what the brand needs to emulate, how the company wants to be perceived and the driving purpose behind it all…Greenhouse is now well equipped to let lose on concepts and identity. We will reconvene in the coming weeks over some enamored Sam Adams to solidify direction and begin execution.  Look for concepts coming soon and we’ll be collaborating with the design community for feedback along the way. Get your French Press ready… Brand Sprout 2009-12-03T01:02:25+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/all_toys_go_to_heaven http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/all_toys_go_to_heaven#When:21:08:00Z Here’s our own little memorial to honor Patrick’s hand-painted toy that he designed for the Designers in Toyland/AIGA event tonight.  Unfortunately, his dog literally ate it as the paint was drying.  Come out tonight and support Patrick and the other designers who’ve worked hard to make this a great event. Greenhouse 2009-12-02T21:08:00+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/meeting_1_cookie_momsters http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/meeting_1_cookie_momsters#When:01:01:00Z Today we met with Lynn and Janice and identified the immediate and long-term needs to the Cookie Momsters relaunch.  They have so much great traction already in Whole Foods and through their grass roots advocacy and we look forward to taking it all to a new level.  We’ll be meeting with them again next week to roll-up our sleeves in our brand discovery session. Our top and initial deliverables in this first phase, outside of strategy, will be identity, packaging, website/social media, retail look & feel, advertisement campaign and collateral development. 1-2-3…next steps.  We’ll have the discovery meeting with our whole team, then secondly we’ll present concepts and identity, and then a third meeting with all partners. Then Greenhouse executes towards launch.  It’s exciting and we are privileged to help make Cookie Momsters bigger, better, stronger and ultimately everywhere. More to come next week. Brand Sprout 2009-11-24T01:01:00+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/meeting_1_kapepur http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/meeting_1_kapepur#When:01:00:02Z Today was our kick-off meeting with KapePur. We as a team have an amazing vision and collective level of expectation as to where this brand can and will go. We identified the “five things” that we will develop and execute for the phase I launch.  Our next discovery meeting will really dive into further brand exploration and identity development, which will happen right after Thanksgiving.  It’s very exciting where Greenhouse wants to take them and where they are willing to go. We look forward to the adventure, challenge and successes ahead…OH and great coffee! More coming soon. Brand Sprout 2009-11-20T01:00:02+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/brand_sprout_winners_announced http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/brand_sprout_winners_announced#When:20:59:06Z And the envelope please… We had a VERY difficult decision to make, as we had some many great stories and passionate business leaders submit to our campaign.  Thank you all for making this a success. Greenhouse Studio, after hours of deliberation, has selected TWO companies: First Place Winner “We can’t wait to have Greenhouse Studio help to tell our story.”The Cookie Momsters, moms on a mission for those with special dietary needs.  We were touched by this story and how the struggle with autism flourished into food products that are gluten and casein free, and surrounded by an advocacy mission.  Within the past couple weeks this organization opened a bakery and over the past few months have begun to distribute their cookie dough into organic food stores, such as Whole Foods. The gluten free diet is very challenging and this organization offers a possible solution to those with autism, food allergies, celiac, and more.  These are two moms on a mission and looking for our expertise to help them get to the next level of awareness and growth.  We were flattered and congrats! Lynne Yeager, owner and president of The Cookie Momsters, was nice enough to share these kind words with Greg and I. “We are so excited to be granted the opportunity of being the chosen Brand Sprout company, and can’t wait to have Greenhouse Studio help to tell our story. We look forward to building our brand and familiarizing individuals and families about our mission and goals. Greenhouse will be instrumental to sharing our products and advocacy.” Second Place Winner “We are thrilled with the amazing opportunity to work with Greenhouse Studio on the development of our KapePur brand”Our second place winner is KapePur Coffee.  We offered to help with all of their brand development, creative execution and website to help get them launched into 2010.  KapePur is a coffee that is created and processed from the Asian palm civet, it is the finest coffee beans and boasts a rich, unique taste (it’s true, we tried it).  The amazing thing about this company is that they are changing the lives of people in the South Philippines.  By harvesting this coffee and importing these beans to the U.S. they are creating jobs and amazing opportunity for the Bagobo tribe in the Philippines to prosper.  This is a rare, unique coffee that is quite pricey by the cup, but with every delicious cup you are giving back. KapePur is the only U.S. distributor and have the exclusive rights to these coffee beans from this village. We loved your passion and story, and congrats on your #2 selection! “We are thrilled with the amazing opportunity to work with Greenhouse Studio on the development of our KapePur brand.  Words cannot fully express our gratitude and excitement. Thank you Greenhouse!” Shared the owners of KapePur Coffee and Earth Bee Foods. More on both of these companies and will be posted over the coming weeks and months as we further develop…the Greenhouse Studio team is extremely excited by the privileged opportunity to help these companies grow!   Brand Sprout 2009-11-03T20:59:06+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/unexpected_brand_sprout_props http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/unexpected_brand_sprout_props#When:20:47:31Z Today Greenhouse received a letter from the Mayor of Jacksonville thanking us for the Brand Sprout Campaign. It was such an unexpected surprise and endorsement that was truly inspiring to what we are doing at Greenhouse and why we love doing it. To quote our Mayor: “A new business can have the best product or service but still fail because the public doesn’t know about the company.  Marketing is a necessary part of any business plan that unfortunately is too often overlooked…Jacksonville is a growing city that needs every business to prosper.  Your assistance to the lucky contest winner will hopefully increase its business and add to the growing list of successes in this recovering financial climate. It is in this spirit of cooperation and community commitment that will propel Jacksonville in the coming years…” Thank you Mayor Peyton for your genuine and unsolicited support. There are still 10 days left to submit…gogreenhouse.com/brandsprout. Brand Sprout 2009-10-20T20:47:31+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/announcing_brand_sprout http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/announcing_brand_sprout#When:20:39:12Z Wow.  Greenhouse is just over one year old and we’ve been reflecting on our first year of business. While looking back at our success and thinking about the great people we’ve had the pleasure to work with, we’ve come to the conclusion that we REALLY love what we do. We’ve worked with companies of all sizes, but what’s really been amazing is to work with people who have taken a huge step to start their own business, especially in a volatile economy.  The more we thought about it, the more we wanted to help out others who have recently made or are considering starting a new company.  So that’s what we’re going to do.  Introducing Brand Sprout.  If you fit the bill, are passionate about your company and can convince us that we need to pick YOU, we want to help. No, we’re not crazy, this is just something we want to do and we’re committed to doing it. Greenhouse Studio (along with several awesome sponsors) will work with the winner to make sure your brand strategy, message, identity, website and collateral are in tip top shape.  What’s more, we’re going to make the entire process open to the public and get feedback from the community. For this to work, we’re asking everyone to Blog it, Tweet it, Digg it and be über-social. Visit Brand Sprout for more details. Brand Sprout 2009-10-10T20:39:12+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/talagy_-_rapid_brand_development http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/talagy_-_rapid_brand_development#When:20:28:31Z 3/28 – Greg and Kat roll into Starbucks (weird) and run into Derek and Amy, who say to us “we’ll be over in an hour…” - we are among the first to get the scoop and sworn to secrecy. 3/29 – Amy is leaving for the Caymans, Greenhouse is 1 of 4 people that know about the ATS development and we get an email titled “inspiration.” It was the vision for the brand colors that she had for Talagy and it was from a journal that she bought at Target. 3/30 – Derek is at Greenhouse for rapid brand development session. 4/1 – proposal sent and approved (thanks Amy). 4/2 – logo/initial brand presentation created. 4/5 – Amy back from vaca and the birth of the brand begins. 4/10 – everyone loves it and we move forward to strategy and execution with a May 11th launch date. 4/22 – Greg and I tee up all corporate identity print production.  Biz cards to check stock, proposal covers to invoice stock…everything! 4/22 – over wine Kat plans, price and select all promotional items and gifts for launch (thanks Shannon). 5/1 – Kat is in Philadelphia at cousin’s wedding approving all Talagy proofs for promo items in a coffee shop. 5/3 – Kat and Amy engage PR help (thanks Heather). 5/4 – Kat gets all signage quotes – round 3 and finally finds a winner. 5/7 – we meet with signage vendor to perfect all internal and external signage, and approve all production costs.  5/8 – we move the launch date to June 1st. 5/9 – we add more delivery to the launch list. 5/15 – Greg and Kat are literally at an ink manufacturer matching the PMS of the accent/sand color to the Target book, because round one was too yellow. 5/18 – start approving production proofs. 5/19 – press check round one. 5/25 – Greg configures and designs the Intranet (named TIA). 5/29 – Greg and Kat go head down into the weekend for the launch and the brand is launched internally. 5/31 – Amy is with Kat & Greg at Greenhouse all day polishing – sales preso, internal docs, website and launch announcement. Then site goes live at midnight, Greg & Kat take a nap. 6/1 – Every Talagy employee around the country wears their Talagy polo – it’s internally declared National Talagy Day! Then, Talagy presents talent in action to the world – talagy.com. Greenhouse 2009-06-09T20:28:31+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/brand_sweat_tears2 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/brand_sweat_tears2#When:20:33:50Z Good Morning Greenhouse and Happy June!  Cheers to the Talagy, Cliqset and Black Diamond roll-outs! 6, 7, 8, 9 countdown to brand launch today…what a way to kick off June.  6:00 a.m. EST – the cell phone calls and text messages commence.  Mind you we closed shop this morning. 7:00 a.m. EST – email blast goes out to announce the re-brand of ATS & Dunhill Staffing to Talagy.  The House had the privilege of rolling out the entire brand suite for Talagy to the world this morning…so far, so amazing.  Great energy, passion and pride internally and lots of media and client traction already – and as of 9a we had a media hit.  You can see the talent in action at Talagy. 8:00 a.m. EST - another roll-out of Cliqset’s beta 2 launch.  We collaborated with Darren and Charlie on look & feel, messaging, site re-launch and launch video design and production. By 9a they were featured on the home page of techcrunch.com - so freakin incredible. Change the game guys - Cliqset Beta 2. And if you are feeling tech sassy, enter the Developer Challenge. 9:00 a.m. EST – Black Diamond goes to market with their recent whitepaper on Technology Savings and ROI in Volatile Markets.  Already been getting tons of traction from Investment and Financial publications and we have yet to do the phase 2 launch.  If you are managing wealth you should check it out: ROI whitepaper. And then tears of joy of course. Thanks to all that contributed to our busy and successful morning – it is awesome to be a part of all of this!  Greg and I are all smiles, but need a nap. Greenhouse 2009-06-01T20:33:50+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/the_simple_value1 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/the_simple_value1#When:20:03:11Z Value in an ethical sense means the degree of importance.  What I’ve known, yet been learning over and over again in our young agency practice, is the value of the value-add.  The little things mean a lot and the big things pay the bills. I love the little things, it’s what I enjoy about what I do, who I work with, and why I do it.  We all share a similar philosophy and vision at the House, and I am seeing a grand return on investing in the value-adds to clients, colleagues and business partners. Clearly you need and want to make money, but the opportunities continue to roll in, bigger and better, when you invest in the little things. Anything from an extra layout to a photo to just an extra thank you gesture or a pro bono project…the return is always well worth that value-add.  Being an agency that does not model itself on the traditional hourly billing but rather fixed project billing, we are usually open ourselves (somewhat by design) to lots of opportunity for the extras on projects.  It’s rewarding and makes what we do all the more fulfilling, and we continue to be profitable, healthy and longer term engaged with out clients. I am confident in our work, but even more confident in our delivery of value.  The high degree of importance we put on our delivery and relationships is what makes me love my job, love what we do and always remembering that ‘it’s all about the little things.’ Greenhouse 2009-05-04T20:03:11+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/so_what_is_a_brand_really http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/so_what_is_a_brand_really#When:15:57:12Z The term originates from the act of burning a mark into something (or someone) to identify them as a possession, or a member of a group. Sound fun? You wait here and I’ll go heat up the iron ☺.  Lucky for you, there are no irons or fires anywhere near our desks. A brand is not about logos, color schemes, websites, brochures or style guides – it’s much greater than that. These can all be a great reflection of your company, but who are you really? That’s the question that your brand should answer. Lie down on a nice leather couch and ask yourself a few questions: What values do you want to convey? What kind of talent do you want to attract? What is your company culture like? How do you want people to feel when they walk into your place of business? What do you want people to think of when they interact with your company? Okay you can get up from the couch now, we have work to do. So how can a brand agency help? Our job as a brand agency is to help you answer these questions and develop a solid and consistent message that accurately reflects your company. Yes, we create logos, websites, and brochures, but we also help you communicate your brand through every interaction – product development, advertising, internal communication, sales processes, even how your receptionist answers your phone. We LOVE to help companies who have a passion for what they are doing and a no-fail attitude. Companies with magnetic brands enjoy a loyal tribe of followers who will stick with you through thick or thin. Companies who know their brand and passionately evangelize it retain higher profit margins, dedicated employees who love their job, greater ROI on marketing investments and a competitive edge on their investments. So, you want a logo or a brand? Branding 2009-03-30T15:57:12+00:00 http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/passion_is_the_main_ingredient http://www.gogreenhouse.com/blog/post/passion_is_the_main_ingredient#When:18:53:57Z A passion for who you are, what you stand for, what you do, how you do it and why you do it—that drive, pride and admiration you have for it all. Similar to baking a cake without the right ingredients, the outcome is inevitably that your cake just doesn’t taste the same and most likely just sucks. You need the right ingredients and adding passion to a brand is simply delicious. As Greg and I were starting Greenhouse, mere months ago, the most encouraging thing to me before we even had one client, was how passionate we both were about investing ourselves and our talents into helping other (and hopefully many) companies grow.  It’s our brand, mission, vision, core, and it permeates into everything we do. Passion was THE foundation of our brand, and we love the passion our clients have about theirs—the more passion the better. It’s an energy that is contagious and adds magnetism to your brand, culture and company. If you have passion and a good palette, then be sure to add and stir.  Cheers! Greenhouse 2009-03-22T18:53:57+00:00