Every 10 years or so, I start on a journey to reinvent my firm.
Reinventing your business is not without risk, but without risk we would not be free.
Now that Aespire is nearly 30 years old, we continue to reinvent — our processes, our position, our platform.
One thing that hasn’t changed is our purpose:
To empower companies and causes to enrich and transform people’s lives for the glory of God and the good of others.
Where many designers are solely passionate about design, I am equally passionate about running my business well. Learning to conduct business, manage people, and develop opportunity is an ongoing process and one that I hope to master someday.
The way we solve problems for our clients is important; I want them to know I also understand their business challenges.
Entrepreneurship Begins at Home
I learned how to conduct business from my parents, Gordon and Irene Sooy.
Where others would say, “the customer is always right,” or “the customer is sometimes wrong,” Gordon would always say,
“The customer is always the customer.”
For over 50 years, he impressed upon me that although words and planning are important, action is what matters.
He would say “It’s not what you say, it’s what you deliver.”
Gordon’s business was selling auto parts. His career began as a parts delivery employee (on a bicycle!), and concluded as the owner of several stores. During that time, he dealt with more people than I ever will in my entire consulting career, and had a reputation for honesty and integrity that showed in his respect for his customers.
Treating each customer with respect as an individual is a lesson that guides my relationships with clients, staff and vendors.
I am deeply grateful for the impact of two other individuals,
David C. Baker, and Blair Enns of
Win Without Pitching.
David and Blair are consultants to creative business firms and Aespire clients.
I first met David C. Baker in 2002 at an AIGA Grow seminar in Cleveland, OH. It’s been many years since I first attended a new business summit with David, and decades since I attended a ReCourses roundtable, where I first learned many principles of business management from David’s years of experience working with creative firms.
I’ve known Blair and learned from his expertise for several years at seminars and from his publications. In 2010, Blair invited me to
design his Win Without Pitching Manifesto — 12 proclamations on developing business without giving away thinking for free.
The process of designing the book forced me to read it closely on multiple levels — from a content perspective, as a typographer and type designer, and as a marketing business owner. It’s now a permanent part of my thinking and DNA.
A ReCourses New Business Summit is disruptive, terrifying and inspiring — alternatively and concurrently. Expertise and insights begin to flow from the opening session, don’t stop until the end of the third day, and continue to resonate in the mind long after.
I came away with two memorable thoughts, the first from David:
To follow this piece of advice takes confidence — in myself, in our positioning, in our process. There are many directions I could guide the business; I’m choosing one that matters. I am more confident than ever that what we do for our clients makes a difference — not only for their companies, but to the lives of people who work for them and whom they serve.
The path I’m following is not an either/or path, but a synthesis of what I’ve learned and of Aespire’s strengths and expertise.
My “aha!” moment came from Blair:
Clarity and Brand Storytelling
Aespire’s latest reinvention and transformation flows from our
commitment to helping people flourish, businesses thrive, and communities prosper. We guide them to create long-term plans that connect their brand with their business objectives so they can outmaneuver their competition through radical differentiation.
At our core, we are designers and visual storytellers. Our clients tell us repeatedly that we guide them to clarity for their business direction and to solutions.
After I published my first book I began to think deeply about how the words we use build brands and engage people in the impact companies make.
The problem was — writing doesn’t come easy to me. Research into effective and reliable storytelling frameworks led me to become a
Certified StoryBrand Guide, and to earn
Certified Brand Architect status from Level C and Marty Neumeier.
Donald Miller and his team gave us another storytelling framework to enhance our process for brand clarity so the companies we serve get the ROI they deserve from investing in branding, design, and marketing.
Level C and Marty Neumeier gave Aespire a set of tools that give Aespire the distinction as the only agency led by a dual-Certified Brand Strategist and StoryBrand marketing guide.
The Next Decade of Design Leadership
As we begin our next decade of excellence in business and design leadership, I have the courage and confidence to proclaim that we understand and can help businesses identify their problems and solve them.
We have the courage to completely move from personality to position and process in our business development.
We have the courage to allow the business to become something new, and in doing so, perhaps leave a legacy when it’s time to follow another path.
It’s no less than what I expect from our clients when they work with us. I should not expect less from my own agency.
