Summer Taylor, Lead Dog
October is Women's Small Business Month, so the spotlight is on Summer Taylor, Lead Dog of Good Dog/Bad Dog Creative Design and co-founder of biz-e-chicks, a professional organization for women entrepreneurs.
Spotlight on...
Summer Taylor
Lead Dog
Good Dog/Bad Dog Creative Design, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
Good Dog/Bad Dog Creative Design was started in November 2005 as a design studio focusing on customized graphic design, Web design and internet marketing campaigns. We serve a wide variety of Tampa-Bay based, mid-sized businesses, including technology, health care, construction and real estate companies.
What inspired you to start?
I was in corporate America and decided I needed a change. I wanted to be more creative, have more flexibility and have the opportunity to broaden the scope of my portfolio by working with a more diverse set of clients. I decided to make the jump and start Good Dog/Bad Dog and see how I could do on my own. I'm a Leo, so if I'm going to boss anyone around, it might as well be me.
How did you get the name?
I have a good dog and a bad dog. The bad dog, Marshall, is a boxer/lab mix and Raley is a German Shepherd. When I was trying to think of a name for my company, I wanted something unique that said something about me, and they are such a big part of my life. Truthfully, they are both good dogs, but Marshall is a bit more mischievous than Raley. They are my cheerleaders, my security guards, my confidants. I just wish they could learn how to use the computer or answer the phone.
What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?
Owning my own business has been an amazing experience. There is a great sense of accomplishment every day, even on the low days. I can't even imagine going back to work for someone else, but I'll admit, in the beginning, it was scary to make the leap to entrepreneurship; so many things to keep track of, so many more responsibilities, so many more worries. But, as I dove deeper into my business, I found there were others experiencing the same fears I was. As a result, a friend of mine, Liz Bollinger, who owns KIS Corp. of Tampa, and I decided to start a networking group called biz-e-chicks – a support group for women who own their own business or would like to own their own business one day. It’s a casual group where we get together monthly to candidly discuss the pros and cons of being an entrepreneur. The group isn’t hard sales or referral based, but more of a support group or therapy session. I always leave inspired; we have a great group of women who attend our meetings.
What do like most about marketing?
I love the excitement that comes with marketing. For most business owners, or people in sales, developing ideas for marketing their business is their favorite part of their job. I love being involved in that creative side of building of a business. There is an amazing feeling of accomplishment when you can take an idea and give it life by creating something visual, something that says so much more than just the words, and entice someone to buy, donate, register or join. With great website design, we have helped small businesses compete with their largest competitor because they “look” just as big! I like how great marketing can even the playing field. It’s just plain fun.
What do you think is the biggest mistake companies make when marketing?
Consistency. I've seen so many people with a logo, business card, and Web design that are all different. It makes the company look unorganized and less professional, and I believe it makes them lose credibility. Just as they say you should keep a neat appearance in business, your business' brand should look neat as well. Typically the reason for the inconsistency is because, in a search to find a cheaper alternative, the company has changed designers frequently because the first or second low-cost design wasn't what they wanted. These companies could have saved time and money by paying a bit more in the beginning to get a qualified designer that would have created everything they wanted beautifully, right from the start. When everything looks different and has inconsistent messages, it causes confusion.
If you could give one piece of marketing advice to Tampa Bay companies, what would it be?
More and more people are going to the Internet to do their shopping, whether it’s in the research stage of the sales cycle (window shopping), or the actual buying stage. It is more important now than ever to have a Web site design that displays your business professionally and gives your customers the best first impression. You also want to make sure your site can actually be found by those that are doing their shopping (or window shopping) online. To do this properly, be sure you are working with an SEO Marketing company or professional that can guide you in developing an Internet marketing strategy. They can build you a site that is not only going to help your business appear to be better than your competition, but is also found more easily than them. Good Dog/Bad Dog Creative Design partners with MatchedMarketing for consultation on search engine optimization strategies for the websites we design, as well as assistance in social media management, pay-per-click campaign management and other internet marketing campaigns that generate leads for our clients.
What marketing resources do you recommend?
Where's Your Wow?
How to find your wow within yourself or your business. Sixteen rules on finding your wow.
by Robyn Freedman Spizman and Rick Frishman
Short read. Great entrepreneurial examples. Very inspiring! Still working on finding my wow. More there now than I was before and I’d like to thank fellow biz-e-chick Sherry Sexton for turning me on to that book.
Do you know a marketing professional or entrepreneur who should be in the spotlight? Email me (greichl (at) pinstripemarketing (dot) com) with his or her contact information!
Comments