Even if you’re company doesn’t have a fully developed brand, you probably have a few core principles or organizing ideals.
But does your office or store reflect those ideals? And if not, how can you change that?
Those were the questions posted yesterday at a luncheon held by NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners.
Kristi Lane is owner and founder of Visible Proof, a company that brings style and creativity to the spaces of local entrepreneurs. She said companies need to take a “holistic” approach to their brands, encompassing customer relations, a website and the space where employees work. The need for the right space is obvious in retail or other customer-facing industries, but Lane said companies specializing in professional services, like law or accounting, need to think about their workspaces as well.
“You’ve got two audiences. The first is internal, your employees. So ask yourself, ‘does the space add to the culture of the company, increase productivity and ensure we’re getting 100 percent out people when they get out of the car?’” she said. “The second audience is the client. Do you want them to feel confident? Relaxed? Welcomed? The way you design your space can fulfill all of that.”
Lane worked with sisters Sarah Solomon and Chrissy Triano, the co-owners of Sweet Spot, a candy company that opened a year ago in West Broad Village in western Henrico County.
Triano said she and her sister love it when a new customer comes in the front door and stops short, staring around the shop trying to take everything in.
“Branding is what makes you special and is your vision and message,” Triano said. Her sister added, “Take your core values and what you want the business to be. Branding just wraps it all up in a pretty box and puts a bow on it.”
Carmina Drummond has spent 23 years at The Martin Agency. Today she serves as senior vice president and director of operations for the firm, a job she describes as “part facility management, part theater production and part hotel management.”
She has the difficult task of designing a space that makes employees, clients and visitors (aka potential clients) feel at home, a task she’s worked on with Lane and Visible Proof.
Sweet Spot, owned by sisters Chrissy Tirano and Sarah Solomon, is a perfect example of a space that matches its brand.
Virtually everything Martin does revolves around brands, usually the meticulously built images of the firm’s clients. But before the ad agency’s creative talent can develop the next Geico gecko, the firm has to find a way to build on its own brand of creative energy.
“We moved to a very open space because we have a lot of team work and collaboration,” Drummond said. “The space is a way to show off and see the work, to see how we are developing. That helps all departments buy in and be a part of what we do.”
And Lane said companies must be open to adapting or changing their spaces over time.
“A brand is a living, breathing thing, so it needs watering and nurturing and feeding,” she said. “Sometimes your business approach hones down or funnels down over time, so adjust your brand and your space based on how your business is evolving or changing.”