THE BRAND & BUSINESS COURSE FOR CREATORS
Access the online course designed specifically for artists, creators and creative entrepreneurs to thrive.
Are you a creator who is longing to make a positive impact with your gifts? Are you ready to stop doing what you have to do and more of what you long to do? Are you ready to start making money with your creative calling?
If so, you are in the right place at the right time. Break through overwhelm and fear to start doing more of what you love. This is a moment of opportunity to say yes to you and your calling.
Being a creative entrepreneur offers you some incredible skills for entrepreneurship that you are likely not using to your advantage. Once you know what these are and how to apply them in business you can start to soar. However, there are also some common mindset blocks that creators face. Feelings of unworthiness, fears of rejection and feeling ‘not-enough’ are so common and can prevent you from taking action on your dreams.
This course is designed to help you overcome feelings of overwhelm and isolation as your build your skills and confidence while creating the brand and business of your dreams. You deserve to share your calling and to make the positive impact that you are meant to by sharing your gifts.
This six week online program will help you:
- Understand why your creative skills are an asset in business
- Move past fears of failure, rejection and criticism
- Build a network of nurturing peers and community
- Discover new ways to thrive and apply your talents
- Gain skills in branding, networking, business development and promotion
- Learn about contracts, pricing and win/win agreements
- Build leadership skills that will help you make a positive impact
- Understand your market and how to excite them about your business
- Charge what you want to be making and understand the value your clients want
- Build your confidence to succeed in your vision
Each module includes:
- Video lessons
- Worksheets and templates
- Downloadable slideshows
- Access to group calls for question periods
A Business Course with Heart
This course is different because it has heart. It surprised me that it was SO emotional, I think business and I think cold people in suits. This course encouraged the total opposite, it really focused on staying true to yourself and your passion. It starts at the very centre of your being, what is important to you and how to be authentic.
1. THE CREATIVE BUSINESS
Learn why running a creative business is not the same as running any business, and how to approach it in a way that works for you and will utilize the skills most natural to creative thinkers. Creators have qualities that most business owners dream of cultivating but struggle with. Understand why you probably undervalue these skills and how they are gold so that they can work for you.
2. THE ART OF BRANDING
Creators have the skills to create a great brand, and often a little skill and experience are what’s needed to get a great outcome. In this module, you’ll learn how to create or refine your brand. Understand the key components of branding, how to use them, resources to simplify your work and how your clients effect your brand. This module will help you stop second guessing aesthetic details and gain clarity of vision.
3. MONEY MINDSET
The majority of creators I have met started their journey undervaluing the critical role of money in their business. It is all too common for artists to side-step charging enough, asking for what they deserve and feeling that doing the work they love is enough without great compensation. We’ll explore ways of relating to money that will allow you to succeed so you can start honouring yourself and your time. Understand pricing structures, how to create streams of income and offer the value your clients are looking for. We’ll also look at your legal and contractual obligations and agreements and other critical health factors for your business.
4. CREATING AN OFFER
At the heart of your business is what you sell. This is another common area that limiting thinking tends to pop-up. Using your creative prowess, you can create a business that is innovative, fun, and successful. We’ll look at why a sales funnel is important and how it can work for you and your clients. You will create an offer and sales funnel that you like to sell, is effective and what people need.
5. WORDS & WEB
The way you speak about your business happens through words and also images, both of which are informed by the tone of your brand. This week you’ll craft your messaging and website content. Get the worksheet you need to walk you through the entire process of website planning, from choosing a host to design elements and language to minimize overwhelm and maximize your results. Note: we will not be doing the tech build but you will do all of the critical planning.
6. CONNECTION & COMMUNITY
Get ready to launch and create an impact. In this section we’ll look at how to leverage your resources to create the change and impact you are longing to make. We’ll also looking at sales pitches in ways that feel authentic to you, how to find allies and collaborators and build your social networks. At the end of this module, you’ll feel more confident selling, networking and bringing your business into the world.
+ BONUS CONTENT
- Mindset resources
- Brand templates
- & More
Plus, there will be so much more. The custom worksheets included represent years of custom client work that have been refined to give you the best results in the least amount of time. If you fall behind, you can always work through the content at your own pace with ongoing access to the course materials at no extra cost.
Support is available during weekly group calls for Q & A periods as well.
A FEW SKILLS THAT WILL BE HELFUL TO HAVE:
-
you have a sense of what looks good visually
- you are able to or willing to learn how to edit a PDF
- you are willing to complete worksheets, do some deep thinking and writing exercises and show up for group calls
- you want an element of DIY to your project
- you want to make a positive impact with your creative calling
- you have a collaborative attitude and are community minded
-
you are open to learning a few basic mindful tools
- you are committed to seeing this through (the course will work for you only if you do the work)
What Students Are Saying…
I can’t thank you enough for the class. I learned so much and am able to think through things from a different perspective. Being creative and having a great product is just a small part of the business. Lisa will help you with the rest of what you need to be successful.
Since taking Intentional Brand School, I’m more confident leaning into my style and what I like to do, as well as how I present myself. I’m excited about the future of my brand and expanding it across the internet using things like email lists and websites.
I would describe this course as a dive into how you can bloom your business into what truly makes it yours!
Thanks so much, I absolutely loved this course!
This course is a lovely compilation of the steps needed to build your brand. It helped me finalize decisions like logo changes and service packages. I finally feel confident about my new logo! Thank you so much for the opportunity Lisa. You led us with knowledge and compassion. Fantastic!
I love the flexibility of this course and what I have learned about myself. This has been a great motivator and a massive push for getting out of my shell. This course has helped keep get organized and understand what my mission is! I am truly inspired by you and what you have shown me to be possible. Thank you so much for all your support! I am so thankful for you and this push in the right direction!
What's Included
By joining Intentional Brand School, you access all of the resources you need to launch and thrive. This course is intended to be comprehensive so all of your bases are covered.- 9 Video Lessons
- 14 Worksheets:
- Create Your Offer Worksheet
- Intro Guide
- Mission Vision Values
- Money Beliefs
- Money Checklist
- Pitch Your Offers Worksheet
- Sample Visual Identity
- Social Media Plan
- Talents Skills Experience
- Understand Your Cherished Client
- Values Inventory
- Visual Identity Creation Worksheet
- Website Content Planner
- Your Calling
- 10 + Essential Articles:
- Assessing Risk and Addressing Conflict
- Cherished Client Driven Offer Explained
- Dealing with Fear
- Dealing with Finacial Uncertainty
- Launch Day Encouragement
- Naming Your Business
- Photo Planning Checklist
- Pleasing Confusion and the Antidote
- The Creative Business
- 6 Hours of Live support via Group Calls
- 3 Customizable Brand Templates
- How-To Video Tutorials (Canva, Website)
- A Private Group (off of social media!) to connect with your peers and instructor
- A student rate for one-to-one consultations
- Bonus Materials: Understand Your Marketing Pillars, Guided Meditations & More.
Gain Confidence, Clarity & Skills
I feel way more confident in my brand, I gained clarity and knowledge on how to actually bring my idea to life. This course has great tools and insight not only on how to brand, but on a more personal level. It guides you every step of the way. I am so thankful for the course, co-students and the instructor!! All of it has been a great encouragement to move forward with confidence!
This course was well-crafted, richly detailed, informative, and business savvy yet soulful. I was able to begin imagining about creative businesses that wouldn’t compromise any of my core values. I enjoyed the wide variety of participants in this course.
THE VALUE YOU RECEIVE
To hire a consultant to do this work for you would cost between $6000 to upwards of $20, 000 or more.
You are able to access high-level support, strategic resources, a supportive community of peers and a network, as well as custom tutorials, feedback and worksheets.
While I make no financial guarantees in my program, if you apply yourself to this work and course you will receive tremendous value and have the opportunity to easily earn a substantial return on your investment.
DIY can be a risky way to approach your business without support. Without structure and a guide, you risk going down the rabbit hole of youtube videos and trouble shooting endless details, learning by trial and error. While this may seem appealing to save money up-front, you risk spending hours of your precious time on wasted tasks. I have seen clients attempt this work without the proper strategy in place and in the vast majority of cases creates sub-par results that need to be redone before long. Unfortunately, it also means less income, missed opportunities and big-time regret about what could have been. Don’t let this be you.
Save Yourself Time
Ramona Parent-Boyd on the Website Content Planner:
“I wish I would have had this a year ago because I worked for a couple of months on my website! If you can go through these worksheets and really think about all these things, it will certainly make it a lot easier. Having it laid out like this, in these 8 pages is so nice! It really does a great job covering website content creation. Too bad I didn’t take this last year. I would have saved myself a lot of time!”
FAQ'S
Take a look at some of the most common questions and the answers below or reach out and send a note if your question is not here.
How is this different that other brand courses?
This course is designed specifically for creative entrepreneurs to thrive. It will address the biggest blocks and challenges that come up again and again for creators in business and teach you how your creative skills can help you overcome them. It will also address mindset components which are critical to your success. This course is intended to be a positive, collaborative experience where we work from a wholistic perspective. It is also intended to help you be authentic, choose solutions that work for you, create success on your own terms and enjoy the journey along the way. This is not a course for hard-sales approaches or for anyone using fear based marketing. This is a course that will help you share your mission and make a positive impact.
What if I already have a brand?
That’s totally fine, there are still many ways you can benefit from refining your messaging and details to make sure it aligns with your calling, working through your sales funnel with your brand framework and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to take your brand to the next level. You won’t regret it.
What if I can’t attend a week?
It is recommended to attend each week, but you can access the course materials at any time. You can work at your own pace, but you may miss the opportunity to get full benefit from submitting questions at the group call. A recording will be available.
How much time will it take?
This course will require you to put in a solid effort. The time frame will depend on how quickly you can move through the worksheets. Each modules is a little different. The video and slideshow and readings will take about an hour per week. Worksheets may take you between 1-5 hours. Group calls are an additional hour.
How much homework is there?
Each week you will be watching a video and have access to readings and worksheets as well as a copy of the slideshow. There are between 1-3 worksheets to complete each week and a group call.
Do I need design experience to do this course?
You do not need design experience but basic visual and written skills will be helpful. You will be given resources to make the process as simple as possible. You will need a PDF editor to edit some templates. If you need extra help you can book a co-working session with your instructor at a special rate.
What computer skills do I need for this course?
You need to be able to use word, a pdf editor (which is easy to learn). Use of the adobe suite or canva can help you take your designs to the next level but are not required. Many of these activities can be completed in various platforms, apps and programs.
Will I build a website?
You will be given all of the planning resources necessary to complete your website, but the course does not walk you through the technical process of the website build. You will access a website content planner where you can plan all text to specifically share your calling and appeal to your cherished clients. You will receive a photo shoot planning checklist and tips at creating a stock library, advice on which platform to go with and some design templates you can use. The choice will be yours as to which platform you choose and how easy the process is. You can ask more in depth questions about this in the course via group calls. You can also book a co-working session for a special rate if you need some tech help along the way.
What if I don’t like what I’ve done?
The groundwork you are doing will be invaluable to all that you do moving forward for years to come, if not your entire career. This process completely changes how people show up for themselves and their calling. If you’ve gotten a little stuck refining your visuals or text, than you can book a co-working session at a special rate to get a professional opinion or a design block of time to help you refine things. The groundwork you are doing will make that process incredibly efficient even if you feel you need help pulling the final vision together with a little more polish. Your peers and instructor can also provide input along the way.
What if I need extra help?
You can absolutely access it! The group calls happen weekly and you can book additional support via a special co-working rate with your instructor. That means you could screen-share and get a one-on-one walk through and help with anything you’re stuck on during the course or after the course ends (your special rate will last for three months).
Will I be able to take this again?
Once you are a student of the course, you can attend the same course again any time you like.
Lisa Borin Miller | MFA
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
I love sharing creative strategy and making things beautiful. I have worked with brands for the last ten years that range from corporate businesses like hotels, development firms, and medical clinics to dentist clinics, municipalities, small-businesses and many solopreneurs from start-ups to well-established.
Regardless of the scale of a business, the branding process is very consistent. Over the years, I have developed systems for understanding the values, vision and mission of a business, their unique selling features and client base and the communication and aesthetic resources needed to consistently help them shine.
Working with creative solopreneurs has been a particular joy. I witness the journey of courage that clients take in learning to hone in on their mission, their gifts, and their aesthetics to share their calling with the world. Witnessing the courage and joy my clients bring to their work is the reason I have continued to offer branding.
I am so excited to be launching this course, to take everything I have learned over the years, including many hard-won lessons in business and share them with you.
My hope is that this course helps your path be a little smoother and more seamless and that you can launch yourself with greater confidence, clarity and profit as a result.
I believe that running a creative business is a calling. I also believe that your business needs to work for YOU. My hope is this course helps you create the business that works for you and the life you want to live.
A little more about my professional credentials for you:
I am an award winning artist and published writer, internationally exhibited and with experience teaching in post-secondary environments. I worked as a communications and design manager for a group of established businesses where I oversaw all brand output. This gave me a unique perspective about how to ensure brand clarity and consistency through clear strategies and systems that I’ll share with you. I love helping empowered entrepreneurs be a force for good, build the life of their dreams, manifest the abundance they deserve and look amazing while doing it. Making you look and feel great bring me tons of joy.
Gratitude
Thanks to the Camrose Arts Council for the generous contribution and partnership in the development of this course.
HAVE A QUESTION?
If you need a little more info, send a note below.