Eleanor is the founder and managing editor of Designerly Magazine with a passion for sharing business leadership and branding strategies. She’s also a web design consultant with a focus on customer experience and user interface.
Earth Month in 2025 is an opportunity for you to lead with purpose. People pay attention to how brands show up, and they expect more than just a green logo or a recycled social post. Your customers want to see action, not just talk.
You don’t need to be a global giant to make an impact. Whether you run a growing business, design for ethical brands or manage marketing campaigns, this month is your chance to do something real — and make it stick long after April ends.
Do you dream of connecting your small business with global audiences? Make it a reality with a scaling plan and determination. Consistent and practical branding should be the foundation. Then, consumers everywhere can identify you among thousands of competitors. Follow these recommendations to overcome the challenges designers, marketers and owners face during expansion.
Small-business owners and freelancers are often one-person operations or have limited staff. They may rely on a single big client for most of their revenue. Unfortunately, even long-term relationships can change on a dime, and you might lose your biggest customer.
In forums across the internet, entrepreneurs lament a sudden loss of their income. Their longtime client hires a new manager and they cut ties, someone goes out of business, a customer dies or they outsource to another country or even move operations in-house.
Things may seem bleak, but there are ways to recover and thrive after losing your biggest customer.
Choosing your company’s most beneficial data collection type can dramatically improve your marketing strategy. Client information can help your small business’s design and marketing team better understand your customers, which can boost growth and create more effective engagement.
Finding a suitable service for your small business is extremely important. You must consider the pros and cons of first-, second- and third-party data collection to determine what’s best for your company.
As a small or medium business owner, you are consistently asked to do more with less — less time, less budget and fewer hands on deck. Every decision can impact your bottom line and your bandwidth. One of the biggest choices you will face is building an in-house team or bringing in outside experts.
In-house teams give you closer collaboration and deep brand familiarity. However, outsourcing can offer flexibility, lower costs and quick access to specialized skills without a long-term commitment. Striking the right balance goes beyond cutting costs. It involves making wise decisions that help you grow without burning out.
White label and private label both let you place your name on a product you did not invent from scratch. The key distinction is control — white-label goods arrive fully baked, while private-label lines give you room to adjust the recipe, specs or story. Picking the right lane shapes your margins, timeline and customer loyalty, so it pays to weigh the trade-offs before you place that first purchase order.
If you sell a product that people usually buy once — like a wedding dress, high-end mattress or safe — you have probably wondered how to build customer loyalty when there is no obvious path to a repeat sale. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking loyalty only matters for subscriptions or everyday items, but that is a myth.
Knowing whether leads come from targeting, word of mouth, paid ads or none of the above can be challenging. While no one-size-fits-all approach that guarantees conversions exists, there are some “secret ingredients” the most successful product advertisements share. Knowing what they are and how to use them can drive brand recognition and sales.
In today's digital landscape, it makes sense for you to transition your brick-and-mortar store to an e-commerce platform. Today's customers want convenient, flexible shopping experiences with around-the-clock access to goods and services.
Of course, taking advantage of a broader customer base, lower overhead costs and the ease of targeted advertising requires a careful, well-thought-out approach. Here are eight tips to help you launch your e-commerce business model.
Earth Month in 2025 is an opportunity for you to lead with purpose. People pay attention to how brands show up, and they expect more than just a green logo or a recycled social post. Your customers want to see action, not just talk.
You don’t need to be a global giant to make an impact. Whether you run a growing business, design for ethical brands or manage marketing campaigns, this month is your chance to do something real — and make it stick long after April ends.
Although a product’s packaging protects what’s inside, it can also strengthen your brand, catch people’s interest and encourage repeat purchases. How can you capitalize on the package to make it an opportunity?
Finding reliable suppliers keeps your B2B business running smoothly. It ensures you get quality products, competitive pricing and on-time deliveries. The right partner can help you scale efficiently and build a strong reputation, but sourcing qualified leads isn’t always easy. Without a strategic approach, you risk supply chain delays or partnerships that do more harm than good. Knowing where to look, how to evaluate leads and how to convert them into long-term partners keeps your company on track.
Do you dream of connecting your small business with global audiences? Make it a reality with a scaling plan and determination. Consistent and practical branding should be the foundation. Then, consumers everywhere can identify you among thousands of competitors. Follow these recommendations to overcome the challenges designers, marketers and owners face during expansion.
