Episode 7 Ande Lyons

In this Special episode of Brand Transformations, we chat with Ande Lyons of the New England Podcaster's Group on her experience with her VIP day! That's 6 hours of uninterupted design time with yours truly, where we took a deep dive into her pile of design projects, and as she says, "sent her brand to a spa day to get zhushed up!" Have a listen and learn more about the process and Ande's experience with this special day.

Thank you for listening! If you think it is time for your rebrand, or with any questions about my artistic process, please visit me at jmmartistdesigner.com or reach out at instagram.com/jmmartistdesigner

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:14

Welcome to Brand Transformations, the podcast where we dive deep into the real stories behind rebranding. I'm Jess Mercier, a brand strategist and designer, and I've had the privilege of guiding incredible entrepreneurs through the journey of stepping into a brand that truly reflects their vision. In this series, we'll explore the struggles, breakthroughs, and unexpected wins that come with rebranding. Because a brand transformation is about so much more than just a logo. Let's get started. And this is Andy. I'm so excited for you to meet her and talk with or listen to us talk with her about her experience with this new service. But first, I want to introduce her. And at 69, Andy Lyons is a four-time founder, a former global startup mentor, serial podcaster since 2012, founder of the New England Podcasters Group, a monthly in-person event for podcasters and a host of the popular interview style pro-aging podcast, Don't Be Caged by Your Age, where Andy shatters age-related expectations, where she helps folks find pathways to fuel their passion, purpose, and pocketbooks so they can thrive after 65. Welcome, Andy.

SPEAKER_02: 2:00

Thank you so much for having me, Jess. I'm thrilled to be here. Hi, listener.

SPEAKER_00: 2:05

I'm so excited. Um, I think that one of the coolest parts about our collaboration is the crazy circle of networking and connections that we had that we didn't even know.

SPEAKER_02: 2:22

Can I tell you how I found you? Yes.

SPEAKER_00: 2:24

Can I tell that story?

SPEAKER_02: 2:26

Please tell the story. One of the members of New England Podcasters group, Emily Aborne, did a brand refresh. She rebranded. And I watched the transformation when she came out with a whole new brand. I mean, my comment on her feed and Instagram was who is this person? I want to hire her. That's exactly the kind of look and feel. I mean, you nailed it for Emily, small business casual, and everything about her. And I had known Emily that long, but I knew that what she wanted to deliver to clients, you nailed in the artwork, in the font, in the everything. The brand promise was built into all the pieces that you pulled together for her brand. And um, all the assets, marketing, marketing collateral. I was blown away. But then I learned that you knew Diane Wittgert. Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 3:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_02: 3:29

And that was even crazier. I had interviewed, I had met Diane Wingert through Vinnie Podestivo, maybe in the summertime. And Diane and I are both 1956 classic models. It's the year we were born. And uh and she has this great podcast, ADHD-ish. And uh she's just a phenomenal woman, coach, all the things. And I find out you redid her brand and you met her in some way. And like, what? How do all these things? You're in Texas, I'm in Boston. Yeah, you're from Massachusetts, I think, or you lived here for a while. I mean, there's just all these touch points. It's amazing how on life world still amazes me 20 years later since I've been online.

SPEAKER_00: 4:14

Yeah, it's so incredible. I was actually working on updating some um a specific section on Diane's website where she has we put together all of the covers of the podcasts that she she's been on. And don't be caged by your age was on that. So when I saw that, it was like literally within like I think three-day period. I was updating that for Diane, and then Emily connected us. And I was like, oh my gosh, like what a tangled web we weave. And I really do think it's the magic of networking and connection, just honestly, not even networking, the just the magic of connections and and alignment, finding people who you're aligned with. Yes, absolutely. And such a huge compliment that you when you talked about Emily's um Emily's branding.

SPEAKER_02: 5:06

Well, she yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00: 5:08

Just she has this beautiful, beautiful place in my heart. And Emily and I have been collaborating a lot. And and when somebody outside, you know, because I know what Emily's feelings are, I know what my feelings are. And then when you hear somebody from the outside see what, you know, this collaboration has done and has that kind of reaction, it really just it really just throws my whole world into like happiness.

SPEAKER_02: 5:38

I love that. And especially when it's someone who's been hiring people for 30 years to create brands for all my businesses. And so it adds a little even more credibility, right? When someone, because every time I've hired someone, I went to their portfolio and said and would scour it and say, do they have anything in here that tells me they can create what I'm looking for? Right? And I and to me that's one of the best ways to find someone is you because you, the business owner, podcast host, whatever you're hiring the designer for, you have to love what is being produced. And because you have to live with it every single day. Yes. Um and so it's so important to find, and a lot of times you have a different vision for of course I've had some of my businesses, I had a different vision for each one. So I couldn't go back to somebody that I'd used before because they didn't have it in their portfolio, what I was looking for. Maybe I needed illustration, right? Right. Or something else for a brand. And I would, when I was consulting to startup founders, I would talk about this all the time. Before you think about anything else, you know, do that hardcore research about who your audience is, come to a deep understanding. I know with my food business, I I thought I knew exactly what colors my audience would want. And I was so wrong. And so, you know, I did a little pool when I first started, you know, what would resonate most with you? Things like that. That you have to be thoughtful. But when I saw your work for Emily, it was just ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. And I knew I needed to upgrade the whole brand presence for New England Podcasters group. So as a seasoned founder listener, I I know that when I launch something, has a high chance of not working out. That's the startup life. So I'd like to see how something evolves. You get to know your audience, your target market, you get to know what this brand is a lot better as you move along as well. So sometimes for someone like me who loves to do things on shoestring budgets, I have enough experience where I can create something that I know will resonate, but I also know if this thing takes off, I am so hiring someone. And so I knew immediately, I was seeing Emily's work and then going in and looking at your portfolio that you would be ideal for the brand work and the artwork I needed for New England Podcasters Group.

SPEAKER_00: 8:14

Yeah. And then so when we met, I didn't know if you were gonna be needed, I didn't know what you were gonna be needing, right? Right. So in our conversation, we found out that you had a lot of things that were already in place that you didn't need help with, but there was a list of stuff that you needed to get done. And I said, How about we do this? Right? You can you we can do these little one-off projects and we can nickel and dime, and I can charge you in independently for all of these things, or you and I can schedule a time that's dedicated specifically to you, and we can bang it all out in in a day. And you were like, tell me more. So this is where the VIP day came in because you had an established brand, you just had a pile of stuff that you just needed to get done. And so when I when I suggested that, were you how how did you feel about that?

SPEAKER_02: 9:18

Are you kidding? I was thrilled. Again, I am seasoned, I'm also impatient. So having, you know, momentum was wonderful. I didn't want a project that dragged out for weeks or months. Uh, there's a time and place for that, of course. I wanted the momentum and not another open loop, right? And then the the appeal of focus, deep collaboration in a single day, I had to fan myself. It was just such a I was so excited about that. And sure, there's always that hesitation. Don't I need to sleep on it? Right? Is this gonna go too fast? You know, and then of course, trusting myself. What if I make a, you know, what and Jess? I mean, those all those thoughts can go through. But I realized at least for me, clarity plus expertise, because I already had the clarity, and you had you were the expert, to me, was much greater than endless revisions. So I I wasn't I wasn't worried about the investment of a VIP day. I loved that I was not going to be wasting time. And so I felt like that was the VIP day, it was an antidote of the back and forth, back and forth. And it was worth having someone like you who I knew that I provided you enough information ahead of time, right? So that we could, you had a good idea. I mean, you already knew that New England Podcasters group had heart, community, we had a momentum. But I had, and everybody have to understand, I should never be on Canva without someone having created a template for me. But I had done enough, and some folks in the community sort of helped me put together the event bright and uh invite and things like that, but I knew I had no consistency. I had also created an online companion to our monthly meetups and called the Pod Garden. And I was just, oh my God, that was a mess. And I wanted that consistency. I was craving that consistency that only a pro like Jeff's can bring.

SPEAKER_00: 11:25

Well, you know, I think that that, I think that there was an incredible amount of, I think the thing that I love about this day that we spent together was the instant feedback and collaboration. And I tend to get super hyper-focused when I do projects. So the intended hyper focus of the day was so, it was like scratching this itch on my brain that had that just made me so fulfilled and like unhappy by the end of the day. Because instead of having to put a proof, you know, instead of waiting for a second date to go over things with you, which is part of my my branding process, is I like to do things in person. Um, or, you know, for smaller projects, I would send a proof in an email. And then, you know, you're busy, so you don't answer it, and then this and that and this and that. But it was like, no, you and I both had that time scheduled for that day. So the the force moving forward was just so fun. I remember almost like giggling and laughing with you because we were having so much fun.

SPEAKER_02: 12:33

Um and so what was great is that we had our kickoff meeting, right? Because it was a six-hour period, right? Right. That we had scheduled. And so I made sure that, of course, I am a woman. So having multitasking available around me while Jess went off and did her thing, no problem, right? But um we hit the kickoff, and then you came back and I was like ding ding ding. And then I'd say, well, I'd fix this or do that, or I'd like that, and I but I don't like that. And you'd be like, Okay, I'll text you when I'm ready. Boom, 30 minutes would go by, whatever, and then boom, I'd get a text and we'd hop on and you'd show me, and I go, That's great. Can you move that there? Can you add that here? And by the end of the day, across the board, everything now had that beautiful, consistent look that we all crave, and we don't know it sometimes, as a as a brand. And when I say that consistency, it's from the website to all the social media platforms to any promo pieces you put out. All your marketing collateral has the brand promise built into it throughout. And that's just a beautiful feeling.

SPEAKER_00: 13:47

It was so fun seeing everything really come to life, you know. Um, I inspired by what you already had, it really grew a full presence because I incorporated new backgrounds and new textures and I kind of showed you how to layer things. And um, you know, really being able to take a brand and develop a full vision um is is really, really fun. And to do that in such a short amount of time um with your feedback was was really, really just it was such a pleasure. Um I just want to take it back really quick because we never would have been able to do um all of this in really in one day. So there was prior work, there was homework and strategy involved ahead of time and organization. Can you tell me a little bit about how you found and feedback is totally appreciated here? If you have anything, don't feel free to. This is not the jest show, you know, it's about your experience. So I had folders set up and I had questions, and there was a Google Doc, and there were places to put things, um, and organization of your Canva Canva folder and all of that. So can you tell me a little bit about this the actual strategy and setup beforehand um and how that how that went for you?

SPEAKER_02: 15:12

Well, that was very important, and and I didn't need so much help. A lot of times when you go to work with a brand expert like you just, you know, you want to pull together color palettes, what's resonating for you with that brand, all the things. I had already identified that. So my job was to convey you know the you know, the colors that I wanted that were all red had already built meaning and trust among the community. So I wasn't so much seeking to start over, I was seeking to evolve what I had. So it was great is that how you guided me to the folders to set up what I needed, plus share with you via my Canva account without my feeling too much shame.

SPEAKER_00: 16:01

Okay. We can pause for a second, and I just want to take this moment to tell everybody that everybody's Canva account is an absolute disaster. I don't care who you are. There is some my my folder, my client folders, like in the world of Illustrator and my stuff, is is super clean. You get into my Canva and it's just it, they make it very difficult because the next project, it things things don't stay where you tell them to. So yes, the skeleton, the canva, the messy scanva calitin skeleton that's it is in everybody's closet, and there's no need to be ashamed.

SPEAKER_02: 16:43

Excellent. Well, and I mean just the shame of my actual um artwork I pulled together too. That to me was where the real shame. Oh no, I mean, and with all due respect to kindergarten nurse, you know, they did they can do a better job than I can, but it was good enough. I'm all about shipping what's good enough, and then you know, doing it. So for me, it was just making sure that you understood ahead of time the brand promise. And I talk about brand promise all the time, have for decades. This is the emotional reaction that your audience, your community, your customer, your client has that you're promising to deliver every time you show up. And so you really, it's so important that you understand that, who you're delivering it to, and what is that brand promise that you have that you're gonna deliver all the time, because that consistency is how you build the important relationships you need with whomever your community customer and client. So it's my job to articulate that, to also take you on the journey of what I was trying to build in the pod garden for the online community, and you made that very easy for me to do because I have also worked with designers where the questionnaire form goes on forever, and by the time you're done, you don't remember who you are and what day it is, and why are you here, and why bother? So you kept it very, very simple. And uh, and you know, I leaned on my years of hiring, you know, being the art director for myself for years, um, working with brand developers like yourself and artists and designers. And so um, I just like the efficient, streamlined way we worked. It was so important to me, and it was a decluttered experience.

SPEAKER_00: 18:39

That sounds decluttered. It really was such a great thing, also just to see everything. It was like, okay, that's done. Let's go, you know, and we moved on and we we got a lot accomplished. There were a couple of things, um, because within that VIP day, there isn't a promise that we will get to everything. There is a promise that I will do my absolute best. But because it's, you know, six hours and six hours only, there were a couple of things that we didn't quite get to and we ended up doing as smaller one-off projects afterwards.

SPEAKER_02: 19:14

Well, that's why we have the a la carte menu, darling. Right. I mean, you order your main meal, right? But then yeah, I might want a side of this, I might want some dessert later, right? That's important. And I felt very confident that within my budget I could go back to you and say, okay, now I need, now I see I need this and that, and let me, you know, send me the invoice and let's get going on that. Um, so it was just such a relief, though. At the end of the day, I I have to tell everyone, it just was like, whoo, okay, we did it. Now I go and I get to implement, I get to put everything out there. I now have this beautiful, consistent brand. What I felt like was that I sent my brand off to the spa for the day and it got professionally shush and it came back a more beautiful, vibrant, refreshed brand, ready to glow everywhere. And it was like, yes. And now I can you feel even more comfortable scaling your brand because you're not kind of hiding behind the shame of uh duct taped uh look and feel. If you can say, I am a pro brand, I have everything is consistent across the board. And let me tell you, that consistency in the look and feel of your brand is key to building trust among your customers, community, clients, whatever.

SPEAKER_00: 20:44

I think um knowing that you're having such an easier time going in there. I mean, I think that this is also a time saver, you know, because now you don't have to go in there. You're not moving stuff around. And oh, does this look good or does that look good? Like now it's just clean and simple, and all you have to do is implement the templates, the custom templates that we made.

SPEAKER_02: 21:08

So there's nothing that makes my heart sing with joy more than having templates, which I, by the way, I have the template file don't ever touch, and then I have my file called Everyday Assets, because that's one I can go and flub up and do, you know, whatever to. And I know I've always got my never touched originals that Jess has created for me in this file because I will inevitably move something a little to the right or to the left, which just you know shouldn't be happening. You know, trying to get a name to fit in or trying to, you know, do something silly or whatever. Um, I will because you know, I do a lot of member spot monthly member spotlight or member spotlight, and also the the different speakers we have in. There's all sorts of things that I'm doing almost every single day. And which gives me ample opportunity to screw and mess something up every day in the collateral.

SPEAKER_00: 22:06

I always tell people you have to save a copy of the original because I mean even I've done it because I create my own templates to use, you know, again and again, because that's honestly one way to build consistency within your brand. Just make sure that it's custom to what you need. Um, and that, but I've gone in there and accidentally deleted something and been like, oh shoot, like I liked it where it was, you know.

SPEAKER_02: 22:31

How did that happen? How did I go back there? Because I know just enough on Canva, but I am no Jess on Canva, everyone. Just so you know. So, and then Jess, you gave me that really cool tip, which is you can have within the document the here's the featured speaker list, for example, right? Information that's sort of your master copy, and then you can duplicate that and then do that uh specific one for that specific feature speaker in my case, which I had never thought. I always copied the file and now I had another file on Canva for that instead of having it within the document. So that was a really cool tip. And I actually took that over to Don't Be Caged by Your Age for all my episode artworks, thumbnails for YouTube and everything. So it was something I was able to bring to my other brand.

SPEAKER_00: 23:25

Yeah, I love that. That's one of my biggest Canva tips is to keep stuff in one project and make a duplicate in there. Um, it gets a little hairy because you have to remember when you download them, not to download all to go in and and you know, you have to remember that. But you can't do that.

SPEAKER_02: 23:42

You don't want you don't want the zip file showing up. The zip files.

SPEAKER_00: 23:46

Those zip files that make my make me want to pull out my hair. I know. Um, but yeah, that's definitely one of the tips that I give for people to keep keep organized in there. So um I love that that was that was helpful to you as well. And that as well as, you know, I had made you uh there was a banner, and I was like, oh, by the way, if you duplicate that and then remove all of the other stuff, now you have a background that you can use on things. That's right. So there were multi-layers of of usable pieces that you, you know, and you broke them all down.

SPEAKER_02: 24:22

So that was what's so perfect is that sure we had the the mic logo and things like that, but then you you had the you just had all these different elements and you broke them down into individual documents so that I well I say I look, I mean, thank you for thinking I could do something with that. But if somebody wanted to come in and create something, sprint elements, they could.

SPEAKER_01: 24:46

I'm sorry, I'm very honest about what I'm capable of doing. And um, but it's all good, it's absolutely all good.

SPEAKER_00: 24:54

Well, I'm perfectly happy with people that are know what their comfort levels are because without you, there would have we would have not had this lovely day together, right?

SPEAKER_02: 25:05

So well, and and the thing for me is that as I begin to build the community, right? So while we're rooted in New England, you know, we're open to all. Folks can join us virtually every month if they want, or they can um be part of the pod garden, which I have speakers in there all the time. We're doing so many fun things in there. Um, it gave me the confidence and the clarity and the consistency to now build out. And also it gives you the confidence to talk to sponsors because if you want brands to sponsor whatever you're doing, you need to look like what they're used to seeing. And so the last thing you want is to look like you're duct taped together, with all due respect to duct tape. Um so that that is another reason why hiring a designer is just so important.

SPEAKER_00: 26:01

Yeah, it's very important. Um, can I ask, did what did you find it helpful or what did you do with your day? Because you we had it set aside so that I needed to, I needed to be able to text you and be like, okay, jump on now. So it was kind of you had to plan also to be on at the drop of a hat. Right. So there was a simultaneous, you've got this VIP day going on with me, but you also kind of had a built-in CEO day for yourself.

SPEAKER_02: 26:32

Absolutely. So, you know, I had an episode to edit for Don't Be Caged by Your Age. I had other things I was working on. Plus, you know, I've got my walking pet at home. I got in a few miles and I have a little home gym, so I was able to do my workout as well. I just kind of made it and focused Andy day, which was just delicious. And uh, and it was absolutely no problem. I didn't feel chained to the desk. I felt excited. It was just, it was almost like every time you texted me, there was gonna be this big reveal, like the curtain. And uh it was just so much fun. And uh and it was just a tremendous experience. Um and had I had absolutely no problem. But again, I'm not a the person who needs to hyperfocus, you know. I can be there and figure out some fun things to do while I was waiting for you to delight me every hour.

SPEAKER_00: 27:31

Well, I I couldn't be happier with how this process went. Um, you were sort of one of my first, so you were kind of one of my guinea pigs. And I honestly, there were a few little tweaks that I made to this because of our time together. So I want to thank you for that. I want to thank you for your collaboration, for your trust and your honesty. And um, I just want to thank you for spending that day with me. And it was, it was so, it was so much fun. I can't wait to do it again.

SPEAKER_02: 28:01

Oh my gosh. And what made it so memorable and outstanding for me was how intentional it was from honoring what I had created to designing for where New England Podcasters group was going, right? Is going. So I want to thank you so much for that. And I want to encourage anybody if you're stuck, scattered, or second-guessing your brand, this kind of focused day can just turn things around for you and give you that lift that you've been looking for.

SPEAKER_00: 28:34

Thank you so much for all your kind words, and it was an absolute pleasure having you here. Can you tell any listeners um how they can how they can connect with you and um anything that you may have going on in the next couple of months?

SPEAKER_02: 28:48

Oh my gosh, thank you. Andy, A-N-D-E Lions, L-Y-O-N-S. Just put that into Google and you'll find me everywhere. So, LinkedIn, I'd love to connect with you. If you need any testimonials for Jess and you want to find out more, please feel free to reach out to me. If you're finding looking for ways to thrive after 65, tune into the Don't Be Cage by Your Age podcast. I interview folks who are in their late 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond who are thriving like you would not believe, and shattering ageism and all those age-related expectations and stereotypes, and giving so much hope to younger generations that this is such a vital time of life, and we are not going out to pasture with the horses. We are staying visible and connected and contributing. And then if you are looking for support with your podcast journey or your podcast curious, come check out New England Podcasters Group. You can find us on Instagram and LinkedIn and our website, New Englandpodcasters.group. Uh, and you can find incredible support. And if you want to come kick the tires, let me know. And I'll get you a complimentary ticket to one of our monthly events where you can come in virtually or in person.

SPEAKER_00: 30:12

That sounds like so much fun. I think that I might have to check that out and come before.

SPEAKER_02: 30:17

We got a complimentary ticket for you. You'll have a great time. Amazing. The Zoom room is so much fun, and because we have it at a TV station, uh, cable access TV station, we have cameras that zoom in on everybody, and this we have a featured speaker, and it's a ton of fun and a great networking opportunity as well.

SPEAKER_00: 30:37

Okay, that sounds amazing. I sign me up, I will be there. And um, yeah, but it this was thank you, thank you for your energy, thank you for for your time. Um, it was just it was wonderful connecting with you again, Andy. Thank you so much for being here.

SPEAKER_02: 30:52

Oh, and I thank you for being so supportive of the brand that I with New England Podcasters group. It's just so great to have you in my corner.

SPEAKER_00: 31:03

I am always just because the day is over, doesn't mean you can't call me for anything that you need. I'm always here to support you. This is just the beginning of a beautiful friendship. That's right.

SPEAKER_02: 31:14

It's what we love about you. So what a gift. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00: 31:17

Well, thank you for telling your story, and thank you everybody for listening. That's all for today.