Branding and Tech made Easy for Coaches with Jennie Lakenan and Deena Rutter
May 03, 2023Follow the show:
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Two of the foundational pieces for coaches these days is an online presence and branding. After all, how will you quickly reach more of those people who need you without leveraging technology? And how will they know you’re right for them without powerful, accurate branding? If these two things feel intimidating or overwhelming to you, never fear. I invited Jennie Lakenan and Deena Rutter on this fourth episode of my Foundations for Your Coaching Business series to give us some direction. Plus, these ladies work together and both offer services that don’t take a lot of time or money. In this dual interview, Deena shared some easy tips around branding and how it doesn't need to be elaborate, and Jennie focused on the basics you need to establish an online presence. I hope you’ll find the information they share both compelling and calming because you can do these two things!
“If a coach knows they want to build their business – and it matters, and you have that mission to help people and make your life better, all those things – don’t let these little things like branding and logo and tech stop you because it’s way easier than you think.” – Molly Claire
What You’ll Learn
- Partnerships with autonomy
- Attractive design doesn’t need to be complex
- Choose what you like
- Be constrained
- Walk through step-by-step
- Individualized and unique
- Stop overthinking it
- Website creation and maintenance doesn’t need to overwhelm you
- Find other ways
- Streamlined, one-page works great
- Friendly photos
- A way to schedule with you
- A way to capture interest
Contact Info and Recommended Resources
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YOUR 90-DAY BUSINESS PLAN: 5 KEYS TO SUCCESS – May 11, 2023 at 11 a.m. Central Time. Here’s what you can expect:
- How to determine what will make you money now, and long term
- What a simple 90-day plan creates unbelievable results
- How to "plan" for non-planners
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Connect with Jennie Lakenan
Jennie is a certified digital business consultant and certified life coach. When she discovered coaching in 2018, her life transformed for the better. She quickly saw the need in the coaching industry for website services for coaches, and founded her design agency. Her mission is to get more coaching in the world by helping other coaches to promote and grow their businesses via extraordinary websites and strategic marketing. Jennie helps make this happen through her Website Kit for Coaches and her personalized services.
- jennielakenan.com
- Get Jennie’s Website Kit: Website Kit for Coaches
- Instagram | Jennie Lakenan
- Facebook | Jennie Lakenan
- [email protected]
- Get Jennie’s FREE tech roadmap, The Life Coach's Tech Roadmap: jennielakenan.com/roadmap.
Connect with Deena Rutter
Deena is a graphic designer and branding expert for life coaches. With a background in coaching, and as a certified life coach, she understands the challenge of starting and managing an online presence for your coaching business. Doodling since 1976, and designing for the craft industry since 1999, Deena’s doodles have turned into fabric designs, party supplies, and logos and branding packages for businesses. She loves creating and dreaming and loves working with life coaches. Through her The Life Coach's Brand in a Box and personalized services, Denna helps life coaches look amazing online.
- deenarutter.com
- Learn more about Deena’s Brand in a Box: The Life Coach's Brand in a Box. Get a 10% discount when you pay in full and enter the coupon code - MOLLY. Already know you want the Box? Go directly to the purchase page: deena-rutter.mykajabi.com/offers/k2gxTFwS.
- Instagram | Deena Rutter Branding
- Facebook | Deena Rutter Life Coach
- [email protected]
- Get Deena’s FREE Instagram templates, plus her Top Five Canva Skills: deenarutter.com/free-templates.
Connect with Molly Claire
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Full Episode Transcript:
Molly Claire: Hey, coach. I hope you are loving this series in the podcast, focusing on building a strong foundation for your business, whether you've had your business five minutes or five decades. It's so important to make sure you have a strong foundation and checking in on some of those places and ways that your foundation may be weak or there are just some fundamental pieces that you don't have in place yet. That's what this is all about. This is the fourth in this series, the fourth episode in this series, and today's episode is actually a double interview. I'm so thrilled to bring it to the podcast to you. Deena Rudder and Jennie Lakeman, and I've brought these women because they offer some of the foundational pieces for coaches building a brand new business. And Deena speaks about the branding basics, so that you're not getting stuck thinking you need an elaborate brand or not even knowing what to do. And Jennie focuses on helping coaches to have just the basic things that they need to have an online presence, so they both have these amazing, affordable programs that are perfect foundational pieces. You can find the link in my bio. And also I wanna make sure that those of you know who are applying for the Foundations program and working with the 10K Accelerator Method curriculum, that I actually have some beautiful trainings from these women in there. It's part of the bonus trainings to help make sure that you have the foundation you need in your business. All right, coach, let's dive right in with these amazing women and entrepreneurs. Hey coaches. Okay. I'm about to introduce you to my two guests that I have on today. They're kind of a dynamic duo, Deena and Jennie. So I'll introduce them in a minute, and before I do, I just wanted to give you a little bit of context as to why this interview came to be. I've had experiences with both Deena and Jennie before this, and we can talk a little about that, but I reached out to them because as I was working on the 10 K Accelerator curriculum and working with coaches in there. Some of the coaches in my group said, I'm using this 'Brand In A Box', and it's so amazing and it's perfect for what we're doing. Because in that program where it's really geared toward new coaches putting all the foundational pieces in, I'm having them really focus just on the things that they need to do, those basic things to move their business forward and actually get clients in the door instead of getting lost in a million things. And so Deena's Brand In A Box seemed to be the perfect resource for my coaches. So there's that. Then it was actually as I was searching for someone who had the perfect tech pieces to go with this program, and by perfect, the way I define that is, Not too much, just the basic things that a coach needs to have that online presence and to get started without spending a ton of time and a ton of money. So I start looking at everything and then up on my Instagram pops this program that Jennie had, this training, and I reached out to her and was asking her all the questions, and I was like, "This is it". So here we are. Deena and Jennie happen to work together. We'll talk more about that, but I wanted to bring them here to you because they offer a variety of services, and specifically those of you that are coaches wanting to really just focus on the things you most need and not getting lost in everything. They're such a great resource for you. So we're gonna talk about branding basics, we're gonna talk about tech basics, and let's get started. Hey you guys. Hello, Deena and Jennie. Welcome. Deena Rutter: Thanks, Molly. Jennie Lakenan: Excited to be here. Deena Rutter: Yeah Molly Claire: So Deena is the design queen, and Jennie is the tech, like webmaster. I'm gonna call you, I'm not sure what you call yourself, but, Deena Rutter: That's perfect. Molly Claire: I think anytime you add the word master to anything, it sounds pretty great, right? Jennie Lakenan: Yes. Molly Claire: So I'm just gonna ask each of you a couple questions so our audience can get to know you a little. So, Deena, you are the branding queen. Tell us more about what you do specifically and why you love it. Deena Rutter: Okay, so I do a lot of brand design for life coaches, and I do everything to make their online presence look beautiful. I do custom work where someone can work with me and I create their logo and color palette and all the things that they need to get moving in their business. And as I was doing that for so many coaches, I realize like, these are the pieces that these coaches need. Let's stop reinventing the wheel and let's just make an entry level. And that's what 'Brand In A Box' is. It is all of those pieces in one, as well as I'm showing them how to do it. And I like to keep things really simple and streamlined and focused. And I am a life coach as well. Molly Claire: Yes. Deena Rutter: Molly was my instructor in May of 2018 in person in Dallas. And so I was of course so grateful when Molly asked me to be here. Molly Claire: So fun. Yeah. And in that group I've had several people from that group on the podcast. Aaron Jacobs was on the podcast and I've had katie on the podcast. So yeah. So Deena and I met actually at training and she is amazing. And as she mentioned, she, for those of you listening, she does the branding if someone's really wanting you to do all of the work, like full-service. And also some of those basic things. Because I know a lot of coaches, it can be really easy to get caught up on thinking you have to have things perfect with your brand or not even knowing where to begin. And so that's where Deena, you're a really like, "Let me meet you where you are, and take you exactly where you need to go without overwhelming you with a million things." Deena Rutter: Exactly. Molly Claire: Yep. Yeah. Love it. Okay. Jennie, tell us, what do you do? Why do you love it? Jennie Lakenan: Yeah. So a lot of what I do, it piggybacks on what Deena does except instead of being the brand design piece, it's the website design and development piece. So, I do custom website design and development if someone wants that full service website from scratch, you give me the content and I just make it amazing. And then I also have a course called Website Kit for Coaches. And that is basically Deena's Brand In A Box, like a version of it, except for the website. That course teaches new coaches how to make a simple website that attracts like their few clients. Molly Claire: Yes. Jennie Lakenan: And the beauty of it, of our two courses together is that they really are sister courses. So like Deena has a whole bunch of different branding collections that you can choose from in her course. And I have created website designs that are just like one-click upload that match all of those collections. You don't have to buy Brand In A Box to get those, but it's just a no-brainer to have both. Molly Claire: Yes. You know, because I know, coaches listening, you all have a huge list of all the things you think you need to do. And I wanna just speak to what Jennie was talking about, how she will do the full service, build an entire website. And then there's this Website Kit for Coaches. And I want any of anyone listening right now that does not have a website, trust me when I say you do not need a big, robust website to get started to make money and to make significant money even. You need so much less than you think. And that's why in the 10 K Accelerator we talk about you, I refer to it as more of a landing page, right? Because it's so basic and so simple and that's really what your website kit for coaches is. The basic things you need that don't take a lot of time, that don't need to bring a lot of overwhelm and give you, I think, that sense of confidence like, "I've claimed this space. And when I tell someone I'm a coach, I can send them somewhere that's legit that says I am a coach." Jennie Lakenan: Exactly. It can be a really big confidence booster, and I've also set it up in a way that like, you really should just be able to do this in a weekend. Like, sit down and just get it done in a weekend, and then move on to the things that are gonna really tick the needle more in your business than spending just days and days and days tinkering on your website. Molly Claire: And I know it can be good ways to avoid moving our business forward to sometimes spend a lot of time on this stuff, but yeah, for sure. And that's what I like about the two of you together in what you do. Because if a coach knows they wanna build their business and it matters, and you have that mission to help people to make your life better, all those things, don't let these little things like branding and logo and tech stop you .Because it's way easier than you think, that if there's one thing that you know, new coaches would take away, I would hope it would be that today. Jennie Lakenan: Exactly, and I've even had clients that have come to us and we've built that. They're new coaches and we've built that full service website and branding for them. And then after the fact - I mean, not that they've been unhappy with the process - I think they were happy with the end result, but I think they've said, "Oh, I didn't even know what I was like- I didn't realize how much work this would be in the content creation and the figuring out the messaging and stuff and like maybe, maybe something simpler would've been better." And that's why we made these offers cuz we just have seen the need for something that's simpler for new coaches to get started. Molly Claire: And I wanna mention too, so I know my audience, all of you listening, you're all over the map and some of you have had your business for a while. And so if that's the case for you, take from this what applies to you. Because I know Jennie and Deena have worked with so many clients and I know there'll be something valuable for you. And for those of you that are maybe needing one piece or another of this, here's what I'll say to you. First, I'm really excited that just within the next couple of weeks we're gonna be adding a training from Jennie and a training from Deena on these basics in the 10 K Accelerator. So those of you doing that, it's there. And then you can purchase these programs from them either together or separate. And those of you that don't wanna do the 10 K Accelerator and you just want Brand In a Box, or you just want Jennie's, it's available, too. So the thing about this is that it's really an easy way to take that first step, and this is not just a selling podcast either. I know we've talked a lot about these products. Because I want you to know, because I really genuinely think that the more things in your business that you can spend less on, keep very simple with basic steps, and that are going to move you forward, take advantage of them. Do them. So, all right. And I have to say too, Jennie, I know you said we're talking about your clients after the fact, not realizing how much work it would be to create all of that, and it just reminded me, I have to say, I haven't worked with you personally, either of you on my stuff, but I've heard such great things about the work you do. I remember like Mark Butler was like, "I hear from everyone. They are organized, they are on the ball. There is a very clear process." So, Yeah. To give you a shout out, because I know that your customers are very happy with the work. Jennie Lakenan: Well, thanks for saying that. Like I have such a systems brain and so that's actually my joy in my business is like figuring out how I can make it simpler, more streamlined, a better experience for the client, so they know when I need things, and where it needs to show up at so that we can get the project done when they want it to get done and just to make it as easy as possible for them to create what they need to create to get it done. So it's, it's just super fun. Yeah. Molly Claire: Okay. Well that comment, I feel like that's a perfect segue actually into the idea of why both of you have chosen the path you have. Because one thing you know, coaches listening, as you know, I'm really big on leaning into what you love, what you excel at, your genius. And I think there are so many ways to have an online business and different ways to have a coaching business. And so I know Jennie, when you were saying- I saw you on the screen, like light up. I love that. "I have the systems brain." And by the way, that stuff does not light me up. I'll just be clear in that right now. But that's the beauty of it, right? That you are able to experience that and do that in your business. Would you tell us, Jennie, a little bit about why you decided to go this path? Jennie Lakenan: Absolutely. Molly Claire: Because you, I know that you're super familiar with coaching. You are a certified life coach too. Yes. Jennie Lakenan: Yes. I forgot to mention that earlier. Yeah, I am. Yeah, I certified in 2020. I found coaching though in 2018. It changed my life, like just the tools that I was learning just from listening to different podcasts. And I thought, "Okay, I'm gonna be a life coach". I've always known I wanted some kind of career, this is for me. But as I started like networking with other coaches who had been certified or were going through certification, I think I might have even DMd you, Molly, and was like, "Hey, what should I be thinking about as I prepare to get certified?" Hmm. Molly Claire: And yeah. Jennie Lakenan: They were also kind to like give me their feedback. But what I learned as I was doing that networking was like, "Oh, either these coaches don't have a website at all, or their website is not a good representation of the quality of coaching that they offer." And that's what we do as entrepreneurs, right? We see a problem that needs to be solved and we decide to solve it. This is not ok. This is not ok. And. And I knew enough about WordPress and tech to be dangerous, and I just thought, "You know what? I can actually get more coaching out into the world by helping these coaches with their websites and their marketing strategy rather than just strictly coaching myself." And I did still end up going through certification, even though at that point I had my successful like website design business that was growing because I just realized like, "Oh, my clients need me to have these coaching skills to be able to hold space for them and a hundred percent coach them sometimes". But I don't actually have a coaching practice like on the side or anything. I just use it in my business. Molly Claire: Yeah, but I mean those skills, well first of all, in you working with coaches, I mean, it's so useful for you to have that experience and the context, right? Jennie Lakenan: Absolutely. Molly Claire: Then also, like you said, I mean, no matter what your online business is, no matter what you're doing in your life, these coaching skills are helpful for us and for our clients, no matter the business. Jennie Lakenan: Exactly. Molly Claire: Okay. Deena, what about you? Tell me why you chose this path. Because I still remember the Mastermind. It was in Dallas, I think, where you came and you brought me that cute pad. Deena Rutter: Yes. Molly Claire: With your branding, was it Dallas? Deena Rutter: Yes. That was in Dallas. Molly Claire: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was so excited about it, and I still actually, I have that pad right over here because I don't wanna use it. But I don't wanna not have it anymore. So's my confession, Deena Rutter: I love that you still have it. So like I was saying, I got certified in 2018 and you were my instructor and I was gung ho on doing life coaching. I had been a graphic designer and a surface print designer, so I designed fabrics as well. I've been doing that for, it's hard to say, about 20 years, and so I thought, I just want something new in my life. I had loved life coaching so much, so I was certified. I was thinking half day I'll be doing my graphic design work, and the other half I'll be coaching. So I started building my coaching practice with all my new friends in the coaching world. It was so fun. I love life coaching so much, and I was having so much fun creating my Instagram quotes, images, and planning out what my website was gonna look like, and doing my logo and all of that. And I noticed all of my other friends were struggling with that part. I was also working for Jodi Moore at the time. I had asked Jodi if she needed any design help while I was building my life coaching. And so she hired me on as her brand designer. And I'm still doing that today. And I was having a conversation with her once telling her like, "I just can't get like the momentum behind the coaching business". And she's like, "Have you ever thought about just doing what you do for me, for everyone?" And I was like, "Yes. I've thought about it". And I stopped everything right there. And I went on our Slack channel for the live coach community and message that I do brand design for life coaches. And Yeah, and ever since then, it's just been a passion. I love that it's a unique way that I can add my skills to the life coaching world. Like Jennie said, I can help so many more people get out there and in front of their potential clients so that we can put more good into the world and get those people the relief that I found through life coaching and I know Jennie did too. As Jennie's telling her story, I was thinking about this morning, I was thinking like, we were living these parallel lives and then all of a sudden, they were just about to just meet up like and align perfectly because it was all happening at the same time. So I was working with a couple of people just to try it out. And I had a couple people and they said, "Oh, could I get my logo? Cuz my web developer needs it." And so I thought, "Oh, I don't wanna do the web developing. I'm gonna ask these two girls who they're working with." And they both happened to be working with Jennie. Molly Claire: Two universes collide. Deena Rutter: And so I reached out to Jennie. I was like, I wonder if we should just meet and talk? And oh my goodness, meeting Jennie, and I knew right away like we would be a great team. And it has been like that. When I think about how well we work together, it's just, there's so many things and when Jennie talks about her system and how great she is at system, I love that I've just been able to plug into that system with the branding part of the website development. But that's just been great for me. So I think we all have like different skills and unique ways that we can help in this life coach community, and I love my part of that. Molly Claire: Yes. Okay. I love it. And I wanna talk about you two coming together. But before I do, I just wanna highlight something that you said, Deena, because, and listen, all you listening, I'm not trying to discourage you from building your coaching business if coaching and life coaching in that personal space is for you. But I also know from my experience with training and working with so many new coaches that a lot of you have this amazing experience with coaching. It changes your life and you feel called to be a part of it. And yet sometimes, and in fact I would say a lot of times, that doesn't necessarily mean that coaching, as we often think about it, will be the primary thing that you do. And so I know that I had actually Elizabeth, who's another designer that I love and have brought in as well, and she had a similar story to where she said, "I loved coaching, but I realized this was my contribution to the coaching world. This is how I wanted to contribute to it." So I throw that out there because as all of you are listening, and listening to how Jennie says how these systems, how it just lights her up and she loves that. And how fo Deena, this feels like such a good way for her to contribute to this community that's so her. Give yourself permission as well to look and think, "Am I using these parts of me that are really unique to me? Am I engaging in work that I love? And is it possible that I could kind of open up my idea of what my business will look like in a way that aligns for me more?" Because I think that's just so, so important. Yeah. So tell us about the coming together because what's that been like for you? I know that you compliment each other very well in what you do services wise, obviously, and different skillsets. But tell us, either one of you about some of the great parts about it or some of the challenges if they exist. Jennie Lakenan: Yeah, for sure. So, I mean, we've been working together over four years now, which is crazy to think about. Molly Claire: Um, wow, that is, that's amazing. Jennie Lakenan: Yeah, well, in the beginning I think the most challenging thing that a lot of partnerships deal with is just making it- just, over complicating it. And in the beginning we were certainly thinking that way. Like we were like, "Well, you know, do we need to like make a partnership, like an LLC partnership together? How, how would that work?" And everything. And we talked, it's funny you bring up Mark Butler cuz I remember Deena talking to him at that time and being like, "Okay, I wanna, you know, Jennie and I wanna work together. How do we set it up?" And he was like, "No, just keep it really simple, like have your separate businesses and then one of you contracted the other". I mean, you know, from the logistical standpoint, I think we wanna make it more complicated than it needs to be. And that's, yeah. So we're like, oh, okay, that's what we'll do. And that's how we still do it. And also process-wise, it's easy to over-complicate it. But what Deena and I did when we sat down and looked at our two processes, the process that I already had, which was a six week, from start to finish, website build, design, and development build process. And we thought, "Well, all right, let's just make it seven weeks and week one is branding and let's just do that and try it". And we did, and it worked well. And we've made some adjustments over time, but it's still a seven week process, and it doesn't need to be like, this really complicated, set up so. Molly Claire: I think simplicity is a big theme for all of this today, right? And Mark Butler, I think he's the king of helping you simplify things. He just, he sits there like, "Well, okay, what's the big deal?" And I think that advice too, for anyone who has thought about partnerships, I think this is- my opinion is that it's, especially for coaches, it's probably a very rare instance in that you would wanna actually have an official LLC together where there is a business partnership. Having that separate and really contracting and complimenting each other's business and working together, I think is, not only is it much easier, but I think it lends itself probably to a better, I'm trying to think of how to say this - and you guys add to it if you agree or have comments about it or disagree and have comments about it- but the idea that it allows you to have a little bit of that autonomy with figuring out how you fit together really well instead of feeling like you are locked at the hip and no decisions can be made without agreement on it, which I think can be hard when you're running a business. Deena Rutter: I definitely think, I mean, autonomy is probably a pretty big value of mine. Yeah. So feeling like I can make my own decisions in my business and I don't have to answer to Jennie every time you wanna make a little tweak or something. And also, finding a person that you do wanna work with and you wanna collaborate with. I think there's like a gut response to that as well. You kinda know, when you're talking to someone. And I felt that with Jennie. And, of course I was thinking it through as well, but just realizing that it was gonna be a good fit and we would make it a good fit. I mean, we both have these coaching skills, so we know how to take responsibility for our own situations, and that I was gonna make it the best situation to work with Jennie. And we would figure it out. So yes, aligning with someone that you have similar values with is- Molly Claire: yeah. Yeah, because Deena, like you're talking about that gut feeling, right? When you just know, this is a fit. And do think so much of that is feeling that values alignment, right? And I know one thing that I think of when I think of both of you is like a very high level of service and very professional. And I think that as a partnership, it would be really hard if one of you was kind of iffy on how much the customer experience mattered to you. And so my guess is that, that being something of, you know, I mean, I'm assuming it's at the top of your list, just from what I know and what I've experienced from you. I would imagine that that really brings strength to the partnership. Makes it a lot easier. Deena Rutter: Yes. Molly Claire: Yeah. Jennie Lakenan: Yeah, I agree. Molly Claire: So good. Yeah. Jennie, anything you wanted to add or anything? Not that you have to, but partnership wise, Jennie Lakenan: Oh, I just think that, like you said, that values match is so important and also the communication is, and being vulnerable when you communicate is so important. Like if Deena and I at this point have known that and we both have at different times brought issues to one another. I can't even remember a specific one at this point. But anytime I start feeling a niggling of any kind of resentment about anything, I'm like, "Oh, all right. I need to make sure that I talk to Deena about this at our next meeting, because this isn't something that I want to ever let fester cuz it's gonna just really impact our relationship." So yeah, that's something that I always make sure, and I know Deena does too, like if there's something on our minds, we bring it up in a way that's like open and loving to both of us. And not like blaming, but just, you know, and that coaching skills of being able to take ownership really helps with that too. Molly Claire: Yeah. Because I mean, I think it would be impossible for anyone to have any kind of partnership and relationship without having yucky feelings come up or issues or disagreement or whatever. And so I think that's a huge key when you're thinking about partnering with someone, right? Can we both come to the table with how we feel or what we want and listen and all of that. So yeah, I love that. And thinking, I know that, you know, because my sister and I, we had a business partnership and we did do, like, we were together on the LLC and I think that going back to that autonomy, that was something that we would often find challenging because in many ways we have definitely have values alignment. I think that was our strength in our business together was that values alignment, for sure. And then it did make it challenging with us wanting a little bit things in different in our business or how we ran the business. And so it's like, we would come together and kind of work through this and that, but I think ultimately we needed more space to have that autonomy. And I actually think that a partnership set up like this might have been a lot better for us. Not that it was bad. But that we ended up dissolving the partnership because as time went on, it wasn't really what either of us, the space we wanted to be in. And so, I don't know, I think there's just a lot to be learned from how well you guys have navigated this. Mm-hmm. Deena Rutter: Yeah. I also think that if there was any time where Jennie wanted to go in a different direction and or I did, like that would be a conversation we could have and it would, Molly Claire: Sure. Yeah. Deena Rutter: and we would want what was best for the each of each of us. So, Molly Claire: Yes. Love it. Okay, so let's talk just a little bit as we finish up here in the next few minutes, but let's talk a little bit about branding. Deena, I know that for me, for sure, I do not feel like I have an eye for design, a knack for it. It's a place where I feel totally out of my element. So what would you say to someone who maybe feels that way and they're not sure where to begin and it feels overwhelming? Deena Rutter: Okay. Can I reference Brand In a Box again? Molly Claire: Yeah. Oh, absolutely. Anyone that needs basic branding I think they absolutely have to look at it. It's not expensive. It's gonna make everything easier and faster. Deena Rutter: Yeah. And I will say that a lot of people have a logo that they love or a couple color colors that they love. I teach you how to implement those into the templates in Brand In in a Box. That doesn't need to be a deterrent to not purchase it, but, I have found a lot of people sound just like you. Like, "I think I know what I like when I see it, but I just wanna have the confidence to like, send something out into the world or send a worksheet to my clients or, you know, create a freebie that looks good." Having some things in place like a color palette, keeping it simple. Fonts, don't keep changing your fonts. A logo can be so, so simple. And then just sticking with those simple fundamentals as you move forward. You don't have to overthink it, just keep putting that out there. So Brand In A Box has all of that in one. Cause I've heard it so many times, like, "I don't know how to choose this. I don't, I don't know what looks good, I don't..." you know? So having that in place, just picking, and moving forward. Keeping it simple. Just constrained. Molly Claire: Yeah, and, and I'll just say, I know I was just sending over to Deena yesterday, a couple of testimonials. They were people that had worked with me in my program that were the ones that really made me aware that this was available. And they were moving through and creating their stuff, and it was so beautiful. And they really loved that ease and simplicity. And so, I've experienced that from this perspective with my clients. And one thing I wanna say is, even when I think about the idea of, of buying Brand In A Box and making use of it, that seems intimidating to me. Because it's kind of like, "Hey, I'm not really good with brand and oh, this is a do it yourself." And so maybe I wasn't clear. I'm not good with branding. But even if someone feels that way, even if someone feels like, "oh, I could never do it". It really is easy. They shouldn't be scared. True. Deena Rutter: Yes. So just how Jennie was saying, like the website in a weekend, I really think you could do your branding and your website in a weekend with these two. So, I've already created the logo, I've patterned it up with the color palette and the style and all of that. So it's really a matter of like typing in your name. You just follow really simple steps to have everything in your Canva account already. I know that first step is always a little tricky for people to make. So that's why I walk you through it. I have these steps. Walk through these steps. You'll have everything in your Canva count, everything's gonna be ready to go. And I think that's what those women with those testimonials, that's what they found. You just have to open it up and see, it really is possible to just like, you just have to take the next step. That's all we can ever do. But it does seem a little scary and daunting and I've, I've really tried to remove that as much as I possibly can to get you started. Cause I don't think of it as much as like a DIY, just because it's all curated for you. I have done iterations of this, of Brand In a Box before where it was more like me trying to teach people how to go find their color palette and and how to find a logo that they like. And I just thought like that is a little overwhelming and intimidating to people. I'm just gonna create some curated collections by me that I think look amazing. And then just teach people how to change their name for their business and how to make it unique for them. And let's stop overthinking it. Because there's people out there waiting for you. Molly Claire: That's right. Seriously, right? There are people out there needing what you have. And I love that. And I actually wanna highlight really quick what you said about making it unique. Because I know the coaches that I've worked with that have used it, their things did not look identical at all. And I think someone listening could think, "Oh, well, you know, I don't wanna have a logo that looks like everyone else out there", but it's different than that. It is individualized. Deena Rutter: Yes. And I teach you how to make it more individualized if you want to. But I also think like we're marketing to the other billion of people in the world and people overthink their logo way too much in their colors. Like it's really just about being consistent. And just something so you can keep moving forward. Don't overthink that. "Oh, mine looks too much like that other person". You can just, that doesn't matter. That's not what's going to get those people in the door to work with you. Yeah. Yeah. Molly Claire: So, yeah. And I wanna ask you, Jennie, a little bit, some things along those lines too, but just with what, what Deena has just said, I think a really important takeaway from all of this in general is the value in getting some branding in place and doing it, is, I do think there is a sense of confidence built. You can feel proud to show people something. You feel more professional. I think there's so much value in it, and at the same time, it also does not matter how exact, how perfect, what colors. It's almost like it's so important and it's also just not that important when it comes to getting stuck. So just, just do it. Take that step. You'll feel better and have something awesome. Deena Rutter: Yeah. I wanted to say one more thing really quickly, is that we do feel a little bit, I know I did, like a little imposter syndrome, like, "Oh, I just made up this thing that I decided to be a life coach". But when you have something that looks professional from the get-go it does give you that confidence that like, "Oh my goodness, I really have a real business. And I'm not afraid to put myself out there, because it does look professional." And then you kind of grow into that, like you believe in yourself more. And then you start to show up differently. And, and it helps to move it all forward. Yeah. Everyone wins. Molly Claire: Yeah. Yeah, I love it. Okay. And then Jennie, what about tech? I have a lot of coaches getting him hung up on tech for sure. So what would you tell the people that are listening that do feel like tech is a big sticking point for them? Yeah, that's a big question. Jennie Lakenan: I don't know if you'll end up including this part, cuz I like, I know in your program you teach them about, "Okay, let's make a simple landing page website. And let's have an opt-in," and stuff. But honestly, if tech is a really big sticking point for somebody and they just can't get past it, then I just say just don't even worry about it. Just go out there and make offers in other ways that are not tech related, because you can. I always say it like tech is like a dishwasher. When my husband and I first got married, like we didn't have a dishwasher in our little teeny tiny apartment. And we got by just fine. Doing dishes took longer. And it was more of a hassle, but we still did, had clean dishes, but then when we moved into a house and we got a dishwasher, and of course we never would wanna go with without one again. And it just makes the work so much easier and more. Molly Claire: I know, right? I've been there too. Jennie Lakenan: Yes. But tech is kind of like that. Like you don't have to have a website or, or an email list to get paying clients, but it does move you faster. And it does the make work easier. So honestly, if someone's really stuck on the tech, that's what I'll tell them. Molly Claire: I agree. I'm gonna butt in for a second and then I'm gonna come back to you. This is what I always say to my clients. I'm like, you need - and you might disagree with this and say, "oh, you don't even need that", but this is what I say. You need three things to start. Making money as a coach, you need a way for people to schedule with you, you need a way for people to pay you, and you need time on your calendar to coach them. Like, that is it. And so those little tech things I do think, have a little scheduler, have your payments set up, but then go start coaching people. So I totally agree. Totally agree. Yes. Yeah. Jennie Lakenan: Yeah, absolutely. And yeah, those things like having a scheduler, having a payment process, having a simple landing page website. And the beginnings of an email list, like those things will definitely make your life so much easier. It's great. Molly Claire: And here's the thing too, you don't have to do it all yourself. If you are frustrated with a scheduler, hire someone that's not expensive to help you set it up, right? Yep. It's gonna save you a lot of time and money. Jennie Lakenan: Absolutely. And if someone's getting stuck on the website again, like Deena mentioned, Brand In a Aox. I'll mention my website kit for coaches. I'll point them to that and say this could be a really great thing for you. It's super simple. If you have no idea what a domain is or a web host or any of that stuff, you don't have to know. I explain it to you in a course. In a super simple way, and by the end of it, you have this really beautiful, beautifully designed, but simple to set up, landing page of a website. One page and it explains who you are as a coach, has friendly pictures of you to build trust, a button to schedule, and an opt-in form so that they can put in their name and their email and get added to your list. And you can start kind of like nurturing them. Molly Claire: It's so much easier than people think, because I know when we think website, it's like, okay, it has all this, this menu at the top and then there's content on all the pages and it's going to be this big expense and this big project and, and so yeah. What Jennie's speaking to and this website kit for coaches, it's really, I always refer to it as like a landing page. Like I think of it as just it's just that page. But it looks legit, like someone that doesn't know the difference between a full website that has all this functionality and that they're just, "Oh, this is a website." This is it. Jennie Lakenan: Exactly, and it gives them the information that they need depending on where they're at. You know, if they're ready to schedule, they can click that button. If they're curious, but they're not ready to schedule yet, they can put in their name and their email and get added. Get some free content on your list. Molly Claire: Yeah. Yes. Perfect. I know and I definitely am. I'm the one who hires stuff like that out. We had this townhouse we lived in, when we were first married, my ex-husband and I, we were first married and the townhouse did not have a dishwasher. And we lasted, I think three days. And then we went out and bought one of those like portable ones where you could like put it in the kitchen and it was totally worth it. So I kind of think of that as like our version of just getting at least a scheduler and get a way for people to pay. And it'll make everything a lot easier. Even if you don't have the built-in dishwasher with all the features like the website. So yeah. Anything else, Jennie, you wanted to say about, because I know that you do full website service and then this website kit for coaches is really just those basic first steps. Anything else you'd say to people that might be a fit for, but maybe they're worried it might not be for them or, Jennie Lakenan: If anyone's listening and they're like, "I am so not techy, it's a challenge for me. There's no way I can possibly do that." I've actually designed the course specifically for you, for that person that is like, "I don't know anything tech." Because what I do in the modules is, I share my screen. And I show you exactly, click here and type in this. And not in a condescending way, but just in a, like, I'm your guide. I'm here to guide you through this so that you don't have to know any tech. Like, you really don't. And I've had enough students to go through the course now that identify as like non-techy and have said, "Oh, this was actually super doable for me. That like, I have the confidence to really say that." Yeah. Yeah. Molly Claire: Yes. Yes. Amazing. Well, I love what you both are doing. I mean, it's such a service supporting coaches. Think about all the coaches that love this work, that love helping to change lives, and they're stuck on something like tech or branding. And so I just love that you, both of you and together, have come together to create something that is simple steps, low cost, and really helping move the coach's mission forward. All right. So you guys, everything is in the show notes. And Deena, go ahead and tell people where they can find you. Deena Rutter: Okay, it's Deenarutter.com. And if you're looking for the Brand In A Box, it's slash box. Um, that's where you can find me. Molly Claire: Awesome. And Jennie, how about you? Jennie Lakenan: Yeah, same. My website is just my name. So just Jennielaken.com. And then, if you want to buy the website kit, it's just Jennielaken.com/kit.
Molly Claire: Awesome. And like I said, you all the link will be in the show notes and those of you that are in the 10K Accelerator or that are joining, you also will have a mini training from each of these ladies. And the opportunity to buy the two together if they want, so, yeah. Yep. All right. Awesome. Thank you so much.