ToddTalks 27 - What is your hourly rate REALLY worth? It’s important to know your value in the marketplace. What are you really worth per hour? Put a value on your time and expertise and it will help you in pricing your time as well as what value you bring to the table. Think about it— what are you worth? Please subscribe! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toddtalks/id1483361044 About Todd: I am a lifetime creative professional dedicated to helping other businesses and individuals achieve their best—their Zen. I’m Todd Mitchell. Lifetime artist, entrepreneur, and 30-year creative professional. I develop creative ideas and solutions that help inspire the best in people, products and businesses. My mission is helping others achieve their absolute best. Personally and professionally. Mitchell Creative Group is a micro-virtual creative agency outside of Boston, serving small businesses with professional creative services: Branding and identity, marketing and advertising, web and print, video and new media. Small businesses need high-level creative support— quickly, and at a fair, flexible price. And that’s what I provide. https://www.mitchellcreativegroup.com [email protected] (508) 494-8182 JOIN THE PODCAST! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toddtalks/id1483361044 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iF3nmexQwTOW83Dp9h79L

Many businesses change their brand for the wrong reasons. Please subscribe! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toddtalks/id1483361044 About Todd: I am a lifetime creative professional dedicated to helping other businesses and individuals achieve their best—their Zen. I’m Todd Mitchell. Lifetime artist, entrepreneur, and 30-year creative professional. I develop creative ideas and solutions that help inspire the best in people, products and businesses. My mission is helping others achieve their absolute best. Personally and professionally. Mitchell Creative Group is a micro-virtual creative agency outside of Boston, serving small businesses with professional creative services: Branding and identity, marketing and advertising, web and print, video and new media. Small businesses need high-level creative support— quickly, and at a fair, flexible price. And that’s what I provide. https://www.mitchellcreativegroup.com [email protected] (508) 494-8182 JOIN THE PODCAST! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toddtalks/id1483361044 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iF3nmexQwTOW83Dp9h79L

How to create a press releaseCreating a press release can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be— like anything else. There are 2 factors—creating it, and then publishing it. Create it well, and use the best publishing source for your field/market. Google search “free press release template” as well as “writing press releases,” or “how to create a press release.” There are MANY helpful links. Please subscribe! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toddtalks/id1483361044About Todd: I am a lifetime creative professional dedicated to helping other businesses and individuals achieve their best—their Zen.I’m Todd Mitchell. Lifetime artist, entrepreneur, and 30-year creative professional. I develop creative ideas and solutions that help inspire the best in people, products and businesses. My mission is helping others achieve their absolute best. Personally and professionally. Mitchell Creative Group is a micro-virtual creative agency outside of Boston, serving small businesses with professional creative services: Branding and identity, marketing and advertising, web and print, video and new media. Small businesses need high-level creative support— quickly, and at a fair, flexible price. And that’s what I provide.https://[email protected](508) 494-8182

It’s wise to be strategic and thoughtful about what social media you use— and tik tok might actually work to your benefit.

The internet is super-saturated. So what does that mean to you? Be creative and very aggressive in your approach to content.

Adobe will disable support for authoring with Type 1 fonts in January 2023.

Projects don’t have to take so long. Here’s some advice on getting things moving quickly before your competition beats you to the finish line!

There’s a lot to marketing, but here’s some advice on simply getting started—make it easy.

There’s a big difference in the font world. Not just the font, but what type, what style, what kind… And then, online, for print, and for application only. Here are the basics behind fonts and typestyles.

Whether you have a small startup lemonade-stand business, or a large enterprise corporation, developing a sound marketing strategy and budget are vital to the business. Why? First let’s define marketing and why that matters.

Almost everyone in the modern technological world today has email. Text, social media, apps, phone, and most definitely email. We use the email on a daily basis to communicate with family, friends, or at work. Certainly in a work environment we see sometimes hundreds of emails a day. So creating quality emails that get attention and truly get the job done are much more important today than ever.

What real help looks like. How to best-serve creative clients.When it comes to client services, you want to nurture, nurture, nurture. Provide the best service you can, no matter what. THAT is what you do. The adage— the customer is always right “sort of” applies here. They are not always right, so let’s re-phrase that to “the customer is always most important no matter what.”My version of real help looks like this: Caring more for the other than for your self. No ego, no attitudes. Simply putting that person in #1 position to help them. That’s what I believe, that’s what I do. When it comes to running a creative agency— virtual, in person, or otherwise requires that you provide a service to others and apply your God-given talents to others. It’s what you do. You either hire, or outsource others that are the best in their field. Thus, surrounding yourself with an excellent team. That team now serves clients. I have applied these principles to everything I do in life, especially professionally for now running my own micro-virtual creative agency for over 20 years. I lead with kindness, respect, honesty, humor, and caring. My expectation is that they are #1—always. I disregard things like “revision rounds,” too many edits, problems, budgets, and concerns. All of these things can be worked around, fixed, and resolved. Every client and every project wants the same ending. High quality, fast, and affordably. So how we get there is (in my opinion and method) dependent on the guide—the leader. If you provide a safe haven, a catcher’s mitt mentality that you catch every ball thrown— open that glove and take the hits. You are not only one of the best players or catchers in the game, but will be relied upon, trusted, and established as a valued partner. And THAT is what’s most important. Be a valued and trusted leader.There’s far too many greedy, selfish, arrogant, and thoughtlessness in the world, so why not provide the better side? By living these values and virtues, or acting upon the best core values you can personally, and then provide that outwardly, you are creating the best service available. The ideal relationship. And that is what real help looks like in any business.Let me give you a few examples of how I suggest helping creative clients:1. No problem, I’ll take care of that2. YES! I will do that, no problem3. Budgets and cost are always flexible. Let’s come up with a cost that fits the best need and budget.4. I’ll fix it as much as we need to until we get it right5. I’m sorry about that, let me fix that quickly6. This is VERY important, let me take care of that7. How soon do you need it?On top of that, one of my beliefs is putting your literal money where your mouth is. And this is a valuable question: Are you willing to do it for free? I sure have… I have probably provided just as much free work as I have paid work. Why? Because I do what I love and love what I do. And my core belief is providing a service to others as an obligation and honor rather than a way to “get money from others.” Now obviously wisdom, experience, discipline, and boundaries all come in to play here. Running a fiscally-responsible business require a lot of common sense. So you also need to practice your Zen… your protective instinct to maintain a solid business. That goes without saying.But valuing what’s most important should not be money first, or profit first, or “things.” Those things always come and go‚ and eventually go away. So by valuing your talents and your customer’s needs first— providing a great service to others, you will NEVER run out of or provide enough of. And because of that— you in turn run a more sustainable business. Remember, at the core, your “DNA” or your genetics and cellular structure is what you are, so build up a solid foundation based on those inner values first. And ask your self what those things are to you.But before you “help” others, really ponder why you are helping them in the first place?

Just a simple conversation with my Dad, Father in Law, and brother on modern day sales and business.

Sometimes life serves you some real curveballs. And unlike life events that affect YOU, sometimes it affects humanity. And how we face fear as a common people… that’s what matters most.

What a year! 2020. seeing 20/20. No one expected a pandemic year, but it really had a lot of positivity as well…

What do your dreams mean to you? Are they telling you something? It’s a real mystery and controversial. I had some real freaky dreams after the passing of my Mom.

Do you need web design classes? You only “need” what you need for success. You might have the skills and abilities, may need to train to attain a certain level, and then depends on how bad you want it! Be it college, training courses, classes, or any other tool or process… so “do you NEED website classes?” It depends. Keep the end in mind, and then how you get there. I can tell you this— people want results. Awesome experiences. No matter how you get there. Listen in!

Thinking vs. doing. Let’s face it, getting it done is what really matters. Thinking allows us to plan and prepare. It’s simple, cheap, and often done WAY too much. Anything existing was done though, not just thought about… Listen in!

Branding is king. Everything is branded. Products, businesses, and YOU. Yes, personal branding is important as well. Knowing who you are and what you are about has an effect on your own well being, and everyone you deal with. Branding companies and products have an effect on how successful it is and should be consistent, professional, and relevant! Listen in!

When does one become a “master?” Or when does pone attain “mastery?” And then, when you reach that level of expertise when does the master know when to say “no.” With wisdom and experience, one begins to know how to respond naturally. Here are some ideas on how to say “no” when you are at a more experienced level of expertise.

When it comes to sharing with friends and family, it's always a good thing to do as long as it's honest, heartfelt, meaningful, and appreciated, but what about when it's a talent, skill, or specialty? Here are some ideas to help prevent being taken advantage of, frustrated, or to simply know how to handle it if you aren't sure.

Inspired conversation about a cousin’s kid being bullied gave me some thoughts and ideas on bullying.

Opportunity may be right in front of you. Learning to recognize it helps you to easily, organically, and comfortably create MORE opportunity, up selling, and generate more results, more movement, and more sales.

Pricing can make, break, or nullify your product or service. Learning how to deal with pricing can have a very positive effect. Listen in and get some tips and tricks on pricing.

ToddTalks. Todd Mitchell—husband, father of three, entrepreneur, partner at Angellic Beauty, owner of Mitchell Creative Group, LLC, personal and spiritual care practitioner shares his talks, interviews, and journey. Exploring creativity, imagination, business, personal and spiritual growth and development, humor, and much more… Join the talks, join the adventure, join the fun!