Unwhelm Coaching Brief
Creative Brief Participants
Katie and David — April 2022
Overview
What would you like us to do for you? What is the purpose and scope of the project (heighten credibility, expand services, sell 2000 widgets, etc.)?
1. Katie would like to sell her finished book. And she'd like to become a top-ten seller in more than one Amazon category.
2. Katie would like to create a website where people can see all the things she can do for them.
3. Katie would like to sell memberships on her website.
4. Katie would like a screening tool to eliminate people who are not "Katie's awesome fucking clients."
The very least profitable revenue stream is selling hours to clients. Katie has only so many hours in the day. She says: "I can only work with under ten actual clients."
Ideally, Katie will be active with a client for six months and then keep them as a member forever.
Katie's website should be a landing place that encourages people to become members or contract for services. In addition, Katie will promote the site through social media. Note: Katie will outsource social media engagement services.
Projects include
Design Logo
Design Business Identity: Business card, note card, A-7 envelope, and digital letterhead.
Design Website
Design Book Cover
Also: We may design some downloadable paper forms.
Creative Considerations
What limitations or constraints do you have (budget, schedule, size, paper, etc.)? What elements or colors, or other personal preferences must be represented in this project? Where will additional materials that we do not create come from? (writing/photography/illustration etc.) What are examples of projects of this type you have seen that you think are effective? Can you please share some samples?
The unwhelmaphant is the LOGO. Ideally, the finished illustration should be pretty close to Nick's work. The unwhelmaphant is floating. The unwhelmaphant's front legs are floating. The number of balloons is flexible.
Writing: Katie
Photo: Annelise
Illustration: Nick or 101 Hats
Nothing should look like it comes from a white, middle-aged man. Everything is by women, for women, accessible, conversational, nothing formal or stogy.
Katie will provide:
Website copy for all the pages. It won't be a spreadsheet. =)
Clean service menu—categorize in the big nine with the copy for clickthrough
Six testimonials
We will focus on two main colors:
My favorite color is dark teal, kind of like 026e6e
The accent color is an orange similar to DC6600
Other colors I love so that you know the flavor I appreciate:
Golden yellow FFD700
Magenta/plum 741a63
Weird dusty yellow E6B568
Sage green 9FADA4
Sites Katie Loves:
smart
slightly snarky
not afraid of curse words
space and airiness
Photos
the story of it
The site feels like a conversation with a friend
bright open, airy feeling with pops of color
simple
elegant
bold
assessment
Lots of cool embedded videos
That PHOTO!
Just the photo on the home page with a tiny bit of text. That's a baller. Not what I want, but bold and fabulous.
The "About" photo was taken in a bar
Lots of space and air (seeing a pattern here?)
Mostly I loved the attitude in the photos, but her intake form and screening tool are cool
Great conversational style
Contact form options
Product Description
What are the products or services your business provides? What is the product or service that you want to promote? What are its features? How much does it cost? What is it made of, and how is it used? What makes it different, unusual, or unique?
Unwhelm your business. Streamline businesses. Tame your time.
Mission: Unwhelm Coaching removes the everyday obstacles between you and your dreams.
Vision: Unwhelm Coaching helps women in business own their time, claim their worth, and recognize their superpower.
Values:
Honesty
Personal Relationships
Nurturing
Creativity
Collaboration
Women support women!
Women in business face unique challenges. Societal pressure, financial responsibility, and a global Pandammit have put much more pressure on women. Katie says: "When they come to me, my clients are overwhelmed. They may have missed deadlines because they couldn't find all the pieces or dread their email inbox. Their notifications might number in triple digits. They are often also moms, so they have to manage all that plus dental appointments, and it's Tuesday, so they have one kid at fucking baseball practice. They may be so overwhelmed they don't even know where to start. They can't even find all their shit, let alone get it together."
Katie continues: I get it. I've had five kids, two families, countless music lessons, and sports practices while running various successful businesses and nonprofit organizations and managing my ADHD. All the tools and tricks I used to keep my shit together are the same ones that help you keep your shit together! As a result, I'm uniquely qualified to understand the specific brand of overwhelm that comes with being a woman in business."
"What sets me apart is that first I listen. I'm part coach, part therapist, and partly paid best friend. And then I'll help you get your shit together and stay on track. I'll guide and teach you so that you can streamline, automate, systematize, and outsource your way back to balance."
"When you're done hanging out with me, you'll feel more confident and comfortable in your business and its ability to generate revenue. You'll be running your business instead of your business running you. But, most importantly, you'll have more time, more money, and more JOY."
"I'm Glinda the Good Witch to your Dorothy, and you've had those ruby slippers this whole damn time. You need someone to show you how they work."
People call me:
Paid best friend
Business ride or die
Business alchemist
Outsourced executive function
External hard drive
Extra brain
Tag: I deliver you more time, money, and joy.
Katie is funny, snarky, and authentic; she gets me. Katie has proven experience, and her clients love her.
Two Memberships:
For $150, you get full access to the member area.
For $350, you get full access to the member area AND an hour with Katie each month.
Katie does strategic work:
One-month contracts start at $2,000.
Six-month custom contracts start at $6,000.
And Katie will sell hours for $200 occasionally.
Book Title: Unwhelm Helping you remove the (everyday) obstacles between you and your dreams (business success)
Competition
What makes your business special among similar businesses? What's your value proposition? Who is your present competition? Who would you like to be competing with? What similar products or services are currently available, and how good are they?
Katie cares most about what works for you her client. She doesn't have a system to sell you. Katie will create systems alongside you that work for you. She has first-hand experience managing woman/business/personal ADHD. Katie says: "My ADHD is a superpower."
Katie's crazy experiences and backgrounds are a vast store of knowledge that you can tap into—a HUGE, weird, varied experience.
Katie's competition: Business coaches, services that manage your email, mail chimp, or any systems builder. Virtual assistants.
Katie will schedule and manage email messages for a client.
Collaboration is important. Supporting women is at the heart of everything I do. I can introduce you to people who can help.
There are some outstanding coaches out there. But, unfortunately, it's hard to find an excellent coach.
How do we present KATIE as one of the good coaches? My clients are raving fans. So testimonial proof will be substantial and crucial to our message.
Target Audience & Market Realities
Who is your current primary audience (gender, age, socioeconomics, employment, geographics)? How much do they know about the product? What are their attitudes toward products or businesses like yours? What motivates them? Who do you want your audience to be?
Ages: 25 to 70. The core is 25 to 40.
A lot of clients are on the verge of success or growth. They have money to pay me but still dream of jumping to a new level. They've hit the ceiling of the current system. They have money but not time and capacity.
How much do they know: They think they know about coaching, but they might not. Katie sometimes does work for Lindsay so that Lindsay can work with her business coach. Katie will work herself out of a job.
IMPORTANT: Katie helps you focus on your talents. Katie enables you to focus on your superpower.
Motivation: They want to level up. Katie's clients want more time, money, and joy. They feel like they are drowning, and they want a life preserver. Katie helps her clients stop worrying and focus on what they love doing.
Ideal Client: AP photo with more money. Annelise is focused on personal relationships and is lots of fun and fires customers who are rude to Katie, follows my advice, values the relationship, and pays me lots of money.
Katie offers business therapy. She is part coach, part systems admin, part therapist, and part whatever you need today.
User Benefits
How will the user be better off using your product or service? Will they save time, effort, or money? If so, how much? How important is this product to the consumer? Are there tradeoffs (higher quality but higher price)?
Katie's clients will have more time, joy, and money. Plus, they will be less overwhelmed. They can focus on their superpower. They will have more confidence in their ability to run their business instead of their business running them. They gain breathing space. They have a plan, and they know how to work the plan. Katie builds a roadmap, and they drive the car.
Will save time, effort, and money (15 paid subscriptions instead of three). I streamline communications so clients pay on time and get reminders. I make it easy for clients to spend money with them.
I manufacture time.
How important. It's vital. Four clients have said, I could not have done this without you.
Drawback: Change is hard, and it gets worse before it gets better. They must participate. Katie does not do it for them. It's not cheap, but it is valuable.
You have to follow the steps. Slow down to speed up.
Most Important Point (MIP)
What are the top three (or more) ranked benefits of your product or service? If you could choose only one thing the audience remembers from your advertising, what would it be?
I give you immediate concrete tips and tools. You get help right away.
Benefits:
I identify the highest payoff activities.
I will build you a concrete step-by-step plan. One thing at t time.
I give you more time, more joy, more money,
I am here to build you up and HYPE your strengths.
I will show you your superpowers
I will push you — with pacing.
I keep you focused like the bumpers on the bowling lane. Should we do that this month? Does that align with the goals we set for this month?
I will introduce you to collaborators.
MIP: Katie helps you focus on your talents. Katie enables you to focus on your superpower.
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