Easy vs. Ease

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Yesterday in the client spotlight for Sarah Wood Photography I wrote this:

It’s not easy but it can happen with great ease.

We got some feedback on this because, well, technically it’s a contradiction.  The thing is, to me it’s not.  These two things are as different as night and day.

When I say that something is easy I mean that it is effortless, completely void of push – there is no try involved.  And I’ll be honest – I don’t value it a whole lot.  Your ability to do easy does not impress me.

For example: Phil Mickelson kicking my butt at mini-golf would not wow me. Well, it would wow me in that I was playing mini-golf with Phil (which should totally happen) but his ability to kick my butt – that is EASY for him, he’s a pro – there is no push.  I would be unimpressed by this.

When I say that something happens with great ease I mean that while there is work and effort, there is minimal drag. The resistance to meet the goal is negligible – there is a wonderful feeling to the action – it is fluid.  It is like how the grass grows – without struggle and up towards the sun.  It’s focused and rewarding and I place a whole lot of value here.

For example: The way Michael Phelps moves through the water; it’s clearly a lot of work – there is an excess of effort, but minimal resistance. It’s almost like the end of the lane is pulling him in.  THAT is ease.

My goal is not to have work that is easy. I do not want an easy life.  That would be awful.  But I do want a life that unfolds with ease, work hard, grow up towards the sun, enjoy the journey – marinate in the achievements and then go after more.

 

Client Spotlight: Sarah Wood Photography

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Sarah Wood of Sarah Wood Photography came in through a referral – people ask us all the time: How do you get new clients? And the answer is just one: people refer us. Do great work – work hard – do what you say – do it when you say you’re going to do it – and you will grow.  It’s not easy but it can happen with great ease.

Sarah came to us with a couple interesting requests….

Sarah is looking to expand her business and in order to do that her work needed to be front and center….because her work is clearly amazing that was an easy thing to do so we went full image on the homepage with simple and clear navigation running over it.

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Sarah recently started working with a local animal shelter and her work with these animals is so heart warming – hundreds of miles away I am swept up in these eyes looking for forever homes – this is also a great way to introduce her work to new potential clients.  To accomplish this awareness effort the masonry blog style was selected – this was actually Sarah’s suggestion and let me tell you listening to the client is one of our best moves.

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What we have to say:

[quote style=”boxed”]Sarah is a dream to work with – her work is remarkable and her commitment to showcasing that in the most authentic and accessible way possible is noteworthy. She’s also a straight shooter and a kind & energetic person- some of our most favorite qualities in a client. [/quote]

What Sarah had to say:

[quote style=”boxed”]Ahh, it is complete. So much time, detail and hard work went into this. Thank you so much to Capra Strategy for making my vision a reality! You are incredible!  Again, thank you so much! It felt good to be able to imagine something in my head, communicate that to you and then have it in front of me! Amazing attention to detail! Just love you guys![/quote]

 

 

Weekly Pep Talk: Summer Time and the Work…still has to get done.

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On Thursday I was at the school district with Lexi so that she could be evaluated for Kindergarten* and it was the last day of school.  The air of summer vacation was extravagant, contagious and like the financial bubble of 2008.  The kids were quite literally skipping through the halls – the teachers were high-fiving and talking about their plans to car-pool the summer away. We left the building exhuberant HIGH on summer vacation energy.

And then. (dum dum dum)

I had to get my shit back together to have a day of work.

Wah? This hardly seemed fair. And I actually love my job. (I really really do).  So I thought in that moment THIS is the topic of our weekly pep talk.

Five Ways you can Reclaim that Summer Vacation Feeling at your J-O-B

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  1. Clean our your locker. You don’t have a locker?  Clean out your desk.  Recycle. Stop hoarding office supplies that you don’t like – only hoard things you LOVE.
  2. Put your proper work bag away and throw that laptop in a a beach bag. For my dude friends – lets hook you up with a messenger style bag worthy of your inner surf dude.
  3. Mark your vacation days on your calendar and do not work on them. You know who reads this blog?  People like me.  Do you know who this one is really for?  Us.  Me.  You.  Seriously – we need to turn it OFF – its summa babeh
  4. At the beginning of your week make a list of three things that MUST happen that week – they must be IMPORTANT.  Do them.  And when those three things are done you’ll feel more equipped to enjoy your weekends…maybe even make them long ones!
  5. Think about what gave you great joy in summer vacations in your youth – was it popsicles dripping down you arms, jumping in the lake, drive-in movies, ice cream for dinner, reading under a tree? Make some time for that stuff. If only in pockets you can have a dreamy summer vacation.

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*brand new drinking game: every time I say kindergarten I take a shot! I’m nearly 70% kidding….okay it’s like 53%

I want more website traffic? The answer inside!

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Hi there.  It’s Cass today.  How are you?  It’s the end of the week and I hope that our little pep talk on Sunday night really helped you start off on the right foot.  But here we are at the close and I bet there are a couple of thorns from the week poking through – hey, we all have them.

A client asked me a few weeks ago how she could get more website traffic.  A lot of people ask this question.  And the answer is pretty easy.  Be you.  Be real.  Be authentic.  Just put it all out there and say “LOVE ME” because what you’ll find is that you just being you is VERY lovable.

Want some real metrics? A run of the mill blog post gets 100 views. A post that is truly authentic and showcases a real life opinion gets over 1,000. This being real stuff works.

And it doesn’t just work for metrics.  It works for your life.  The weekend is directly in front of you – DO something that you just love. Make it the priority – let something that is unnecessarily urgent GO and spend some time just being you.

Because I’m a curious girl I want to know…..how are you going to get closer to being YOU this weekend?

 

Customers, Communicating and Cats

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Communication is a key aspect in any relationship, whether that relationship is personal, professional, romantic or otherwise. When it comes to communicating with your customers (or anyone else, for that matter) the importance is just as great. You’ll only get your message across if you find the right way to communicate. Three things you need to know:

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  1. Who are they? We’ve covered this before. Differentiate between your customer and the consumer and figure out which one you need to be talking to. Read the linked post for more.
  2. Where are they? If you can answer this question, you’ll be able to find the right channels to use to communicate with your target. Do they spend most of their time on social networks? Are they reading their local paper? What radio stations do they listen to?
  3. What kind of messages do they prefer? Some people respond more positively to logical arguments, others prefer an amusing anecdote. Learning the type of communications your customers like best is the final step in making sure you reach them.

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And if all else fails, just post a cat video. Works every time.