IAM789- Brand Strategist Helps Create Profitable Brands

Jaime is a brand strategist, creative director, and educator for wellness & socially conscious businesses. She's been in the wellness industry for 13 years and in design for 20. Jaime has lived, worked, and studied in the US, Italy, and Japan.

• CEO Hack: Knowing the industry in which I work
• CEO Nugget: Reverse engineering (ii) acknowledging that not everybody can access the 24 hrs the same
• CEO Defined: Having full responsibility and accessibility to craft the way of working in line with what you want

Website: https://www.studioaiuto.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaimedidio/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StudioAiuto/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimedidio/

Check out one of our favorite CEO Hack’s Audible. Get your free audiobook and check out more of our favorite CEO Hacks HERE

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Please Note: Our team is using the AI CEO Hacks: Exemplary AI and Otter.ai to support our podcast transcription. While we know it's improving there may be some inaccuracies, we are updating and improving them. Please contact us if you notice any issues, you can also test out Exemplary AI here.

[00:00:02.20] – Intro 

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you’ve come to the right place, Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you’re in search of. This is the I am CEO podcast.

[00:00:29.80] – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I Am CEO podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Jamie D'Deo of Studio. Jaime, it's awesome to have you on the show.

[00:00:41.89] – Jaime Di Dio

Thank you so much for having me, Grish. I really appreciate it.

[00:00:44.89] – Gresham Harkless

No problem. Super excited to have you on. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Jamie so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Jamie is a brand strategist, creative director, and educator for wellness and socially conscious businesses. She's been in the wellness industry for thirteen years and in design for twenty years. Jamie has lived, worked, and studied in the United States, Italy, and Japan. Jamie, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

[restrict paid=”true”]

[00:01:11.09] – Jaime Di Dio

I am. Thank you.

[00:01:12.50] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Let's do it. So to kick everything off, I wanted to kinda rewind the clock a little bit here a little bit more on how you got started. Could you take us through what I call your CEO story? We'll let you get started with the business.

[00:01:23.50] – Jaime Di Dio

Sure. Yeah. I distinctly remember being in college and saying, I never wanna work for myself, but as things go Not only here the story stinks. So, yeah. As you said, so I was living in Japan. I was living in Tokyo and, moved back to California where I'm from in two thousand eight, right in the middle of the mortgage crisis. So a great time to to start something new. But, I have a background in interior design, and I could not, for the life of me, get a job, you know, for various reasons. So, I decided to cofound a graphic design firm. I really figured that if people didn't have the money to spend on interiors, be it a hotel remodel or a home remodel, what have you, they needed to promote their businesses and get out there. And that's, at the heart of graphic design work.

[00:02:21.69] – Gresham Harkless

Nice. Yeah. I definitely appreciate that. Obviously, two thousand eight, two thousand nine, and a lot of the years around there were a chaotic time, but it's so funny because I think, I read a book. I think it was by Robert Kiyosaki. He was saying that most of the businesses that were in the Fortune five hundred, at that time, were started during economic kinda recessions or down downturns and things like that. And so funny to kinda hear, you know, your perspective and the pivot that you made and the awesomeness that you were able to create largely because during that time, sometimes there's a lot of opportunities out there, and it sounds like you found one with everything that you're doing.

[00:02:58.50] – Jaime Di Dio

Yeah. And I think that's really relevant to where we're at right now. I think people who have a certain a certain way of thinking see opportunity in difficulty, and, that tends to be a characteristic of a lot of entrepreneurs.

[00:03:14.09] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. So that resiliency, as you said, that's definitely needed during this time and we'll be able to pivot and change and see opportunities sometimes where people see, absolute disruption and dis and destruction, I should say. So, I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper and hear a little bit more about your business. Can you take us through exactly what you do and how you serve the clients you work with?

[00:03:35.40] – Jaime Di Dio

Sure. So I help specifically, wellness and socially conscious businesses create profitable brands. So from brand strategy and brand design, through the education side of brand coaching and consulting, anything and everything that goes into creating a brand, I have my hands on.

[00:03:55.90] – Gresham Harkless

Nice. Absolutely love that. And I think so many times and definitely correct me if I'm wrong if you find this, with you know when you speak with clients. I feel like sometimes it's not in the realm of people being an understanding that you can have a socially conscious business, a business that's really about, you know, a purpose and really, solving a problem to an extreme degree and still have that profitable business. I think sometimes people feel like you have to do one or the other, but that's why I love, like, what you stand for and what you do because you bring both of those worlds together and create that that realness in everybody's, business and life.

[00:04:30.10] – Jaime Di Dio

Thank you. Yeah. It's easy to get sucked into the way of thinking that if you are helping society, that everything should be for free. But the way that our society is built, people need money in order to live. So facilitating the kind of lifestyle that people need in order to be comfortable means money and creating profit through business, through solutions, could be other words, is a way to help people live healthier, happier lives.

[00:05:02.60] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And it's extremely powerful when you when you have. I think I feel like it's the the really special place and, when awesomeness happens is when you have a brand, that has a strong purpose, but at the same time is able to be profitable and really be able to put those profits into helping the world make a better place. And, I love that you're able to kinda create that brand strategy around that. And so I know you touched a little bit upon it. Could you take us through for people who may not be familiar with what exactly the brand strategy is? Could you talk about exactly what that is and also touch on what you feel is your secret sauce or the thing you feel kinda sets you apart?

[00:05:38.69] – Jaime Di Dio

Sure. Absolutely. So, a brand strategy is what a lot of people think about brands is what we see, which is how our brains work as humans. People think about logos and websites and, you know, all of the tangibles, all the things you can touch. But in order for those things to work as business tools, which they are, to help you make money, you need to take a step back and have a strategy. You need to look at where you are as a person working in your business, where your industry is, and how to connect the dots, looking at actual market research, market data, what your target audience is expecting, where the holes are with your competitors and, parallel brands.

Looking at all of that in order to inform those visuals and to inform the experience that your business puts out there gets layered into your marketing and your sales process. So that's the place where I start at, and that's how, you know, what leads into what I call a profitable brand in that your, the brand that you build, it must be beautiful. That's a non-negotiable. But at the same time, it needs to, you know, high-level aesthetics together with, the strategy is what helps you to put that into play as as as a business tool to build profit. So that that sets me apart. That together with my, experience in the wellness industry, you know, getting my start back in I I founded the business in two thousand eight, but, back from two thousand seven, started doing this.

And, wellness wasn't even a term. It was you know, there were the hippie crunchy crunchy granola people, and then there was the beginning of the green building movement with, you know, with my background in interior architecture and design. I really had my finger on the pulse of that space. So seeing this come about into something that that's become mainstream, that's a trillion dollar industry worldwide, that's something I've seen grow from the beginning. So when clients come to me, they get all of that experience and that knowledge and and the forecasting that I'm doing and being aware of what's going on in the wellness industry and the socially conscious, space together. Yeah. So that's really what makes working with me different.

[00:08:08.69] – Gresham Harkless

Nice. I absolutely love that. And I love how you said, you know, the beauty is one of those things where it's not it's a nonnegotiable because I think so many times, we think that we can kinda sacrifice in that. But I feel like and definitely correct me if I'm wrong. I feel like the beauty you kinda spoke to obviously is in what we see, but it kinda sounds like as far as the branch strategist that you spoke about is just beauty as far as the systems and understanding how those things are cohesively working together and how it's not, it's not something you negotiate. It's something that you wanna have cohesive. You wanna make sure your logo to your website to the way that you're strategizing your business, and its services and things all those along those lines have that beautiful aspect of it, and they are coherent and cohesive and translate in such a a unified way.

[00:08:55.10] – Jaime Di Dio

Absolutely. Yes. Yes. Everything has to make sense.

[00:08:59.00] – Gresham Harkless

Nice. Well, I definitely appreciate that. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

[00:09:14.00] – Jaime Di Dio

Sure. So I think something that I found over the years is that there are so many great books and resources out there. But, ultimately, as a CEO, you're you're paving your own way. So you're kind of in uncharted territory. So I think that there are a lot of for me personally, I've picked up a lot of tips along the way, and a lot of guidance, but I never felt that anything completely clicked with where I'm at with my unique place of having lived around the world and also as being a mom and an independent parent. So, I think that knowing the industry that I work in, has given me the confidence and the effectiveness in in positioning myself in where I'm working.

[00:10:06.39] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be like a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell a client, or if you happen to be a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

[00:10:18.60] – Jaime Di Dio

Yeah. Being CEO nugget. So I think, you know, a lot of people a lot of, you know, very successful and powerful people have come out and said everyone has twenty-four hours in a day. And, yes, that is true, but not everyone has the liberty to use those twenty-four hours for themselves. whether you are a parent or you're a caregiver or you struggle with a chronic illness or you have something else going on in your lives, you know, a lot of people when they start their businesses, they don't have the luxury of just, you know, quitting their nine to five and jumping into being a CEO. So you might be working, you know, in one place at night and wondering the day or in your lunch breaks.

It's important to acknowledge that everyone you know, not everyone can access those twenty-four hours a day in the same way. And you have to find a way to work that feeds you. I think, for me, something I always go to is reverse engineering. So working backwards. Look at where you want to be and find the way to connect that place with where you're at right now, you know, establishing those milestones and those steps, whatever those connect the dots are along the way, and also acknowledging that as you move forward, that will change because you'll be at a different place.

[00:11:45.60] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. And so now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different unquote CEOs on this show. So, Jamie, what does being a CEO mean to you?

[00:11:57.60] – Jaime Di Dio

Yeah. I think everything that we've discussed leads to this. I think, being a CEO means having full responsibility and at the same time, full ex accessibility to craft the way of working and life that I want. It doesn't mean it's easy. Sometimes, some days will be easy, and that is incredible when it happens. But, you know, I don't believe in balance. I'm fully invested in choreographing a dance between me as an entrepreneur and the CEO and being a mom and an adult human like myself whom I come to the table in all of my roles. And finding a way that if I am not feeling well in my life or in my work, I have full responsibility to change that, whatever that means. If that means I start working only three days a week or if that means that I wrap it up and work for someone else, having that way of thinking to me is being a CEO. It can, you know, it can be the choice to say this isn't working. I will be more effective working with someone else or saying, you know, I'm gonna change completely rework my business, whatever that may be. For me, that's what being a CEO means.

[00:13:14.79] – Gresham Harkless

Nice. I love and appreciate that perspective because I think so many times, I'll say, like, I feel like the CEO and entrepreneur is kind of like the artist, but I love that visual of the of choreographing a dance and being able to kinda integrate all those different aspects into what you want. And then as you said, sometimes if you make that dance move, so to speak, and it's not the right dance move, you just have to pivot and change and and and and find a different, turn or a different step that you're gonna take. And I think if we understand that we have at our disposal the opportunity to be able to make those decisions and make those adjustments considering, you know, all the, the, the commitments and things that we have in place, then that provides a lot of opportunity, provides a lot of, I think empowerment as well too into what we can do in terms of seeing our life, our future, and our businesses, and how we want to see it.

[00:14:04.00] – Jaime Di Dio

I agree. Yeah.

[00:14:07.00] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, Jamie, truly appreciate that definition again, and I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know, and, of course, how best they can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things that you're working on.

[00:14:23.10] – Jaime Di Dio

Absolutely. I think something, that's very important to remember, sometimes when we put our heads down and only look at our businesses, it's very important to be aware of your needs, whatever they may be. Being in tune with those and not passing them up. If you have a desire for something that's completely valid. And, most of the time, you know, when you're being a CEO, I think we tend to get blinders. But being aware of what you can give to society and that a part of that is what you can give to yourself is something that should not be forgotten. Yeah. So, I tend to talk a lot about this type of approach to working and to the dance, as I said, between life and work. I tend to be most on my Instagram, which is, at Jamie Di Dio. And you can also find me on my website, which is studioaiuto.com.

[00:15:34.39] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you so much again, Jamie. We will have the links and information in the show notes just so that everybody can follow up with you. But I definitely appreciate that last reminder as well too because I think so many times when we're trying to save the world and make the world a better place, we often forget sometimes the most important person, which is ourselves, and remind ourselves to keep our cup full because not only does it help us out, but it helps us to kinda give on an even, higher and basically, a more effective level. And I think when we remind ourselves of that and the effectiveness that that can provide for ourselves and others, that's truly when we reach a phenomenal level. So I love and appreciate that reminder, and I appreciate your time again today, I hope you have a great rest of the day.

[00:16:16.10] – Outro 

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at IAMCEO.CO. I am CEO is not just a phrase, it’s a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Subscribe and leave us a five-star rating. Grab CEO gear a www.CEOgear.co This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

[/restrict]