IAM449- Designer and Podcast Host Passionate About Women Owning Who They are In Christ

Intro 0:02

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.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

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 Blake Guichet of the girl named Blake company, media company, Blake, it's awesome having you on the show.

Blake Guichet 0:38

Hey, thank you so much for having me.

Gresham Harkless 0:41

No problem. Super excited to have you on and what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Blake so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Blake is the host and voice of the Confessions of a crappy Christian podcast, the designer behind Magnolia Ink, wife to Jeremy and Mama to Pacey and Elliot. She's also an Enneagram enthusiast, who somehow manages to find a way to squeeze her favorite topic into almost any conversation. She's wildly passionate about women owning who they are in Christ and all the ways he's gifted. He's gifted them while resisting and the truth that they were never intended to do at all. Blake, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO Community?

Blake Guichet 1:14

I am pumped.

Gresham Harkless 1:15

Awesome. Let's do it. So to kick everything off, I want to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story. What led you to start your business in your podcast?

Blake Guichet 1:21

Yeah, so you and I were talking before we started recording, I actually have two businesses. So I do have the the podcast that you mentioned "Confessions of a crappy Christian". Then I also have a graphic design business Magnolia Ink, I've always been kind of is the best of both worlds. I've always been a talker. I've always been deeply creative. So the two businesses kind of allow me to, you know, really, like live out both of those things that have always been a part of who I am. So Magnolia Ink has been, it's been around for the last 10 years, it's really kind of found its structure and its niche in the last three. You know, it started as kind of a broad spectrum graphic design business where I did everything. Now it's specifically branding and website design. So that's just a really incredible experience getting to kind of come along fellow creative entrepreneurs and kind of help them create what they need to be successful moving forward in their business. Then Confessions of a crappy Christian is created to fill a space that I felt like there was a void in in the podcast in the voice world, just the idea of being a believer, but realizing and recognizing and acknowledging that, like, we're no good at any of this. And that, you know, we're all just doing our best. So it's definitely been a venture of you know, that podcast take a lot of time, as I'm sure you know. Figuring out how to monetize that and turn that turning that into a business. So that's kind of the backstory.

Gresham Harkless 2:45

Nice. I definitely appreciate that, especially that kind of that reminder, because I always say nobody walks on water. There's only one person that did and, you know, it's kind of reminder that we are trying to be perfect and chase that perfection. But we all will always come up short. I think that a lot of times when we give light to those things. For one, I think it provides somewhat of a some peace just because you don't expect yourself to be perfect, you try not to beat yourself up about it. So I think that's one of the big things that I love about the podcast.

Blake Guichet 3:11

Yeah, no, I definitely I love that only one person walked on water. The rest of us like we I just don't even want to try. I'm good with being who I'm supposed to be. It's a question a lot of the time.

Gresham Harkless 3:25

There you go. So with your graphic design business. I know you mentioned that you've done it for 10 years. It's been the last couple years that you started to find that niche and that focus. Did that kind of was it something that you just wanted to do? It just started to happen? Or did it kind of evolve over time where you started to find that niche and thing that you wanted to focus on the most?

Blake Guichet 3:42

Yeah, I would definitely say it kind of evolved over time. I've always been, I don't know if anybody remembers like Dreamweaver back in the like, early 2000s. Like I've like I worked in that when I was like in high school into coding classes. I've always been very interested in building and you know, graphic design and learning illustrator and all that kind of stuff. So kind of like I said, it started out I was doing everything I was doing like wedding invitations, birthday, party invitations, business cards, I mean, just like whatever I could get my hands on. So having two kids two years apart, I think honestly played a part in kind of honing that in. I didn't have the time to like have my hands in 7 million projects and had to kind of really be intentional, okay, like, what, what do I feel like I'm really good at what do I feel is the best use of my gifts. For me, my gifts are better used helping people create a web presence and a brand to really represent their business versus like not to say that wedding and birthday party invitations aren't important. It just wasn't what I felt like was the best to use. So that was really kind of those two things together was how we really like narrowed it down to being what it is today.

Gresham Harkless 4:48

Yeah, a lot of times when you have that those constraints. Sometimes they can be frustrating, but a lot of times those constraints like you mentioned the time constraints force you to kind of do that focusing and allows you to be even better at the things you're doing because you have to kind of drill down. I think I appreciate you bringing that up. Because I think a lot of times when you start a business, we always hear that you got to niche down, you need to niche down. But I think that there's, there's definitely something to be said about evolving organically coming to that niche. I think a lot of times that happens, and there's nothing wrong with that, because I, you know, I definitely have respect for that. I think it's definitely important because I think that's when you truly find what you do best, not by kind of forcing yourself into one specific box, so to speak,

Blake Guichet 5:28

You kind of have to like you have to get there, right. So if I had started my business, focusing on branding and graphic design, I don't know that I would have known that this was what I was best at. This is where my gifts were best used, you know, you kind of, you know, I'm sure you talked to a lot of entrepreneurs or like, those first years are hard, you're having to put in the work to gain the clout to, you know, to have some kind of, you know, convince people that you're an expert, and that you're worth paying, and some of that sacrifice is kind of doing all of the things, right. So you'll see, like photographers there, they're not shooting exactly what they want to shoot, they're shooting anything they can get their hands on. That's hard, it takes a lot of work takes a lot of energy, but the payoff is, is worth it, I think,

Gresham Harkless 6:15

Yeah, no, I definitely would agree, I always say you, sometimes you have to do a lot, to do a little to do a little bit, you're gonna have to start out doing everything, just because you're trying to get your brand and your name out there so that people know who you are. Then as you start to get the clients that you want, you're like, Okay, I want to replicate that client as much as possible, you start to develop that, okay, this is my niche, this is what I want to do. I don't necessarily want to do that. But you also don't have to worry about, you know, 10 years down the line saying, Oh, I wish I would have did wedding invitations, because you did it. We went through that process, you don't have to worry about what's on the other side of that door, so to speak.

Blake Guichet 6:43

Exactly. Even for me, like, you know, three years ago, really honing in on the branding and website designed and then in the last year, realizing that I really enjoy working with creative entrepreneurs that working with big conglomerate corporate businesses doesn't, you don't get a lot of wiggle room for creativity. But because I put in the time and put in the work and built myself up, I'm able to turn those clients away and point them to someone else. Because that's not where my like where my energy is best. You know, like, there are plenty of designers out there that work really well with corporate and it's just not I want to work with like bloggers or small business owners and stuff like that. So, you know, I think that continues that drilling down. I don't know that that ever ends, right? You're just kind of always growing and evolving in your business that way.

Gresham Harkless 7:28

Yeah. It's funny, I was just about to say that word, evolution, because it is part of that process. I think, you know, as you mentioned, you know, a lot of times when you're starting your business, you're trying to juggle and put in place so many different things anyways, that a lot of times when you do have, you know, some of those things put in place, it allows you to kind of do maybe more of that strategic thinking that deep thinking, what is what is my ideal client look like? That is a process because you have a lot of those kind of foundational places, pieces in place that allows you to do that kind of more, I guess, strategic long term thinking as well, too.

Blake Guichet 7:55

Yeah, definitely.

Gresham Harkless 7:56

Nice. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce, and it could be for you or your organization, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

Blake Guichet 8:05

So I would definitely say the like, deeply personal nature of my graphic design business, though, like not unofficial tagline is kind of, like if we're not best friends, by the end of this process, something went wrong, right. So I think because being a branding designer, I'm not just a logo designer, I want to design your brand, I want to help you figure out you know, if you don't have your mission statement, or your ideal client, we go through that. We really, we put the the foundational building blocks down before we start to do colors or fonts or anything like that. So, I mean, really letting somebody into those kind of deeply back ended parts of your business creates a friendship of sorts. So I mean, like consistent communication with my clients. So, I think that that's really, by and large, the feedback that I get back from clients is that it was just such a, such a deeply personal experience that they walk away feeling really confident in their branding, or in their website, because it wasn't something that was just Okay, done here, hand it off. It's, they know why this looks like this and why this is here. They were they were a part of the process as much as I was.

Gresham Harkless 9:15

Yeah, I really feel like that's a part of like that brand aspect as well, too. Not just like the graphic design piece, because it's all in understanding, just as you touched on, like why something is the way it is, why is this shade why is this color wise this way? A lot of times, you know, you only I truly believe I don't know, if you find the same thing that you by having that personal relationship, that's when you really get that opportunity to really understand a person understand their brand understanding what what they want to evoke, then it kind of manifests itself in the logo and all those different aspects of website, and so on and so forth. Nice. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit, I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be an app or a book or habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Blake Guichet 9:53

So I would definitely say I do batch working. I don't know. I don't It's hard to explain Everything is hard to explain it took me a long time to get it kind of drilled down to like of science. But essentially, I dedicate certain days to certain tasks, especially being someone with multiple businesses, right? It's really easy to be bouncing between podcast work, podcast work, and then you feel like you didn't get anything done not to mention being a mom to two young kids and having a house to keep up and dinner, cooking all of that. So I have a very, like intentional, I print out my week, and I batch it. So like Mondays are for this kind of stuff. They're for interviews, it's for catching up on like emails of people pitching themselves to come on the show, it's dedicated to the podcast, Tuesdays dedicated to my home, Wednesday is dedicated to designing and like, makes me 100 times more effective, and productive when I'm not trying to bounce. You know, like, before, I was like waking up the morning and checking all of my emails, and then folding laundry and then sketching on my iPad and then running into an interview. It was just chaos. So I would and I just told all my friends and like explained to all of them about batch working and got them batching. So I would definitely say that and the Enneagram. I found that the Enneagram. It helps me understand myself. It helps me understand the people that I'm working with so much more. I think that that's so important to being somebody that's in any kind of business where you work with people.

Gresham Harkless 11:20

They're very, very precise. So thank you for the gentle reminder again that I need to take the Enneagram. But no, and I definitely appreciate both of those those hacks, that would have asked you for what I call a CEO nugget. So that is a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. Or if you can happen to a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self,

Blake Guichet 11:39

I think a little bit of what we talked about in the beginning of the episode that like you don't need to know it all. Today, there is room for growth, there's room for learning, there's room for mistakes, there's room for doing it wrong, I've done a lot of things wrong in my business and screwed over other people or screwed over myself. And I think I know that I personally, you know, I think that there's two different ways people do you fail, you're right, they either view it as oh man, like I screwed up, I'm the worst, or they view it as, okay, this is an opportunity to learn and grow and, and adapt. For most of my career, I was the former right? So anytime something blew up in my face, it was just the end of the world. Now retrospectively, I'm like, Man, I wouldn't have known to put that in my contract. How would I How was I supposed to know to put that in my contract? If that event hadn't happened? Let's use it as a learning experience and move forward. So I mean, I feel like it sounds so like Uber cheesy, like, don't be afraid to fail. But there's that failure is a part of business, it's, you know, it's just a part of the gig. So if you can choose to learn from it, instead of beating yourself up about it, I think 20 year old me would benefit from that advice.

Gresham Harkless 12:48

Yeah, absolutely. If you're telling 20 year old, you also please talk to 20 year old me as well, too, because it can be super measured. It does definitely, you know, suck to fail and have those mistakes, but I love what you're talking about, I think a lot of it too, is just how long you kind of stew over it, or you obsess over it, because that is really what the true I mean, you never want to make a mistake, you get frustrated, but I think that's kind of human to happen. But if it lasts longer than what that action really lasts, or for you to get that lesson from it, then I think that's really when you're kind of, you know, keeping yourself from the gift of learning from that failure and creating it as a learning opportunity.

Blake Guichet 13:20

Yes, wholeheartedly agree, I think that the self, you know, we beat ourselves up so much that we miss, it's like the opportunity to learn just goes whizzing by, while we're like in our own head just like beating ourselves up.

Gresham Harkless 13:34

Exactly. That makes perfect sense. So now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is a definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different, quote unquote, CEOs on this show. So like, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Blake Guichet 13:44

Yeah, what does being a CEO mean? It means, I mean, in the most realistic, tangible sense, it means like kind of getting to create the life that I always wanted. The opportunity that like my two year old is napping right now, while I run in here and do this interview, and I get to watch my kids grow up, while still pursuing, like, the ways that I feel like God has gifted me and the things that he, you know, has created me to do. Being a CEO, kind of allows me to have a foot in both of those worlds.

Gresham Harkless 14:15

Yeah, absolutely. I think that, you know, a lot of times we forget, like all the opportunities and where we have to build the life that we want. Kind of like artists, I usually always say, you know, you can be like an artist, you get to paint the life that you want, paint the day that you want, get what you want out of it, you just have to kind of take the actions to do it. A lot of times we don't realize all those opportunities we have. So I appreciate that perspective. Appreciate that definition. I appreciate your time even more. So I wanted to pass you the mic so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and listeners know and then of course, how best they can get a hold of you. Subscribe to the podcast and find out all the awesome things you're working on.

Blake Guichet 14:46

Yeah, I would definitely just reiterate what I was saying about failure. You know, when you're thinking about like, beginning business me, really I lost a lot of time, even like things that weren't actually failure's really beating myself up about it because it didn't go the way that I thought that it should have. It's like, again, it's cheesy, but I know that all of those hiccups or hurdles, you know, were a part of the road that got me here. That there's more ahead of me, there are more projects that are going to not go the way that I wanted them to. My hope is that I've grown over the last 10 years to be able to handle them with more grace than maybe newly in business. 24 year old me did, but, um, I am the girl named Blake on Instagram. The podcast is "Confessions of a crappy Christian", you can subscribe to that literally anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then if you have any interest in working together on your branding, or your website design, my website is Magnolia- ink.com. But you can find all of that through my Instagram too, because that's where everything lives.

Gresham Harkless 15:52

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, thank you so much again, Blake, we will make sure to have those links in the show notes. I appreciate you again, for like reiterating that idea of failure. I think a lot of times, you know, we don't we aren't aware of the process of running a business and that everything doesn't go according to plan. But I think that by you know talking about it by bringing out the reality of what running a business is and the ups and downs and things that don't go right. I think that helps me armed people with ability to know that those pitfalls can sometimes happen to all of us, not just some of us. So, Blake, thank you so much again, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Outro 16:22

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 at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai