Michael Okai

CREATING A LOGO FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

It’s just one month and the corona virus pandemic has already overwhelmed many healthcare systems around the world. As if that wasn’t enough, almost every other industry has been crippled due to the virus and there’s no end in sight for the lockdown. However, while it might seem like everything has stopped, it’s important to remember that covid19 will pass and this is not a time that one should get too apathetic.

But what exactly does this mean?

Well, it means that things might feel uncertain right now but this is also a time when digital marketing strategies are being used to take back control. In other words, this is not the time for waiting to see what happens but rather to think differently and implement strategies that will place your business in a better position moving forward. In this article I will highlight two out of many industries that have shown that kind of innovation.

1. The Restaurant Industry; A New approach to an existing system.

Innovation is all about new methods and innovators always try to look at situations differently to come up with ideas others cannot. For some, this might mean a revolutionary product but for others, this can also be just a new way of doing things.

Crush Wine Bistro in Anchorage, Alaska has offered a “Take n’ Bake” service to locals and an online order process for quick and easy meals. Through the “Take n’ Bake” service offered, the restaurant prepares and sells uncooked meals to customers, who then cook these meals in the comfort of their own home. In this case, customers simply drive downtown and park up near the store where they can grab and go in just a few minutes. What’s more, Crush also assures customers of reserved parking spaces through EasyPark and even more convenience at the bottle shop next door. While this is something entirely new for the business, “Take n’ Bake” has enabled Crush to keep the ball rolling and provide a valuable service during covid19.

It would seem like Crush was also ahead of the game with this one by bringing exposure to their business through adaptation. Another notable adaptation in the food industry was adopted by the fried chicken restaurant Yonder called the “Yonder’s Pandemic Pantry” in Portland, Oregon.

https://yonderpdx.smartonlineorder.com/

They have created a special page on their their website offering some of their signature spices not normally for sale such as their house made chicken stock and their pint of bread & butter zucchini pickles. That people can order and receive on the same day.

2. The Real Estate Industry- 3D Rendering and Virtual Staging

Most buyers and real estate agents are currently stuck inside. It’s a challenging time for people that wish to sell their homes or buy property. However, many companies such as Compass Realtors are quickly adapting and sharing homes via a virtual tour.They recently implemented a virtual agent service which enables technology to show homes as well as communicate to clients.

Virtual environments are nothing new for us at BrushPic but restructuring a business with these tools to ‘stay in the game’ is extremely valuable. Not only can 3D rendering be used for virtual staging but it can also be used to show an interactive walkthrough of a space that exists or does not yet exist. There are many options for creating a virtual tour of an existing space. See this simple and useful guide.

With this in mind, sellers and real estate agents are using these tools and methods to enable potential buyers to take a look inside the properties. In fact, Berril Properties insists that virtual staging is the way of the future regardless of the covid19 situation.

3. Age old methods- Focusing on Brand Loyalty and Customer Satisfaction

During this time of great uncertainty, there is an increased need for customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. That is to say, there might not be any bookings right now but taking this proactive approach can at least help serve the wider community, while keeping their brand name and reputation intact during the pandemic.

For instance, many personal trainers and gyms such as Planet fitness are offering free at home workout classes. This support shows customer care that goes above and beyond what they have to do, therefore maintaining loyalty.

There is always a cost involved when going above and beyond but investing in some or all these areas could help bridge the gap between the supplier and the consumer.

Final Thoughts

As with any digital marketing strategy, it’s important to focus on retaining your current customer base especially during the current pandemic. That being said, this is also an opportunity to gain even more traction with your target market with new and innovative strategies. After that, it’s all about measuring and improving your strategy, while keeping in mind that everything comes to an end – even Covid19.

By the way, need any help with your digital marketing strategy? Get in touch!

Eva: “I want to introduce to you Fatukanu Kabia, she is the owner of Diamond Janitorial Services, they provide excellent cleaning services for residential cleaning, commercial cleaning, move in and move out cleaning, Air BNB, office cleaning and more. Thank you for taking this interview with me.”

Eva: “Firstly, I’ve noticed you have a lot of passion for your work and this business. Where does that come from?”

Kabia: “The passion for my work comes from just the need to help people better their lives and deliver easier stress free life. For me I know I have two kids and I work about 12 plus hours a day and my home and my space is my is my serenity. I need it to be clutter free and I need it to just be clean in order for me to just come home and put my feet up and just rest and relax so I can be rejuvenated to go on with my day. So I think it’s just the ability to want to help people and to just want to make their lives easier and more stress free.”

Eva: “What made you get started in this business? Did you receive Someone guide you through it to get it started or how did it start?”

Kabia: “I have always been a neat freak. I hate clutter.

I hate smells, am a nosy person. I would like to say.

“So for me, when I first got a job with a cleaning company, I mean, it wasn’t nothing that I had to be taught. It was just something that I knew. I was just a natural at the business. And from there on, I just kept working with this particular cleaning company to learn everything that I could learn. And I just felt very under appreciated by the whole process of what they were doing. And all my attempts that I had given this company to try to help was falling on deaf ears. So I took it upon myself after a series of events into starting my own business. But that didn’t take off right away. I had to work for a couple other companies while my business was getting off the ground. So yeah, I did work with somebody for a little bit, kind of learned a little bit more about running the business of cleaning. But as far as the talent for for cleaning, that was always in me. I mean, I’m African. We have a lot of people in our family. And you got to always keep behind those kids picking up every day.”

Eva: What’s this thing or the strangest thing you’ve found missing in someone’s home that you were able to return to them?”

“Maybe something behind the fridge.”

“Those are the best. Like you might be doing a move out clean or thing for somebody and you’re cleaning under their vanity and you cleaning under the sink. And you know, you have that gap that goes under your sink and sometimes you can clean your bathroom, but you can’t really get under there. So we had clean one of my client’s homes. I’m not going to put her on the spot or anything.”

“So we found a binky under her van. It’s like the thing that the baby’s stuck on. And her oldest kids, she had been living in that house for about 20 years. Her oldest kid was 17.”

“So you can only imagine. Well, her youngest kid was 17. You can only imagine how long that Binky has been under there.

It was there for a long time. We found first generation iPhones and people’s couches.”

“And that’s first generation there, although we have iPhone 11s now. So when they get these things that they just look like dinosaurs. And then when it comes to doing move out Queens, we found some things in there that definitely the tenants probably left that they want back. But the owners just want us to throw it out.” “So we saw some pretty interesting things with this cleaning jobs, so definitely makes it exciting every day to do it.”

Eva: “Can you tell me about your community outreach?”

“I think we do a lot of community outreach. Personally, the type of lifestyle that I’m from and all my experiences that I’ve had has given me the compassion to be able to work with ladies in this community that want to change your lives from what they used to do before. So we work with a lot of sober living places. We work with a lot of people in recovery that do want to change. I do want that opportunity to do better for them and their kids. So we do a lot of outreach in that in that aspect.”

“I think of myself as more of like a big sister to a lot of these ladies. If I can do it, they can do it, too. And it’s my pleasure. And I have it in my ability to be able to lend them a hand with anything that they need.”

Watch the interview highlights on our youtube channel:

Eva: “What is the work environment like?”

Kabia: “Well, for a lot of you guys that have used our services. The work environment, you can see it’s like a family unit. We have fun at work. For us, it’s our happy time. It’s art therapy. It’s our friendship time. We just love the the atmosphere that we’re around. And the ladies just love what they do. So for them, we keep it light. We keep it fun. I mean, we’re telling jokes the whole time. We’re talking about our lives the whole time, as well as doing a wonderful and great job for our clients. They love interacting with with us as cleaners. And some of them actually like to stay in the home while we’re cleaning because they love laughing. They love interacting with us. And they love hearing all our different stories because all our girls are like chatty Cabbies. They want to talk to you. They want to know what you’re about and they want to know how we can better help you.”

Eva: “What kind of products do you use?”

Kabia: “We use all green products; we know that everybody’s different. Some of our clients have a high irritation to strong smells and some of them don’t mind. Some of our clients, they think if they smell bleach, it’s clean. And some of them, they don’t want to smell bleach at all. They just wanted to be, you know, a light scent. So we offer our clients a couple of different options. We have a green option and then we have a regular option. Our regular option is very green in itself.”

Kabia: “We use just regular basic products like simple green spray a way glass cleaner regular pledge. And we dilute the simple green, of course. And we use Bohner for wood floors and then laminate for cleaners for our regular floors. So when it goes to doing green cleaning, we like to introduce them to either to Melaleuca or Mires Clean Day, something that they would like using even seventh generation or thieves would work for them.”

Kabia: “I personally provide the Melaleuca because I have a membership with Melaleuca so far off some of our clients who want Melaleuca products. We offer that to them and see if they like it and they do like it. We just charge them $10 more on their bill because those products do cost a lot of money. But if they do want H2O or any of those other products, we can refer them to somebody that sells those products so they can be able to buy it for themselves. So our products are pretty green. We don’t have a lot of clients that have a lot of problem because we do ask them if they’re allergic to anything and what their irritation level is to smells when we do a walk through.”

Eva: “What can we expect during a walkthrough?”

Kabia: “There’s a lot of fun time. I love doing my walkthrough. You get a chance to get to know the client, get a chance, an opportunity to ask them what they are really looking for and why they’re getting cleaning services. Everybody has a different reason why they’re getting cleaning services and what a walk through really enables us to do and enables us to see the walk through of the house, kind of get the vibe with a client, can offer him a couple different options and just kind of really put their mind at ease into as in who they’re having in their homes. And one thing that we also offer our clients is we do have the ability and the we just love working around people. Some clients want to get to know their cleaners before they just give them clothes and stuff like that inside their home. So we always offer the client to do their initial clean on the Saturday because we know a lot of people are home on a Saturday. So we get to meet the whole family. They get to meet the whole staff. And on top of that, they get to hang around and they get to kind of see how we interact with each other, how we joke around with each other and the process of us getting the house clean.” “And at the end of that initial cleaning, they get a very calm sense of they’re comfortable. They’re happy that this is these this is just a bunch of girls and a group of people. They’re just they’re having fun and they’re talking about.” “Girl, what do you do yesterday? How did the movie you rented go? You know, we were just talking about real life things that are happening in our lives. And we’re just focused on getting your space clean. It’s nothing shady. It’s nothing weird. We’re just doing our jobs and just having a fun time doing it.”

Eva: “Do you have any cleaning tips for us?”

Kabia: “Well, if I have to tell you, I have to kill you.”

Kabia: “But when it comes to cleaning tips, there’s a bunch of different things that people just don’t know. And what can get things really out like one thing you definitely need in your home is a juga, simple green.”

Kabia: “You need that just because when you’re cleaning your tubs or things that have really that deep ground in it, kind of dirt, you kind of just need pure version of simple green with your other best friend, which is a box of magic erasers.I f you don’t have a box of magic erasers, you’ve been doing way too much work cleaning your own house. I’m telling you, if you haven’t called us yet, that that is. But Magic Erasers and simple green are your best friend because those two combine can get almost just anything out of your out of your home, out of your tub, out of the sink, out of anything that you’re cleaning. And then on top of that, the reason why we use spray with glass cleaner is because it just leaves that streak free shine. We know everybody loves their Windex. Everybody loves their wooden nicks. Well, we’ve had some instances where Windex had left the film on the windows and it doesn’t really do a good enough job. So for me, the best tip is to get the right products, even if you are the best cleaner in the world. If you don’t have the right product and if you don’t have that knowledge and you don’t consult with an actual professional cleaner, you can be scrubbing for days for something that takes me 2 minutes to clean. Thanks.”

Eva: “Can you tell me about the work Brush Pic did for you?”

Kabia: “The work that brush Pic did for us and is continuing to do for us is just custom branding. It’s really just liberating to feel as if I can sit down with a fellow sister, explain to her exactly what I need, what I’m looking for, because I’m busy. I don’t have time. I work twenty-five hours a day, eight days a week where I get this extra time, I don’t know.”

“But Eva the owner BrushPic is really good at just getting my ideas all together and just making sure that it is delivered in the way I want it to be delivered. She does a wonderful job and we will continue to keep using her for our branding because oh, I love the ability to be able to call somebody my like girl. I need this done. I’m going to get it written out for you. And then she shows up and she’s like, did you write it out? I’m like, I’m too busy. Those are the really, really intuitive and fun to work with. And she’s good at getting it done and getting it down and making sure that she fills in those gaps for you that I know I’m only one woman, I can’t do everything. So she’s an extra arm that I have that can kind of help us up with the branding things that we need.”

Eva: “:)Thank you.”

visit: www.stylelabalaska.com

“I would like to introduce you to Michael King. Michael is the owner of Style Lab Alaska , he provides a range of services from Yoga lessons, Interior design services to Real estate services, and skincare.”

Eve: “Living a well rounded life seems to be at the core of you and your business, What did it take to reach this point?”

Michael: “Well, you know, that’s an excellent question, because I really arrived at this point just as a result of all the different experiences that I have had personally and professionally. And I was trying to figure out a way where I could have a house or a place, if you will, where someone can learn about all the different things that I have available to you, whether it’s for interior design, whether it’s for personal styling, whether it’s for finding out where I am teaching yoga. And so that’s what style lab really is. It’s it is literally a lab and it is your one stop shop for a number of things related to your personal well-being.”

Eva: “Why did you decide on the name Style Lab Alaska? Are you open to work with people outside of Alaska?”

Michael: “Oh, absolutely. I think Alaska carries a fascinating idea in the minds of people worldwide. And so Alaska, because of its ruggedness, because of its outdoorsyness, because of its clean fresh air is very desirable. And so I wanted to create a brand around desire and desirable. And by having Alaska in my name Style Lab Alaska, it’s just denoting that this is where I’ve started this business. However, it could happen anywhere in the world.”

Eva: “Some people wouldn’t associate outdoors to style. What is your take on something like a holistic lifestyle in combination with fashion or actually having a sense style?”

Michael: “Well, actually, a lot of design is driven by ideas that come from nature. So whether it’s a fashion designer that’s inspired by flowers in a meadow, whether it’s the color of the water that inspires a collection of paint, whether it’s the way that leaves rustle, that maybe inspires a musician to want to recreate that in a concert. I think all of those things kind of embody the idea around what style lab Alaska is, because when I work with someone, I want them to feel like it’s an organic process, not that it’s contrived or that I’m sticking something on them or putting something in a room that just doesn’t make sense. It needs to be natural and feel right. So I think that’s the piece about the Alaska that I’m looking to really solidify with Style Lab Alaska. Yes, style is involved. Yes. We’re going to come together with a bunch of different ideas and we’re literally going to try experiment until we get the right combination. And we’re gonna do it the Alaskan way. We’re going to incorporate organic natural ideas in the process.”

Eva: “How does real estate work in line with your other services. How do they go together or do they not go together?”

Michael: “They do go together because that’s been my primary career focus for almost the last decade. And so often times people come to me with a real estate need to purchase or sell their home.”

https://michael.alaskahomesearch.com/

Michael: “And then in that process, they may need some help in paint colors and furniture placement, whether it’s just to make the house as pretty as possible for selling or whether they’re acquiring the house and they want to improve upon the environment in which they call home. Then it may go to, you know what, you really helped me really create a really nice environment in my house. Can you help me with my wardrobe? Yeah, I can help you with your wardrobe. Oh, you have an issue with dry skin. OK. Well, I have some products that might be able to help you because I am a consultant with Rodan and Fields. And so, yes, I want to be able to solve as many problems as I can for my clients, whether it’s skin care, whether it’s a home, whether it’s interior design, whether it’s that they need to improve their health through yoga. All those things I can do.”

Eva: “So what is the best thing about being a yoga instructor?”

Michael: “You know; I think the best thing about being a yoga instructor is seeing the transformative process that happens in an individual or individuals. When I’m teaching a class in just an hour, because you can go in and maybe not be feeling at the top of your game or a little tired. Yoga. It’s all about breathing and stretching your body and strengthen your body and using the natural flexibility that you have and your breath to be able to gain more mobility, more strength. And I think that’s what I love about it the most, is just seeing that transformation that happens in just an hour and then the compounding effect of that over time.”

Eva: “So how many times should a beginner go to yoga per week?”

Michael: “Well, at least a couple of times a week. Ideally, you’re going three times a week, maybe a Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. And if you can make it a couple of times a week, that would be great, because you as you start to get more familiar with the different poses. Or what we call in yoga, Yoga Asana and how you get into and out of them and what they’re called in English, what they’re called in Sanskrit. And then it just becomes a natural process for you as the individual.”

Eva: “I read that the mantra Om is the sound of the universe. Do you believe in including mantras to your yoga sessions? And how does that relate to someone who does not know what certain things mean?”

Michael: “Absolutely. I do think that it’s important to include Mantra in yoga. Yoga and Mantra are there are different aspects of the same thing. And so therefore I like to actually say Mantras at the end of my yoga class. It’s not required for people to say the mantra with me. So even if you don’t know the mantra, you can still be affected by the mantra.”

Eva: “Who is your biggest role model when it comes, I suppose the favorite aspects of your work?”

Michael: “My biggest role model when it comes to their favorite aspect of my work. So in yoga, it’s definitely my meditation teacher, Swami Ravi Rudaw, who is actually out of Asheville, North Carolina. I have learned so much and grown so much from him and everything that I learned from him. I then translate and transmute and put into my practice when I’m teaching about yoga or about breath or about meditation. Most definitely.”

Eva: “Do you continuously learn from him or did you spend some time where you got some specific lessons?”

Michael: “I continuously learn from him. I’m actually in a process right now where I’m going to continue to learn from him over the next two and a half years.”

Eva: “Can you tell me about the course that you’ll be taking?”

Michael: “Yes. So one of the things that I thought was an excellent fit for the style lab brand was being able to provide corporate and personal etiquette training for executives and for just individuals that maybe want to brush up on their own personal polish. So, for example, maybe you’ve been promoted into an upper level management position. You know, you’re going to be traveling to, say, Japan, but you’re not very familiar with the customs of Japan. Well, I’m going to be certified to be able to provide training to you as the individual on how you present a business card, how you address a Japanese business person. What are the protocols in a Japanese dinner? Do you know how to use chopsticks? I can show you how to do these things. And so I’m actually going to be attending the Protocol School of Washington in Washington, D.C. I’ll be going through a certification process there. And then I will be certified to be able to teach protocol worldwide so that I am very, very excited about it. And I’ll be doing that in the fall. And you can look to see a lot more about this development with the Style Lab, Alaska business and brand here in the near future.”

Eva: “What was the last gift you gave someone?”

Michael: “The last gift I gave someone was on Valentine’s Day. I actually wrote a poem and videoed it and sent it to them and wished them a Happy Valentine’s Day. He is my Valentine and name is Stevie and he lives in England and he loves when I do these kinds of little things for him. And so I made him his own personal poem for Valentine’s Day.”

Eva: “What is your methodology when it comes to personal styling?”

Michael: “You know, so my methodology when it comes to personal styling. We’ll start with an assessment of your existing wardrobe and we’ll literally go in your closet. And I’m going to ask you some questions about what things appeal to you and why they appeal to you. And then I’m going to ask you, once we do that, what do you want to accomplish in an update of your wardrobe and your personal style? And then from there, we’re actually going to do some shopping in some local stores and then some shopping online. And some of the things I will be there with you and some of the things you will do on your own, especially online, because you ultimately want to get to the point where you can cultivate your own personal style from a place of confidence. And then related to that is I’m going to find where your point of nervousness is in terms of how much risk you want to take in style. And we’re going to take one step beyond that. It was often said by a designer, and I wish I could remember who it was. She said, if you work on design and style is a part of that, if it’s not making you a little bit nervous, you’re going to be underwhelmed with the finished product.”

Michael: “And that is so true in both design and in styling. You have to kind of go beyond where you feel most comfortable. Just a little bit. Not a lot, because when you do that, that’s when the style really pops. That’s when your character really gets personified and modified and exemplified by what you chose in that little pop of color. Maybe you wouldn’t have chosen a fuchsia tie. You would have chosen a red tie. But then with fuchsia tie it, you will notice that people are complimenting you on how you look, which in in turn makes you feel more comfortable, competent about what you’re doing. And that’s where my role is. It’s to help you get to that point. You know, I’m not so sure about that. And I’ll say yes, just give this a try. There’s no harm in giving it a try. And then we’ll play see where we can find that balance between where you’re comfortable and where you can go a little bit beyond that design idea and create something that’s completely new. But it’s also exactly a part of who and what you want to represent.”

Eva: “Yeah, that sounds very insightful because, Real growth comes from getting out of your comfort zone.

Michael: “Exactly.”

Eva: “Comes from. Discovering a new part of yourself, through that.”

Eva: “Any style tips?”

Michael: “Yes. Black belt, black shoes. Brown belt, brown shoes. Burgundy belt, burgundy shoes. If you’re a man, those are three style basics. Foundation for women. Less makeup is always better than way too much makeup. You want to keep it fresh and light. And if you’re not sure about something, there’s always great consultants that can help at the makeup and beauty counters at any cosmetics place. And so, yeah, those are the two style tips I’m gonna leave out today.”

Eva: “What was your experience working with BrushPic and how did this help your brand?”

Michael: “Oh, BrushPic made my brand what it is today, without a doubt. I wouldn’t have what I have in terms of the following of the raving fans that are on my social media and the overall look of the brand without BrushPic. It was very easy to work with BrushPic. I was able to articulate kind of what I wanted and what the feel of it was like. And the process and the progress was pretty remarkable and the speed with which things went from concept to completion. So yeah, I would highly recommend BrushPic and I have been recommending BrushPic to people that need new Websites, that need design, any kind of graphic design or for individuals that just need to figure out, you know, my Website is here. I already have one, but it’s not doing X, Y and C. So to help with those enhancements as well.”

Eva: “Thank you.”

Michael: “You’re welcome.”

visit: https://www.facebook.com/diamondVIPservices/

Eva: “I would like to introduce Bayinna Kerah. Bayinna is the owner of Diamond VIP Services, providing an an amazing experience for Alaskans, attending big and small local events.”

Eva: “So Bayinna, what made you get started in this business?”

Bayinna: “Truthfully I wanted to go and see a concert. I wanted to go see Twista in concert. I didn’t have the money to pay for it and because I have a relationship with the promoter. I asked her if I provided the Red Carpet Service, If I could enjoy the concert and have some extra tickets for me and my friends.”

Eva: “So do you think Fashion is a big part of the red carpet experience?”

Bayinna: “Not so much in Alaska. I do know that as far as Alaska is concerned when they think of red carpet, the first thing that comes to mind is the Oscars, the Grammys but we don’t live in LA. So my idea was to promote the Fashions at step onto the red carpet, but not let that be the focus because some people come to events and you know Carhartts and Wranglers and that’s Alaskan Fashion. We dress not only for style or not for style first, we dress for warmth and for the elements first and sometimes that means putting on a pair of snow boots to get to the where you need to be and if you’re like me your knees cannot handle, you know, 4 hours of high heels!”

Eva: “So did you manage to go to that Twista event?”

Bayinna: “I did I did, it was an amazing event. Pretty much what ended up happening was Twista ended up taking over my red carpet and I barely even got to host on it. But the he was happy the client was happy and I got to hear him sing one of my favorite songs and make you a celebrity overnight. So, you know, I feel like that was a good starting point for me.”

<strong>Watch the interview highlights on our youtube channel:</strong>

[media_video url=”https://youtu.be/JJZ7no4R2o0″ width=”500″ height=”400″ __fw_editor_shortcodes_id=”2003e8914ecef6cc4c11c5cb7d01830a” _fw_coder=”aggressive”][/media_video]Eva: “Okay, tell me about the beauty Mirror?”

Bayinna: “The Instaglam Beauty Mirror Smart Booth. Well, I’ve had my red carpet experience business Diamond VIP Services, It’s been in business for about 4 years now. Although we have gained a lot of momentum and we have expanded our brand to include many other Industries and we have really great clients. I still didn’t feel that there was a fast enough to turn around. So I invested in a basically a Photobooth on steroids! It is a Photobooth that looks like a large round mirror and when you interact with it, it interacts with you, it tells you to take picture, it tells you to strike a pose, you can share via email or your Facebook or Twitter. There’s so many things that you can do with it. We’re just barely scratching the surface right now.”

[media_video url=”https://youtu.be/XUoEBuLYP_A” width=”300″ height=”200″ __fw_editor_shortcodes_id=”9c78f396171d9b86f4263b1b78f00dc0″ _fw_coder=”aggressive”][/media_video]Eva: “What’s the best thing about your job?”

Bayinna: “The best thing about my job, probably all of the faces ,all the smiling faces that you know, I see when I’m not on the red carpet and they see me out and they tell me how they felt upon entering an event and how it really made them feel like they were not in Alaska and made them feel like they were celebrities and they just didn’t feel like they were going to another event. The other thing too is having my own schedule and being able to know I have a business that people appreciate and gives them some self-confidence no matter what they’re wearing no matter their Alaska fashion, no matter you know, if it’s at the Eagan center or the Dena’ina center or at a park.”

Eva: “It seems like community is a big part of your mission, can you tell me more about this?“

Bayinna: “Well aside from being in business for the last four years, I’ve lived in Anchorage for the last 20 years and because of the people that I’ve met throughout the years and knowing all of those people, I got access to different opportunities from going fishing, to going camping, hunting. I mean minor things in comparison to most things that people have done in Alaska, but for me, it was just about meeting new people and I guess that’s how I’ve always been. I’ve always been interested in, hearing the stories of other people, sharing my story and just connecting and meeting and just trying to learn as much as I can about where I’m at. You know, who I’m there with and what I can do to make the community, sparkle and shine.”

Eva: “Do you see yourself taking Diamond VIP Services outside of Alaska?”

Bayinna: “I see that every single day. I don’t mean like taking like going somewhere. I mean with our current expansion. I would like to see diamond on a bigger stage on a national stage where you know Diamond VIP Services is celebrating Alaskan lifestyle Arts entertainment, Outdoors, travel, just everything and that’s really the way I’m going right now.”

Eva: “If you could meet your Idol, who would that be?”

Bayinna: “Josephine Baker.”

image source

Bayinna: “Because I kind of see myself in her a lot and I know that she had a very sad story, but it was also a story of Triumph and growth and lots of love. She adopted a bunch of different kids from all different backgrounds and it was her rainbow family and she never accepted someone to help her sustain that and I think that’s the tragic part of it, is that she she died alone, she was homeless… It’s a tragic story, but I would love to meet her and I really would I think that if I can meet her she would give me some great pointers of what not to do, I’m not going to be adopting a whole bunch of kids, but you never know!”

Eva: “What keeps you so motivated?”

Bayinna: “I feel like I might as well just use what I got and trust that God is going to open up the doors and I think my faith is what keeps me motivated and my fiancé he definitely helps with that, and the support from the community that I have really keeps me motivated and also hearing from my advisers and my team, things that I can improve on how I can be better, those type of things motivate me.”

Eva: “Are there any events, we should have Lookout for coming in the end of the year or next year in 2020?”

Bayinna: “Well, I will tell you about some stuff coming up in 2020. That’s really exciting. First, in December we have Trich Productions is having a fundraiser for the ski talk which they’re building out in Hatcher’s pass a ski area and Resort. In January, we got the 6th annual Alaska hip hop and R&B awards and we will be hosting a red carpet for that media series is coming up really soon. We’ll be shooting first episode for that tomorrow. So I’m really excited and the biggest thing that’s going to be happening in 2020 is the Great Alaskan cannabis Bowl which will be a three-day event out at Beauty Settler’s Bay. It will have overnight camping all three days. The solstice Festival, in Fairbanks is a weekend festival. And for that diamond VIP Services would be the hostess of the VIP tent that will be really great because I started my life in Alaska in Fairbanks and I’ll never forget when I was there. I had the opportunity to make a commercial for Terry’s liquor. I don’t drink anymore. But when I think about that, you know when I was in Fairbanks, first time ever being in Fairbanks and I get this opportunity to do a commercial. I’m just like wow, so if I’m able to shoot the solstice and host that VIP section that would kind of make things full circle for me and it would be confirmation that I’m supposed to be here.”

Eva: “Can you tell me something great about last year’s cannabis bowl event? What was your highlight at the event?”

Bayinna: “Well, the great thing about the Cannabis ball is that I was completely in my element. I was able to produce some quality media footage, get some really awesome interviews with some very well-known celebrities and local vendors and it was really great. This year the GACB 2020 is going to be off the chain because they have not only hired me again, but they have also extended the festival to make it three days. They’ve included camping and the VIP tent is going to be open all night and when it closes there’s another area, you know, so it’s just going to be a really beautiful time.”

Eva: “Thank you, do you have anything to add?”

Bayinna: “I just want to say, thank you to BrushPic for all the work that you do for me and all of your assistance. I’m sure, I am positive that the reason why I’m sitting right here is because of all of the wonderful things you have done to make my business look better online and have a stronger engagement and I appreciate that and also I just want to thank my diamond VIP Services Co-teammates, Ichiban love and Tim and of course David Foster my editor and I just I just want to thank God for having the opportunity to live my best life and be myself.”

[media_video url=”https://youtu.be/KwEdJzrDOO8″ width=”300″ height=”200″ __fw_editor_shortcodes_id=”3116506e71e78681035e9aac28e94fb6″ _fw_coder=”aggressive”][/media_video]About the Interviewer

Eva Ohenewa Anno is the founder of BrushPic™. Eva is a multi talented digital artist and entrepreneur  with a  passion for helping others show up as their best version.

visit: aprilpulcifer.cabionline.com

Eva: “I would like to introduce April Pulcifer, she is an amazing stylist and recently received a business card redesign with BrushPic. April loves to bring life into women’s wardrobes and bring a new excitement into the shopping experience with her Cabi parties. I knew I had to share Aprils story for the first BrushPic video interview because her work is not only about clothing but it has a lot to do with helping people less fortunate get started with their business goals.”

Eva: “How did you get started in your career as a stylist”

April: “Well I feel like I’ve been styling since high school… I started even before that. My brother David, he was much older than me, and back then in the 80’s it was called GQ or GHQ and he would have all of his suits, all lined up, and he would have all of his dress shirts, dress pants and an arsenal of ties. So, he would say ‘pick a tie out for me’ and I would go through and say  ‘this one’ and he would say ‘no wrong answer!’ and I would say ‘well why?’ he would say look at the pinstripe, ‘what color is that? it could be blue, it could be white, it could be teal. He would say ‘you want to pull out the most muted color so that way the tie would play of the suit, and then I would see it, it was like a hidden image, only the most discerning eye could tell, so then I got it.”

Eva: “Who is your biggest inspiration when it comes to style and fashion?”

April: “Well, there are a couple, but for me number one is Gwen Stefani. She is from the same area as me in California. She’s actually from Anaheim, California and where I was born and raised in Santa Ana, California. So I feel like when she sings the song she sings about Harbor Boulevard. Like, that was the next street over from where I live. So I feel like her and I are from the same cloth. I mean, if it was even a thing to be as fashionable as just a Gwen Stephane here in Alaska, I would be sporting those exact same styles.”

Eva: “What made you want to focus on being a cabi stylist?”

April: “So I have a lot of different interests and I felt like I helped so many different women at Nordstrom with their beauty, with their skin care, with makeup, and I would tour the whole store with them and it would just be their whole look. It was if you change their face and now they look ten years younger, the way they’re dressing doesn’t match. So then we have to go and get a new look to match their new makeup and in Nordstrom, my area of expertise at Nordstrom was makeup and cosmetics, but it just made sense to start my own business and clothing because I already have the relationships with them in the cosmetic department. Now it could just grow from that and be the whole front to top to bottom (A-to-z).”

Eva: “What are Cabi parties?”

April: You know, Cabi, parties can be very intimate and small. You and your two best friends. So instead of having to go downtown, look for parking at a mall, that’s kind of hard to shop at. It’s not fun. I mean, you’re you yourself aren’t from here.  Where I’m from a mall doesn’t look like the one downtown, from California it’s immense. You can have anything you want. Any price range you want in any direction. So I have parties where there’s a new hostess and the benefits of being a hostess is different than going to the mall with all your friends. One, if you have all these ladies, come to your house and buy clothes from me, the hostess gets all her clothes at 50 percent off, whereas they’re paying full price. They’re getting a service. The essentially a stylist and the mall is coming to you. So you’re having a trunk show at your house. There’s wine, there’s food, there’s clothing. I mean, what more could you ask for?”

Watch the interview highlights on our youtube channel:

[media_video url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v‹´›VcbiYMf8pOw‹¯›t‹´›23s” width=”500″ height=”400″ __fw_editor_shortcodes_id=”2003e8914ecef6cc4c11c5cb7d01830a” _fw_coder=”aggressive”][/media_video]
Eva: “Tell me about the Cabi mission?”

April: “Well, it’s not a small mission, but it has impacted so many women all around the world. I come from a background where it’s not as limited as women in third world countries and where I’m from, If you have a background where you’re not educated, you can get educated, find it funded for you, different types of classes and courses to help you. If you have a family, they have things to aid you. In third world countries, Cabi is partnered with Opportunity International and Opportunity International gives women micro loans and these micro loans help them in so many ways. They give them trust groups. So when they’re paying back these micro loans that helped them, let’s say a seamstress wants to buy a new sewing machine or maybe more than one sewing machine. Textile supplies. This micro-loan will help her get these supplies. Therefore, making more money, helping her provide for her family. Opportunity International also educates her on how to run a business, how to pay off debt and health insurance savings in her bank account, and so much more so. Then, once she has paid back her loan to Opportunity International, they turn around, take that money and they give it to another woman. So there’s so many different countries that are affected as a Cabi is one. Estelle’s opens for business. She has a sister entrepreneur. So they give us a bio of our sister entrepreneur in our third world country and tells us what is she going to do with this money. Mine Raelia, she is from the Philippines and she’s got a little market, and in the market she’s got various items, kind of like a little teeny tiny corner store. But from that, she’s been able to provide education for her family and her family’s big.”

Eva: “Do you have any style tips for us?”

April: “So if you have darker skin like. Let’s say J-Lo, more than, more caramel or pop white jewelry against your skin. Big statement pieces because it makes your skin just glow. Now, if you’re not one to show a lot of skin, if you want to show some skin, I suggest showing your wrists. Why? Because the wrists are the skinniest part of your body. So when you walk into a room, have your cuffs whipped up bangles or watch, long nails, and then everyone will be like, wow, she’s really put together. There’s something about that. Just makes a girl look fresh.”

Eva: “:) Thank you April.”

About the Interviewer

Eva Ohenewa Anno is the founder of BrushPic™. Eva is a multi talented digital artist and entrepreneur  with a  passion for helping others show up as their best version.

We get it, SEO is one of those digital marketing tools that feels frustrating. For one thing, best practices seem to change from year to year, and for a second, it can be expensive to work with an SEO company you can trust.  If you don’t have a solid budget to work with, it’s easy to get discouraged. Well, don’t despair; here are 5 easy, budget friendly tips you can implement right now to get your SEO started in the right direction. 

1) Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Title Tag and Meta Description are two important snippets of code on each page of your website. The title tag gives the search engine an accurate snippet of what each page is about and is used in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page). It should include a keyword for which you are trying to rank. For example, if you’re a bakery in Anchorage named “Joe’s Bites”  and you’re trying to rank for “bakery, Anchorage” a great title tag for you would be:
  

The meta description is a brief description of the page and should be kept under 160 characters long. Google does not use meta descriptions in the actual ranking, however SERPs like Google will usually include the meta description in the results. They can also be utilized as a tool to increase click-through rate which subsequently does impact ranking results. Higher click-through rates equals more authority and better ranks. 

A good meta tag for the bakery may read something like this: 

Make sure each page on your website has a unique title tag and meta description.

2) Alt-Img Text 

A great way to optimize your site on page for SEO is to make sure you’re including Alt text on all images. Alt text is a snippet of code used within the HTML to describe images. Not only are you making your website more friendly for people who are visually impaired, you’re helping the SERP’s bots to create context for your images and utilize those words to help you rank. 

Choose keywords that you’re trying to rank for and be descriptive, but don’t keyword stuff. A good rule of thumb for the baker would be

3) Create a sitemap

Make sure your site has a sitemap. Sitemaps are XML files that contain all the pages of your site in one place. This makes it easier for SERPs to crawl your site more efficiently. This tactic can be particularly helpful if you have a brand new site. You can create a sitemap manually, but I recommend just using a sitemap generator or working with your website team to make sure you have one in place. 

4) Use your social media pages to your advantage 

Google has said they don’t utilize social media in ranking, but there is a positive correlation in having over 50 likes on facebook and better rankings. Another positive feature here is that sites like Facebook tend to rank well because it’s in the top 10 most popular websites in the world. It has a ton of authority juice and Google will give it precedence. So do slow and steady work on your website, but make sure you have a bangin’ social media presence to help fill in the gaps until you start ranking.  

5) Set Up a Google My Business Account

You may have difficulty ranking on the first page in the organic search results, but if you’re able to build out a great Google My Business account, you may still show above the fold on a regular basis for your desired keywords. This is because utilizing Google products helps build trust with the search engine, which not only helps your website but will help you rank in multiple places: the organic listings and the maps section. 

Google Engine Results Page, Google My Business results above organic results

This tactic is especially helpful for locally focused, brick-and-mortar businesses. A couple of things to keep in mind: 

Make sure you fill out your listing completely Don’t leave anything blank if possible.
Confirm there are no discrepancies with information that is posted in other places including your website, facebook, yelp, etc.
Include desired keywords into the description of your business.
Try to get as many reviews as possible.
Upload fun and engaging photos of not only your logo, but your business location as well.

We hope these five tips help you get your SEO started in the right direction. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly at info@brushpic.com

-Written by Whitney Robbins