Most home service businesses in Ontario don’t need more marketing advice. They need advice that actually applies to them. Not to a restaurant. Not to a clothing boutique. Not to a tech startup. To a plumber in Ingersoll trying to get more calls. To an electrician in Brantford who knows his clients are on Facebook […]
kristen-jerry
What Is a Brand Style Guide? (And Does Your Small Business Need One?)
You’ve probably heard the term. Maybe your designer mentioned it. Maybe you’ve seen one for a bigger company and wondered if that’s something your little business in Woodstock actually needs. Short answer: probably yes. Not a 200-page corporate brand bible. Not a design agency’s self-promotional PDF. But something — a clear reference document that answers […]
How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Business in Canada
Your domain name is the one thing on the internet that’s entirely yours. Not rented. Not borrowed. Yours — as long as you pay to keep it. And yet most small businesses treat it like an afterthought. They let their web designer pick something, or they just grab whatever was available, or they registered something […]
5 Signs It’s Time to Stop Doing Your Own Social Media
Most small business owners start doing their own social media out of necessity. You’re the owner, the operator, the one answering messages at 10pm. Social media fits into the cracks. And for a while, that works. Scrappy is a legitimate strategy when you’re just getting going. But there’s a point where ‘good enough’ starts costing […]
How Much Does a Logo Cost? A Straight Answer for Small Businesses
Here’s a question I get all the time: ‘How much should I pay for a logo?’ And here’s the honest answer about logo cost: it depends — but not in the vague, non-committal way that usually means someone’s avoiding the question. The price range for logo design is genuinely wide, and there are real reasons […]
WordPress vs. Squarespace vs. Wix: Which Is Right for Your Small Business?
You’ve decided you need a website. Great. Now someone’s telling you to use Wix, someone else says WordPress, and your cousin swears by Squarespace. They can’t all be right. The truth is, they’re all good platforms for the right use case — and the wrong choice for the wrong situation. This breakdown will help you […]
Your Logo Is Not Your Brand (And Why That Matters for Small Business)
Every business needs a logo. That part’s true. But somewhere along the way, ‘logo’ became shorthand for ‘everything that makes a brand look like a brand’ — and that’s where a lot of small business owners end up confused, underprepared, and quietly wondering why their business doesn’t feel as put-together as they want it to. […]
What to Expect When Working With a Solo Designer
When you’re looking for someone to build your website or redesign your brand, you have options. Agencies, freelancers, template platforms, that person your neighbour mentioned — there’s no shortage of choices. So when someone chooses to work with a solo designer like me, I think it’s worth being honest about what that actually means. What […]
Your Website Isn’t Working For You — Here’s Why
You spent time on it. Maybe you hired someone, or you built it yourself on a late night when you finally had a free hour. Either way, your website exists — and that feels like a win. But here’s something I see a lot: a website that looks fine and a website that’s actually working […]
Let’s Stop Blaming The Algorithm
In today’s digital world, social media algorithms are no longer mysterious black boxes — they’re the engines that decide who sees your content, when they see it, and how widely it spreads. Whether you’re a solopreneur or a small business owner building your brand online, understanding how these algorithms operate is one of the most […]