I’m over the moon to share that I have been shortlisted for a DevelopHER Award 2019 in the Eye for Design category!

Wow! Wait! Whaaaaat!?.... That feeling you have when you notice an email in your inbox from THAT business you've admired for a while now. (You know the feeling right?) 

The butterflies in your belly and disbelief all in one moment.

That's exactly how I felt when I saw the inquiry from Sue Keogh in my inbox about the redesign of the Sookio website...

Wowzah!! YES!!... So over the moon!!!

Sookio, won Website of the Year at the 2019 SME Cambridge Business Awards.

I’ve known Deepa Mistry for a while now. We bumped paths many moons ago - we worked next door to each other in the same building at one point, we have mutual friends in common, and we followed each other on various social media.  As well as a “foodie” she is also an amazing jeweller.

Her handmade pieces are truly stunning, they are simple, minimal and perfect for everyday wear (I know as I am also a customer!hah!).

Her existing brand and logo didn't reflect her work, and that was becoming a problem…

Most small business owners are usually really happy and grateful when a new business inquiry comes through.  I mean, why wouldn’t you be - new inquiry, new project, more money...right?

Well, what if the inquiry is a “bad fit” for you or your business?  Are there any warning signs that a client can be a “bad fit”? How can you tell?

My friend, I’m here to tell you YES. Yes there are warning signs that a client is a bad fit for you and believe it or not, these signs can come up super early...

As a member of Squarespace Circle and a Squarespace user myself - I use it for my site and recommend it to all my clients, the Cover Page feature is so handy.
Cover pages are super easy to set up (literally takes minutes), informative, effective and really beautiful, plus, you can keep them on brand too.

Squarespace has quite a few different layouts so it is definitely worth determining how and what you will use your cover page for before you start creating one.

That is why I wanted to show you 3 different ways that you can use Squarespace cover pages for your small business.

If you’re a small business owner then its more than likely you are on some form of social media to help you reach, find and connect with potential clients... Am I right?
What social media platform do you AND your clients spend the most time on… LinkedIn? Twitter? Maybe you have a Facebook page? Or have you recently started a YouTube channel? Or is Instagram your “thing”?...

Whatever platform or platforms you use, are you making use of the cover photo, profile image and inner post images to the highest potential?....

Keep reading to ensure you benefit from my top tips for designing your social media graphics.

Listing your prices on your website is a hot topic for many small business owners.  I’ve seen this topic being raised in so many Facebook groups, time and time again. I totally get it, you want to give your potential clients enough information to make an informed choice, but you don’t want to give ALL the information away, especially when it comes to pricing.

“But hang on, if I list my prices, I won’t have to have that awkward conversation with them” - I hear you say!!

Well, I’ve created a list of pros and cons for listing your prices on your website….

Testimonials are a great way to provide instant credibility and trust to your services or product, especially when they are showcased on your website.
Naturally, you want this to be displayed in a nice, easy to read, and pleasant manner so don’t just throw the words together without formatting or without an image.

Instead, take a look at the 4 ways I am sharing today to display your client testimonials on your Squarespace website so that it is engaging and eye-catching.

Ekkk!! It’s almost the end of 2017!  How did that happen?! This year has whizzed by if I do say so myself!

It’s got me thinking about how many articles I have written this year… there are A LOT!...

This is why I figured I would share a small roundup of the best articles from 2017. Here goes….

Ok so you have a Squarespace website that you built yourself, you may have got some help from your tech friend too, which is great, but have you completed all the essential areas, mainly in the backend of your site that will help your website look extra professional, work faster and harder for you once you go live?

As a Squarespace circle member and a professional digital designer whose website is on the Squarespace platform, I highly recommend the platform to any small business owner, more about that in this post - 10 Reasons Why Squarespace Is Best For Your Business.

But for now, I wanted to share my top 10 MUST DO things during the setup of a Squarespace website.  You could say this is my “checklist of things to do” before going live LIVE....

For ages, I didn't see this as a priority for my small business. That coupled with not knowing what the benefits of an email list are meant I was missing out on some major business opportunities!

Then one day I decided to set up an email list. I mean, I wasn’t losing anything, if anything I was gaining many things… I just didn't know what.

That is why today I want to share my thoughts and tips on why you should grow an email list for your small business, especially as I’ve learnt the benefits first hand!

It’s funny how clients become clients.  If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed I took it upon myself to learn how to use a sewing machine earlier this year.

I started off by taking a short 4 week course and before I knew it, I was hooked!  I can’t say I was surprised, it was a pleasure to spend one evening in the week with a group of friendly ladies, away from my iMac and doing something different.

It was within this easy going atmosphere and great learning environment that I met Julie, the lovely lady behind the already established business and brand, Escape & Create.

Let’s be honest.  Running a business is not always hunky-dory.  There are good days, great days and then there are those days when you just don’t want to even turn your iMac (or PC) on, let alone respond to clients, especially when they are unhappy….

In this post, I wanted to cover how to deal with unhappy clients and 3 proven tips that turn unhappy clients into happy ones!

YAY!! I'm super chuffed!! Two days ago (on my birthday) I found out my freelance side hustle business - Krishna Solanki Designs - is a finalist in the Small Business category in the Cambridgeshire Digital Awards 2017.

Whether you’re a new business owner or a seasoned pro, you should know that a logo is more than just an image.  It’s an extension of your brand.  Not only does it need to look visually pleasing, be well balanced, and stand out, it, more importantly, needs to speak to your potential clients/customers and have longevity.

Believe it or not, there is a level of creativity and design know-how that goes into creating an iconic logo, not to mention a process so today I wanted to share 5 unmissable tips on designing an evergreen logo.

If you have ever felt overwhelmed as a small business owner then you know where I am coming from when I say ARGHHHH…..

For a few weeks now I’ve felt a bit overwhelmed and it’s left me a little shell shocked if I’m honest.  I think I am just about getting over the feeling now so I figured I would share how I how dealt with overwhelm.  

It’s important to say, not everyone deals with overwhelm in the same way, so what works for me may not work for others.  It’s definitely worth taking a look through and sifting out what doesn't work so you can concentrate on what does work!

Congrats! You have set up your business, and you have your professionally designed logo and brand in your armour to help you remain consistent, professional and trustworthy.  But now what?.. What do you do with your logo and brand?

Well, my friend, I’m here to help you make sure you utilise your awesome logo and brand in 24 different ways.

Even if you are a seasoned business owner, there may be something you are missing, take a look...

So I’ve kept this to myself in the past, and I don’t know why! It’s definitely something to be proud of and shout from the rooftops….

Hooray! I’m a member of Squarespace Circle.

I’m pretty sure you are thinking...What’s Squarespace Circle? And, so what?... How’s that going to help me?!

Well my friend, hang tight as I’m going to share the details of what that means to me and TO YOU!

In such a digital age I think it’s important that I have a well designed, well structured professional website in place so that any potential clients can not only find out more about my design services but also find out more about me.

I use Squarespace for my own business and totally recommend it to all my clients as well.  So much so that I wanted to share 8 benefits of using Squarespace instead of Wordpress.