Kathy Goodman is the founder of Well Rehearsed, an event planning and marketing consulting company in San Francisco that focuses on corporate, nonprofit, and social events.
I spent the beginning years of my career working at a boutique promotional marketing agency that exposed me to working with Fortune 500 companies. There, I built my tool kit of how to create, build, and maintain a strong brand. With this valuable foundation I moved into a corporate marketing role, and for another seven years managed trade shows, meetings, and partner marketing programs in the medical device and technology industries.
In 2007, it was time for a change. I worked with both a life and career coach to guide me in creating a vision for my life and business. Although I did not formally write a business plan, I thoroughly identified my differentiation, defined my audience, [and] developed a pricing structure and marketing plan. I’m a systematic person by nature and took this approach to launching my company.
My first and most important step was to create a memorable brand. Second was to launch my company to event colleagues. And third was to identify, foster, and grow professional relationships as a referral channel for business and to drive press coverage.
Developing my brand identity was critical. This included my company name, logo, tagline, color palette, and look and feel that translated into the Web site, business cards, and marketing materials. I am a stickler for the details and particular attention was spent on all of these.
Another unique action that I have used to extend my brand experience is to dress in my company color palette. At any professional event you’ll always see me in yellow, black, and white. I truly believe this attention to detail trickles over to each interaction and helps build the trust in quality of service before an agreement is signed.
My launch strategy was to use networking to introduce myself to as many colleagues as possible. I researched all professional organizations and attended as many events as possible. My original goal with networking was to cast my web far and wide. However, I then shifted my focus to building specific relationships with partners that I anticipated would be complimentary in referring business to one another. I launched marketing tools such as flyers and digital programs that made cross referrals an easy process. As my event portfolio grew I also reached out to press for publication.
I relate being an entrepreneur to having a child. There is the gestation, birth, nurturing, and growth. And as with parenthood, one of the best things is that you get to make the rules.
