Welcome to Fernweh, a creative studio that builds and amplifies purpose-driven brands that last.
We are Lisa & Tim Hennessy, and we are excited to share our musings, to help you be a better founder.
We love to hear from you. Respond to this email and tell us what you would like to read next, connect with us on Instagram or LinkedIn, or see what inspires us on Pinterest. If you want your brand to make waves schedule a free discovery call, and learn more about our services. And if someone forwarded this to you, please thank them and click here to sign up for next week’s edition yourself.
Beeline to success.
Last week we were fortunate enough to shoot at some incredibly beautiful locations here on Kauai and learned a lot about bees along the way (while wearing very fetching outfits to stay safe).
A fact that stuck with me was the importance of finding the perfect queen and that once this is achieved, the rest will follow. It’s actually fairly similar to launching a new brand or product. All you really need to target are early adopters, the true influencer types, the ones who always seem to know before everyone else does. The ones with that certain, you know what, that we all secretly admire for their ease and effortless cool. Or if not that, the ones we trust, without even knowing them, because somehow, something makes them credible, in a wild mess of opinions.
Now that just leaves us with the question of how do you get that perfect queen that will lead your hive to success (aka the best honey)? In your case, the ones that will certainly influence the most consumers and overnight turn your product (or service) from commodity to a desired object.
Easy.
Strategy. That’s the differentiation, truly.
Of course, making a cool product is a valuable part here, but let’s assume, everyone has that part figured out. What happens only too often is that people will never know about your cool product because somehow, that sweet sweet honey just isn’t on their radar. So, to connect with your audience, you have to first understand who they are and what attracts them. What bothers them. What moves them. All that good stuff. Only then can you build your brand, with them in mind. Then of course we would look at your story, your values, mission, vision, and more, and build it all down to the very essence that guides your every decision and expression, visual and otherwise. This way, you make sure you are creating your unique magic, and build a story along the way that connects with those queen bees and thought leaders. And all of a sudden, no one will compare your prices because you offer something truly unique, they surely want to be a part of it and talk about it first. And quickly, everyone else will be beelining for just this thing.
PS: Until we were all standing in front of that beehive during our shoot, waiting for the bees to come flying into the entrance without any such luck, I hadn’t realized where this term beeline actually came from. So keep those bees in mind, next time you try to market something, and say it straight. No complicated maneuvering, it’s nice for people to know what you stand for and why you do what you do without having to look for it.
Much love, Lisa & Tim
