Why did you start CATALYST creative?
To answer that question, we need to go back to my childhood
(don’t worry, this won’t be a therapy session).
Both of my parents were entrepreneurs. My dad owned a plethora
of small businesses and my mom has been in business for herself
since 1967.
Growing up, I saw them struggle when it came time to
get new clients. When they were working with their
existing clients, everything was great. They did a fantastic
job and were very successful. But when they finished up a project
and nothing was in the pipeline, it was chaos as they scrambled
to get more business.
This is very typical of small businesses, especially
those small businesses of one...when you have clients,
everything is great, but when you finish working with those
clients, it’s a chaotic scramble to attract more.
This chaotic scramble of trying to attract more clients
is what I call “feast and famine” marketing.
Feast is when you have clients and are busy working with them.
So busy in fact, that you don’t have time for marketing
activities. Famine is when the job is done and you have to scramble
to get new clients. You scramble because you were so busy with
your existing clients, that you did nothing to attract new clients
into your pipeline.
This really is a vicious cycle that seems impossible
to get out of. If you’re like most small businesses,
you’re shaking your head right now, because you know exactly
what I’m talking about.
I hated seeing my parents go through this,
and I wanted my career to focus on keeping small businesses
from constantly struggling with their marketing and graphic
design.
So, after college, in 1994, I went to work
as a graphic designer and marketing specialist for some very
large corporations and organizations (descibed above). While
working for these “big guys” I knew when the time
was right, I would own my own firm that would help small businesses
and self-employed professionals.
I gained a wealth of knowledge and experience.
I learned what works and what doesn’t work in the areas
of marketing and graphic design. I learned how these “big
guys” get results and where they fail. I also learned
how they consistenty attract clients and very rarely—if
ever—experience a major slow-down.
I took all of this experience, knowledge and hands-on
information I learned and founded CATALYST creative.
Today, I adapt and apply what I learned from
the “big guys” and use it for the “little
guys”—small businesses—this way, I give my
clients big business results on their small business budgets.
My number one focus is to help my clients attract more
clients to their small business on a consistent basis.
I get my clients off of that “feast and famine”
rollercoaster of inconsistent marketing. This allows
them to focus on the one thing they love, which is servicing
their clients, and they no longer have to worry about the marketing,
graphic design and web design end of their business.
Are clients happy to work with me and do I get results?
Take a look at the Testimonials
page and judge for yourself.
What makes CATALYST creative different?
I am not your typical graphic designer. I am a rare
breed that’s both a graphic designer and marketing specialist.
What I mean is: I am a marketing specialist that creates very
professional and attractive looking graphic design materials.
I am a graphic designer that knows what works and what doesn’t
in marketing.
My graphic design work never gets in the way of my client’s
marketing message. My work is both beautifully designed and
very effective in attracting clients.
Very, very few people can combine both of these disciplines
successfully.
Most marketing experts create rather ugly materials and most
graphic designers don’t know the first thing about what
works in marketing—I’m a specialist who gets results
in both—great design and successful marketing.
I have won over 20 top industry awards for my work.
You can read more about these awards by clicking
here. You can also view my portfolio of work to
see how I help my clients by clicking
here.
My philosophy is a simple one...“If you treat
your small business as small...it will always remain that way.”
Meaning, as a small business owner, you must market yourself
in a very professional manner that gets results. If you don’t
you will never achieve the success you desire.
I provide my clients with effective and successful graphic
design and marketing solutions that position them over their
competition and attract ALL the clients they want and can handle...on
a consistent basis.
“…Jeanna is at the top of all
the other designers I have seen
and worked with.”
“I have worked with a lot of graphic designers. Most
designers only design for their egos and make cool looking
graphics that have nothing to do with conveying a marketing
message. Unlike others, Jeanna Pool of CATALYST creative
focuses on getting the message across. She designs
so her work will make an impact and a profit. She doesn’t
do “pretty pictures”. Her design never
gets in the way of the marketing message, it always supports
it. Jeanna is at the top of all the other designers
I have seen and worked with.”
Ted Walker —
The Pressroom — Denver, Colorado
What’s your favorite type of
project?
That’s a hard one. One of the things
I really enjoy about being a graphic designer and marketing
specialist is the variety of projects I help my clients with.
I can be working on a logo, sales letter, direct mail campaign
and website all in the same week—which is typically the
case.
But, if you told me that I could only do one type of project
for the rest of my career...it would have to be logos.
I love to design logos.
Why? Because they are very hard to design—effectively.
Most people (and unfortunately some graphic designers who sell
logos for $99 on the internet) think that creating a logo is
simply putting a font together with a graphic of some kind to
create a “cool” graphic, but that is so NOT the
case.
The absolute foundation of your small businesses image
is your logo.
A logo graphically and visually represents the core values
of an organization. It is the face and personality of your small
business—told in a small and powerful image. A logo has
to convey a lot, while being simple, unique, timeless and memorable.
Putting together a piece of clip art with a trendy
font is NOT a logo—it's a “cute” little graphic.
Your logo really is very important, treat it as such.
To date, I have won over 20 top industry awards for
my work...90% of those awards are for logos I have designed.
To download a sample sheet (PDF format) of some of
the logos I have designed, click
here.
What forms of payment do you accept?
I accept cash, check, money order, Visa, MasterCard
and American Express. Plus I strive to make it easy
for clients to do business with me and I know cash-flow is always
a concern, so I offer various payment plans to fit within
your budget. You can pay for your project in one lump
sum, in 3, 6 or 9 payments or almost any method that works for
you. When we discuss your project, simply let me know that you
would like to set-up a payment plan.
I hope you find this website a valuable resource for
your small business. Visit often, as I update the content
on a regular basis. If you know others who can benefit from
the information on this site, please pass the web address www.catalystcreativeinc.com
along.
Again, if you have any other questions that I did not answer,
please don’t hesitate to email
me.
Jeanna Pool
President
CATALYST creative, inc.
NEXT: Go to Testimonials
and read comments from a few of my clients or visit the Portfolio
section where you can see samples of my work.
