Lara Tallman and Brenda Segna both started separate business ventures, trying to run businesses from home. Lara, a graphic designer and Brenda, a professional writer, but it wasn’t long before the two realized that clients wanted something from both of them.
From Lara, they wanted marketing and web design, from a graphic designer and from Brenda they wanted marketing and web content written by a professional writer. In searching marketing businesses it was hard to find the combination of the 2 types of professions. Thus, BLaST Creative LLC was formed tapping into a market niche of professional writing and graphic design.
For over 20 years both ladies have worked respectfully in their fields of expertise. With requests from friends and acquaintances streaming in for both ladies, to create a logo, or write an ad or mission statement, the requests have been numerous and both ladies knew that it was time to start charging for their services which has turned into a full-time Marketing and Design company.
Their business, BLaST Creative LLC, now keeps both ladies busy. “I used BLaST Creative for the re-design of my web site and they did an incredible job,” says Bonnie Vezain, owner of Carriaged Away. “Our old site took a long time to load and we just weren’t happy with it. With the redesign it loads in under 5 seconds, the design is better than anything we could have hoped for and the writing is an added bonus.” (www.carriagedaway.com)
This dynamic duo has not only created web pages, but maintains and writes medical blogs for numerous Internet Sites. “I own a web design business but cannot write,” says Ali Jahangiri. “Writing and design go hand in hand and you need both elements in order to succeed. We’ve outsourced the majority of our Blog content to BLaST Creative and are very impressed with the writing style and format. The turn around time is excellent and we couldn’t ask for better quality, the numbers of hits to our sites verify that we made the right choice. We went through numerous writers before stumbling upon BLaST Creative, we are very, very happy with their services.”
Prices vary for the writing, but customers pay a $1750 retainer for the web design with the balance of BLaST Creative’s $3,500 fee at the project's completion. In the beginning, clients are asked to define their ideal site.
“We tell them to brainstorm about the aesthetic they'd like to see,” Lara said. “Find sites they like, sites they don't like. What are their favorite colors, what do they imagine their site looking like, what is their idea of the perfect site? Do they want something modern or basic or do they want us to be creative?”
After Lara reviews their notes, she gets to work on the basic elements of a company Web site: a logo, a template for headers and footers, and the technical mechanisms and visual appearance of the content area, where product images are displayed.
Brenda starts with interviewing the client to find out as much as she can about the business to begin writing the copy for the site.
They both work with clients to develop the five printable items that come with their basic design package; things like business cards, fliers, Web banners, gift certificates, letterheads or stationery. A project's start-to-finish timeline is usually around two months, Lara said, and clients walk away with the copyright.
Lara says that aside from her and Brenda both being creative people, the three things that stand out as primary assets in a crowded field: the professional writer/designer combo, personal experience with running an e-commerce business and dedication to customer service.
Sharing with clients efficient, productive ways to streamline a small, online business, from shipping and marketing to optimizing a site for online search engines, is all part of the expertise that BLaST Creative has to offer.
Brenda works from Billings and Lara from Salt Lake City which works well for the two and their clients come from all across the United States and they are even writing web content for sites in Panama!
What Brenda has discovered is how many people telecommute in our world today. “The other day I was on a conference call for a project that I am collaborating on, there are 5 of us working on this project, one person lives in Las Vegas, one in Reno, one in New York, one in Seattle, and me in Montana. And it was no big deal, we all contributed our parts and it ran very smoothly.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics there are now more than 18.3 million homebased businesses in the United States. With more and more people searching for the opportunity to work from home.
“I enjoy working from home,” Lara said. “I can fix my sons breakfast in the morning and I’m here when they get home from school in the afternoon. I can be a full-time mom and still work full-time too! It’s the best of both worlds!”
BLaST Creative LLC has never advertised, but often attracts clients from across the world after they encounter our work.
“Brenda and I work well together because we each have our own distinctive craft’s and we aren’t stepping on each others toes,” Lara said. “Brenda writes and I design, it’s a good combination.”
For both Lara and Brenda, BLaST Creative LLC has been a good business venture. Neither expected the onslaught of business that has incurred and both are happy with being able to work from home, on their own timeline, and have the freedom that comes with owning your own business.
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