Happy Tuesday, Reader! Stay with me on this one — we’re about to talk 800-year-old stained glass. I promise it has everything to do with your business. Some of the most famous medieval stained glass in the world can be found in Chartres Cathedral in Paris. Most of the windows were constructed over the course of 40 years and from the same type of glass, which means they have eroded in rarely-seen symmetry over time. Plus, there are famous shades of cobalt blue in those windows that do not...
about 19 hours ago • 2 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! I’m often asked if our Strategic Planning Retreats are truly worth it. It’s not just about the monetary cost. Our retreats require you to spend two whole days focusing on planning what’s next for your business. BOOK YOUR FREE INFO CALL I can give you testimonials from clients, such as these words from Lisa Council, founder of Mrs. Grout: “I've worked with Renia for over three years now. She started out as my web strategy person but has become much more. She is really...
about 19 hours ago • 3 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! Instead of sharing my usual Two on Tuesdays resources, I’d like to take this time to discuss planning and how we spend our time as leaders. We have 4 spots open for our 2027 Strategic Planning Retreats, happening in late October and early November, and we're closing bookings on September 30. If you’ve been thinking about it, now’s the time to grab your spot. BOOK YOUR INFO CALL In these strategy sessions, we work with business founders and their teams to develop their...
about 19 hours ago • 2 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! We've made it to the last of our 5 Principles of Sustainable Marketing: long-term thinking. In a zero-click digital world (and one where the phone in your pocket is competing for your attention even while you're standing in a physical room with actual people), the discipline of thinking in long-term story arcs has become a superpower precisely because almost nobody is doing it anymore. Marketing has become about optimizing for the next scroll, the next quarter, the next...
26 days ago • 2 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! Last week, we talked about Sustainable Marketing Principle #3: marketing as the heartbeat of the company. This week, we're on Principle #2: build on a values-driven framework. A values-driven framework starts with getting clear on your 3-Core: your core values, your core beliefs, and the core communities you're built to serve. Get those three things right, and you have a foundation solid enough to stand on, no matter what’s happening around you. Many people view...
26 days ago • 2 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! Last week, we talked about Sustainable Marketing Principle #4: building an intentional word-of-mouth and referral strategy. This week, we're moving to Principle #3: marketing is the heartbeat of the company, not an appendage. While it’s often treated as an afterthought, sustainable marketing is part of a business's DNA, deeply aligned with its goal of service and its values. When it's disconnected from either, it stops working the way it should. Where I See This...
26 days ago • 2 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! My team and I have had the privilege of building Mrs. Grout's website three times now. Each version gets a little sharper, a little more polished, a little more them. With each iteration, the web work gets a little easier. Partly because we’ve gotten better at our job, but mostly because Mrs. Grout's reputation does most of the heavy lifting before a visitor ever lands on the site. Sustainable Marketing Builds a Reputation, Not Just a Website. Last week, we kicked off...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! There are two ways to approach marketing and growing a business: the one most of us inherited without ever choosing it, and the one where growth is real, not just well-lit. With so much shifting right now (in the market, in AI, in how people even find businesses), this feels like exactly the right moment to make the case for the second one. Welcome to a new series on sustainable marketing. Let's start with the choice itself: Approach #1: The Permanent Campaign This is...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! Last week, a client wrapping up her engagement with us said something I haven’t stopped thinking about. She told me she'd be so grateful if there were a way to keep getting the predictions, the direction, and the updates on what other women founders are doing — even after our work together ends. It was the fifth time in a few weeks someone had asked me some version of that question. So here are two reasons I'm finally doing something about it. 1. Because you asked....
about 2 months ago • 1 min read