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MY⚡️Feature
featured piece of advice for creatives and creative leaders
Get Started
It seems like at least once a week I have a conversation about how to get started launching a small brand like MYFI. I love these conversations because years ago I went the long way around to creating a small brand and when I created MYFI almost 2 years ago I did it in a more streamlined way that is super simple and easy to follow.
If you’re thinking about launching a small brand or creating a personal brand to build on here are some simple, practical steps to help get you started.
PICK A NAME
If you’re using your own name and creating a personal brand then make sure you do it in a way that’s bold and unique, especially if you have a common name. I use my middle initial to differentiate from other Lee Baker’s out there and for other reasons I’ll get to later.
If you’re choosing a name for your brand choose something meaningful and unique. Create a story that has significance and gives power to the name. Donald Miller has a great book about the power of a story brand that you should check out.
MYFI is short for My Fidelity. Fidelity speaks to clarity and faithful in recorded audio. I want to help creative people find clarity and stay faithful to their artistic visions and goals. It’s not just an arbitrary brand name. It has meaning. I wrote a blog with more detail about the MYFI brand if you want to know more.
SECURE AN EMAIL
The first practical move to make is to secure an email you can use as home base for the brand. You’ll use this to sign up for accounts, basic communication, and more. It’s a good practice to use Gmail because it’s common and comes with some other perks you can use getting started. It’s also helpful to choose an email handle that matches your social media handle. Keep things as short as possible.
SECURE SOCIALS
After you’ve secured an email use that email to sign up for social media accounts at all major outlets like IG, Facebook, X, TikTok, etc… Choose a handle that’s clear, short, and one that you can get across all the major outlets you’re going to actively use to promote the brand. I use my middle initial for al my social accounts (@leetbaker) because I could get it everywhere and as I mentioned before it helps if it matches your core email account. Secure everything you can, even if you aren’t going to use it. It’s just good brand protection for the future.
SECURE A DOMAIN
Next, secure the main domain you need for the brand. Again, it helps if it matches your social handle so work hard to get everything the same. When I launched the MYFI Podcast I secured that handle everywhere and got the .com domain as well. It’s fine to grab something else if the .com isn’t available, but choose something that is common and makes sense with your brand. Things like .net for tech or .co for simple companies are great choices. Square Space can help you secure domains really easily.
CREATE A LOGO
Find a designer that you know and trust and have them create a few options for your brand. Once you decide on a logo and a color palette have them create all the assets you may need. Horizontal designs, square designs, logo only, text only, color variations, web versions, print versions, etc… it’s best to have all the assets you need before you move to the next step. If you don’t have a designer that you trust, check out Jonathan Maloney, Seismic Creative, or Alex Watson.
CREATE A WEBSITE
Find a simple website builder and build at least a one page site so you have somewhere to direct people where they can get all the info that they need to engage with your business. I love Square Space. I use it for the 3 sites that I manage and have no plans to change. But there are a lot of options out there. It’s really important to have this site up and accessible before you publicly launch. Also, make sure to put this link on the bio of all your socials and set those up thoroughly as well.
MAKE ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS
At some point along the way you’re going to have to make some purely administrative decisions. You need to decide how you’re going to set yourself up as a business. Consult an accountant you trust to decide whether you should be a sole proprietor, an LLC, Inc, or something else. This is an important decision for tax and structure purposes.
There are a few other administrative things you’ll need to do at some point in the process. Find an accounting software that is simple enough and has expandable features available as you grow. I use Freshbooks and love it. I also highly recommend getting a password manager so that you can truly choose secure passwords for all the other things you will establish along the way like bank accounts, credit card accounts, etc… as your business grows. Honestly, getting a password manager was one of the best decisions I made early in the process. I pay $35 for 1Password and it’s absolutely worth it.
There are other administrative things you’ll need to handle that are unique to your business, your goals, and your industry and one of the best things you can do is find someone who’s a little bit ahead of you that you trust so you can ask questions and get advice.
GET GOING
Once you’re ready, set a date for public launch that gives you time to prepare adequately and put your best foot forward. It’s really true that you only get one chance to make a first impression so do your best to be visually and functionally at full go before you launch. Have people you trust check your website, click links, go through all the processes, purchase things, etc… before you launch so that you have the peace of mind that everything is truly ready.
Then GO FOR IT!!!! The world needs your art, your product, and your ideas. Have some courage and make it happen! You can do it!
I’ve created a tool that could help with this. It’s called the MY⚡️FI CREATIVE CLARITY PLANNER and you can get it FREE by clicking the link.
I also do a lot of creative coaching to help people launch their creative ideas, create rhythms that help them reach their goals, and build creative cultures where people do their best work. If you’re interested the just fill out this form and set up a free coaching call to see what it’s like!
MY⚡️Follows
Soleoado
(@soleoado) is an incredible artist who creates colorful pieces that are encouraging and inspirational. He has a website filled with prints available for purchase as well and the link is in his bio.
Callen Schaub
(@callenschaub) is another visual artist who uses a really unique circular style to create his colorful work. His technique is incredible to watch and being able to experience the process of his work on IG is really impactful.
Adam Grant
(@adamgrant) is an organizational psychologist who posts some of the most insightful and powerful things I see on social media. His posts always feel like he’s peaking into my life as a creative to encourage me, keep my head straight, and remind me that I’m not alone. It’s one of my favorite accounts… period.
MY⚡️Finds
cool stuff I found this week
Soundrise Stands
Soundrise is a fantastic company that makes risers for studio interfaces and studio monitors as well. I bought one of their risers for my Universal Audio Apollo and now I wouldn’t know how to function without it. If you have a studio of any kind of size check out their website for everything they have to offer. www.soundrisepro.com
Rolling Toolbox
A while ago I was on the hunt for the perfect box for all my gear that I could take to gigs and shoots. I wanted it to be on wheels and have a way I could stack things on top of it. I found the perfect thing at Home Depot and it’s been amazing. Maybe you could use one yourself! Click Here
MY⚡️Favorites
some of my favorite sights, sounds, and reads
Metronome App
I’m sure there are a lot of great metronome apps out there, but this one has been my go-to for as long as I can remember. There is a free version and a pro version that you can buy for only a few bucks and it’s totally worth it. Click here to check it out for iOS.
Sunheist Eyewear
Sunheist is a sunglasses company that is local to where I live in North Georgia. I have literally worn nothing, but their sunglasses for years now. I was recently on a video shoot for an artist and kept getting compliments on them so I thought I would share them with you. www.sunheist.com
MY⚡️FI Podcast
a podcast about the journey of creativity
Ep. 043 :: Todd Henry
This episode of MYFI features the amazing Todd Henry. I have followed Todd’s work and been a huge fan for a long time. He is a best-selling author of books like Die Empty, Daily Creative, and Herding Tigers. His work as a creative coach and speaker has been featured in Fast Company, Inc., and the Harvard Business Review just to name a few. He calls himself an arms dealer for the creative revolution and it’s absolutely true. He’s been inspiring creative people for a long time. Jump in the conversation as we talk about his new book, The Brave Habit, the story of growing up in rural Ohio and how that made him so curious and innovative, as well as his new app, the Daily Creative.
MY⚡️FI Blog
monthly blog for creatives and creative leaders
Simple Organization
I think all of us would like to be a little more organized. This month on the blog I share some tools and practices that I use on a daily basis to stay on top of my schedule, tasks, and projects. Check out the blog by clicking here.