Chamber News
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY | B is for Brand
7 December 2024 • Sarah Medcraf
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY!
We caught up with Ailsa Stinson, owner of B is for Brand
What inspired you to start your small business?
As an RAF wife I moved around a lot with my husband and it became difficult to hold down a corporate career. I had another business before I started B is for Brand but my career had been in brand development and marketing so I eventually got drawn back to it!
What’s the story behind your business name?
There’s a long story to this! The short version is that I wanted to teach small business owners about what a brand actually is, how to write a brand strategy and how to use it to grow their business. I wanted to do this in the most simple way possible, by teaching the ‘ABCs’ of branding. So the name ‘B is for Brand’ was born. A is for Achieve (and also Ailsa!) and C is for Clarity:
Achieve Brand Clarity is also the tag line for the business.
What do you enjoy most about running your own business?
I love meeting lots of people and I love working with driven business owners who have great vision. It’s amazing to play a small part in helping them turn their vision into reality.
What’s been the most rewarding moment in your journey as a small business owner?
The most rewarding moment so far was last Christmas when we had out first ‘team’ Christmas lunch. That was a really key moment for me. This year there are even more of us at the table.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge in the beginning was helping business owners to understand what we do at B is for Brand.
Nobody is sat around wishing they had a brand strategy, because they don’t really know how it could help them if they did have one. Now that we have lots of case studies and testimonials people are starting to understand the difference a brand strategy can make and as a result, it’s becoming easier for us to win clients.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about the products or services you offer?
I wish business owners had a better understanding of how much time, effort and money they could save if they had a brand strategy – and used it! What’s more, when you’ve got a brand strategy in place, it makes your business decision making much easier. As a business owner, who doesn’t like the sound of that?
Are there any interesting trends you’re seeing in your industry?
A.I. is obviously the big thing everyone is talking about in the industry. The most exciting result this year was when we used A.I. technology called ‘Notebook LM’ to make an A.I. generated podcast about our ‘Dream Combo’ offer (a collaboration we’re doing with a Sales & Networking expert).
If you’re interested in what the podcast sounds like, you can check it out on the B is for Brand Ltd website!
Conversely, ‘old school’ marketing is also definitely back. People are getting frustrated with social media and it’s getting harder and harder to be seen and heard online. Good old fashioned methods like networking, picking up the phone and the trusty postcard are my top tips for 2025. We’re seeing lots of businesses have great success going back to these kind of tactics to build strong connections and have great conversations with their customers.
What do you do to stay motivated and inspired?
It can be hard to stay motivated and feel inspired when you work from home most of the time. Lots of networking is my antidote to that! I take part in both in-person and online networking events on an almost weekly basis and it really helps me feel energised.
How can customers best support your business, both during the festive period and year-round?
We’d love small business owners, especially locally, to reach out and find out what it is that we actually do. It might not cost as much as you think to hire your very own Branding Consultant and we may be able to offer you support and advice that you can’t get from elsewhere.
We most commonly get asked by local businesses if we can help with their newsletters and social media (which we can). However, we can do so much more than that, to help you build your brand and grow your business.
What does being part of the small business community mean to you?
Community is everything, no matter whether you’re a big business, or a small business. Specifically, we love being part of the Moray Chamber community because it connects us with local people working in and running businesses who we might not otherwise get a chance to meet and connect with. #Togetherwegrow