With one week into the new year I hope you’re all starting to write the date correctly again! That always seems to be the hardest thing for me to get right. Rather than focus too heavily on new year’s resolutions this year, I wanted to pay more attention to my word of the year. It seems much more manageable and something I won’t abandon come February. My word for the year is Intention. So in an effort to kick 2019 off on the right foot, I started a list insert in my traveler’s notebook. I wanted a place to write down the things that matter to me most, that bring me joy, and that will help me live a more intentional life.
Of course I had to share my list prompts with all of you! Download the PDF here to have 25 different list prompts to help you be more mindful in 2019. They’ll help you sort out what matters to you most while eliminating anything in your life that doesn’t serve you. Plus it’ll be fun to look back at the start of 2020 (that felt weird!) to see how your thoughts have changed over the year.
So print off the list, find a notebook you’ve been hording, and set down to write out some lists to help you become more mindful in 2019. If you feel comfortable, share with me what’s on some of your lists! Be sure to tag me on Instagram @ohhelloliving.
One of the very first things I did before 2019 hit is to finally get my blog brand in order. The name change was just part of the larger picture to get a more cohesive brand identity. Now that all my back links have been fixed and redirects are in order, I thought I’d share with you how I built my brand toolkit to better convey what my blog is all about. It’s honestly a lot easier than you think.
1. Define your brand’s story or identity. What is your blog/company about? What’s its mission? If someone were to describe your site in a few words, what would they be? What are things that interest you? I have a serious love for plants, minimalism, and modern design. I wanted all of those elements to come through in my new branding. My blog is all about making your life simply beautiful through planning, organization, and business tips. Sure I throw in the occasional board game review here or there, but the overall message is clear.
2. Define your official brand name/logo. If you already have your name and logo, great! For me, Microscope Beauty just did not fit my brand’s story or identity anymore so I needed to switch it up. I chose Oh, Hello Living because it coordinates well with my main company Oh, Hello Co., but also has more of a lifestyle feel to it. If you haven’t figured out your name yet, take your brand’s story and brainstorm some ideas that clearly embody your brand identity. Leave yourself room for growth with your name too. You don’t want to call your blog “Cooking with Casey” when a few months down the line you might want to expand into book reviews.
3. Explain your logo and how it should be used. Once you have your name and logo, give clear rules as to how that logo should be used. Oh, Hello Living for example is a straight across line of text. Decide now if you’re ok with the text being broken up into separate lines, or if you want to be more strict with your brand.
4. Brand color palette. This is definitely my favorite part of the brand toolkit process and the easiest one for me. Choose at least three colors that represent your brand. Have two main colors, and a few supporting colors as well. These colors you’ll use across everything so make sure you pick ones that look good together and help share your brand’s story and identity.
5. Fonts that fit your brand identity. While building your toolkit it’s also super important to pick which fonts you’re going to use to represent your brand. You don’t want employees or yourself down the road getting willy nilly with the font. Choose a nice serif and sans-serif font and maybe one or two other options. That way you’ll have a cohesive brand look across any platform.
6. Supporting visuals and information. Think of this as the mood board for your brand. Whether its tangible or digital, find images and elements that help to communicate your brand’s story. The simplistic home drawings of my brand can be seen over all of my various platforms so you know you’re on an Oh, Hello Living site when you’re there. Using cohesive elements gives your audience a better understanding of your brand and makes it easier for them to recognize at a glance.
I recommend opening up Illustrator or even a Microsoft Word document and dragging different elements, fonts, and colors into one place so at the end of these steps, you have your brand toolkit all in one place. Print it off, pin it up somewhere so you can see, and get the year off on the right foot with a more cohesive brand.
The day has finally arrived. And it can only be outdone by the actual box release date. I’ve somehow managed to keep my spoiler-loving butt from spilling ALL the secrets about the contents of the first #ohhellobox. That is, until now. So let’s dive into this packed box filled with items you won’t find anywhere else on OhHelloCo.com!
When I decided to make the subscription box, I wanted it to be more than just stationery supplies. Sure I’ll be sure to include pens and notepads galore, but there’s also going to be a ton of lifestyle products coming your way. This first box is themed “Brunch Bunch” and has a gorgeous embroidered apron ($30) with adjustable neck and waist fabric.
Each subscription box will contain an enamel pin ($7) designed exclusively for each box. So as you receive boxes, you’ll be able to collect enamel pins from each one. And I posted a handy DIY enamel pin frame tutorialon YouTube so you can get prepared.
This box truly represents where Oh, Hello has been and where it’s going. I wanted to include a lot of products that represent who we are, but also start to shift to what I want Oh, Hello to become. So the stationery products are more abundant in this box, as a nod to Oh, Hello’s history.
There’s a pocket traveler’s notebook ($37) with an exclusive cover design as well as a pocket dot grid insert ($4). It wouldn’t be an Oh, Hello box without stickers! There are two custom sticker sheets ($6) as well as a bunch of die cuts ($4) of all the brunch bunch characters.
On top of three sets of sticky notes ($9), you’ll also receive our first ever keychain ($8). In the shape of an egg. It’s keychain perfection.
The first subscription box by me wouldn’t be complete without a squishy ($5)!! It had to happen. Nothing brought me more joy than when a giant box packed full of donut squishies landed on my doorstep.
So there you have it. The first box is officially out in the world and will be available for purchase on January 5th. Boxes will be $44.95 plus a flat shipping rate. And as a thank you for supporting me and Oh, Hello I’m giving away a box to one of you!
It’s very unlike me, but I’m eager for the new year to start. I’m excited. And I haven’t felt like that in a really long time. With so many projects and plans for the 2019, here’s how I’m preparing my business to start the new year off with a bang.
A few weeks ago I sat down and made a marketing plan for the entire year. I mapped out a year’s worth of sales, promotions, and sales goals. This really helped me to visualize the entire year at once. It became obvious that some months were heavier with sales than others. I spaced everything out and have a clear road map for the year ahead.
I’m terrible at this, but I’m trying to get better at delegating more. I have a small but mighty staff that I’ve been passing off more projects to so I can focus on big picture things like our subscription box I mentioned in my last blog post. Plus a big goal for 2019 is to get into retail!
Despite being excited for all the work things next year, I’m also scheduling time off for self care and travel. I want to make sure I have time to recharge, shake off an burned out feelings, and seek creative inspiration.
I’m brainstorming. A lot. Like writing down any possible idea that pops into my head. I always brainstorm best right before I fall asleep, so I keep a notepad by my bed for scribbles in the dark I have to try and decipher the next morning. I’ve mastered the ability to not accidentally write over other ideas in the dark. Do you think that’s a skill you can endorse on LinkedIn?
I’m also trying really hard to listen to ideas from other people. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I’m too close to my business. It’s so valuable to listen to new ideas because they’re seeing my business in a way that I physically can’t, from the outside.
But above all else, I’m celebrating the victories of this year. 2018 marked the year of trying to slow down and appreciate accomplishments more. Take a second to breathe, look around at how far we’ve come, before moving on. As the year comes to a close I’m proud of what I’ve done, but excited to see what’s next.
2018 has been a dozy of a year for me. From some serious highs to some even lower lows, the year has been one for the record books. And through it all I found myself to have fallen out of love with Oh, Hello. That truth made me miserable. Alex and I have worked tirelessly for over four years to craft our business and I just felt…exhausted. I started to question why I was even bothering. Things got pretty bleak there for a while, but luckily this is a happy story.
I went through a lot of personal mental health stuff in 2018. I want to dive into it in more detail later (because I think mental health deserves to be talked about no matter how good or bad), but it’s not really the point of this story and it always has a way of overshadowing things anyway. Luckily I found solutions and the help that I needed so that as we entered autumn, I had a new positive outlook on things. It wasn’t all doom and gloom. I had help both literally and metaphorically and I could finally breathe. I was ready to fall back in love with my business.
Alex and I have talked about doing a subscription box for years. It always felt too risky, too much work when we already felt drawn thin. But one morning I woke up and it felt like time. And then I didn’t sleep. For weeks. Every time I’d try a another idea would pop into my head, another box theme, another product. The idea storm became so bad that I sometimes crept into our guestroom to work in the middle of the night to let Alex sleep. I felt alive and invigorated for the first time since 2014 when I had the idea to start Oh, Hello.
The Oh, Hello Box was born. A box dedicated to self care, self love, and some fun thrown in. With so many subscription boxes out there I didn’t want to just add to the noise. I wanted to create something simple, beautiful, and packed to the brim with high-quality products. Over $100 in lifestyle and planning items every month for under $50.
I haven’t felt this passionate about my business since its creation and I’m loving every thrilling and terrifying second of it. The first box launches on January 5th, and if you’d like to get more updates about the box there’s a newsletter you can sign up to.
I cannot wait to continue to share my business journey with you as well as box themes and products. It’s going to be an amazing start to a new year.
