Q&A with Jenn Giles Kemper

Jenn is a Waco-based entrepreneur who had a majorly successful Kick Starter launch and founded Sacred Ordinary Days. This past January she released her first day planner and is now working on the next two. After working with her on her visual branding, I knew that I wanted to share some of her experience with you guys. Thankfully Jenn agreed and I really think you will love what she has to say.

So Jenn, I do have to say, in the last two years, you have launched your new brand, created a new product and you started a podcast. How would you even describe what it is that you do? Who is Jenn Giles Kemper?

I can't believe it's been two years! I think that just goes to show how incredible your work is-- it lasts and lasts. I've done logos and branding for businesses before and I was tired of it or had outgrown it in less than two years. The work that we did together for the Jenn Giles Kemper branding still feels spot on!
When we first worked together, I was a solo entrepreneur working at home from my front bedroom-turned-office. Now I lead a small team, which includes my husband, Grant. The two of us work in our downtown Waco studio and my right-hand woman, Hayley Johnson, works remotely from Fort Worth. Sacred Ordinary Days is the business that grew out of my one-on-one coaching, consulting, and spiritual direction work. At Sacred Ordinary Days, we create modern resources for Christian spiritual formation. Our tools are rooted in ancient practices, but translated with a clean aesthetic and accessible language. We draw from the liturgical calendar, the lectionary, the daily office, and many contemplative spiritual practices.

Thus far, between all the projects you have on your plate, and the ones that have been checked off the list, what part of this journey has been your favorite?

Our liturgical day planner is still the thing that I am most proud to have created. That's at the heart of everything we do! We're currently making some small changes and improvements for the Academic Edition, which will be available for pre-sale at sacredordinarydays.com as of May 2! We'll make several more improvements when we release the 2017 Liturgical Edition this fall. I'm really enjoying the opportunity to tweak and improve our products based on the feedback of our tribe members who are using the planner so many different ways!
Ok, but there is another part of this journey that has been wonderfully challenging and cool and educational. Since the beginning, I wanted to find a meaningful way to engage in this conversation about leaning into the church calendar. I started the Sacred Ordinary Days podcast alongside my friend and colleague, Lacy Clark Ellman of asacredjourney.net. From the beginning, our goal has been to meet our listeners where they are and, essentially, host a conversation about how the liturgical calendar relates to us today and how we incorporate in into our lives. Podcasting is brand new to us, but as they say, experience has been the best teacher.

That is great! So many things to look forward to! Although you created the “Sacred Ordinary Days” planner, your days are far less than ordinary. What do your days normally look like in the world of ministry, entrepreneurship, and marriage?

First, how cool is it that I get to be both a minister and an entrepreneur through Sacred Ordinary Days? I pinch myself weekly. I'm so grateful to have found/created this work. These days my husband, Grant, and I head in to our office at Anthem Studios around nine in the morning. He's been working with our business full-time for a month and a half. It's a big change from aerospace engineering, for sure, but we're really enjoying working together and having more flexibility in our schedules. We communicate with Hayley, our designer and creative director, throughout the day via Slack, Asana, and Skype. We're in the process of hiring a few more folks, so lately we've been focused on streamlining our workflow.
Our tasks vary quite a bit day to day, and while I love the excitement and variety, I find myself looking forward to a bit more routine as our team grows and I can be in charge of less. Some days I'm recording a podcast episode or writing a script for our next video shoot. Others days I’m writing our employee handbook and figuring out how to actually build the kind of business that I desire to lead, (we’ve been working out all the details-- from work schedules to health care to pay and everything in between). The relationships with our "tribe" (our customers, supporters, people in our corner) have been such a key component. We know exactly who we're creating with and for. We talk and listen daily in our facebook group and on social media using #sacredordinarydays. I'm loving instagram and have been SO grateful for quick conversations on twitter. Seeing people share our initial launch was amazing! You could almost see different circles and networks lighting up on a map of the internet. It was very humbling to see so many strangers be generous!

Yep! Sounds like the life of a successful entrepreneur. What makes you come alive in work, ministry and marriage?

I'm an extrovert and love collaborating, so working with people whom I thoroughly respect and enjoy is a dream come true. I love the days that have a mix of creating something, refining something based on collaboration with our people, and interacting with our tribe. The idea of Sacred Ordinary Days was born out of a need that I saw in my own life, and having others connect with that need and respond enthusiastically to our solution is crazy encouraging.
The desire for life-giving relationships seems to bleed over into every area of my life. I enjoy the process of curating a hospitable home to open our home to friends and family. Grant and I share a love of cooking and eating good food, especially when we can share those meals around a full table.

Tell us what one or two things about this last year that surprised you the most. Good, bad, whatever...

The biggest surprise was the moment that my calculated-risk-taking/fiscally conservative/needs-along-term-plan husband looked up from his spreadsheets and flowcharts (yes, literally) and said "I'm ready to quit my job and join Sacred Ordinary Days full-time." Even though we'd been working towards that idea, saving and planning for it to be possible, it was still a BIG moment. I think we both expected it to be at least another 6-12 months, but things fell into place quickly and he was ready!
Oh, also there was this one time when we launched our first planner on Kickstarter and reached our minimum funding goal less than two days in. Watching such a positive response to a project that was months and months in the making was absolutely indescribable.

Since we are now well into 2016 (crazy), since launching the Sacred Ordinary Days Planner this past November, what lays ahead for you?

Our long-term vision for Sacred Ordinary Days is that a new collection will release each year, with two main launch periods (one at the beginning of the year for our Liturgical Edition and one halfway through the year for our Academic Edition). We’re also working on a Weekly Planner to complement the Daily Planner we’ve already created. Other plans for 2016 include developing a Mini-Season for the podcast (coming this summer) and writing a book proposal!

Haha wow, book proposal + JGK = thriving.
How about some advice for anyone with a big dream. What are some helpful first steps to see that dream move towards a reality?

Love this question! Invest your time energy, and money (wisely, but generously) to learn what you need to learn. If you don't have much time or money, start with a book. As you have a little more, reinvest to take some courses. And, continue to do that! The other big thing is investing in real relationships. Invest in people that you love & that love you well. Invest in relationships that could become that, too. Your spouse, your family, friends, employees and contractors. Spend time with talented creators and doers who are also kind, good humans...you know?

Keep up with Jenn and her team!

What are successful people doing?

If you didn't already know, I am a huge fan of Dave Ramsey and the EntreLeadership team. Chris Hogan posted this great article, "10 Characteristics of Highly Successful People", check it out below. Maybe even ask yourself "Which one of these I can intentionally think about, or put into practice this next week"?

"Everyone wants to be successful. Nobody writes an essay in third grade about becoming a lousy business owner or a mediocre teacher. But what separates an average person from the best in their field? Successful people demonstrate similar traits and behaviors. Identifying them is easy. Putting them into practice is the challenge." - Chris Hogan

No one likes to be around pessimists—except other pessimists. Successful people keep a positive outlook. They expect good outcomes. They see the possibilities in a situation instead of the problems. They are convinced they deserve to be on the playing field and can come out as the winner.
Successful people are imaginative. They tinker with projects and ideas. They constantly ask questions. They dream, imagine and have a habit of saying, “What if . . . ?” They are open-minded and eager to discover what’s just over the horizon. This curiosity keeps them from becoming stagnant and complacent, two enemies of success.
Achieving success is tough; if it weren’t, everybody would do it! High achievers get back up when they get knocked down. They shake off the dust and try again. Like Disney, Edison and other historymakers, successful people will not be denied.
Hardworking. Successful leaders keep at it when others go home. They go the extra mile, make that extra call, and tackle that extra step. At the same time, they know how to have fun in the process. They still spend time with family and take care of their emotional, spiritual and physical health.
Emotionally mature. Few volatile leaders become successful. Those who lead well can stay calm under stress. They understand the value of responding rather than reacting. They recognize when their emotions are getting out of control and practice good strategies for handling them.
People are drawn to highly successful leaders. They are charismatic, warm, respectful, open, and engaging. They have a knack for making others feel valued and heard. This may be difficult for strong leaders who are focused on getting the job done, but developing this skill is critical to success.
Someone once said, “Your network is your net worth.” Successful people learn to develop business relationships with others. You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room, but you can introduce yourself and exchange information. You never know when that little interaction could pay off big-time!
Successful people own their mistakes. They don’t shift blame, and they don’t find excuses. They find solutions. They admit what they did wrong, do what they can to correct it, and learn from it. They know they’ll make mistakes, but failure doesn’t have the last word.
It’s easy to get sidetracked by the trivial. If you’re not careful, you’ll spend valuable time on distractions that don’t help you reach your goals. Successful people concentrate on those tasks that line up with their mission and vision.
Successful leaders are willing to try different tactics. They chart new courses and are willing to change the game plan. They don’t cling to processes or people who aren’t working anymore. They’re okay with letting go.

Here & There : Snippets from the Week

Graphic Design can imply many different things, and I am blessed to work on a variety of projects. This past week, the title "graphic designer" meant : creating playful illustrations, mocking up a website layout, editing some photography, designing a couple vehicle wraps, creating and curating the look and feel of a endowment campaign, as well as researching and presenting bid on a large project.

Never a dull moment!

Brand Identity : Emporium Pies

Who doesn't love a great brand?! Im sure each of us have at least 3-5 brands that we admire, enjoy, and don't mind spending our time or money with. We return to that brand over and over because they have somehow built a relationship with us. It may be through their products, their customer service, or their mission and messaging. Hopefully it's all of the above.

A brand is more than a logo or a website, it is also your mission, your intention and the value you add to your customer’s experience on a consistent bases. Heidi Cohen of Riverside Marketing Strategies defines a brand as;

A brand creates emotional bonds with consumers. Brands are composed of intangible elements related to its specific promise, personality, and positioning and tangible components having identifiable representation including logos, graphics, colors and sounds. A brand creates perceived value for consumers through its personality in a way that makes it stand out from other similar products. Its story is intricately intertwined with the public’s perception and consistently provides consumers with a secure sense that they know what they’re paying for. In a world where every individual is also a media entity, your consumers own your brand (as it always was).

So yes, in regards to brands I wanted to share with you one local brand that I personally think is doing an outstanding job. I recently spent the afternoon in the Bishop Arts District of Dallas with my sister in law, who thankfully took me to Emporium Pies, a local pie shop in that neighborhood. I was very impressed and inspired by their brand through and through. I walked into this little house and was immediately transported to the "good ol' days" when life was simple, but still full of rich relationships and meaningful traditions. Emporium Pies invites you into their brand with every personal touch and well thought out detail of their business from the moment you enter to the moment you depart.

One aspect of their business that stands out {and I love}, is that all of their pies are handmade and all of their menu items change seasonally. Their pies contain no artificial preservatives, hydrogenated oils, dyes, or corn syrup. Now that is attention to detail and it adds value for a lot of their customers {like me}, making the quality of their product a very important part of their brand.

photo credit : Paul Wilkes

Also, the handmade touches and attention to detail are carried throughout their visual branding as well. As a graphic designer, one of the first things I noticed was their logo and the paper stock they have their marketing material printed on {Im guessing it's Neenah, pearlized 80# cover}, and they have added gold foiling. Their packaging stands alone and is also put together by hand, one at a time, right in front of you. Each piece is stamped with their logo, tied up with bakers twine, and placed into a woven pie basket. It's pretty special. Their team also has a huge roll to play. The way they greet and serve their customers, along with their cute personal style adds to the overall customer experience and personality of the Emporium Pie brand.

graphic design credit : Scott Hill and the Foundry Collective

A few other fun items to note :
— Their hand written notes sprinkled throughout the shop are clever. When you walk onto the porch you are greeted with a little sign that says, "Welcome to our Pie Shop. Please keep the door shut, so it doesn't become a fly shop." It’s whimsical, full of personalty, and captures a bit of who these ladies are.
— The Drunken Nut pie is really good!
— The vintage art prints in the shop are beautiful.
— And lastly, if you dine in, you pretty much feel like you are sitting in someone's home,
{in the best way} down to the dishes!

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Now, don't you just want to take a road trip and snag some Emporium Pie right this instant!?
Do it!

What are some of your favorite brands that are capturing your attention? I would love to know!

What If...

This phrase from Sean Wes has been on my mind all week…

“Consume - devour, ingest, gobble up, wolf down, guzzle, feast on, snack on, use up, utilize, expend, deplete, exhaust; waste, squander, drain.”

Yes, in context this phrase is more in vein of work - creating work, taking advantage of other's work, not creating because we are too busy consuming... and so on. As a graphic designer, that is enough to chew on for a while. However, this morning I was spending time in the Word, reading some in Romans and thinking about this phrase at the same time. The gist of the passage was, you are saved because you have heard about Jesus through someone sharing with you, and you have believed. But there are people who don't believe because no one has shared with them, so they haven't heard. It made me think about how when we are good and comfortable (we have what we want and need, whatever that looks like), we can easily take advantage of that. In this case, I have believed, and I know Jesus as my savior. I "consume" His word. I "consume" His presence. I "consume" the gifts He provides through blessings and the body of Christ. But do I share that? Do I create a place for others to have that?

When I got up to head into work, the thought ran across my mind, "You just "consumed" this passage, but will it stick? Will it change you? Will you remember what you "consumed" in this moment tomorrow? Will you utilize this for the better, or will it be wasted?

Think about it. Every day, all day, we consume whatever we want - good or bad. Will the objects, experiences, and resources that are in front of us and at our finger tips each day be simply depleted, or ingested? Will we remember tomorrow what we created, read, made, felt, or gave today?

Thinking about the time I spend consuming rather than "creating", or "sharing", or "giving", or "reading" or "dreaming" ...what will that look like one day? Will what I have to contribute be full, or empty? Maybe today I will challenge my self to sketch for a hour instead of viewing all the beautiful work someone else has created.

Who inspiring and challenging you these days?

If you are a creative entrepreneur, and you’re not listening to Sean Wes on his weekly podcast, you should check it out! Not only does his creative and business experience cause me to think about work differently, but it also bleeds over into other areas.

— Surround yourself with people that make you want to be better —

A Honest Truth About Running a Small Business

I enjoy meeting and getting to know other small business owners. In this industry, there’s an amazing amount of inspiration and collaboration to be found talking to other creative individuals. Specifically, I love sharing and hearing about the journey to owning your own business. Everyone’s path is different but I truly feel that there’s something to learn from each of them. Today, I wanted to share mine with you. Many of the people following this blog already know some of it, but for those who don’t (and for those who want to know a little more), read on!

How long have you owned this business?
I started Cedar Gandy on January 1, 2014.

How did you decide to strike out on your own?
After 6 years of working for an amazing graphic design firm, I found myself wondering and dreaming about the possibility of something more. Something new and different. Specifically something a little more handmade, a little more broad, and a lot more me.

At the time I was making this decision, my husband Jordan and I were 10 months into marriage. My brother (who also happens to be my closest friend) had just moved across the ocean. We were talking about adding a fourth UPS Store to the three we already owned. To put it simply, transition was in the air and I felt it. After months of prayer and wise counsel, I stepped out of my design position and stepped into the world of a self employed designer entrepreneur. I’m going to be honest here: this whole thing felt like a huge risk! But I wanted to have faith and trust what I felt like God was calling me to.

What is the best part of running a small business?
The sense of having more freedom. As an entrepreneur, I get to have more say in the types of projects I work on. I’m now free to take on work that inspires me, which is an incredible blessing. I also have the chance to pursue the kind of clients and jobs that interest me. Now, I get to work on a wide variety of projects that include designing visual marketing pieces for larger companies and creating smaller custom projects for small businesses and individuals. Practical “freedom" is a huge part of why I started Cedar Gandy. I can easily take my work on the road and spend time with my husband while he travels for work.

What is the hardest part of running a small business?
The hardest thing about it is that I don’t get to design all day, which I would love to do. One of the common responses people having when they hear I run a small business is the classic, “Must be nice that you can do whatever you want!” Of course, that really is true to an extent! But people underestimate the huge responsibility that comes along with that well, especially if you want to grow and be successful. For now, everything is on my shoulders—at least until Cedar grows a little more.

I split my time between creative meetings, corresponding with clients and vendors via LOTS of emails, accounting and invoicing, creating quotes for different jobs, keeping up my website and social media, growing the business, continuing to learn and grow technically and creatively, and staying fresh and innovative with my design as much as I can. With that comes the daily pressure of starting work at 8 and not stopping until it’s done. So getting up, taking breaks and moving around can be a challenge, which is a bummer—most days I eat at my desk while in the middle of responding to clients!

What doubts or resistance have you had to face?
If I’m facing resistance, it’s usually coming from myself. It’s often the resistance to put myself and my work out there more, resistance to dreaming big, resistance to being totally confident in my work and where I’m at in this journey. Even though it can be a tough thing to admit, I love being able to share my story and be honest about the obstacles that I face. Even in the moments when I find myself worried about growing my business, it really is my clients (both new and regular) that keep me going. They don’t give me any reason to doubt my creativity, ideas, design aesthetic, or business. At the end of the day, that is one thing I am so grateful for!

What advice would you give to someone just starting out on this journey?
Come up with a plan that involves your dreams, but also your mission and goals. For me, that is the key to sticking to your vision and staying motivated. Ask people that have gone before you for advice and wisdom. Pick their brain and expertise. Listen to their stories. Work really hard and ride the waves of highs and lows that come with owning a small business. Also, know who your support team is– whether it’s a business partner, parents, spouse, or close friends. Talk with them about expectations, goals, and even how starting your own business will affect the relationships in your life. Ask yourself: what am I willing to compromise? What am I not willing to compromise? Then have someone to hold you accountable to those decisions.

Here & There: A Trip to Nashville

My husband and I took a short trip to Nashville recently and I came back refreshed and inspired. It was a great mix of work, rest, and play.

It was my first time experiencing Nashville and I fell in love with the city. It was full of art, culinary innovation, culture and charm—oh and, of course, music!

If you ever find yourself in the lovely city of Nashville, here are a few spots we really dug:

1 // Driving through the West End, Hillsboro and Bellmead to take it all in.

2 // German Town which houses the incredible City House restaurant.

3 // If you love letterpress, walk through the Onmi downtown and visit Hatch Show Print.

4 // Downtown’s Southern Restaurant and Mike’s Ice Cream are perfect walking distance. To me, this feels like quintessential Nashville!

5 // We also hiked for three hours through Edwin Warner Park. The trails were breathtaking!

As a graphic designer, I find it really inspiring to observe design in other places, spaces and cities. Some of the things I like to look for (and you can, too!) are classic design that has been there forever, what is hip and trendy right now, and how different businesses are really capitalizing on the value of a good design to market and carry their brand. Because of my love and intrigue for typography, I had a field day with some of the branding I saw in Nashville at The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden, The Gaylord Opryland Hotel, and over at Hattie B.

Are there any other Nashville treasures I should add to the list for next time? I would love to hear about them!

Here & There : Creating

... As this busy week comes to an end, I am grateful for so many wonderful clients I get to partner with daily. Thank you for your business.