I am perpetually on the lookout for fresh insights and novel viewpoints for local businesses whose products and services command our attention and investment.
I listen for businesses that triumph over trials and offer ways to further brand and develop my business and yours. The inception of this article is to unveil the essence of the Opposite of East. Be you a lone trailblazer or a sprawling enterprise, the essence of their mission is about helping you find clarity and purpose in your branding message.
New perspectives on business thriving
In the heart of July, I attended the Valley Women’s Network Mixer at Inversion Wines, Scotts Valley. Always the second Wednesday of each month, their guest speaker, Tricia Mogensen, co-founder, brand strategist and art director, along with her business partner, Jenny Keck, creative director and lead designer, spoke. To me, Tricia is a brand sorceress.
Tricia and Jenny choreograph a symphony of collaboration at Opposite of East (OOE) as storytellers. They offer brand design, photography and marketing for wellness, lifestyle and hospitality brands.
I encourage you to visit their website oppositeofeast.com because their brand strategy, identity design, photography, website design and digital marketing talent will catch your attention.
Whether you are a solopreneur or a large business, you will understand why they exist “…to give our clients a more profound sense of purpose, and assist them in communicating their own unique brand stories.”
Transcend your stories into your brand
When I heard Tricia speak that day, her authenticity was palatable. “Finally,” I thought, “another business person who is not selling you, but relating how the challenges and changes can benefit you.”
Tricia’s background is a prism refracting myriad experiences, giving OOE the ability to focus on the Wellness, Lifestyle and Hospitality industries, since health and wellness are her soft spot. Her passion and big-picture thinking bring these three areas to life with their creative branding, visuals and storytelling abilities.
Whether your business is into massage, acupuncture or therapy, and your clients deal with internal or external wellness, her background understands these businesses well.
Whether the lifestyle component concerns the e-commerce industry of products from hats to towels or hospitality and travel from BnB to travel-related activities or experiences, they have got you covered.
‘Authenticity is magnetism’
I asked Tricia, “Why are you so passionate about what you do?” She replied, “On a personal level, I can see the big picture in things. I am a high-end-thinker.”
Her career started accidentally from marketing to many lateral moves that the totality of her experiences, where her wealth of knowledge and experiences is what she can share with others. Telling her story that day in July demonstrated how when we believe in our business and its purpose, being authentic in how we brand and promote ourselves is magnetic.
She said, “When you truly find purpose within your brand, your target audience or your market, your ideal client who shares your own values will find their purpose as well.”
Business owners sometimes want to brand what they think their audience wants to hear. “…sometimes business owners shy away from being vulnerable, and tend to create fake values or messages, when sometimes providing the most authentic message is the most magnetic.”
Don’t be afraid
The moral of her story, yours or mine, is “Don’t be afraid to be multi-dimensional to change lanes because the road is always moving forward.”
Both Tricia and Jenny are influential in their ability to capture the essence of your story and help us all realize that passion and belief in our mission and purpose often require mistakes and lane changes.
We have stories to tell, and they can help us gain clarity and focus in sharing them. Contact them at [email protected] or 831-345-6206.
Janet Janssen is a Life in Business coach and consultant for one-on-one coaching and team building exercises and leadership training. She is a distinguished Toastmasters International speaker and board member of Leadership Santa Cruz County, San Lorenzo and Scott Valley Chamber business. Contact her at [email protected].
