Brand Makeovers: JoJo Smith of CreativSAS On The 5 Things You Should Do To Upgrade and Re-Energize Your Brand and Image

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Enlist the help of an expert! Don’t try and manage the process by yourself, it’s absolutely essential that you get this right. You don’t want to get to the end of the branding journey and end up with something you’re not happy with.

As part of our series about “Brand Makeovers” I had the pleasure to interview Jo Jo Smith.

Heart-led entrepreneur, development and branding expert, JoJo Smith, 46, from Birmingham is the Founder of CreativSAS and is known as the ‘Branding Fairy Godmother’. Jo Jo believes there is no such thing as ‘an average Jo’, and she makes it her business to help others believe this too, tackling head on the often recurring behaviour we see within business owners, and female entrepreneurs in particular, where they try to squeeze themselves into a box to fit in — and by default choose to be average by dulling down their true characters. She believes we should all fiercely break out of that box, to give ourselves the opportunity to enjoy being ourselves, something that not only serves our mental health better, but also helps to build business too.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I don’t think I can really separate my personal life from my career path when it comes to CreativSAS. I absolutely love being known as the Branding Fairy Godmother and as you can tell from the tag, it’s not your ordinary take on business or branding. The business I’ve developed is in equal measure down to a childhood which caused me to try and ‘fit the mould,’ together with an incredible sales career working with some of the top names in TV production, football and retail, which, when I felt that I’d been asked to compromise, finally gave the push I needed to launch out on my own.

I grew up in care and my biological mum died when I was just a teenager. I don’t believe in making this my sob story but you learn to do what it takes to survive, and although I’m an outgoing girl with a huge personality, much of that was toned down to get on and get along. I guess I just got used to keeping my head down. Now I have the drive and opportunity to work with entrepreneurs just like me, who may be showing the world a shadow of themselves, to really step up, celebrate themselves and their endeavours and give themselves the platform they deserve.

Why hide in a world of business grey when you’re born to stand out in glorious technicolour?!

Can you share a story about the funniest marketing or branding mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

That’s really easy! CreativeSAS was born in 2019 with the last £30 I had in my pocket. I knew who I was and what I wanted to achieve but I was at such a low career and personal ebb that even in the branding business, I didn’t have the courage to stand out. On the inside, (and now the outside!) I’m all about being sassy, not sorry. I’m frequently seen wearing my tutu and carrying my tiara, just as easily as I would a handbag. My clients love it and, of course, it gives them the courage to be different and own their position in the marketplace. What use would it be if I was encouraging every other entrepreneur to really be themselves but I wasn’t modelling it myself?

But that was the biggest potential mistake of my early journey. I remember meeting with another entrepreneur; a motivational speaker, and introducing myself in a very ‘Jeff-the-businessman’ type of way, and she rescued me from my own world of grey right from the start! I am so grateful to her. I could have left that meeting unchallenged, and who knows where I would be today, but I pivoted right there and then, leaving grey and traditional behind and taking the risk to relish being myself, that has drawn clients to me ever since.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Is there a takeaway or lesson that others can learn from that?

In terms of what I’m doing now, it really was that moment. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been successful up until that point, although personal and business dealings caused me to experience some very severe lows as well as relative success. But what is success if you’re not true to yourself and will you ever look back and wonder what it would have been like if you had only had the confidence to really be true to you?

I could talk about having goals, and clear business planning and hard work, all of which had been ingredients of my working life up until that point, but what has really catapulted CreativeSAS over the last couple of years, was the revelation that I could be 100% Jo Jo Smith, and everything else would fly.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I have been asked to speak on a US Entrepreneurs Cruise in Sept 2022, to inspire and motivate passionate business owners with big dreams. I’m all about believing in yourself and that to every wish there is a way. Wishes can become reality with the right strategy! If you add what I call SAS — Self Awareness Strategy to your business development and branding, this can be a huge game-changer in courage, confidence and self-belief. It’s all part of your business super power …. “Mind-in your business” as I like to call it!

What advice would you give to other marketers to thrive and avoid burnout?

I can only talk from personal experience, and it goes back to being true to yourself. Don’t sit in a job that you loathe; look for a cause you are passionate about! If you’ve been coming into work and trying to fit in for the past 20 years, try switching it up next Monday and be unashamedly yourself. The most exhausting thing any of us can do is try to please others by conforming to whatever it is we think they want.

I could also talk about finding a healthy work-life balance, spending time doing the things you love, maintaining a good regime of diet, fitness and positive mental well being measures…. But all this only supports the 100% real you, and if you’re never comfortable with being yourself, physical, mental and emotional exhaustion is your only destination.

Ok, let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?

Branding is so much more than a great looking logo and many of us are just too narrow minded when it comes to our branding. Branding is the result of an in depth, holistic look at you, your business and your product. I think for too long, we’ve left our personalities out of branding altogether and struggled to understand why what we’re presented with is not an accurate reflection of who we are and what we’re trying to achieve. Branding can only be successful when we’re refreshingly honest and courageous enough to say what we really mean and be who we really are. If you’re in business to sell a product and your branding is oozing your own charisma, you’ll have no trouble selling, whatever method you choose to use, advertising or otherwise.

Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?

We’ve all heard the phrase, “people buy people” and it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. In a nutshell, that’s it! But so many of us sell ourselves short. It’s my vision and passion to help people invest in building, not just any brand but their brand. After struggling to get this right myself initially I know how important it is and what an impact it can have on your business when your brand truly reflects you.

I want to give people permission to be themselves, to get their branding ‘right’ because it opens all the right doors. In fact branding is a ‘business ballgown,’ — “it has to fit perfectly so we can FLAUNT it confidently, not fidget uncomfortably!”

Let’s now talk about rebranding. What are a few reasons why a company would consider rebranding?

If you are not in love with your brand and you are not proud to show it off, then a rebrand is a no-brainer because it means you’re not connected to it. ‘Brand shame’ is like wearing someone else’s outfit, or something that just doesn’t fit. If you feel uncomfortable in any way about your branding, then it’s definitely time for a rebrand!

OR If you are attracting the wrong kind of client it could be time for a rebrand. Something about your brand is communicating the wrong message and again it comes down to connection both for you and for your ideal client.

OR maybe you just need an explosion of life into your branding; if you’re not standing out amongst your competition, your brand may need a tweek or two.

Are there downsides of rebranding? Are there companies that you would advise against doing a “Brand Makeover”? Why?

Rebranding at the wrong time or for the wrong reasons can come across as being inconsistent. If you swap your branding around a lot, it can appear to be indecisive and clients will be confused as to who you are and what you really stand for.

Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. Can you share 5 strategies that a company can do to upgrade and re-energize their brand and image”? Please tell us a story or an example for each.

1. Enlist the help of an expert! Don’t try and manage the process by yourself, it’s absolutely essential that you get this right. You don’t want to get to the end of the branding journey and end up with something you’re not happy with.
2. Involve your executive team (if you’re CEO) or your best cheerleaders (if you’re starting out) These people can give you sound advice, opinion and perhaps even lend you the courage to take a big step.
3. Be absolutely honest with yourself and everyone else in the process This is your brand, your investment, and your life so be honest from the get-go. If you’re looking at reinventing yourself, it’s already a bold decision.
4. Don’t rush the creative process — it doesn’t have to be done by tomorrow. Take the time now, rather than regretting it later.
5. ALWAYS ADD A LITTLE SASSY SOMETHING EXTRA — sprinkle a little fun and cheekyside into your brand … sassy and serious can be a successful mix and help you shine brighter

In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job doing a “Brand Makeover”. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?

OK! I’m showing my age here but who remembers OPAL FRUITS — now STAR BURST …. In my opinion they smashed it … Opal Fruits were a firm favorite with a solid brand , a household name ….. yet now they are a FUN, ZESTY house hold name … they literally rebranded and became known for exactly what they are … a lively burst of zesty flavour …

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I’m currently working with women but actually, we have to start working with girls. I want to build that future of gender parity. We have to inspire generations of school kids as they’re starting to think about their own futures. It’s never too soon! I want to work with school-aged young women enabling them to unleash their true potential and build strong career goals from a young age.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I’d like to quote myself! I believe in being “Sassy not sorry!” That’s ‘lively, bold and full of spirit’ and it motivates me every day not to die to myself in the face of opposition and keep celebrating the best version of myself every day!

How can our readers follow you online?

Website — www.creativsas.co.uk/

Facebook — www.facebook.com/CreativSAS/

Instagram — www.instagram.com/creativsas/

Thank you so much for these excellent insights! We wish you continued success in your work.