Small Business Highlight: intraMuse Creative

This month, we’re highlighting a great small business that is dedicated to helping other businesses thrive. When your job is crafting the brand of a business, you need to keep your thumb on the vein of what’s popular while connecting deeply with clients to bring out their best. intraMuse Creative balances both with excellence, crafting amazing logos and branding campaigns for businesses of all sizes.  

Their company has taken branding the branding experience to another level with their innovative success planners. With these digital planners, you can tackle your plans for growth on a whole new level. Plan business, goals, habits, and even meals! We spoke with Sara to bring her insights on how this small business has become a success with excellent customer service, on-point branding, and trendy giveaways. 

Meet Small Business Owner, Sara Russell

My name is Sara Russell and I’m the founder of intraMuse Creative. intraMuse is a branding/marketing boutique based in Denver Colorado. We partner with our clients to bring new brands to life, reshape evolving brands and amplify visibility with mindful marketing tactics.  

Some of our work product includes visual identities (logos with corresponding brand guidelines and brand messaging), publication design, web design and maintenance, content creation and social media management. We even have started developing an annual digital planner and other digital tools designed to help our audience plan for success!  

In the Business of Growth

My favorite part about having a small business is the limitless potential. I have complete control of my brand and the decision-making process. I have been able to shape the business over the years in response to changing client needs, new market availability, and new trends in marketing.  

When I first started in marketing over 18 years ago, the iPhone wasn’t even a thing yet! Now, all our website designs are responsive to fit various screen sizes because more and more people are surfing the web on their mobile devices versus a desktop/laptop computer. It’s really exciting to see how we’ve transformed over the last 10 years and to think of the opportunities to come. 

Highs and Lows of Running a Business

I also greatly appreciate the flexibility being a small business owner affords me–   I am a single parent and while I started the company officially in 2012 as more of a part time endeavor, once my daughter was born, its importance quickly grew. It has given me the opportunity to organize my time in response to her evolving needs and the goals of our family. 

I stay motivated thinking about the possibilities; what can we do next for our clients that will help them succeed? There is limitless potential for intraMuse, so how can I use it in the most positive and impactful way? It is exciting to think of the future and plan for success – ours’ and our clients’! 

“I stay motivated thinking about the possibilities; what can we do next for our clients that will help them succeed?” 

Connecting with Customers

My favorite way to connect with clients is to meet them where they are – I mean that in a sense of understanding. To really get to know them, where their business is and where they want to go. Even in the same industry, each business is on a unique journey and each brand has a personality of its own. I want to know how I can best get to the heart of their needs and help them make progress quickly and efficiently. 

The biggest challenge I’ve had in promoting my business is getting in front of the right audience. There are so many different avenues to reaching an ideal client, so testing them out and deciding which one works the best for intraMuse is continually expanding. 

Currently, about 90% of our business is referral based. So, our most valuable promotional tool has been our high-quality work. We are determined to give our clients unparalleled service no matter the size of the project. A happy client who is willing to tell others about us is priceless. 

“Our most valuable promotional tool has been our high-quality work” 

Maintaining Connections with Pens

I think it’s important to give customers and prospects gifts like pens to stay top of mind. When you give someone a high quality and useful item they will keep it around, they’ll get good use out of it and they’ll appreciate the fact that you gave them something that could make a difference, even if it’s small, in how they function. They will also hopefully associate the quality and value with you and how you do business. Plus, who doesn’t love a new pen- especially when they look, feel, and function as well as the ones we bought?! 

Engraved Paragon Stylus Pen

Several years ago I purchased the gunmetal Paragon Pen and Stylus Tip from pens.com and they were a huge hit. They were very sleek looking and the pen/stylus combo was great for easily going from writing on paper to taking notes digitally. I had people calling me just to ask if they could have another! 

Engraved Alpha Stylus Pen with Rose Gold Trim

This year I chose the Engraved Alpha Stylus Pen with Rose Gold Trim. Pens.com had sent me a sample of this style in a different color and I just loved the feel of the pen. I am a tactile person, and it has a very soft and smooth texture and the engraving really pops. I chose the blue as it’s one of our main brand colors and kept the engraved text simple with brand name, tagline and website. The rose gold was an embellishment that added to the beauty- it really makes the pens stand out and look more luxurious. 

“[Customers will] appreciate the fact that you gave them something that could make a difference, even if it’s small.” 

Sara’s Advice for Other Businesses

Plan for success. Have a firm understanding of your brand and what you want to accomplish and then plan what it will take to fulfill those dreams. Break things into manageable chunks, plan your work and work your plan. I love the quote by author Robert Collier, “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” Stay focused, you’ve got this! 

“Plan for success” 

If you’re looking for more insights to bring your brand higher, check out intraMuse Creative on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn! You can also create your own plan for growth using Sara’s unique Success Planner on the intraMuse Creative website.