How you ever wondered why it’s so hard to write for your business?

You live and breathe your work. It’s your passion, it’s your hobby, it’s what fills up your cup when everything else seems to be falling apart.

You know the ins and outs of it - the good parts - the bad parts - and you absolutely know who your ideal customer is and what they need.

Shouldn’t you be the PERFECT person to write the copy on your website and your marketing materials?

PostedApril 21, 2021

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCopywriting, Getting Started, Website Copywriting, Rough Draft Solutions

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What words come to mind when you think about your business and how you want to present yourself to your customers? How do you want to make your customers feel?⁠⁠
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When I started this business back in 2014, there wasn't a lot of strategy behind the visual brand. I didn't see a connection between my logo and the colors I used to how I appealed to my customers. This time around, everything is different. Working with RuthAnn at R Artspace was an enlightening experience and brought clarity to my vision. ⁠⁠

PostedApril 6, 2021

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesGetting Started, Marketing, Visual brand, Brand refresh, Rough Draft Solutions

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When it comes to blogging, one crucial and often, overlooked aspects of blogging is finding the time to do it! The idea of having a thriving, popular blog sounds fantastic, but making it happen is another story. You may have a plethora of blog topics you want to publish, but it’s tricky to find the time to blog when you have a hectic schedule.

Today, I will give you tips that can help you thoughtfully plan your time and dismiss the overwhelming stresses, so you can bring your blog ideas to life.

PostedJune 14, 2016

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CategoriesBlogging, Getting Started, Tips, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsBlogging, Blogging Tips, Writing, Content Marketing

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Owning a business can offer the most rewarding and most stressful experiences of your life - sometimes all in the same day! There are days where you ask yourself, why did I wait so long to do this?! And others, where you wonder, what in the world was I thinking?! The beauty of business ownership is that it is a constant learning experience, and you have the power to make the experience what you want. You have the ability to positively influence others, to make a difference for your customers, and ultimately, make your dream job a reality.

While I am all about positivity and looking on the bright side, I also value being frank and realistic. I thought it may be helpful for other entrepreneurs or aspiring business owners to hear a peer’s perspective on the good, the bad, and the ugly of owning a business. Hopefully, we can lift one another up and remember that the hard days aren’t so bad, and the good days are worth working for!

PostedApril 26, 2016

Author

CategoriesBusiness Leadership, Getting Started, Small Business Owner, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsSmall Business Owner, Entrepreneurs, Trusted Partner

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I know your secret… You don’t have a marketing department, and you’re kind of embarrassed about it.

It’s okay, I promise. You’re not alone. In fact, there are more businesses than you can imagine that don’t have a marketing department. These include businesses that employ as few as five people and companies with more than 500. And it’s not necessarily because they don’t want to have a marketing team. It’s simply a result of not having the resources to put one in place, not realizing the need, or more commonly, not realizing the opportunities you’re missing.

PostedApril 5, 2016

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Getting Started, Marketing, Small Business Owner, Rough Draft Solutions

Tagsmarketing, Small business, Strategic Communication

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Tunnel vision, messy desks, overbooked schedules… Does that sound familiar as a business owner? Since starting my business I’ve found that I rarely have time to reflect on the whole journey. Because if I’m not working, I’m not making money, right?

But we all know the importance of reflection. So when 2nd Brain Collective reached out and asked if they could interview me on my experiences as a business owner and the world of marketing, I eagerly agreed. There have been many highs and lows in this experience, and I figured there wasn't a better time than now to take stock of the last two years. This new podcast is all about business and marketing in the digital age. Thanks 2BC for having me!

I highly encourage you to listen to the podcast (and all of the other interesting 2BC interviews!). I promise you'll learn something new about RDS and may even laugh. ;) And if you'd like, keep reading to discover more about how I started Rough Draft Solutions.

PostedMarch 9, 2016

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesBusiness Leadership, Getting Started, Small Business Owner, Leadership, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsPodcast Interview, Leadership, Small Business Owner, Lessons learned

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There are countless business articles and blogs circulating the Internet that focus on the clear-cut methods you should follow to reach your goals. They provide a list of steps to take to help your business achieve success. What many businesses don’t talk about, however, are the mistakes they made along the way.

Awhile back, the Business Machine podcast featured Rough Draft Solution's own Amanda Washburn in their series “Learning from Our Mistakes.” Hear the interview for yourself or read on to learn why Rough Draft Solutions was started, what our future looks like, and what mistakes we’ve made along the way. Here is a sneak peek!

PostedNovember 4, 2015

Author

CategoriesInterview, Getting Started, Small Business Owner, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsPodcast Interview, Small Business Owner, Internal communication

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Thanksgiving is less than a week from now. The last few days I have been consumed with thoughts of gratefulness and happiness about owning my own business. I can't explain the value of the freedom that it brings to my life. I wanted to share a few of these little bits of happiness with you. What are you most thankful for professionally?

8 things I am thankful for (in no particular order):

The ability to own a business and the creative opportunities available to me. Working with such a variety of small businesses and helping them share their stories is so rewarding. One of my favorite parts is sitting down with a customer and hearing their story and helping them articulate it in a way that will engage their customers.

PostedNovember 21, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCommunication, Content Marketing, Getting Started, Food for Thought

TagsThankful, Jackson Marketing, Lansing Marketing, Business owner, Work Life Balance

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As a way to commemorate the launch of Rough Draft Solutions, I thought it would be appropriate to post about new beginnings. Rough Draft Solutions is built on the principle that the best time to start improving is now. When I was deliberating about starting this company I came across the following quotation by Hugh Laurie.

"It's a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you're ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any."

What a profound thought that is - that today is better than tomorrow and today, we can do more than we didn't do yesterday. There may never be "the perfect time" and so we should stop procrastinating and just get going.

PostedApril 8, 2014

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesGetting Started, Food for Thought, Rough Draft Solutions, Content Marketing

TagsCustomer Engagement, Content Marketing, New Beginning, Content Development

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You're not crazy. Why it's hard to write for your business...

How Do You Describe Your Business in 3 Words?

7 Tips on How to Find Time for Blogging

Owning a Business: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

How to Create a Marketing Strategy on the Fly

A 2BC Podcast: The Highs and Lows of Business

The Path to Success: The Business Machine Podcast

8 Things I am Thankful for: Business Owner Edition

A New Start