Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Reinecke.
Chris, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started freelancing about 15 years ago. I was just growing my career and things weren’t progressing at a very fast rate, so in my impatience, I started taking on clients, as a way of challenging myself to develop new skills, and change the way I think about business and problem-solving. Once I had a few wins behind me, I started looking into what it would take to turn my side-hustle into a business. About 5 years later, the right opportunity presented itself, and I found clients and defined my service offering. Now, I am proud to specialize in branding services for mid-sized businesses preparing for growth.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Growing as an entrepreneur is a long road, paved by discipline. Anyone who tells you to “be your own boss,” because it is easier, does not understand the type of personality that it takes to succeed. I am one of the worst bosses I’ve ever worked for. I work non-stop. I demand things of myself that no other person would ask me to do. But, I get to play an active role in seeing a dream come to life, and that makes it worth all the long hours and striving.
One struggle that has taken some getting used to, is that my clients all have similar rhythms in seasonality. Having conversations early can help you avoid the bottlenecks.
As you know, we’re big fans of Reinecke Design, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Reinecke Design is a dedicated design consultancy, specializing in building brands and brand systems.
What most people might not understand, is that branding is far more than just making a logo. Your brand is how you present yourself. How you set yourself apart. How others describe your business to their friends. And there are a number of different tools at our disposal to position and clarify these things for the people that make the biggest difference in your business: the customers.
What sets me apart? I may have gotten my start as a designer; but I think bigger than that, into the big picture of what matters to your business.
I’m proud, anytime I get to work with my clients in a comprehensive capacity: positioning, strategizing and aligning their brands for optimum clarity.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I’ve been blessed in my life to have many mentors. The key is informality; rather than hoarding one person’s time, you listen closely and learn as much as you can from people who know more about a given topic, then you do. My approach to networking is similar: be engaging, but listen more than you talk. My best networking experiences have come from the relationships built by connecting other people and facilitating their success. Selfish people eventually lose momentum, but servant leaders help one another.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.createdenton.com/brands
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reineckedesign/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-reinecke
