I'm going to start this podcast explaining why "chick"? Who's this chick? And why am I using the term chick? I recently posted my redesigned website on a forum for designers and came under some quite heavy criticism from some of the men on the group who felt that using the term "chick" on my website was very disrespectful, alienating and unprofessional.
I hope you can hear the smile and my voice because to me, chick is a real term of endearment. All of the women in my life who I love, get called chick. If I am trying to get my point across to somebody I normally preface or end off with "chick". So by no means is chick derogatory in my language and that's something that is VERY important to understand when you look at my website and when you get to know me and when you work with me, you will know that you hear me using the term "chick". And it's normally only in cases of really extreme empathy with you, or really wanting to get across that I really "feel you". I'll use the term "chick".
So each to their own.
I hope that using the term chick is not alienating you from me or my podcast. But dare I say, if it is, you probably aren't my ideal client. And I'll say that very, very carefully.
So normally, the people that I work with are female entrepreneurs, often serial entrepreneurs, successful creative woman. We aren't threatened by each other. And normally we are in similar boats. We are often mothers, we are often juggling homes and businesses and trying to juggle that elusive work-life-balance as much as we can. So there's a lot of similarity for me and my clients. And so I hope that if you're listening to this, it is speaking to you and feel free to just, you know, not listen, if it's not speaking to you.
I'm not for everyone. I don't pretend to be. But for the right people, I have no filter. This is a good and a bad thing. I will be honest, I will give excellent feedback. And normally I will give you a lot of education and information to go along with the feedback I'm giving you.
So if you hear me say Chick, please don't be offended. This chick just really loves using the word chick.
It's as simple as that.
So who is this chick?
So this chick lives in Durban, South Africa. You will have heard me perhaps refer to it, if you've heard me on other podcasts over time, as living on the ass-end of Africa. And it is a little bit. It's a seaside town on the east coast of South Africa, right at the bottom of Africa. And it's not even one of the most well known cities in South Africa. Most people will know about Johannesburg or Cape Town. But Durban is a gorgeous place to live and a gorgeous place to grow up. I was born and bred here. And although I have worked in other places in the world, this is where I've chosen to make my home and where my family still lives, most of them, and where we raising my daughter, Charlotte.
So I am in my mid 40s *eek*, and I've had quite an interesting career. I've done lots of different things which probably makes me quite versatile in terms of the knowledge that I can share. I've done everything from working for corporate flipping houses, owning a retail store and developing it into a franchise operation and owning a web design house. So my experience and the businesses I've had and run of various and all very exciting and the sort of common thread throughout all of them is that they all were in some way creative.
And I would definitely say I call myself a creative entrepreneur and I work best with other creative entrepreneurs, because I get it.
I get that your branding is important to you.
I get that you love a scripty font. I get that you love a bit of glitter, or whatever the case is and I don't judge you for it and I don't think it's unprofessional and I do understand that you will clients may love it just as much as you do and may not think it