A BUSINESS REFRESH
By: Rebecca Alwine
Two entrepreneurs gave their brand a refresh to align their sassy business personality with an evolving vision.
Owners Shiang-Ling Bissonnette and Miranda Perales make up the dynamic duo behind The Hive & Co, a company that provides consultation services to small businesses. The team of two—both military spouses—joined forces after recognizing they each had skill sets that could balance each other out to make a strong partnership. Bissonnette brings the creative side, while Perales has an extensive background in marketing.
GRATITUDE FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES ALL YEAR LONG
By: Jennifer Morrison
It’s the traditional time of year when businesses distribute yearly bonuses or end-of-year gifts to their employees, contractors, and freelance workers to say “thank you” for their hard work throughout the year. But what if instead of one check (that’s taxed at a ridiculous rate) or company branded swag, you—as the employer—spread your appreciation for your employees throughout the year?
Money Doesn’t Always Talk
You may be thinking, “Who doesn’t want money?” Of course, everyone wants money, but it can create two problems. The first problem is the limit of your company’s budget. If you can only afford to reward your employees and contractors once a year, generally at the end of the year, it can appear that the gift is one of obligation or expectation rather than true gratitude. People don’t want to feel like they’re a check on their employer’s to-do list. In 2014, The Atlantic reported that employees would rather receive non-monetary perks in lieu of more money. The second problem is the message you can send to your employees if you can’t afford to give a large monetary gift. Employees can interpret your financial gift as a reflection of their job performance and find it wanting.
So if you’re a small business with a limited budget, how can you say “thank you” to your employees for a job well done?
Client Profile: P.R.E.P.S., Inc.
Powerhouse Service Provided: External Communications
“Working with Powerhouse was a great experience. We are looking forward to future opportunities to use their services.”
Antoine Corbin, Executive Director of P.R.E.P.S., Inc.
Interested in learning how we can help your company grow regarding your marketing collateral? Email us at [email protected]. We’d love to be on your team!
BUSINESS RESOURCES TO GROW A BRAND
A targeted branding strategy can attract new customers while convincing existing customers to share company content, news, and products or services. Memes and infographics, for example, are likely to be shared if they are crafted in an attractive, visually appealing way. Platforms offer content creators, from novice to professional level, the opportunity to build graphics, edit images, and create animated videos for free or low monthly fees.
Canva: One of the most popular current platforms, Canva lets users create professional looking documents, such as brochures and flyers, make images, and generate memes.
Animoto: This video platform allows businesses to create videos for marketing with images, animations, and audio.
Stencil: Perfect for social media, users can create images in minutes.
Nonprofit Profile: Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN)
By: Randi Cairns
There is a great deal of debate about the military-civilian divide—the idea that there is a split or disconnect between the U.S. military community and the American public at large. While most folks on the military side of that equation agree that there is a gap between their experience as a military-connected person and the general public’s understanding of their service and sacrifice, there’s a missing piece of the puzzle.
To suggest that there is an “us” and “them” overlooks the tremendous diversity within the military community itself. There are differences between branches of service, between active duty and Guard/Reserve components, between officers and enlisted, etc. There is no one voice that can speak for a singular military life experience.
The Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) is doing something about that. Their mission is to connect military families with the resources they need to thrive and to convene thought leaders within the military family community who, through collaboration with outside organizations and effective communications practices, will elevate their voice as well.
New Hire at Powerhouse
Heatherlynn Akins is excited to join the Powerhouse team as a quality assurance specialist and technical writer. 
Heatherlynn studied for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Dallas in Irving, TX. She couldn’t decide what to study, so chose concentrations in both English and German literature. During her master’s program she married an Air Force pilot and left the world of academia to follow him around the world. While doing so, she taught English to Japanese students, tutored many a student, taught creative writing, edited and wrote for several newsletters, worked as the Program Director for a martial arts studio, and managed to raise two boys to (thus far) teenage-hood. In other words, she was the typical military spouse.
After 25+ years of service, her husband retired two years ago and the family moved to Colorado. While she adores her adopted resort town, she is eager to get back to her first love, the written word. Her love affair with such began many moons ago when she gummed her first cardboard book and she is still most often found with a book in her hand, or spouting off useless trivia she’s learned from reading.
