January 2019 - Katherine McGraw Patterson

The Only Girl in the Room: How I Learned to Communicate with Power

When I graduated from college with my shiny new degree in Journalism and Marketing (Texas A&M class of 1990, Whoop!), I had dreams of getting a job in an advertising agency. In these dreams, the other girls on the account team and I would spend hours in creative meetings, brainstorming and exchanging brilliant concepts; present our design to clients who were awed and humbled by our creative genius; and rise quickly up the corporate ladder … Read more

3 Things You MUST Have to Build a Solid Business

Recently, I spoke to a group of entrepreneurs and small business owners about business basics. I started off my talk by saying there are three things you DON’T need to have a successful business: A fancy website A beautiful logo A perfect service/product/program And, there were audible gasps from the audience. I work with so many new businesses who sink a ton of money and time into having a professionally designed website and logo created. … Read more

Cashing in on Brand Equity

The following is from a blog I wrote in 2008: “Today on NPR, I was listening to an interview with tourism analyst Ralf Garrison of the Denver-based Advisory Group, Inc. He was discussing the downturn in the Ski Industry this year. Now, I’m not a skier, but he said something that immediately caught my attention. “Some resorts are characteristically better known than others. They have more BRAND EQUITY. They have more loyalty in the marketplace, … Read more

Five Ways Branding Saves Time and Money

When I begin working with a new client, the first thing I do is ask them if they can define their brand for me. Why? Frankly, because it tells me how much work we have to do. If a business owner can tell me in clear language exactly what they offer, and to whom they offer it, they are miles ahead and we can hit the ground running. If they can’t give me that information, … Read more