Bridge the gaps between your vision and your audience with your Brand Strategy Roadmap. It’s a comprehensive, research-backed report with a clear, actionable plan to grow your business with your brand. It’s like hiring a fractional brand & marketing officer, without the full-time overhead.
Common Barriers to Brand Success
We focus on what most organizations struggle with:
ALIGNMENT Aligning your brand with organizational goals and target customers
CONSISTENCY Executing campaigns and projects consistently, efficiently, and effectively
CLARITY Clearly defining and positioning your brand with confidence
Unlock Your Brand’s True Potential
Backed by a full team of creative thinkers, strategists, and storytellers, we help you confidently evaluate, shape, and activate your brand. From organization-wide planning to high-stakes campaigns, we step in strategically to ensure your brand works for you—not against you.
With Rock & Bloom’s Brand Strategy Roadmap you can expect:
Team Workshop
Brand Assessment
Market Research
Direction & Consultation
Strategic Action Plan
The Best Part
It’s not all on you. With our Roadmap, you get an actionable plan with clear direction, messaging, and strategy – no sifting through pages of data for answers. The next steps are clear and ready to execute, with your team or ours.
This summer I was welcomed by the team at Rock & Bloom as a design intern. Fresh out of school as a Graphic Communications grad, this was the most amazing experience I could have asked for.
Since this was my first gig in the design world, I didn’t have many expectations at the start. My main hope was to learn more about my craft, but Rock & Bloom totally exceeded that.
Always sharing, always learning
The entire crew was so open, always sharing what they know and making me feel right at home. They’re always ready to help you out with any questions you have, and they genuinely want you to grasp the reason behind the ‘why’ in terms of how we do things. They’re also really on the ball, aiming for top-notch quality in every project while staying on track.
Work-life balance for the win
Making sure I’m prioritizing a good work-life balance was new to me. I’ve never had coworkers who genuinely care more about their people than about the next job on the list. The team at Rock & Bloom always has your back and are always wanting to help you out. Their consistent support and flexibility creates such a supportive environment.
A place to be who you are
In addition to excelling in their roles, every member of the Rock & Bloom team are genuinely wonderful individuals. I found myself laughing harder at our numerous Slack channels than I ever thought possible, whether it’s the high-stress debates over where to have lunch or the impeccable GIF responses.
The team that plays together, stays together
Another awesome aspect of Rock & Bloom is their homecoming week. Homecoming week is an entire week packed with good food, good times, and yeah, a bit of work too. Every employee (even the remote ones in Toronto and Vancouver) gather in-office to play games and bond as a team. It got pretty heated with a competitive Jeopardy game and multiple rounds of ‘Heads Up’ that somehow morphed into a full-blown sing-along. I can’t express how fun it was to work with these people.
I wouldn’t have changed anything about my time here at Rock & Bloom. I learned so much from an amazing group of people.
As a content strategist I often get asked what it is I actually do. Content strategists, copywriters, or content writers, are tasked with creating compelling and engaging written content that helps educate, inspire and inform readers. In short – we write nice things.
Content writing is often used to promote a product, service, or brand. It is done in a variety of mediums, including print, radio, television and web. Depending on the medium you’re writing for, the tone of your content will be very different. In this journal, we’re going to focus on writing for a website.
Follow our top tips to create effective, engaging and impactful website content.
Don’t bury the lead
In other words, put the most important information at the top. People judge websites much like they judge books. If they don’t see or read something they like on the first page they aren’t going to go much deeper. Your audience should understand who you are or what you do from the first few lines of text.
Basic isn’t boring
A good rule of thumb when writing for the web is to write as if your audience has an eighth grade reading level. This is not an insult to your audience – it simply means that using common language is the best way to explain complex ideas or themes. Avoid jargon, steer clear of technical terms, and don’t use abbreviations or acronyms unless you intend to explain their meaning.
Be more findable than Waldo
Web copywriting is unique in that it needs to cater to both humans and robots (aka. search engines). If the robots can’t find you, your audience doesn’t stand a chance. Using common, relevant keywords is a great way to ensure that Google can find you, and that your audience can too. Try using a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tool to find relevant keywords to your topic. Ensure you are using them throughout your content in a way that is organic, natural and easy to read.
Shorter is sweeter
When you’re writing an article or blog post, you get to be a bit more free with your word count. Writing for the web, however, requires copy to be concise and to-the-point. Choose short paragraphs over long blocks of text and make the most out of your words by using effective taglines and descriptive headings. Speaking of headings…
Headings are your road map
Headings allow readers to navigate and make sense of content. Headings can be fun and attention-grabbing, but ultimately they should describe the content that is to follow. The strongest headings are able to stand on their own and be understood out of context.
Your audience loves lists
Scrap the long paragraphs for lists or bullet points. Readers tend to scan pages, and keeping content in smaller bite-sized chunks allows for better digestion.
Links have a time and a place
Links are a great way to connect your reader to relevant information. When used moderately they improve the user experience. Try to keep people on your page, rather than sending them to Google for a quick search. With that said, don’t go overboard either. Links work best when used as part of a sentence, so avoid the dreaded “click here.”
A is for Active
Writing using active voice is far more effective than using passive voice. Active voice is strong and persuasive, and it keeps readers flowing through content. Use calls to action to guide your readers where you want them to go.
Your brand knows best
You know your brand better than anyone; it has its own personality and its own traits. To stand out, use your unique brand voice and tone in your copy. If your tone is playful and fun, don’t be afraid to drop a pun or use witty copy. If your tone is heartfelt, don’t shy away from tugging at the ol’ heartstrings. If your tone is serious, keep it polished and direct.
When in doubt, hire a content strategist
I’m probably a little biased because this is my job, but I cannot stress the importance of paying people fairly to own the roles they are good at. Yes, content writing can be outsourced. Yes, it can be done on the fly by another department. Yes, it can be done by an AI tool like ChatGPT. But I guarantee you that half-assing your content strategy will not get you the same results as if you were to invest in a designated content role. These experts work hard to understand their craft and move the needle to get results. Again, probably a little biased, but also right.
Rock & Bloom celebrated its 11th birthday this past July and it’s still got us thinking about the early days. We’ve come a long way from the baby business owners, designers, developers, copywriters, and marketers we used to be. After more than a decade in the biz, we’re older and wiser. Or at the very least, we’ve learned what not to do.
Here are just a few of the lessons we’ve learned over the years.
Your brand’s identity is its personality. A brand identity is the basic foundation for brand awareness, it differentiates you from other competitors in the market, and it plays an essential role in all of your marketing efforts.
A brand identity is so much more than just a logo. It’s all of the values and brand elements that go into creating a cohesive branding experience. However, in this journal we will focus on the importance of the logo.
They say never to judge a book by its cover; unfortunately that doesn’t apply to brands. Your brand’s logo is the face of your brand. It’s the first thing that people see and is often used to capture attention. The difference between a good logo and a bad logo can truly make or break your business.
A strong logo is memorable, builds customer loyalty, and communicates your brand’s story. When done right, it should communicate exactly who you are and what you stand for.
At Rock & Bloom, we specialize in helping brands find their voice and tell their story. Sometimes that means building from nothing and sometimes that means evolving and growing. In the case of these brands – their old logos were no longer serving them. They didn’t align with their future goals, didn’t reflect their values, and didn’t tell the right story.
Here are five before & afters of brands who changed their logo to strengthen their brand identity.
Before
After
Autobox
Autobox, formerly known as Saskatoon Custom Garage Interiors, needed a brand that could position them above the rest, for their quality products and exceptional customer service.
Despite being in business for over 13 years, Saskatoon Custom Garage Interiors had very little exposure as a brand. With a new owner and a new showroom being built, there was an immense opportunity to scale the business and capture more market share.
We wanted to position them as a premier garage interior design and product store. We decided to take inspiration from Italian automakers and high-end racers. In Italian ‘box auto’ translates to ‘garage’. We liked that it was one word, simple to remember, and sounded high-end. For the colour palette and the lines, we took inspiration from the original Ford GT40.
Before
After
The Moose Jaw Warriors
A proud member of the Western Hockey League, the Moose Jaw Warriors released a new brand logo ahead of the 2022-23 season. The logo change comes after the Warriors announced an official review of their primary logo on October 1, 2020.
We were honoured and privileged to have worked alongside the Moose Jaw Warriors on this rebrand, creating an inclusive logo that represents Moose Jaw’s history.
A lot of thought and attention to detail went into the new logo. The design is inspired by the organization and the community’s connections with the Royal Canadian Air Force, 15 Wing Moose Jaw, and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, 431 Air Demonstration Squadron. Over the years, the organization and the Snowbirds have built a strong relationship. In 2019, the Warriors were officially appointed as members of the Honorary Snowbird Society.
Before
After
SK Startup Institute
SK Startup Institute, formerly known as Square One, came to us with the goal of renaming and rebranding the program in the hopes that it would reach more entrepreneurs across Saskatchewan. The ‘Square One’ name and brand wasn’t having the impact that the organization had envisioned.
The new logo is simple, yet powerful. The Saskatchewan icon representing our Prairie home sits next to the wordmark. Both work on their own, but come together to create a logo that perfectly encapsulates the program.
Before
After
Hometown Homes
Custom home builder, Hometown Homes wanted a logo that represented their hometown roots. They are down-to-earth and grounded, and they wanted their colours and logo to reflect the feeling you get while working with them.
The new logo elevates their look and represents their commitment to quality. It’s warm and inviting; a brand that customers can feel at home with.
Before
After
Warrior Physio
Warrior Physio wanted their mission to be evident in their brand identity but felt that it was lacking that connection. The old logo featured a yoga pose, which didn’t apply to their business, and the overall brand wasn’t speaking to the right audience.
We opted for a logo that is clean and simple. The word Warrior stands on its own and evokes strong feelings without the need for bells and whistles. The logo is bold and in motion. The movement in the letters creates a rhythm of movement that draws your eye to the word “warrior.” It is strong but also provides a welcoming feel to potential new customers.
We’re a Canadian-based brand studio with a knack for creating beautiful, functional, and results-driven projects. We’ve been fortunate to make a career out of building relationships and creating killer brands for hundreds of clients across North America. We do everything from logo refreshes, to full-blown websites, to crafting game-changing campaigns.
One of our core values at Rock & Bloom is ‘make a difference’. For us, making a difference can be as big as changing the lives of small business owners or as tiny as supporting local restaurants when we eat out. One of the ways we like to make a difference is through working with non-profit organizations and small businesses.
Non-profit organizations and small businesses do so much for our local community, and yet very often lack the budget to elevate their brand or even properly communicate their services and skills to potential donors, clients or customers. They might lack the resources needed to create a strong brand identity, build a fully-functional, and user-friendly website, or to tell their story in an effective and far-reaching way. And yet, these are the stories that need to be heard the most.
Introducing Rock & Bloom’s Brand Aid
We created Brand Aid with the goal of helping clients elevate their brand and tell their story through in-kind donated work. The brands that we choose align with our values and respect the work that we do.
“At the core of our business is to make an impact. We don’t just want to make things that are pretty – we want to affect change in clients’ businesses.”
– Heather Adams, CEO of Rock & Bloom
Our mission is to be the best brand studio to work with and work for. A part of our process involves continually talking to our employees, rating fulfillment after each project, and really listening to the feedback from our team about what projects we love working on.
Brand Aid is not only meaningful to the client, but also fills the cups of our team members who are passionate about the work they are doing.
Are you interested in becoming Rock & Bloom’s next Brand Aid organization of choice?
Who you are
You’re a non-profit or small business, looking to achieve a specific goal, but held back by budget constraints
You’re located in Vancouver or the Vancouver Area
You align with our 5 core values: Make a difference, Take risks, Be open & honest, Share, and Aspire
How to apply
Send us an email to vancouver@rockandbloom.com with details about who you are and what goals you’re looking to achieve
Include what draws you to Rock & Bloom and how you align with our core values
I’ve gone on record stating that if I didn’t have my dream job working for Rock & Bloom, I would venture into the world of professional organizing. And I’m not the only one. For as many bakers and artists our team bears, we have just as many organizational wizards. Maybe one day we’ll launch our own version of The Home Edit, but in the meantime I’m here to pass on a few pearls of home organizational wisdom.
Label everything
And I mean everything. Items in the pantry? Label ‘em. Fridge? Label ‘em. Bathroom, laundry room, closets? Label ‘em. Labeling serves two purposes. Firstly, it keeps things in a designated spot, allowing you to locate things with ease. Instead of just throwing things in a cupboard willy nilly, you’ll be more purposeful about where you place your items. Secondly, labeling looks clean, uniform, and just darn pretty.
Say goodbye to boxes and packaging
Unnecessary boxes and packaging are one of the biggest thieves of usable cupboard space. This is especially noticeable in the kitchen. Storing cereal and pasta in clear containers will help you get the most out of your space, while also allowing you to see when you’re getting low on something. After all, nothing’s more aggravating than grabbing a box of crackers to find that it’s just crumbs at the bottom.
Save time with clear containers
For items that you’re storing – things like Christmas decorations, seasonal items, winter clothing, etc. I recommend using clear storage containers. This allows you to stack containers in your closet or garage, and see what’s in them without having to take down and dig through each one. It’s not the prettiest organization solution, but it’s a huge timesaver.
Use small containers to keep drawers tidy
It’s very easy for a drawer to lose its purpose and quickly become a “junk drawer”. But let me tell you from experience that even junk drawers can be organized. If you’re on a budget, places like Dollarama or The Dollar Tree carry great little containers and trays that will work perfectly. Start by cleaning everything out of the drawer you’re organizing, throwing away anything that’s expired, and donating or selling anything that never gets used. Once you have a clean drawer you can start putting the containers in where you want them. Try to keep each container as its own zone. For example, in our bathroom drawer I have one container for toothbrushes and toothpaste, one for combs and brushes, one for eye care supplies, and one for deodorant. Everything has a place and it keeps the drawer from looking like a stressful mess.
Maximize fridge space
Maximize your fridge space with, you guessed it, containers. Labelled containers look nice, but more importantly I’ve found that they increase the use of fridge space. Like a lot of people, my toxic trait is buying a bunch of groceries and then having to throw them out weeks later, because half of my items got pushed to the back of the fridge and I couldn’t see them. Not only do containers help you keep things in zones (dairy, fruits, veggies, snacks, leftovers, etc), but they also allow you to use the full length of your fridge, easily pulling out the containers to see what’s at the back. No more moldy spring mix!
Use turntables for spices
My partner likes to cook and thus we have an alarming amount of spices. I hated opening the cupboard and knocking over half opened bags of oregano, as I rummage to find the popcorn seasoning. Enter the turntable. I started by pouring all of my spices into matching glass containers, labelling them (of course), and then situating them face out on a turntable that I picked up from Dollarama (if you can find this , it’s a great cost-effective dupe to the Home Edit one). Now I can find any spice faster than you can say “you spin me right round, baby, right round”.
Store tall boots with pool noodles
Whether you’re dealing with a walk-in closet situation or a tiny front hall cubby, storing your shoes is often a game of Tetris. One of my biggest annoyances is trying to store tall boots; the slides flop over, creating creases and also taking up more space than needed. A quick little trick is to grab a pool noodle and cut it into pieces (keep them a bit shorter than the length of the boot) and then put inside the boot to hold it up! Don’t have a pool noodle handy? I used sheets of square construction paper, rolled them, and taped them to my desired width. Easy peasy!
Organize your sock drawer with cubes
This one is for those who can’t stand to open their top dresser drawer and see a mix of mismatched socks, underwear, and probably a few pieces of lint and loose change. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be this way. I purchased a couple of sock storage cubes on Amazon and it has given me so much more space in my drawer! I started by getting rid of any socks or underwear with holes or rips, and any socks that didn’t have a sole mate (see what I did there?). Next, I rolled all of my socks and underwear and put them in the cubes (for thin socks, I would put two pairs in each). And that’s it!
“How many people can brag about having a perfectly organized sock drawer?”
Roll towels and face cloths
Organization is all about maximizing the amount of space you have. This is especially true if you live in a small house or apartment and don’t have a lot of storage or cupboard space. Storing towels can be particularly tricky as they are bulky and take up a lot of room. I’ve found that folding towels in half lengthwise and then rolling them has been the most effective way to store them. I have very narrow open shelves, and this way I’m able to fit them on the shelf and stack them in a way that looks visually appealing. I do the same thing with my face cloths; rolling them and then storing in a decorative basket.
DIY a rolling wrapping paper cart
If you love gift-giving, or perhaps just want to make holidays less stressful, then a wrapping paper cart is a must. I used one of those three-tiered rolling carts (found at Michaels, Canadian Tire, etc.) and designated each tier a different purpose. The bottom stores gift bags, the middle stores gift tags, cards, and bows, and the top is where I store my scissors, tape, markers, and tissue paper. Lastly I zip tied a small, narrow bin to the bottom side of the cart, and then glued a paper towel rod to the top. This keeps my wrapping paper in place and the rod doubles as a place to hang spools of ribbon. Now simply roll the cart to wherever you do your gift wrapping. Voila!
Maybe you love organizing; or maybe you hate it, but your new year’s resolution was to finally get your home in order. Either way, I hope these simple tips will help you get started!
To show you how we practice our core values, both internally and externally, we’re breaking each one down into a lovely little journal for your reading pleasure.
Last but certainly not least, this is how we ‘Aspire’ each and every day.
Share your thoughts, share the burden, share a gif.
Aspire
Keep learning. Mistakes are not a failure, just a correction. So be bad until you’re good, and good until you’re great.
Aspire
Our favourite mantra around here is: “Be bad until you’re good, and good until you’re great.” We love it so much we’ve had it etched into the cover of our company notebooks. The simple definition of aspire means “to seek to attain or accomplish a particular goal”. At Rock & Bloom, it goes beyond that. It’s about creating goals, yes, but it’s also about taking risks (hey, that’s another one of our core values!), failing, learning from said failure, iterating, and coming back stronger and better.
One common thread amongst our team (besides that we have some pretty intense opinions about food) is that we all love learning. This is one of the most talented and skilled teams I’ve had the pleasure of working with, and yet, not a single person believes they’ve mastered their skill or is better than anyone else. There is always something to learn and that shared enthusiasm for growth makes us more aligned as a team.
BHAG: Big Hairy Audacious Goals
We adore a big hairy audacious goal, or BHAG. In fact, the bigger, hairier, and more audacious the better. We live and work by a growth mindset – yeah, yeah, I know you’ve heard this buzzword a thousand times, but for us it simply means we don’t like to get too comfortable or too cocky.
In other words we’ve accepted the fact that we won’t always be perfect, and we see that imperfection as a learning opportunity. Once you’ve accepted that you’re allowed to make mistakes, it’s easier to step out of your comfort zone and aim high. Like ridiculously high. You might not stick the landing every time, but you’ll always achieve more than if you had stuck with what you knew you could safely do.
Our ability to set BHAGs is the reason our portfolio looks like it does – stuffed to the brim with everything from small, start-up businesses to Silicon Valley tech giants to Agriculture industry shakers to your favourite local mom and pop shop. You name it, we’ve done it. And we can’t wait to set our sights on more.
Go big or go home
I know I sound like a broken record, but Rock & Bloom’s Ultimate Brand Course & Workshop – a four-day immersive workshop that helps entrepreneurs dive into their brand – is just that good. And none of it would have happened if our fearless leaders hadn’t aspired to do better; to offer more to the world.
These workshops are the epitome of bold aspirations. When it felt like it couldn’t be done, we pushed harder, and guess what, it worked. Now our leaders get the opportunity to work directly with businesses in a small and intimate setting and help them really move the needle for their brand.
We still love to make pretty, shiny things that you can’t take your eyes off of, but this kind of work is fulfilling in a different way. We’re empowering other business owners to go big – to aspire.
Can we do that?
Our Slack conversations are packed full of “Can we do thats”. No, I don’t mean doubting our ability to do something. It’s more about getting everyone on board with an elaborate or out-there idea.
Fancy chocolatier website? Can we do that? Let’s pitch ‘em.
Create our own branded events? Can we do that? Design’s already got a logo and Content has come up with 10 witty taglines.
Build and brand a secondary microsite for quirky holiday cards, offering both nice and not-so-nice options? Can we do that? Consider it done. Literally.
Some may call us naive, but our ability to believe that we can truly do anything has led us down some interesting paths. It’s how we got Sweet & Sour – our holiday card microsite with both nice and naughty options for your mailing delight. It’s also how we’ve landed clients that should have been a long shot, and launched a game-changing workshop in record time.
Here’s to even bigger, hairier, and more audacious goals!
To show you how we practice our core values, both internally and externally, we’re breaking each one down into a lovely little journal for your reading pleasure.
Share your thoughts, share the burden, share a gif.
Aspire
Keep learning. Mistakes are not a failure, just a correction. So be bad until you’re good, and good until you’re great.
Share
It’s as simple as Kindergarten day one: Sharing is caring. We love to share, both literally and figuratively. We share pizza and silly gifs, but we also share our troubles, our challenges, our wins and our losses.
Share your thoughts
We love sharing so much that we’ve centered an entire meeting around it. Each month the entire team joins for our ‘share session’ – an hour-long discussion led by our leaders that touches on everything from important company updates to equally important debates about what the best type of french fry is (It’s crinkle FYI).
During these sessions we look at ongoing and upcoming projects and even review top-level company finances. Everything is out in the open and questions and comments are always encouraged. Sometimes we even dabble in team-building exercises, which usually brings out our playfully competitive side.
Share the burden
The whole point of sharing is knowing that you’re not alone. When one of us is struggling, we want to know about it so that those who have the capacity to help can lend a hand, and those who don’t can simply listen and learn.
As much as we love sharing our wins, we’re not afraid to share our challenges as well. When we tackle the problem as a team, the problem doesn’t stand a chance.
Share a gif
Rock & Bloom’s preferred communication channel is Slack, and boy do we make it worth our while. Slack is our wild west – where conversations go from “Hey, have you watched this documentary on the world’s creepiest cults” to “What type of socks are most appropriate for everyday wear” in two seconds flat.
Food polls are our love language, sarcastic gifs are our actual language, and we share unpopular opinion rants like we’re being paid by the letter.
For us Slack is so much more than a simple means to communicate; it’s a way to connect on a deeper level, learn new things about each other, and develop severe FOMO when you’re away from the chat, even while on holiday.
Share your spark
At Rock & Bloom, we believe in sharing who we are. We want to know what makes you tick, what grinds your gears, and what your favourite pizza topping is.
And speaking of pizza, our favourite thing to share is food. Whether we’re lovingly crafting homemade donuts and cookies to bring into the office, giving a review of the new restaurant that just opened up down the street, or planning out the nitty gritty menu details of the Rock & Bloom Christmas party, we will find any excuse to put the spotlight on food.
We are so grateful to have a diverse group of individuals that make up our team, and that are willing to share those unique parts of themselves with us. When Mona gifted the team with prayer beads and openly answered our questions about EID, or when Paige took over our social media channels to teach us all about Chinese New Year – those are the moments that shine a light on who we truly are.
To show you how we practice our core values, both internally and externally, we’re breaking each one down into a lovely little journal for your reading pleasure.
Share your thoughts, share the burden, share a gif.
Aspire
Keep learning. Mistakes are not a failure, just a correction. So be bad until you’re good, and good until you’re great.
Be Open & Honest
We see vulnerability as a strength, and empathy as a superpower. We don’t just welcome openness and honesty – we encourage it. In our work, our day-to-day interactions, and everything in between we strive to be who we are, warts and all.
Check-in, don’t check out
At Rock & Bloom, we love a good check-in. Between recurring one-on-ones with our managers, weekly team retros before we plan for the week ahead, and project retros after a project has wrapped, we like to make sure that all voices are heard loud and clear.
Of course, we don’t need to wait for a meeting to speak up about a challenge or potential blocker. Whether personal or professional, our team is open to listening at all times. Sometimes that means voicing a concern over Slack, or taking some time to sit down with one of our team leaders if we’re feeling unfulfilled. No matter the topic, everyone is open and everyone is encouraged to lead with honesty – even when it’s hard.
Recharge your batteries
In 2022, Rock & Bloom introduced the iconic ‘Recharge Day’. The second Friday of every month our office is closed so that our team can rest, relax, and recharge. It’s an extra day a month to say sayonara to responsibility, and do something soul-filling that’s good for our mental health.
The purpose of implementing Recharge Day was to promote work-life balance and put our company values into practice. We know that we do better work when we are refueled & recharged.
After nearly a year of monthly recharge days, we can safely say that they have been a game-changer for our team. But photos speak louder than words…
Mental health before all else
This one sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how rare it is to find a workplace that puts their money where their mouth is when it comes to mental health support.
At Rock & Bloom, mental health is prioritized in the same way as physical health. And that goes for everyone, including our leaders. We are not limited to a certain number of sick days or mental health days, instead we are trusted to take the time when we need it and come back as the healthiest versions of ourselves.
Whether it’s time away from work or a little extra support from our teammates, sharing is not always easy. It takes guts to lay out the most delicate parts of yourself for the world to see. But it’s a heck of a lot easier when you’re surrounded by a team of people that listen with an open mind and share with an honest heart.
Behind every business is a person
We practice our values both internally and externally. That means these values extend to our brand, our work, and our clients.
It’s important to remember that our clients are not just a Google Listing or a logo, but real people trying to make their dream a reality. When we sit down with potential clients we always share our values with them to ensure they know what’s important to us, and what we expect from them in return.
When our clients lead with openness and honesty, it allows us to do our jobs that much better. Together, we build a partnership that’s healthy and propelled by unlimited potential.
To show you how we practice our core values, both internally and externally, we’re breaking each one down into a lovely little journal for your reading pleasure.
Share your thoughts, share the burden, share a gif.
Aspire
Keep learning. Mistakes are not a failure, just a correction. So be bad until you’re good, and good until you’re great.
Take Risks
Big or small, taking risks is a part of who we are! This means taking creative risks in our work, trying new things, and working with clients who share our values.
Creative risks
We’ve carefully curated our dream team of uber-talented individuals. This allows us to feel confident when making bold design choices or thinking outside of the strategic box. Whatever the project, we don’t like to get too comfortable.
Sure, we’ve made mistakes, but that’s how we learn what works and what’s better left on the cutting room floor. Creative risks help us grow so that we can continue to bloom beautifully. Plus, the work speaks for itself.
Setting boundaries
Our clients aren’t just clients – they are deep and meaningful partnerships. We collaborate on an intimate level, forging ideas and pushing the limits of what is possible.
At Rock & Bloom, we don’t just work with anybody. We work with businesses that share our vision, as well as respect, trust, and listen to us as people. We’re lucky we get to be choosy – it allows us to put people before profits and ensures that everything we create is a true representation of our best work.
New beginnings
Like Forrest Gump’s mama says, “You never know what you’re gonna get.” Sometimes risks don’t pay off, and other times it’s magic.
In 2022 we launched our Ultimate Brand Course & Workshop – a four-day immersive workshop that helps highly-motivated owners, leaders, entrepreneurs, and directors dive into their business and really get to know their brand.
It was a risk. And this time it’s magic.
Shaking things up and adding a new revenue stream is not an easy task. It’s essentially another business alongside our studio work with clients. These workshops are the result of a lot of sweat, swearing, and tears, but it was a risk our fearless leaders just had to take.
“The foundation of Rock & Bloom and why we exist is not just to make pretty things, like beautiful designs or nice websites; it’s to actually help affect change in a client’s business. if we can affect change and help them reach that next level, distribute to a new market, launch a new product – that’s what gets us out of bed in the morning.”
– Heather Adams, Co-Founder and CEO.
Here’s to taking bigger, bolder, and more badass risks!
“Company values (also called corporate values or core values) are the set of guiding principles and fundamental beliefs that help a group of people function together as a team and work toward a common business goal.
These values are often related to business relationships, customer relationships, and company growth” (Hotjar).
Whether you’ve got ’em scribbled into the pages of your notebook or displayed loud and proud on your office walls – core values are the driving force that unites your team and motivates everyone to do and be a little better each day.
We don’t wanna brag but, at Rock & Bloom, we’ve pretty much got our core values down to a science. We live and breathe our core values in everything that we do, including the clients we work with and the people we’ve chosen to be a part of our team.
Share your thoughts, share the burden, share a gif.
Aspire
Keep learning. Mistakes are not a failure, just a correction. So be bad until you’re good, and good until you’re great.
To show you how we practice our core values, both internally and externally, we’re breaking each one down into a lovely little journal for your reading pleasure. Let’s start with ‘Make a difference’.
Make a difference
For us, making a difference can be as big as changing the lives of small business owners or as tiny as supporting local restaurants when we eat out. Big or small, each of these acts make a difference in our community.
Clients come first
Whether it’s helping them expand, add a new product line, or navigate a crazy business challenge like COVID-19, making a difference for our clients is what gets us the most excited.
Our partnerships with our clients are rooted in empathy and understanding. We listen with intent and have developed a process that is collaborative, while also utilizing individual strengths.
At the end of the day, we want to empower our clients so that they can grow, evolve, and continue doing what they do best!
Volunteering
One of our favourite ways to make a difference is by giving back to a community that has given us so, so much. And there is no shortage of ways to get involved!
We hope to volunteer even more of our time in 2023!
Shopping & supporting local
Whether we’re getting swag made for our team or sending flowers to clients – we love to shop local. Supporting our local economy and spreading love to all of our favourite Saskatoon-based businesses is a huge component of our core values.
Even when we’re “out of office”, we put local first. From team lunches at our favourite Riversdale and Broadway eats to group trips to the Remai Modern, our city has so many wonderful places to support.
Workshops
In 2022 we launched our Ultimate Brand Course & Workshop – a four-day immersive workshop that helps highly-motivated owners, leaders, entrepreneurs, and directors dive into their business and really get to know their brand.
The feedback we have received from our community has been nothing short of freaking incredible.
“It was amazing that in 4 sessions, it felt like we had created such a supportive community. I felt 100% comfortable to share with these amazing business owners and it was such a pleasure to hear about their businesses. Can’t say enough positive things about the overall experience!”
– Trish Regier, Realtor, Saskatoon, SK
“This isn’t just about business branding… it gets you to think about all of the elements that contribute to the overall projection and perception of your brand. Knowing these key factors not only strengthens your brand, but gives your brand solid roots with deeper meaning and understanding.”
– Tobi Graham, Classic Law Inc., Saskatoon, SK
“I needed to revisit and rethink from a different perspective and it has been wonderful. I love hearing what other people are doing in their businesses – it sometimes will spark something in myself and our business. I’ve enjoyed the conversations and I’ve taken a million notes that I will go back and look at for many years to come.”
– Joanne Morris, Twig & Bloom, Saskatoon, SK
Here’s to continuing to make a difference in 2023!
