Meet Jefa: Jo Delgado - The Creative Inka

Ever wondered what it takes to leave the security of a corporate job and build your own creative empire? Jo Delgado, the brilliant mind behind The Creative Inka, shares her remarkable journey from Peru to Southern California, detailing the courage it took to swap the corporate grind for her dream design studio in Redondo Beach. We promise you'll gain insights into the resilience required to face immigrant challenges and the tough decisions that come with entrepreneurship. Jo's story is not just one of achieving creative success but also of navigating an undocumented past and honoring the sacrifices made by immigrant parents.

Join us as we explore the transformative power of strategic branding through Jo's expertise. She uncovers the often-misunderstood world of brand design for small businesses, emphasizing the importance of creating an identity that resonates with audiences rather than just fulfilling personal preferences. Jo shares how she empowers entrepreneurs with accessible brand strategies, breaking down the complexities of color psychology and visual consistency. This episode offers practical advice for small business owners looking to establish a distinct presence without the high costs of traditional agencies.

In the midst of business challenges and personal growth, we also touch on lighter notes like Jo's favorite coffee indulgences and the influential books that shaped her journey. The conversation culminates in the spirit of giving back, with an exciting opportunity for fellow entrepreneurs to win a brand design package through the Thankful Inka Giveaway. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, Jo's story offers inspiration, practical tips, and a reminder of the unique value each journey brings.

Transcript

Empowering Conversations With Jefa Entrepreneurs

Kita Zuleta 0:00

Hi, jefas, welcome back to the Caecito con Jefas podcast. I'm your host, kita Zuleta, a brand strategist, jefa coach and photographer from LA. It's season two and, whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this season is packed with powerful conversations, actionable strategies and the realness that Cabecito con Jefas is known for. My jefa journey has been anything but linear. I've pursued entrepreneurship in many forms over the past 15 years and I'm excited to share my knowledge and use my podcast to host conversations about real life and entrepreneurship, aka Jefa Life. While our paths may vary, the emotions and experiences we share unite us. We're all the same, same but different. So grab a favorite mug, pour yourself a cafecito and get cozy, because these conversations will ignite your passion, spark creativity, elevate your thinking and fuel your determination. I see you, jefa. Keep going. Welcome to the Cafecito con Jefas podcast. Hi Jefas, Welcome back to the Cafecito con Jefas podcast. I'm your host, gita Zuleta. Today. I am so excited to be sitting here and finally having on the podcast as our guest Joe Delgado.

Kita Zuleta 1:17

Jo Delgado is a Peruvian-born, l-raised mujer who spearheads the Creative Inca, a brand website and graphic design studio out of Redondo Beach in Southern California, serving personality-driven businesses nationwide. The Creative Inca specializes in crafting humanized, one-of-a-kind designs for unapologetic jefas who are done playing around with dated sloppy or DIY visual presence. Are you ready to rise above the cookie cutter crowd and be unmissable? Well, she's worked with event planners, coaches, realtors, sports doctors, e-commerce, tattoo studios, coffee shops, hair salon and more. So we're excited to introduce you to fellow jefa Jo from La Crieta Vinga. Hi, jo, como estas amiga?

Jo Delgado 2:07

Hi, I'm good. I'm so happy to be here finally. I know this has been a long time coming for both of us. I'm excited to be here.

Kita Zuleta 2:14

Yeah, welcome, welcome. So I officially read your bio, so I'd love for you to jump on the mic and introduce yourself to your fellow Jefas. So tell us a bit about who you are, what you do, who you serve and where you're located.

Jo Delgado 2:28

As Kita just said, my name is Jo and I live in Redondo Beach and I have my brand and website design studio now for almost four years and although it's a road that's not always smooth sailing, sometimes there's rocky parts of it, but I have zero regrets. After leaving my toxic corporate and agency life behind, I have no regrets. Even when it gets hard, it's still fulfilling.

Kita Zuleta 3:00

Just to talk about in the hard that comes with being an entrepreneur. But, speaking to what you left and what you're pursuing now, how long you know you just shared how long you've been doing this for four years but what motivated you to start Right, like you mentioned, leaving and now you're doing this.

Jo Delgado 3:23

So talk to us about that motivation and the inception of the Creative Inka. Well, I have over 15, I'm dating myself here. I have over 15 years experience in design and marketing, from you know, since leaving college and even during college, because I did have to put myself through college so I had to work. But yeah, I've just, I've did it for so long and, you know, worked for somebody else, did it under their terms, and I, I had been wanting to start my own business. For I want to say I'm just going to say I'm 41. I have been wanting to start my business since I was, I would say, probably 30, when I realized, kind of like, I could do this myself. But I was always so scared to always like. I was like what, what's it like not having a steady paycheck or not having health insurance or, you know, or having to like pay for your own? It's always been included in my work. I was doing and that's very scary step to take, and you know so I just kept at it. I was like, ok, well, you, well, I'm going to keep trying to do better, do more, do that corporate ladder, you know so I wasn't corporate, for on the marketing side of corporate side. So that was me in the client side technically. And then I jumped into the agency side as my last job before jumping into my own business and that was like a boutique agency, a creative agency, and I was on the design and video editing side and I live in Redondo Beach, like I said, and that commute was all the way to Pasadena.

Jo Delgado 5:04

So for the nationwide listeners who are not familiar with that, in L. A. County we never say oh, it's X, x miles away from me. No, we talk in time. It could easily be like 10 miles. That takes you an hour. So my commute each way was an hour and a half. Um, so there would take me an hour and a half. Coming home would take me an hour and a half. So going there would take me an hour and a half. Coming home would take me an hour and a half, plus sometimes because rush hour on both ends and it was just killing me slowly. Some people can do that. I had a boss in my previous corporate life who commuted nearly two hours every day each way. I'm like how do you do this? Some people are built for it, some are not. I am not built for that. I felt like I like that. Such a waste of time just in the car, like driving, driving, driving, you know, um. So that was killing me slowly.

Jo Delgado 5:55

It was a well-paying job, so that was also the hesitation for me to leave was like, how can I leave this behind? And then the pandemic. Pandemic happened and we were all instructed to work from home. So I was like, sweet, all my problems are fixed, no more commute, yay. So I thought the narrator it did not stop sucking. Um, instructed to work from home. So I thought that's going to be great, right, um?

Jo Delgado 6:25

But I'm not sure how familiar everyone is with like video editing. I know Johnny is, so you guys know how that is. You need like to be at a desk cause you're constantly connected to hard drives, con like a million hard drives. You need like the widescreen for the timeline. So I was doing a lot of video editing at that point and so I couldn't just go like how some people are, like I'm going to go work at the beach, I'm going to go work at the coffee shop, it's like you can't really do that with video editing.

Jo Delgado 7:02

So I was stuck in, you know, indoors on my desk and then also in tangent, I think that my bosses and our clients. We had some big name clients, I think. They all were scrambling because I'm sure they had, they had to all make budget cuts. Our clients did so they were trying to use their budget like ASAP, so all the deadlines were like pushed up and so I had a million projects. So I was constantly working like 12, 13 hour days and, mind you, I was salary, so there's no overtime. So I was yeah, so I was getting the salary of like eight hour days, but I guess it wasn't a well-paying job.

Jo Delgado 7:33

But oh my gosh, that was like I was chained to my desk for like 12, 13 hours and they probably figured like, oh, she's not commuting anymore, it's fine. It was not fine. I was just, I was miserable. So I, you know, I talked to my husband. I was like I'm like slowly dying here and I know it's a terrible timing for me to try and leave, because people were getting laid off left and right and I was like I still have my job and I was like it's pandemic.

Jo Delgado 8:01

I was like, oh my God, I was like, but I'm like like, oh my god, I was like, but I'm like literally slowly dying. I'm like I would love to start my own business, but I obviously know that you know it will be a financial hit because you know there's I have to build up my own clientele, like it's gonna take time for me to get back to whatever the salary I was at. So, thankfully, super understanding, we reviewed our finances to make sure we can take that hit for a little bit like a cushion and we could. So I was like okay, I was starting to make my plan, my exit plan, and then I had my review with that company at the time, the agency. Like a week before I was going to put in my two weeks, I had my review and they told me like one, like, hey, joe, you can work, you know, from home forever, like moving forward, like once we start coming back, like you don't have to come back, you can work remotely, only come in for, like, the big meetings.

Jo Delgado 9:01

And I was like, okay, like I'm gonna leave anyway, you know but then, like quote unquote, cherry on top, um, they gave me a raise. I was like, oh my god, of course. I was like am I stupid for leaving?

Jo Delgado 9:18

the temptation of safety right, and so I talked. I told my husband this and I was like I think I'm stupid for trying to leave. I was like, if I can't, you know like, walk away from a raise and permanent work from home. But, bless his heart, he reminded me. He's like think of the reasons you're leaving. Like is that going to change? Like, are you going to continue working your 12, 12, 13 hour days on eight hour salary, even if it's more money? Like it's still time out of your day, like 12, 13 hour days, of just being at the computer constantly, constantly. You know like, is that going to change or not? You know that's what was making you miserable, because you thought it was just your commute, but it's actually like now, like the workload, you know it's insane. So I was like, okay, husband, you have a good point. So actually it was my husband who was like, think about that before you make your choice. You know he's like obviously I'll support you either way, like whether you decide to stay, like we'll, you know we'll make it work whatever, but it's like, or if you leave. So I thought about it and I still ended up yeah, obviously I'm here. So I ended up leaving that job, which was like very tempting to stay, but I made the choice to leave. Now it's like no regrets.

Jo Delgado 10:38

Now the first year was like, oh my god, was I again? Because it's so hard and people don't realize it, like you know, especially if you don't go into it with like a built in clientele list or whatever. You have to do everything yourself, build it up yourself. So the first year was very difficult, especially seeing like barely any profits, you know, because you have to invest in your startup business. So, if you take that into account, like profits were like oh my gosh, like almost nothing, you know. So, yeah, that first year was hard, but ever since then, though, it's grown steadily and I am grateful, very grateful, for that. And then you know there are hard moments, of course, but no regrets.

Kita Zuleta 11:20

Oh man, what a journey, especially that temptation of safety, right Like the being able to. I mean, like you said, god bless your husband for reminding you the why right Like no, it's beyond the paycheck and it's beyond that consistent working from home part. It's very much so the dreaming of the work right, and so I love that he was able to remind you of that and encourage you to take the leap, because you're here now and outside of having the personal experience of having worked with you myself, but also fellow jefas in the community who have been able to work with you, and so I'm really excited that we got to meet and we're here. Si no te dice tu esposo, you'd probably still be video editing because y'all if you don't know it is.

Kita Zuleta 12:13

It's like you lock in like your whatever setup you end up doing when you're editing. It's like you lock into your like cockpit. You're driving like you cannot and not that you can't stop, but I'm sure you'll understand this too Like when you're in a creative groove, especially when it comes to editing and how it all works together right, like you just want to get the not just get the job done, but like you're in that group, like you're inspired to work on that, so you keep going.

Immigrant Journey

Jo Delgado 12:43

And that even happens now with the design work I do, you get in the flow and you don't want to pause or leave because you're afraid, like, that flow is gonna just like get all choppy after if you, if you try and leave and come back. So it's the same same concept, you know, for both video and and design work. So, yes, like, and then with the video part, you just have all these hard drives too. I remember that's like what's stuck in my head too. It's like just a constant, like pile of hard drives that you have to like have plugged in and then, yeah, rendering and oh, yes, no, um, yeah.

Kita Zuleta 13:15

My husband's constantly like I need another hard drive and I'm like all right, here we go like it's.

Jo Delgado 13:19

They're not cheap.

Kita Zuleta 13:20

No, they are not, and there's no like. Well, let's just make room on a hard drive, the reason why you have these hard drives is because you need backups on backups, on backups, and like for años, there's like no letting go of the footage, backups, the backups, and also people have no idea how large raw footage is.

Kita Zuleta 13:41

Yes, it's huge, like the files are enormous, that's why, also yes all of them and then like all the cords and cables, like when you're like people are talking about going to a copy shop, it's like, yeah, no, I would love, I would love to go work at a copy shop and get an editing session done. There's no way editing happens right here. There's the only place that editing can happen, because this is where all the tools are right, like all the hard drives. I literally have just two chilling just for functionality, but anyway, yeah, absolutely so.

Kita Zuleta 14:13

I'm so happy that you did take that leap and I'm so excited that you are here and absolutely this Jefa life is definitely hard. It's not always easy. It's not. You jump in and I love that you named that the first year isn't easy, right? So for any Jefas that might be in their first year, know that it is normal to not making a whole lot of money and it does take time, right? These things don't happen overnight. Like our brands evolve, our messaging evolves, our confidence in showing up and being able to say this is what I do, that all evolves. So I'm so happy that you're here. You've made it to four years, felicidades. And I'd love to dig a little deeper and get to know a bit more about you, right? Because you named the creative Inka, and so I'd love to get to know a bit more of the story about how you got to where you're at now, beyond just the leaving nine to five aspect.

Jo Delgado 15:07

So, yes, my company obviously is named the Creative Inka Part one. Creative, of course, because I'm a creative at heart. I have since been, since I was a child, and the Inka part is my Peruvian roots. I was born in Peru and we came to the States, to actually Southern California. We did land in the South, what's called the South Bay area of Los Angeles County. We landed there because my tia was already here. She's already living here, so that's kind of why we ended up in that location.

Jo Delgado 15:42

And I was just five years old I still knee-high to a grasshopper. I was little Jojo, not a lick of English, but I was so little so I did learn English very quickly. But there's just little things I remember about learning the language, like cartoons basically taught me English between cartoons and being engulfed in the school system of course, like you're surrounded by people that speak English, so you just learn it. As a child especially, you're a sponge still. So I learned the language fairly quickly, like quicker than my siblings. They were a little bit older than me but because I was so young I think I learned it quite quickly. There's just little things I remember when I did, when we did move to the states and going into the, the US school system was like when I left Peru I had just finished half a year of kindergarten because we came in March, so it was like the middle of the school year and I had already I was learning by the time I left.

Jo Delgado 16:48

I was learning cursive and base and basic multiplication. So when I got to the us and I went to like I had to read, I had to basically redo kindergarten because it was half the year. They're like it's not, there's sense, you can't really come in the middle of the year. I had to basically redo kindergarten but everyone had like we had nap time, we were playing with blocks, we were playing with like toys and I was like is this school? And I get it Like in hindsight it's like socialization and all that, you know. I get it Like kind of the concept of it. But it was just so different than what I was dealing with in Peru. I was learning. I already knew my basic addition and subtraction. I was learning basic multiplication. I was doing curses. I already knew how to print, so it was just interesting to jump into it's playtime.

Kita Zuleta 17:45

Wow.

Jo Delgado 17:46

Wow, that's a culture shock for sure.

Jo Delgado 17:49

Yeah, it was crazy. So that was an interesting adjustment. I was like, oh okay, this is odd. Then, of course, some of the language parts, because, of course, as you know, Southern California especially has a large, like Mexican population, because of course it's our neighbor, right? So there weren't many Peruvians and our spanish is a little different. So there's a lot of mexican restaurants here, of course, as you know. So there's the a lot of the terminology. It's also different, you know, like tortillas, for example. In peru it's an omelet. So we came here, we're ordering a tortilla. We're like wait, what is this? Um, just little things like that that were just like confusing and we're like, what? Like we just weren't you know this way before, like internet or anything, so we just weren't aware of this, of different spanish you know, uh, of course, different cultures of different countries.

Jo Delgado 18:48

Yeah, so we just weren't aware, because you know there's no internet. Don't want to tell us that you don't know, right, yeah, yeah, so that was interesting to adjustment. But we came and it was, you know, difficult. My parents went from they were working in peru they were, you know, they had like office job went from they were working in Peru, they were, you know, they had like office job. Like my dad was, I think, accountant, I think it was, and it's like accounting office and that's where they met actually, where they where they were working. And they come here, you know, and it's like one. They don't speak the language to like those degrees from over there sadly don't transfer over. So like basically starting just to like give us the opportunity.

Jo Delgado 19:27

They started from scratch, working two, three jobs each, you know, and it was it's hard, you know, like financially, and them not being able to be around. So like, thankfully, we were three of us, so we had each other for one, our siblings and then, and then my, my abuelita um, eventually joined us, to my grandpa also, so she was able to, she was doing nanny care, but like out of our house, so she was able to stay with us too. So that was, you know, that's why we're so close to my Abuelita, or we were. She passed. She passed like five years ago, um, but yeah, it was very hard, uh, having them having to work. So I mean, you want to work hard, of course, but like having to work like two, three jobs, that's. That's very hard and trying to learn the language at the same time, you know. So, yeah, I could, I can. Looking back, I'm like my gosh.

Jo Delgado 20:21

My parents sacrificed so much for us to be here you know, because they, you know, they had a decent job back home, but it was just. The reason we left was because it's there's a lot of corruption in the Peruvian government, especially back then. I still have a lot of family there, so I get a heads up about some of the corruption still happening, but I don't think it's as bad as it was when we left. So that's the reason they, they took us to the states, you know. And then another aspect that made it hard was that, you know, for a while we were like undocumented, you know, back then and it's so different than it is now, especially with that there's so much less resources. Back then it was more of a stigma, um, and you know again, pre-in-internet, so you can't also get the resources, because how do you look it up? So that was also difficult.

Jo Delgado 21:14

And I always do wonder how different my life would have been if we were documented when I was a child and teenage years, because what path would I have taken? You know there's certain things I couldn't do while being undocumented Like I couldn't, you know, like I couldn't apply to a school at a state, like how there's no way, you know. Like I couldn't apply, so I had to do like state college or state um local community college first, and then around that time is when I was finally able to get my paperwork and everything. So it wasn't until that point. So for childhood, teenage years, even early adulthood, I didn't, and that's something I always wonder about. It's like how different would my life have been If I, if I had the capability to?

Jo Delgado 22:04

I probably would have gone out of state school somewhere or you know did like whatever else you know overseas, maybe even to go like do the semester abroad, as some people do you know like yeah, I'm like oh, that must have been nice, but I couldn't, you know, like literally could not do that. So I always wonder, like where would life have taken me if I didn't have that back then to deal with?

Kita Zuleta 22:27

you know Right, and then now I'm here, yeah, and now we're here, and I think that's what's beautiful about these stories and thank you for sharing that with us and your fellow Jefas and I think there's so many layers of what happens to us as we're coming up right Like beyond just the shift into starting our business. Right, so much of what we've gone through defines us, right, and every action has a reaction and every aspect of who we are and how we showed up, for example, right Like you came from Peru with your family. Right Like those things that are part of who you are at the time, which at the time, was undocumented, right Defined how you got to move, right, and so it's beautiful to see now how you although, yes, I'm sure we all have different versions of like, how different what our life have been, because we've all gone through different versions of you know our life have been, because we've all gone through different versions of you know we do have this, we don't have that, or you know, quite literally, different ways that we came up or situations that we're in. But every single one of those decisions and everything that leads up to where we're at now is just pretty crazy to go through and think through that trajectory. Right, and I love that you shared that.

Kita Zuleta 23:49

This is where you come from, because obviously it's a huge part of your roots, right, and the pride also that comes with like your parents sacrificed a whole ton, and not just yours, right so many of us have as our a version of first gen, even if, also, you're still first in doing what you're doing right and figuring out here in this country and not having a path already laid out for us. Right, because most of our parents, they did what they had to in order to help us get to where we're at, as far as they possibly could right, even more so without the guidance and without the open doors or the language or all of these things. So it's beautiful to see how, despite the hard, the work that they put in and the sacrifices that they did, like, still led to you having the ability to run your business online from home, right, and work with your ideal clients and do what it is that you love, thanks to the sacrifices that they did. And so I just want to shout out, not just your parents, but to all the parents who made that trek, who saw the vision, who saw the dream, right, and it was better here, and even if it's not parents, some of us in the community, our families, have been here a bit longer, and maybe our second, third gen. But even still going back to that initial, like those who came and imagined a future, like they wouldn't have been able to imagine us virtually hanging out and recording a conversation to reach more people. And recording a conversation to reach more people, right, like I think about that all the time, like this is a portion of my American dream.

Kita Zuleta 25:30

But my parents and their version of an American dream like didn't look like this, like so much of what Cafecito Con Jefas and the community and so many of what we're doing, especially post pandemic right, and how virtual it is and how we can reach people and connect with people that don't live locally in ouremic right, and how virtual it is and how we can reach people and connect with people that don't live locally in our space. Right, they didn't imagine this specific dream. Right, especially us and what we're pursuing. You know, pero, they knew they wanted a better life for us and for that I'm grateful and I want to, you know, shout out all of the hardworking parents that got us to where we're being. They did what they can with what they could to get us here, and I'm really really grateful for that.

Kita Zuleta 26:10

And now we're here. We're Jefas, right Like pursuing this. So I love that. And we're here, tantan, and it wasn't easy not for them and not for us, as we have been building our businesses as well. So I love that. I love that you incorporate part of that story, right Like if us here didn't know that Inka had such deep roots into who you are and where you come from. So thank you for sharing that. And I one of the things too, kind of going back to when you first had made the jump into Creative Inka and your husband reminded you like the reasons, right Like I want you to share. I'd love for you to share with your fellow Jefas, like talk to us about your brand's. Why, like, what is the mission and the purpose behind the products and services that you are offering your fellow Jefas as a design studio?

Essential Brand Design for Small Businesses

Jo Delgado 27:10

Yes, definitely. So I have multiple whys, of course, like I think, as we all do so, one of them being, of course, like I was in the thick of it working for others and I saw many, many, many times, time and time again, things that I would have done different. But you know, back then me not being the boss, I was like, well, great, you know, like so I couldn't do things like that I thought would be better. So I knew I had that to offer. As far as, like my ideas go and I know it's a whole different animal, like you know, owning a business and having employees and like trying to please everyone. Like I know it's a whole different animal, like you know, owning a business and having employees and like trying to please everyone, like I get it now especially, um, but I also, especially as I approached that time when I was getting really serious about branching out on my own, was I just saw so many small businesses that I could help I just in my, in my travels, whether it's locally or elsewhere, like I just saw, like, oh my gosh, I could help them be so much more.

Jo Delgado 28:13

I just saw that I constantly, and I still do to this day, but I, um, that was a big, that was a big part. It's just kind of like, oh no, like they could, they could be so much more, you know visually and like just cohesive, like I see a lot of especially small businesses you know that have like the one employee up to five. They're very small and grassroots and I get it. It's usually tough to have a budget for this and that like visual, like brand identity and all that stuff. But I also think some aren't aware that brand design is a thing. I think, especially in my circle, of course, like everyone knows what that is because I talk about it ad nauseum.

Jo Delgado 28:57

But I think the average person, the average business owner, just isn't aware also like that this is a possibility, like people often assume, like, oh, brand identity or brand design is for big businesses, it's for the Nikes it's for the Apple it's for Target of the world, but no, it's like even a small business can benefit from a cohesive brand presence that is cohesive in colors, is cohesive in the logo assets and the typography, everything that kind of just weaves together, and also the brand messaging, brand personality. When it's all in place, it just makes a world of difference and that's also what I want to teach small business owners is that aspect that they're just. Some may just not be aware of it, but then some that could just benefit from it, like I constantly see it back then and then now still. So I just want to help all those businesses and you know me being a solopreneur and having my boutique, you know little studio, allows me to help these small business owners and entrepreneurs because I don't have that large overhead of renting a huge office space with like 15 employees.

Jo Delgado 30:13

So, of course, like if you're hiring an agency, they're going to charge you like $15,000 for a brand identity, you know, and it's going to be skyrocket cost because you know you have all of these employees to pay. You have the overhead of the office space. I work from home online business, so I don't need to charge those crazy rates because I don't have employees to pay, unless I have, like some contractors. Sometimes I bring them on to help me if I'm like swamped with work, but that's a whole different thing. It's not payroll employees and I don't have an office space where I have to pay, you know, like $8,000 a month and I have to make sure to cover that, you know. So I think that was a big part of my why too. It's like to kind of give the small business owners a polished look, personality-driven look and feel, without the agency cost of it.

Kita Zuleta 31:08

Yes, Okay, the agency cost of it? Yes, Okay. So can we talk about, like, because going speaking to the Jefa, or the person who doesn't know what all of this means? Now you know, Jefas, let me remind you, right, Like, what Jo does, she's a brand designer, right, Like. She's a brand strategist, right, Like, I'm also a brand strategist, brand photographer, right.

Kita Zuleta 31:33

Branding as a whole right, I mean, we can talk about this for how many podcast episodes? There's so many ways to do it. But it's layered, right. A brand is not just a logo and a brand is not just a color palette. And a brand is not just a photo of you and your headshot. A brand is not just a color palette and a brand is not just, you know, a photo of you in your headshot. A brand is not just your business name, Like, there are layers to what a brand is, it's.

Kita Zuleta 31:59

You know so much of what you even mentioned, right, your personality, your mission, your purpose, your values, your goals. Right, your ideal client, your proposition. Like there's so much in there, y'all that we can just get really nerdy about and teach. But to zoom out, speaking to how you serve fellow jefas specifically in this brand, if there's someone who doesn't know or understand. Like, what do you mean, Jo? What are you talking about when you're talking about brand design? Right, Like this thing, this visuals that you're talking about. What is it that you're doing? What is that gap? Because you and I know what the agency prices are, right, Like we know the absurd. I mean I think I recently did market research and I wanted to say it was like 60 grand. I saw somebody put as a price tag for a brand Bible and I was like yo, that's huge. And because laying the foundation of your brand like this is how you literally base every strategy off of this thing. Like how you market, how you sell, how all the things.

Kita Zuleta 33:04

Bueno, talk to us about how you would best describe brand design and the importance of it. Pretend I know nothing. So how would you educate a fellow jefa on the importance of brand design and how, when possible? Because obviously, maybe year one, we're not ready to hire a professional designer, right, and we're still DIYing it and figuring it out. Pero ya que estemos listos, we're ready to invest because of the DIY part. Please share. What is the importance behind brand design? What is the importance behind defining a brand and thinking about this strategically?

Jo Delgado 33:46

Well, there are multiple layers to it of course, as you know. So I think, in its most basic terms I think everyone knows roughly graphic design, right, it's like the most basic form of, like, visual design is graphic design. So a brand design really falls under that. I mean, it's called, I call it brand design, but it's really just like overall, encompassing what a brand is, overall encompassing what a brand is. So I would say brand design falls under the graphic design umbrella as well as the marketing umbrella. It kind of falls under those two umbrellas. So brand design is more specific, obviously, to business owners and how they look and feel to their audiences. Another layer to that would be, of course. So you want to break it up into brand design and then under that is visual identity. So the brand design portion includes the strategy and includes, kind of like, who is your brand, what does your brand stand for, what are its values, all of those strategic portions of it, the brand personality, what's the tone of voice, what's the brand voice, kind of all of those parts. The visual identity that's under the brand design umbrella is, as it sounds, the visual portion. So that is when all the the color palette comes into play.

Jo Delgado 35:09

Typography, because you want to always use, you know, the same two to three fonts in your content. And then the logo assets. You know which the majority of small business owners that have never worked with a designer usually have, just like the one logo which you know spoiler alert. It's not enough, because you know spoiler alert. It's not enough, Cause you know you want to have multiple logo variations because there is so, especially the present day, there's just so many different, not just digital environments, but even in real life. You know, like real life environments, that your logo assets should fit in. So let's you know, for example, let's say, your logo is your one logo that you have right now is rectangular, but your Instagram profile is a little tiny circle, like it's not going to be legible in there. So that's why the importance of at least having two you know logos, like a primary and an alternate, is important, because then you have at least two to choose from for whatever environment you need it for that.

Jo Delgado 36:15

And then having just a cohesive presence all across all platforms, all touch points. Basically all touch points is it gives professionalism to your audience, like, without them even realizing, people just notice it and then you become recognizable as well, the more people see your content in the same colors and the same you know typography, same font, stylings, and they see your logo here and you know, using those colors and everything, it just becomes more memorable and recognizable. And that's what you want, cause you want people to. Oh yeah, I remember seeing you know, for example, like this yoga studio, and like the colors, for example, flooding back to them, things that just kind of make you recognizable.

Jo Delgado 37:04

And for people to remember you is important, is important that, and, of course, like your how you communicate with everybody, like your tone of voice, should also be cohesive, because then it sounds more humanized and you connect with your audience more. So I think all those aspects are important and the final layer I'll talk about is something, something that most business owners don't aren't aware of is that you don't want to create a visual identity that only you like. It's not like you have to remember, like it's not about you, because you're not, buying from, you're not buying from yourself.

Jo Delgado 37:46

You're not buying from yourself. You have to make it something that will resonate with who is buying from you, your, your target audience. Like who are you trying to target here? Who are you trying to get to book with you or buy from you, whatever it may be? Target them and like obviously you want to love your own branding, that's obviously, but you shouldn't be the only, that shouldn't be the only deciding factor. You want it to resonate with who we've identified as your target audience. I think that's something that many small business owners don't realize. They think like me, me, me like I like the color purple and you know, and green, whatever it may be, so I want to use those because I like those colors. But okay, but is that going to make sense to your target audience? Like why are we using these colors?

Jo Delgado 38:29

You have to take into consideration, like, color psychology as well, not use it as like a Bible, because there are some problems with color psychology Just in its usage. You know, like a big. A nice example I'd like to use is the color red. So if you are a engagement ring company, for example, you make rings, you know, for anniversaries, for weddings, for engagement. Color red, you know, represent love, right, like love and passion. But if you're a hospital, you really don't like a medical office, you really don't want to use a color red because it represents blood, you know. So that's when you have to like take into consideration like color psychology, and you know, kind of the context of things, yeah, the context of it. You want to use it appropriately and not use it like just like so literal in some senses.

Jo Delgado 39:22

But yeah, I think that those are like the layers that I would, I think are, make it easier to understand is like think about the brands that that you yourself remember and recognize. You know, like I've had people approach me, like at networking events, especially some of the some of the cafecito events, or not. They're like they don't know my actual name because I, you know, I don't use it as often in my thing but like, oh you, oh, you're the creative Inca. I'm like, yes, that's me. So it's like you know, yeah, like you know, to be like memorable and recognizable in your whole presence. You know, and that's something to keep in mind, those aspects of a small business owner who's not familiar with what branding is at all. I think that's kind of, even though I talked for a long time. I tried to do an overview of what it is, cause, of course, like, as you know, there's so it's very complex and there's a lot of layers to it.

Kita Zuleta 40:25

The strategy portion especially, and then tying in the visual part of it. So so, yeah, yeah, no, there's so much um, there's so much to the strategy behind a brand, um and layers to the marketing part, Cause I, especially now, as you mentioned, um, most of at least even our ideal clients and even the Jefas in the community we're connecting virtually, we speak virtually, we're marketing our businesses either on our website or on different versions of social media or different platforms. So now I think it's easier for that understanding to have us to be listening to what you're saying and even, for example, the logo variations. That makes sense, because now there's so many different applications that a logo goes into right, and so it's not just you know, our literal apps on our phones, but quite literally, like putting it on a Canva graphic, putting it on, you know on, like a watermark for a photograph, right. Or putting it on a header for an invoice, right. Like putting it on actual merch if somebody invoice, right. Like putting it on actual merch if somebody is a product-based business, or like tissue paper or gift wrap, right. Like there's so many ways to incorporate, you know, the colors and the brand design, which is something that I like, obviously being on a different version and a different aspect of the branding spectrum.

Kita Zuleta 41:51

Where the brand strategy is a brand strategy, right, when it's the mission and the story and the values and like the, what I like to say is like the head and heart part of the brand, right, you actually start thinking about what is the business, what do you do, who are you serving? So defining your ideal client, what position are you in, right Strategically to talk to them? And then what ends up happening with the brand design, right, or even, for example, how it translates in photography? Right, the visual part is telling those stories. It always leans back and comes back to how you can serve your clients right and give them the feelings right, Like I can trust Jo because I see her brand and it's like, oh, if her brand looks this good, she can translate me and make different versions of graphics or designs. That's going to help enhance me showing up online, right. So it does bring that professional look on the design and visual aspect of things. But that strategy part that's your messaging, right, that gets translated verbally, visually, and all of the different strategies when we show up online, as we're marketing ourselves and as we are literally attracting those who we want to not just work with, but who are also looking for us and all those things.

Kita Zuleta 43:16

And you know, like one of the phrases that you say, like standing out from the sea of same right, Like being able to make yourself look unique. And you know to the point that you were saying, like people are going to see us and the colors that like the association of the color palette that we're consistently using and showing up with. You know, not only do the colors mean something, but they attract certain people, right Like, if you absolutely hate the color red, you're probably not going to lean towards a brand that uses red and everything, right Like. So we tend to be attracted by the brands that we like. So, likewise, like you said, right Like, we want to attract it's not just our favorite color, although that can be a great starting point for many of us.

Kita Zuleta 44:04

But if are we attracting? We get to ask ourselves the question are we attracting a version of ourselves right, so, where our likes will also attract those who we're looking to work for, or are our clientele needing something completely different? Or not completely, but you know what I'm saying. As a personal brand as most of us are. We get to do our likes, but it's mostly serving them Right, it's, it's bridging that.

Jo Delgado 44:32

You know that connect, you know, like your likes with like what's going to resonate with your audience. You know, cause, of course, like we, as as people, we have our, our likes and dislikes, and those can even be quite broad. So you kind of want to pick the likes that will also resonate with your audience, you know. So it's bridging that gap, you know, yeah, I think a big, a big thing. I, I think a big thing I want the have us to keep in mind as well is if you have to still DIY especially, you know, when a startup like you don't have the budget for a brand designer, which is completely understandable and I completely get that but if you're going to DIY your own, you, you know brand presence in the in the beginning, I think my biggest recommendation would be to like keep it very simple, like, very simple, Like, even if you have to just use a like typography based logo or you just pick a font, just type out your business name and like, call it a day. Like, keep it very simple, keep that color palette and use it consistently. Don't constantly keep changing colors. Don't constantly you know whatever's the new flavor of the week. Like, go to that and constantly choose, choose a new font because it looks pretty for you know, this week, you know, like, try to just be consistent with what you do identify, even if it's not strategic. I don't expect most to have us especially that there aren't in my creative design world to know, like what's a strategic, like you know font usage and you know so. That's why I think keeping it simple if you're a startup with diy, is to just keep it simple, k-i-s-s. Keep it very simple, like don't, don't overcomplicate it, don't overthink it in the beginning, until you can work with a designer that can help you kind of really establish, you know, your brand and its foundation and then go from there. And especially because many startup businesses don't really know their business yet because they're kind of just they're jumping into it and they're going to try different things and your, your business direction can easily change, like within the year or like two year mark, like you'd start like, realize like, oh, I actually don't like this part of my business, so I'm going to not do this.

Simplifying Branding for Small Businesses

Jo Delgado 46:49

And and that happened to me like when my first year in business, like for one, I kept a very safe and excited. I came from like a corporate background. I came from, you know, like working for others, and so I I thought I had to kind of be very polished I mean, that's a not good word to use. I had to be like very corporate, looking like professional looking, you know. And so I had like be like very corporate, looking like professional looking, you know. And so I had like that, that presence in my first year, and you know that I, ultimately, after that first year, I was like you know what this is, this is not me, though. Like I'm not like this professional corporate person, you know, like I am, I'm silly, I am quirky and I, you know, I love to laugh and I like to be funny and sarcastic. I'm like so I need to embrace. That is where that's when I did my rebrand was like I need to really embrace that part of me and I know I'm going to attract more like-minded businesses when I do that and I did and I it really helped grow my business. So I think, kind of identifying those aspects in the beginning and things are going to change.

Jo Delgado 47:53

Like I used to offer social media management in the beginning only because I knew how to do it. I did it in my previous work. You know my previous experience so I knew how to do it. But I was like this is also soul sucking to do it for others and have to do your own as a business owner. You know, for me it was like people underestimate how much work that social media manager actually does Like if they do it properly, like you know, with analytics and reports and all of those things and oh my gosh. So I took that out of my services after the first year. I was like no, thank you, and I focused on what I actually love to do, like what am I actually enjoying doing, like when I have clients, you know, with it, and it was brand new websites, you know. So I focused on those two.

Jo Delgado 48:37

I offered other things too. Before I was like what am I thinking? No, because I had so much skill sets just built up over all those years. I know how to do X, y, z, blah, blah, blah. But I was like no, I cannot keep offering all the things you know. So I dwindled down a lot and it's worked out great doing that. So it's other things you know. You kind of just want to play and feel like what you actually love to do, what you actually love working on, not just because you know how to do it. You know, so I think those are things to keep in mind.

Kita Zuleta 49:10

Oh, man. Well, you answered the question that I was going to ask you, which is what piece of advice would you give a fellow jefa?

Jo Delgado 49:16

You already knew but I love the advice that you did give which was keeping it simple at first.

Kita Zuleta 49:28

I mean we have lots of Jefas that either are, which was keeping it simple at first. I mean we have lots of us that either are, even if they're not just starting out but starting to look at themselves as a brand. Right Like, now. Branding is a bit more common now with social media and now with Google. Right, like it's a bit more a version of us.

Kita Zuleta 49:49

I want to say standard practice, like you start trying to at least ask the questions like who am I as a brand? Or what does branding mean, even if that's the initial question, right, like. Or the concept of knowing, like I don't have a logo. Right, like that's because that's usually the oh, my brand is a logo, right, or my brand is my business name. You know, now we start. You know, now we start there's more exposure to branding as a whole. But. Or the concept of visually looking a certain way online, right, and so I love that you started with keeping it simple at first. Right, like, yes, you can pick one font, type it out, and that is now your, your brand's, logo, if you will, up until you can afford someone to be able to do it.

Kita Zuleta 50:36

You just keep it simple, right? Especially now with lots of different tools that are great tools, but at times without this clarity or direction. Initially, what ends up happening? So many times we go on Canva and there's quite literally thousands and thousands of templates, not just for logos but like for, like, social media posts, right, and so if someone does not yet have their visual identity, you know, or a visual direction and design locked in, it can happen to where they do one like scrapbook looking, you know, graphic, and then another one having it be modern and, you know, very like simple aesthetic, right, like, just because we like how it may look in Canva. So we're just like playing with different colors and different textures and different all the things.

Kita Zuleta 51:28

So what ends up happening with that is not a problem, because kudos to you for showing up and creating the content and doing it, but the having it similar colors, having it similar style, having it not very time to time makes you memorable over time, makes people recognize you, right, like if we quite literally wore our hair and makeup and outfits completely different every single time, people are going to be like, well, what personality are you today?

Kita Zuleta 51:58

So same thing with a business that those visual aspects of it bring that like familiarity to it, so people can know, like and trust your business. And then there is a bit more of that trust factor that you gain, having it be a version of consistent and, of course, it can always evolve and we can always rebrand Pero for having these seasons of like. Oh well, I'm embracing these handful of colors, this, these two fonts. This is my version of a logo right now and these are the headshots or the pictures that I'm using to show up online, like. This is how I'm showing up and this is how people can recognize us as a business online.

Jo Delgado 52:41

Right, and so, um, yeah, I love that caveat. One caveat with like that I don't think people are really aware of with Canva, which I love Canva it's perfect for small business owners, that non-designer right, Because it's very user friendly. But as far as using a logo from there, I think a lot of people aren't aware, especially because nowadays, like what they offer is not always terrible, Like in the infancy of what Canva logo templates were, I'm like, oh my God, this is cringe. But nowadays it's not as terrible. But you cannot trademark a Canva logo. That is against their guidelines, their legal guidelines, so you cannot. So if you use it, you cannot trademark it. So it's great again, for if you're not planning to trademark at that point especially, I think, as a startup business, you really don't yet but just future thinking like you want to keep that in mind that you cannot trademark a Canva logo because it's using their assets.

Kita Zuleta 53:47

That's really good to know, so knowing that you can use it to get you through the panzazo for whatever season. But once we're getting serious about our branding, it is always going to be investing, and especially when we're looking at trademarking, which, of course, you need to establish your brand for quite a bit before trademarking. So speak to your what is it Law professional about trademarking. Yes, you're legal professional, thank you. So we will tell you that you can't do it, because we know that that's the case. But speak to your legal professional before trademarking period.

Kita Zuleta 54:26

But getting all of this strategy behind any versions of visuals and how we show up online is so important for many reasons.

Kita Zuleta 54:35

And, yes, you know, we feel it in our industry right, like how you know, you've said it before and it's talked about in our industry where, like, marketing is the extra money, right, like it's the sexy part of the business, it's the sexy part of showing up, and you know it's the pretty things right.

Kita Zuleta 54:53

And we, it's the part where you get to be creative. But you and I, obviously we do what we do and we teach what we teach because it is so important when it comes to the recognition of your brand and your business and how it, long-term, helps you stand out amongst just another, let's say, graphic designer or another photographer. There's thousands of us. Many, many people can do the jobs that we do, but we are attracting the ideal client that we want to work with for our business and the ones that we know that we can serve, and that applies towards any and all businesses, which is why the branding really helps. So, keeping it simple at first. And then, lastly, I will ask you for the piece of advice that has helped you in your Jefa journey.

Jo Delgado 55:41

That has really stuck with you never give up, never surrender, just kidding, oh no, I think that just it's going to get hard, cause I, you know, I have some friends who are also small business owners and some that have been doing it much longer than I have Some of them brick and mortar, some of them online. I am the first in my direct family to start my own business, so that's. I am the first in my direct family to start my own business, so that's. But I have friends who are, who have their business, and that's what they told me. They're like it's going to get hard.

Jo Delgado 56:17

Well, for one, like the first year, like I mentioned, will be very hard because you feel you'll feel like you're failing, because you're not making profit. Of course, there are some people that luck out and go viral and perhaps they make their mark for that first year, but I think, more often than not, most of us, the first year is very hard. So that's one, and two is just basically over time. It's not always going to be a high, there are going to be dips and lows and it's going to get hard, especially in what we do, because it's very client-based. It's not, like, you know, steady, like month to month, you know work. It's like so some months can be great and then some months are like, oh my God, what's happening?

Jo Delgado 56:58

So it's going to be, yeah, many highs and lows, ebbs and flows of business, but you know that just basic, persevere, try to protect yourself as much as you can as far as, like you know you don't you always want to have a cushion in your business accounts just in case there are those low months, because you never know. So that's what I've. Probably the best piece of advice is just never give up. Like, keep going. You're doing what you're doing for a reason. You have something that only you can provide.

Jo Delgado 57:28

You know, even though, yes, there are others in our industry that do what we do, like you know, as far as like skill set, professionally, but we're the only ones that have, like you know, I'm the only Inka with this personality and actually I just had a potential call, a discovery call. I just had a potential call, a discovery call. I just had a discovery call with a potential client and they were like, as we were on the call, looking through my website and everything, and they're like I really love your presence, like your personality like really shines through there. So I'm like, oh, yay, so I know what I'm doing.

Jo Delgado 58:06

So they were really, really you know. Uh, they resonated with them, which is my goal, cause you know they're, they are a target audience, they are an ideal client. So I'm glad to hear, like live on a call, that this resonates with them. So I think that's those are some things that I definitely. That helped me rather is like never give up. It's kind of embrace who you are and keep on, keep on trucking.

Kita Zuleta 58:32

Yeah, keep going. Oh man, I love that. Thank you so much for sharing. And so, as we wrap this up, because we can go on for quite some time, just on speaking to the hard and not giving up and all the lessons that we learn along the way, because the seasons, the ups and downs, lessons that we learn along the way, because the seasons, the ups and downs, like, especially as Jefas, we feel those valleys, we feel those mountains that much more than your regular clock in, clock out kind of job.

Kita Zuleta 59:02

And so, yeah, it comes in waves for sure, and so continuing to go, I mean I think there's always a version of keep going as part of the advice for this Jefa life of ours, because that's literally how we get to grow and get to wherever we're trying to get to, because it's it's getting past the first few years.

Jo Delgado 59:26

I think I'd like to add one more thing that I forgot to mention, that other entrepreneurs have told me that have been doing it longer than I have. They're also, you know there's no shame in, let's say, you're in a really low season and it's kind of gone longer than you hoped for. Like there is no shame in picking up, you know, this side gig or this side gig to. You know to know to, because you want to be, you don't want to get into a huge hole you know where you can't get out of. So that there is no shame in like supplementing that low mode, that low phase of your business.

Jo Delgado 59:59

You know so that's something that many may find like, oh, I'm too ashamed. You know, like, am I failing a failing business? You know so it's that there is no shame. And like, hey, you've got to make ends meet. So if you have to do xyz in the meantime until business picks back up, then do it. There is no shame. And this is coming from, like, seasoned entrepreneurs. You know. So that's also advice that I took like because, you know I think many of us think like, oh, my god, it's a sign that I'm failing if I have to go take up this side job or pick up a part-time job, whatever it may be. I think that's a common feeling that many of us have. If that happens, yeah, no, totally.

Kita Zuleta 1:00:40

And I think I mean just in how we think about that aspect también, because a lot of people who are already working let's say, nine to five and are working their side hustle, which is what they want their business to be, right it's like, do I make that jump? But then because at once we make that jump right. If there is those seasons where we need to, you know, really inject some income into the business, we get to look at it exactly how you said it. That's the side gig, even if it's a part-time and a clock-in, even if it's a full-time job, on some sort of what we may feel as backtracking into the life we once had that we ran away from, but being able to say I love that we're moving.

Kita Zuleta 1:01:29

The shame that is there's a season where we just need to bring in a little bit more cashflow so that this business doesn't stop. So we don't give up on this dream and we get to keep building off of the foundation that we've started doing. There's no shame in picking up a side hustle and really keeping us focused on our business and really looking at how that is an investment towards what it is that we're doing. So I love that you stated it in that way, like there's that side hustle and there's no shame in doing that, because we do need to take care of ourselves, especially as business owners. You know we need to be able to talk, to be able to talk about we're doing what we love and pursuing these dreams, not just because of the money, because so many of us have these whys that are much deeper than like, oh, I just want to make X amount of dollars, but we still need to financially make. We have a business if we're making sales right, if we're making a profit right. This is how we stay in business.

Jo Delgado 1:02:31

Yeah, and I think people also have people that don't own a business or don't own an online business assume that there is like zero overhead cost, because that's not true. There are multiple subscription costs. It's, of course, like the technology, the technology we have to use. So I think that's a misconception as well. It's like, no, we do have overhead that we still have to cover month to month. So, yes, it's not like an office space, it's not a retail location, but there is still overhead, and I think that's something that it's a misconception. With people like oh, online business like and I think that's something that it's a misconception with people like, oh, online business like, oh, you could just stop if you wanted to, and no big deal. Like it can just run itself if it needs to Like, no, like there needs to be an income, there needs to be something to cover it. Correct, you know.

Kita Zuleta 1:03:21

So I think that's often a big misconception. Yeah, totally so. Keep going, Jefas. Never give up. You know this dream that we are pursuing. There's a reason why we had this dream to begin with. So let's remember our whys as we push through the hard, because we will have those hard moments, but never giving up, continuing to keep going and showing up for ourselves and our businesses and remembering that impact that we're looking to do with our businesses. So I'm really really grateful for you sharing your story with us. And, as we wrap up, before I ask you, where can our audience find you and how can they support your work? Before we do that, I have a couple of rapid fire questions, just so fellow Jefas can get to know you, your personality, a little bit more. They're super easy, I promise. So, as you know, we are a coffee loving community and even if it's not coffee and you prefer tea, the question is how do you order your favorite coffee or your favorite tea when you go to a local coffee shop?

Coffee, Books, Chaos, Giveaways

Jo Delgado 1:04:22

Okay, Cafecito is my crack. So at home I just use, I just just coffee with, I use a chobani creamer and it's just a basic. I don't, I'm not a big fan of flavored creamers like at home, so it's just a chobani creamer like the, the, I think just sweet cream is what it's called. So it's very minimal, tiny little splash, a little bit of stevia and that's it. But if I'm out and about, you know, which is rare because I'm a hermit at home, work from home so when I'm out or like road trips, then I like to do like a uh, what's it called brown sugar shaken espresso, like that's so good, I know, and if available of course I'd like a cafe de olla or something like that, but that's not available everywhere. So for my go-to on the road kind of thing is brown sugar shaken espresso.

Kita Zuleta 1:05:18

Brown sugar shaken espresso Sounds fancy. I'm going to need to try. That Sounds so good. Okay, and then what book has impacted your life that you would gift a fellow Jefa?

Jo Delgado 1:05:31

Oh, my goodness. So I'm not a huge fan of reading like self-help and like business books. I do more podcasts for those things, for like especially business, Business. I really enjoy Mel Robbins.

Jo Delgado 1:05:49

I like her messaging more often than not For business. I like that. But if any of us that are kind of like me and don't do business or self-help books I do audio books actually, but books in general, whether audio or hard cover, books in general, whether audio or, you know, hard hard cover For any of the like fiction. I just got through recently the Acotar series, which is A Court Of Throne And Roses. It's very fantasy. I don't want to say smut, but kind of smut. So any half hour along that line, the whole series is pretty good. It's like entertaining rather, and it kind of it does suck you, suck you in. So I read the whole series in like three months or so. Oh man, I know. So any half-ass that like fiction and fantasy, there you go, you're welcome. Yeah, you're welcome. Yes, I love it.

Kita Zuleta 1:06:45

Awesome. There you go. You're welcome, nice. Yeah, you're welcome. Yes, I love it Awesome. And then, finally, what's one word that best describes?

Jo Delgado 1:06:56

the season of life that you're currently in, chaos, if we're going to be real. I mean. Inflation's tough, especially on businesses like ours, which is the creative side, the marketing side. Those tend to be the first things that get cut in a business budget. So it's kind of a tough season but at the same time, busy, because we have to, of course, continue to promote our business, continue to do all of the things that we need to do to try and get new clients as well.

Jo Delgado 1:07:30

So it's busy and not so I would say, chaos. That. And then, of course, you know I, you already know this but I helped move my parents to my sister's. That was a big ordeal because that they live in that same house for, oh my gosh, over 20 years, I think, that same street for over 35 years, um. So I had to help purge that house and keep and get rid of what was needed, get my parents safely moved over. So that was also so. Just multiple little things just add to a bit of chaos. But that is life. Life be lifing. Sometimes, life be lifing yes, I was literally gonna.

Kita Zuleta 1:08:07

I was like so, to sum it up, life be lifing. Sometimes, life be lifing. Yes, I was literally going to sum it up Life be lifing over there, but it'll hopefully level itself out and slow down a bit for you on the life end, and hopefully business will pick up too and be able to balance itself out. As we said, this comes with peaks and valleys, this life of ours, of course.

Kita Zuleta 1:08:27

There's ebbs and flows, sending you lots of love during this chaotic season and manifesting some peace and abundance coming your way. So I love that. Okay, and then, finally, where can your fellow Jefas find your work? How can they support you? Do you have any specials or deals right now that you want to share with your fellow Jefas find your work? How can they support you? Do you have any specials or deals right now that you want to share with?

Jo Delgado 1:08:51

your fellow Jefas. Yes, I do actually. This is the time to shameless plugs, woohoo. Okay, so every, well, every year. This is only the second annual.

Kita Zuleta 1:09:01

Hey, every year from here on out Since last year.

Jo Delgado 1:09:06

this, every year I run. I am running the Thankful Inka Giveaways, the second annual where I gift a brand design package to a deserving business, and I do this to honestly, it's no strings attached. Like you enter it there, you know there's very few things to do. You just, you know, follow, comment with something you're grateful for, Tag a fellow business friend that you think could also benefit. Quick, I would say. I think it's like 10 questions on a form and submit and then you get entered to win a brand design package for your business, which is perfect Because, you know, like I meant, like we mentioned multiple times, not everyone has the budget to invest in a professional designer and fellow brand designers that I've talked to here and there. I think I'm crazy for offering this because it's a. It's a big giveaway. Like you have to remember, this is worth easily $3,000, um, in a normal setting, you know. So it is a big give, which is also why it's not a simple like comment and you're entered to win. It's like there is more to it for a good reason because I work very closely with all my clients and whoever wins this giveaway, I'll also work the same way. I'll work very closely with them. So for that reason, like I need to know about your business and then also to help for me to determine who is the deserving business this year. You know, I worked with someone last year and her branding turned out amazing. She loves it. She continues to use it to this day. She's a mobile bartender. So I debated on offering this this year because I was like it's a lot of work. I was like do I offer something smaller? I don't know. So I really debated it. But ultimately I know firsthand the power of a strong brand for a business and a small business shouldn't feel like they don't deserve it because they're a small business, and especially with that misconception that it's only for big businesses. You know like no, you do this, you do deserve it. And especially if you're a deserving business with with you know, with who you serve and what you're doing, and you're passionate about your business, like yes, then you do deserve it, you know. So this is literally my way of giving back to the community.

Jo Delgado 1:11:28

I chose November for one it's my birthday month whoo, Scorpio. And two, it's the month to be thankful. You know it's Thanksgiving is this month, you know. So I, for that reason I run it all of November, so I did launch on November 1st and you will find the post pinned on my Instagram profile. You can find me at the creative Inca Inka with a K, because sometimes it's a C but mine with a K and you'll spot all the details there as far as like how to enter there. And then my website is the creative Incacom.

Jo Delgado 1:12:02

You can see kind of more about. You can see my personality driven brand on there. All the messaging is very me. You also get to see there some of my work. Instagram is the place that I'm definitely the most active in, so that's where you can definitely see my latest work. I'm pretty active on stories. You get to see behind the scenes of me and my dog and my designs and memes. But yeah, that's what I'm running this month and it is consistently running. We already have, I believe, 10 entries, which I'm like oh my god. Yeah, because last last year to get to 10, I think I was like already like mid-month or more, so I'm excited it's only I know I'm like yay, so I am excited to run this again.

Jo Delgado 1:12:47

I need and and to give a brand design package again to a deserving business. So there's a lot of good entries so far already, but I am welcoming more Awesome, awesome.

Kita Zuleta 1:12:58

Well, do not sleep on entering. It is worth taking the time to answer those questions because being able to have the opportunity to work with Jo, who I've had the privilege to work with in a time where I was just coming out as Kita , y'all like, she helped me with my original logo, the original color palette, really thinking through all of that so I know she is not just a professional. She does beautiful, amazing work. So many other jefas have also worked with her in the community, so check her out. Check out her website, thecreativeinkacom, and her Instagram at thecreativeinka Jo Thank you, thank you. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today, for sharing your story, sharing your advice and talking to your fellow Jefas about all things branding and brand design.

Jo Delgado 1:13:44

Thank you so much for having me. I'm so glad to finally be here.

Kita Zuleta 1:13:47

All right, Jebas. Well, thank you so much for tuning in and hanging out with Joe and myself. Again, be sure to follow Jo and support all of her work at thecreativeinkacom and at the creative Inca on Instagram. And until next time, Jefas, I'm your host, Kita Zuleta. Thank you for listening to the Cafecito Con Jefas podcast. Well, Jefas podcast vision. Remember, jefa, you are not alone. This community is here to support you, cheer you on and celebrate your wins, because we go farther together. So let's do it. Scared pero juntas.

Kita Zuleta 1:14:37

If you enjoyed today's episode, show some love by leaving a review and sharing it with a fellow Jefa, Be sure to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss the incredible stories we have in store. If you're looking for a space to connect and focus, join our Cafecito and co-working sessions. Sign up to our email list to get those invitations directly to your inbox. So come as you are when you can and surround yourself with your fellow Jefas. I can't wait to connect with you at a future Cafecito.

Kita Zuleta 1:15:06

Connect and follow along with the community on Instagram @cafecito con jefas, and you can reach out to yours truly directly @lajefakita. If you're ready to grow your brand online and looking for guidance, book a free consultation with me, and together we'll develop strategies that are in alignment with the season you're in. I'd be honored to walk with you on your Jefa journey. Before you go, remember that being a Jefa is an ever-evolving journey. There's no rush and no finish line. Just keep going. Pasito a pasito Until next time. I'm your host, Kita Zuleta. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Cafecito Con Jefas podcast.