Meet Cynthia Akita | Brand Strategist | Brand & Web Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cynthia Akita and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cynthia, what do you attribute your success to?
Hello everyone!

My name is Cynthia Akita, and I am a Brand Strategist, and a Brand & Web Designer over at Gyidi Design Firm and The Design Firmacy. With over 12 years of business experience, I’ve learned so much and grown from the typical mistakes business owners make, and I’d love to share a bit of that with you.

The question is: What is the most important factor behind your success/success of your brand?

Honestly, that’s a question that requires much elaboration, so I will try my absolute best to keep things short and sweet. Let’s get started!

1. Brand Strategy

I’m sure than when most of us start a bsuiness, we get carried away with all of the visual components. From choosing our color palettes, to the brand shoots, and picking which logos we want to go with, we start the process excited, thinking that those elements are what will make or break our businesses.

The error in all of this is that if it’s done without strategy, you are more than likely going to suffer the pain of constantly rebranding your business. What you should do, rather, is take some time to focus on strategy.

Ugh… that’s BORING! Well, eating broccoli may not be so flavorful, but it’s good for you, right? Strategy is the same, and honestly, if you have a strategy session with me, you’ll probably have a lot more fun, while learning at the same time.

With strategy you have to focus on the following concepts:

– Purpose
– Vision
– Values
– Audience
– Positioning
– Goals
– Persona/Personality
– Promise

Now, I won’t go through everything because it does seem overwhelming, but if you’d like a full breakdown and more, please feel free to visit my YouTube channel (YouTube.com/@thedesignfirmacy). You can also opt-in to my email newsletter by visiting thedesignfirmacy.com.

Okay, let’s get back to it! I’ll cover a bit of the first three points.

Purpose: When it comes to purpose, you’re focusing on the reason for your existence. But the main question is how do you get to that place? For some of you, it may be easy to just jump right in and say that you started your business because you want to generate some revenue. Yes, we all do, but I believe your purpose should be much deeper than that. Why? Because it’ll help you go the distance. If you take a moment to focus on what you provide and how that will impact your audience, it’ll push you to keep going even when things aren’t looking so promising.

Vision: There’s a reason why professionals would check our eyes throughout elementary school; it’s important. It is vital to see where you’re going(literally and figuratively), and this applies to business as well. What do you imagine your business accomplishing in the next year and beyond? What opportunities do you want to be prepared for? What kind of expansion do you anticipate? We often forget that our visual elements shouldn’t just match our “now”, but it should adapt to our future.

Values: We all have values, based on how we were raised, the things we’ve experienced in our lives, and the lessons we’ve learned. Values are an important aspect of a business because they determine how the business is run and also sets expectations for accountability. What are the guiding principles that influence your business decisions?

2. Consistency

Consistency! Consistency is a BEAST! It’s that thing we all struggle with because we are simply human and don’t always have things figured out.

Consistency is NECESSARY, especially when it comes to your business. If you’re not constantly in the face of your audience, they will naturally forget about you and wonder if your business is still relevant and in service.

Don’t let them forget you. Set expectations for yourself and do your best to stick by them. If you believe that you’re going to flop on your promise, the best thing you can do is keep folks in the loop and be transparent.

Sometimes, we try to put up a facade of perfection, but the truth is that no one is perfect — no business is perfect. We all make mistakes and grace is available for us all, especially when we choose to be open about it.

3. Choosing to show up for myself

For years and years, I allowed fear and the feeling of being “annoying” push me into a small corner, where I wanted to hide. When it comes to your business, if you allow fear to keep you on the sidelines, you can’t possibly expect your ideal audience to find you and patronize you.

Forget the complainers and those who may feel annoyed. Nine times out of ten, they won’t buy from you anyway, and if they would, they wouldn’t be annoyed or feel like they are constantly being sold to.

When you find value in something, you want to consume more and more of it, so I’ve learned to put those people aside and focus on the ones who truly want the amazing offers that I have available.

Even after so many years, I fell back into a corner, and it wasn’t until a month ago that I started going hard for myself and my business. I know that with my current momentum, I can’t cower down and hide anymore. If I want to continue to change businesses and alter the mindsets of entrepreneurs, I have to continue to be unapologetic about the wisdom and creative genius that’s inside of me.

What should our readers know about your business?
The Design Firmacy is your DIY Brand Rehabilitation Hub. It exists to liberate entrepreneurs from their branding ailments and equip them for maximum impact in their respective industries.

One may wonder what a Firmacy is, well it’s a place where one gets the solution to their business-related issues. It’s like a pharmacy, but for businesses. The fun thing about this brand is that all of our products and experiences are packaged as “medicine or regimens” that consumers can purchase. We really love a theme!

Getting this far in business took years of mental training and exposure to different ways that others do business. I took pride in embracing the road less traveled in order to create something that’s not typically seen or expected. I believe that’s a place we should all get to. A place where we are not emulating the next person, but creating and chartering our own path for success.

No, it’s not easy. Unlearning what you’ve been taught or been expected to do will always be a hard and ongoing experience. However, it’s your job to keep going, no matter how hard it gets. Why? Because the moment you break free from the shackles, the possibilities will be endless for you!

Many people say this often “become comfortable with failing”. This is such a hard concept to accept because it’s simply PAINFUL. No one wants to keep putting their hands in the fire, knowing that they will get burned each time, but it’s necessary (please don’t do this literally). The more you get comfortable with putting yourself out there and failing, the more information you’ll be able to gather in order to reassess your strategy and try again.

I want the world to know that Cynthia Akita is the Branding Genius that you can’t afford to operate without. She is the woman that brands “life” into businesses and etches it into the minds of buyers, lurkers, and everyone in between. So don’t wait any longer! Let’s get your business on the right track ASAP.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is an interesting question. I would hands-down take them to Grandscape in The Colony, TX. There is honestly something to do for each day. From riding the ferris wheel to visiting Andretti for karting and games to golfing. When I say the options are endless, we would literally be able to each at each restaurant and still have some left over. From Hard 8 BBQ to amazing cookies at Baked Bear, they would have to be prepared to pack on a couple of extra pounds, haha!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to give my greatest and utmost thanks to God, my Creator and the One who knitted these amazing gifts into me, so carefully. He is my top business partner, fueling me with ideas, concepts, and direction as I move forward.
I would also love to give a huge shoutout to my husband, Keith Akita. He is my greatest blessing! Thank you for allowing me to continuously explore my gifts and creativity. Thank you for not allowing me to shy away from unconventional things. I love you!
And I would be remiss if I didn’t give a huge shoutout to all of my current and past clients. Without you, my business wouldn’t even exist, and I am grateful for you all. Thank you for believing in me!

Website: https://thedesignfirmacy.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesignfirmacy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-akita/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designfirmacy

Youtube: https://YouTube.com/@thedesignfirmacy

Other: http://threads.net/@cynthiaakita

Image Credits
All images designed by Cynthia Akita. Photo taken by Studio Eveliz.