Interview with Content Writer - Grace Townsley

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements.

In a series of interviews, we interviewed inspiring women entrepreneurs to learn more about their challenges and inspirations in and outside of the brand.

In this interview, we talked with Grace Townsley, founder of Townster Creative.

(This article has been edited for brevity)

1. What is your company’s purpose and mission?

My mission is to help small businesses get noticed and grow! My vision? I want to create a world where the best brands, the ones doing truly great work, rise to the top.

2. What inspired you to start your business?

I’ve seen so many amazing brands and small businesses led by talented entrepreneurs fade into the background. The product quality was there. The passion was there. The market fit was there. What was missing? High-quality content built around a data-driven strategy. I started Townster Creative to bridge the gap between what you see for your business and what others see of it.

3. What is your favorite brand, and why?

I think Warby Parker is nailing it. Their copy is quick, cheeky, and ultra-clear. Their visuals are compelling and never cluttered. And they know their market, inside and out.

4. What did you do before starting the business?

Before I launched Townster Creative, I worked as an Executive Assistant. That role gave me the chance to develop my research, writing, and editing skills in a fast-paced professional environment. I'm grateful for that opportunity and the experience I gained there.

5. What is your biggest challenge as an entrepreneur?

Having enough hours in the day to do everything I want to! Quality writing takes time and research. Digging deep into data analytics and building an effective content strategy isn’t a one-and-done task. If I could clone myself so I could work with more of these amazing clients, I would!

6. Share your top 3 tips for success with fellow entrepreneurs and people thinking of starting a business.

• Find a mentor. Someone who’s been there, done that, and can save you from the missteps along the way. Their insight will be absolutely invaluable.
• Be prepared for MORE. Starting your own business will take more energy than you have. It will take more time than you want to spend. It will require sacrifices you don’t expect. It will take more persistence than anything you’ve ever done. But I can honestly say, it will probably be the best thing you’ve ever done for yourself and your family.
• Celebrate every win, no matter the size. Yes, entrepreneurship is a heckuva lot of work. But it’s supposed to be fun, too! I’ve found that celebrating the little wins along the way makes it easier to push through the challenging days.

7. How do you spend your time when you are not at work?

My husband and I are kinda crazy about board games. The more rules and strategy required, the better! It’s a fun way to spend time together or with friends engaging and connecting away from technology. When the weather is nice, we also enjoy getting out of town and pitching a tent somewhere beyond cell phone service and city lights. A good book, a hammock in the shade, and campfire s’mores are the perfect way to spend a weekend.

8. What do you love to do most in your daily life?

The best part of my day is connecting with my clients. Hearing their stories, collaborating with them on new projects, and seeing the positive results stack up, that’s why I do this. The thrill of an upward trending graph, tackling a problem, or writing a truly great SEO piece never wears off.

9. How do you continue to educate yourself?

I’m hooked on learning, so continuing to make space for personal and professional development is a natural part of my week. I read marketing, copywriting, and business books, take online skills-based courses, and learn new industry tools as they come up. Right now I’m working towards a data analytics certification so I can more effectively tailor my website content writing and data tracking to my clients’ particular needs. As entrepreneurs, the more we learn, the more valuable we become!

10. Any recommendations of books, podcasts, blogs, etc. for fellow entrepreneurs?

Books - The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business, by Patrick Lencioni. Doing Content Right, by Steph Smith. Doing Time Right, by Steph Smith (that was a game-changer for me!). Atomic Habits, by James Clear.

11. Tell us about your logo design and what message it carries.

Simplicity. It’s clean, bright, simple, and carries my brand name into the world. Yellow is also the most visible color, so it’s the first color the human eye recognizes. My brand is all about getting noticed, so yellow was a no-brainer.

12. What were some obstacles in determining the brand identity?

My biggest obstacle was creating the visual identity of my brand. I’m a words and analytics gal, so design doesn’t come easily to me. In the end, I had to make the decision to outsource my visual brand development. Entrepreneurship is all about capitalizing on your strengths and finding support people to make up for your weaknesses. So if that means keeping a graphic designer on speed dial, I’ll do it!

13. What are the key elements to building a brand that matters to your customers and how do you implement them into your day-to-day business activities?

The key elements to getting noticed are: Be consistent. My branding is uniform across everything I do, including my website, emails, invoices, and proposals. Be reliable. My brand is built on positive reputation and strong relationships. That means I have to follow through on what I say, from deadlines and deliverables to results and quality. Be persistent. I keep putting my brand out there, on days when business is booming and days when it’s hard to gain traction.

If you’d like to connect with Grace, please visit her on her website, Instagram, or Linkedin.