The Colorful Creative Collaborative!
A good business owner knows her strengths—and knows when she needs to bring in proven subject matter experts. Colorful Creative is able to offer a full portfolio of branding services thanks to partners who are among the best in their fields. Here’s a brief introduction to the team of professionals whose fingerprints are all over the Colorful Creative process and who we recommend to help move your brand forward in the world.
CARRIE BOYD, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Carrie Boyd is a Charlotte based graphic designer with over 20 years experience. After serving as the Art Director for Charlotte magazine and Today’s Charlotte Woman she took the big leap to go freelance in 2006. While still working with a variety of publications, she focuses on working with clients and other designers who are purpose driven and want to make a difference in their communities. She believes authentic storytelling is the key to connecting people with their audiences. Inspired by new ideas and meaningful interactions, she seeks to make the world a more beautiful, fair, and loving place to be.
LAURIE JOHNSON, MONEY & TAX STRATEGIST
Laurie Johnson excels at training small business owners to make more profit, keep more of what they earn and pay less in taxes. Laurie’s background includes over 25 years of experience in the areas of personal and business finances, financial counseling, the psychology of money, financial therapy, tax strategy and tax preparation. Laurie is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC©), a Registered Tax Return Preparer (RTRP), a Certified Cognitive-Behavioral Group Facilitator (CBGF), a top corporate trainer for Fortune 500 companies, a Professional Speaker and an Author. Laurie is approachable, non-judgmental and loves making money fun!
STEPHANIE LEE, CRESSWIND MARKETING
Stephanie is an online business manager that specializes in helping small business owners who struggle to consistently hit their revenue goals automate and streamline their business processes so that they attract more clients and make more money! She prides herself in providing quality service whether it’s creating strategic social media marketing plans, managing social media accounts, business strategies or project management for different industries. Her expertise is in helping businesses grow their audience, generating leads, and putting the right systems in place to grow and scale on autopilot. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with my family, traveling, hiking, outdoor adventures, and catching scenic mountain and beach views.
HAMMERSEED, SEO & WEB DEVELOPMENT
Hammerseed is a Charlotte, NC web design, SEO & web development company bringing brands alive in the digital space. Hammerseed builds mobile friendly websites, handles social media presence, runs organic search campaigns, creates comprehensive content marketing campaigns, executes PPC lead generation efforts and tracks everything to show quick ROI for clients. We can get highly targeted with our proven approach to putting your business at the top of search results with foundational SEO services, targeted advertising and social media ad strategy, designed to attract customers to your products or services.
VANESSA MATHEWS, SUPPLIER DIVERSITY EXPERT
Vanessa Mathews is the owner of Asfalis Advisors, which is a professional services training, coaching and advisory company that specializes in helping businesses prepare for, respond to and recover from operational disruptions and crisis. Asfalis Advisors is headquartered in North Carolina and is a nationally recognized woman-owned and minority business enterprise. Asfalis has deep experience in manufacturing, aviation, transportation and retail and brings a high energy level to risk management unmatched over other consultants by aligning purpose with passion.
JENNI MIEHLE, OWNER OF THE NERDY DESIGNER
Jenni Miehle is a freelance graphic designer whose mission is helping small businesses and nonprofits communicate more effectively through their informational materials. Because she is a “grammar nerd” by nature, she incorporates editing and proofreading as part of her design process. Her specialties include projects like workbooks, training manuals, reports, forms, infographics, whitepapers, publications, and other complex documents. She also does book design (print and e-book) for authors who are interested in self-publishing, as well as various print-based marketing materials. 704-995-7753
TAMMI MURPHY, BLARNEY STONE MARKETING & DESIGN
Since 2012, Blarney Stone Marketing and Design has collaborated with dozens of small businesses, and I’m proud to say we’ve created some pretty cool projects. I’ve designed websites, logos, t-shirts, advertisements, brochures, and even print magazines. (Yeah, print magazines!) Over the years, the clients have changed but our big, bold, and audacious goal is always the same: design branding and marketing material that captures and engages our clients’ target audience. When you bring us your vision, we bring it to life.
KATIE F. NOBLE, SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT
Prior to transitioning to consulting work, Katie worked in the environmental sciences for nearly 20 years, as an educator, lab coordinator and non-profit program director. She offers consulting services for businesses wanting to maximize their environmental sustainability practices, including sustainability audits and training seminars. Katie is excited to combine her passion for the environment with her commitment to supporting the success of small, local businesses!
HEATHER OLIVER, WRITER
Heather C. Oliver is a writer and editor with more than 12 years of experience in the publishing field. She has a B.S. in Professional and Technical Writing and loves all things involving the written word—from reading, writing, and editing to content management. Her insatiable curiosity and passion for learning allows her to write on most any topic and create content that is clean, clear, and interesting to read. While she enjoys peppering her writing with personality, her style is flexible, and she easily adapts her work according to the target audience.
TORI PHELPS, JOURNALIST & WRITER
Tori Phelps has been a journalist and writer for more than 25 years. Specializing in storytelling that inspires and illuminates, her work has appeared everywhere from national ad campaigns to international magazine spreads. She believes that learning each other’s stories is crucial to the kind of connection that sparks understanding and change. Tori sees stories everywhere and regularly apologizes for asking near-strangers cheeky questions. In her off hours, she reads mysteries, sips bourbon, and bakes vegan biscuits with her family in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
GIGI SAMPSON, (MANDY’S MAGICAL) VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
GiGi has an eclectic business background which includes 18 year as a Business Analyst and Executive Administer to Sr. VP of Sales in Manufacting, 2 years as an accountant at a racing team, and 7 years as an Executive Assistant to a Bank President. Currently Gigi runs her own show and does everything from project management, to her clients accounting. GiGi gives back to her community by serving meals at Christian Ministry’s soup kitchen, donating new and gently used items to Lincoln Coalition Against Child Abuse, Amy’s House (Lincoln County domestic violence shelter and Hesed House for Homeless.
MARCUS THOMAS, OWNER OF THOMAS CONSULTING GROUP
Utilizing his 14 years in the banking industry and his experience as the Dream Team Director at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC, Marcus founded The Thomas Consulting Group, LLC (TTCG) in 2020. TTCG specializes in helping nonprofit and for-profit organizations with their organizational development, community relations, and civic engagement needs. Their goal is to help organizations better serve their community, because they believe that businesses are more successful in thriving communities. Marcus’ desire is to make Greensboro a better place for his wife, daughter and all residents and visitors.
TIM TUCKER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Created by Tim is a freelance design firm specializing in web design, graphic design, corporate identity, print design and other brand expressions. Founded in 2007, Created by Tim provides creative services for Fortune 500 firms, small businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profits—and everything in between. With the goal of delivering an end product that conveys your messages in a unique way, Created by Tim can take your project from concept to final product while collaborating with you as much (or as little) as you want every step of the way.
BEN WILSON, OWNER OF DELIVERYPATH
Deliverypath is a WordPress, web-hosting company providing concierge-level customer service for creative agencies and their clients. Many of Colorful Creatives WordPress websites are hosted by DeliveryPath and they make maintenance and upkeep of your website a breeze.
I have worked with Mandy Barrett at Colorful Creative over the past 16 years, in my roles at advertising/marketing agencies, for-profit companies and charitable organizations – I have brought her with me to every job I have taken and for good reason. In my 35 years of working professionally, Mandy is one of the few creative people I have come across who understand business. Her strategic direction is as keen as her creative eye, and her follow-through stands against any marketing director I’ve ever encountered. She gets s(&%t done! I have recommended Mandy to numerous other people and have received the same positive feedback from each and every one of them. Whether it’s designing a logo, branding a new company, rebranding an existing company or creating compelling materials to make people take action, Mandy can make it happen
Mandy Barrett at Colorful Creative brings a unique suite of skills combining creativity, discipline, excellent interaction with the staff, and a commitment to quality and follow-through. Most recently Colorful Creative rebuilt and rebranded our web site and the work was on time, on budget, and resulted in a beautiful, inviting, and functional interface. We are grateful to Mandy and her team for their outstanding service and commitment to Davidson Lands Conservancy.
Working with Mandy has been a wonderful experience. Her keen eye for design allows her to transform a simple idea into something that is truly amazing. She is an unbelievable artist and continues to impress me with her creativity, dedication and passion for her work. In addition, she is a genuine person who is always willing to jump-in and help the team out. From project management, client and vendor relations, IT support, copywriting, you name it she has done it successfully. Simply put, Mandy is the complete package and I would recommend her in a heartbeat.
A true visionary when it comes to design, Mandy Barrett has a unique talent for identifying the needs of her clients—often before they even know themselves! Not only is her work impeccable, but the passion she has for her profession is obvious from the moment you meet her. Press time can be tremendously stressful, but Mandy handles everything in stride, always positive and upbeat. In fact, her personality makes her super fun and easy to work with. If I only had two words to describe Mandy, they would be Crazy Creative! She has a knack for seeing things other designers don’t and she knows how to bring layouts alive through her extensive knowledge of typography, color theory, and composition. You should see the beautiful redesign she did for our publication! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Mandy for any design project. If you hire her, you won’t be disappointed!
Mandy is the most creative person I have ever worked with! She is an excellent leader and a fantastic team member because she sees each project in its entirety. Whether Mandy is taking the lead or contributing to the whole she is a graphic designer that can make any project successful. Her broad knowledge base encompasses sales, marketing, public relations, print, TV, on-line, social media, newsletters, blogs, ad/coupon creation, website design and more. If you have a need for a graphic designer that thinks out of the box and is not afraid to offer advice, then you’ve come to the right place.
Quite simply, Mandy is one of those very rare individuals who is both creative and analytical. Mandy has a great sense of style and can translate ideas into clean, simple and elegant design. She is highly skilled as a designer and possesses excellent communication skills. In addition, unlike most designers, Mandy is also quite adept at managing the production process for front end web design, email integration and virtually any print deliverable. She is a dedicated professional and a very pleasant, energetic person.
