Questionnaire

I don’t do a lot of marketing for Norton Stoneworks. I rely on a guilt-inducing inconsistent posting “schedule” on Instagram, word of mouth, and a website.

Eliza (my partner) and I built the website over the course of a few days while escaping the afternoon heat in Death Valley. We really know how to live it up on vacation.

The website is working. Potential clients are finding me. Some great projects have come to life because of it. But there’s room for improvement. So I decided to hire a digital marketing company to help.

Before Shelley got to work improving nortonstoneworks.com, she sent me a questionnaire that asked about the history of my company, my vision for the future, and my specific goals for the project she was about to undertake.

I don’t know why I was surprised to receive a questionnaire—it makes perfect sense. 

If Shelley was an Uber driver would she pick me up, start driving, and hope to stumble upon the place I want to go?

How often are you asking yourself these questions? Every day? Once a year? Have you ever asked yourself these questions?

Without asking and answering these questions thoroughly, deeply, and honestly, how can you have any clarity about where you want to go?

I crave clarity. The more clarity I’ve found, the more aligned I’ve felt with the projects I take on, the clients I work with, and the creative direction I’m pursuing.

Clarity hasn’t come easily for me. In any creative field it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day of doing your work and running your business. It’s imperative to step back from time to time and see the bigger picture. Does the work you’re doing align with your vision? I have to return to questions like these again and again. 

Are you asking yourself these questions?

I'm grateful Shelley gave me an excuse to really dive into these questions over the weekend. I probably went deeper than she expected, but I turned her assignment into an opportunity for self-reflection. It led to some powerful insights. For example, while exploring the history of Norton Stoneworks, I was reminded how much my original vision has shifted—and how important it is to keep evolving as I gain more clarity. 

Here are the four most impactful questions I answered:

What’s the story of your company? The true story—where you started and where you are now?

What’s your vision for your company’s future?

What are your short, mid, and long-term goals?

Who is your ideal client?

In upcoming posts, I’ll share my responses to these questions—each one a step toward greater clarity.

How would you answer these questions for your own endeavors?