What the Helvetica‪?‬ Michael Janda

This episode features a heartfelt and enlightening conversation between Mike Janda and guest Jenna Gribble, a successful agency owner grappling with imposter syndrome amidst her achievements. Jenna shares her initial foray into graphic design, overcoming setbacks, and the constant pursuit of learning. Both speakers touch on the importance of vulnerability, avoiding comparison traps, and finding 'flecks of gold' in every experience. They explore how the creative industry preps individuals for critique and the timeless struggle with failure and success metrics, offering valuable perspectives for every creative entrepreneur.
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🎙️ About What the Helvetica? Podcast
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”What the Helvetica?” is an engaging series of conversations between Michael Janda and guest entrepreneurs, delving into the realities of building a business. What happens behind the curtain? What crucial insights remain unspoken? It’s not all sunshine and roses; ”What the Helvetica?” dives deep to unveil the raw truths of entrepreneurship—good, bad, and ugly—and listeners may learn a thing or two along the way.
🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-helvetica/id1744396039
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03dUQpH60WJwgkDZqZLnr3?si=c3abf90398bd456a
🎧 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5ee30875-178e-460f-bd13-aa3b751a2e70
🎧 iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/172847580
🎧 Other App Links Are Here: https://www.whatthehelveticapodcast.com
 
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🤝 Connect with Michael Janda
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Michael Janda is an award-winning creative director, designer, and agency veteran. In 2002, he founded the creative agency Riser, which provided design and development services for clients that included Disney, Google, Warner Bros., Fox, NBC, ABC, National Geographic and many other high-profile brands. Michael sold his agency in 2015 and now spends his time speaking, developing books, courses, and social media content to help creatives level-up. He is the author of “Burn Your Portfolio” and “The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing.”
Instagram: https://instagram.com/morejanda
YouTube: https://youtube.com/morejanda
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/morejanda
Website: https://michaeljanda.com
Courses: https://morejanda.teachable.com
Community: https://morecreativeacademy.com
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👋 Meet Jena Gribble
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Savvy, fresh, approachable, relatable and smart — Jena Gribble is the founder, owner and brand strategist of indie-fave branding and marketing studio Blush Cactus, where she brings almost 20 years of experience to her work helping companies around the U.S. and beyond create memorable marketing that actually works. A StoryBrand Certified guide, Jena guides her clients to stand out and inspire trust with authentic, consistent brand messaging through every customer interaction on every platform.
Website(s):    https://blushcactus.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jenagribble
                     https://www.facebook.com/blushcactus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenagribble/
https://www.instagram.com/blush.cactus/
Pinterest:   https://nl.pinterest.com/blushcactusstudio/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jena-gribble-33738010/
                 https://www.linkedin.com/company/blush-cactus/

In this Episode 5 of 'What the Helvetica?' host Mike Janda and guest Lois McKenzie dive into the heart of what makes copywriting a critical aspect of marketing, even in an AI-driven age. The episode unpacks the value of authentic connection, human-driven content, and the art of storytelling in business. Mike and Lois explore how creative integrity and personal brand can't be replicated by AI, stressing the importance of the human element in the creative industry.
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🎙️ About What the Helvetica? Podcast
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”What the Helvetica?” is an engaging series of conversations between Michael Janda and guest entrepreneurs, delving into the realities of building a business. What happens behind the curtain? What crucial insights remain unspoken? It’s not all sunshine and roses; ”What the Helvetica?” dives deep to unveil the raw truths of entrepreneurship—good, bad, and ugly—and listeners may learn a thing or two along the way.
🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-helvetica/id1744396039
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03dUQpH60WJwgkDZqZLnr3?si=c3abf90398bd456a
🎧 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5ee30875-178e-460f-bd13-aa3b751a2e70
🎧 iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/172847580
🎧 Other App Links Are Here: https://www.whatthehelveticapodcast.com
 
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🤝 Connect with Michael Janda
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Michael Janda is an award-winning creative director, designer, and agency veteran. In 2002, he founded the creative agency Riser, which provided design and development services for clients that included Disney, Google, Warner Bros., Fox, NBC, ABC, National Geographic and many other high-profile brands. Michael sold his agency in 2015 and now spends his time speaking, developing books, courses, and social media content to help creatives level-up. He is the author of “Burn Your Portfolio” and “The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing.”
Instagram: https://instagram.com/morejanda
YouTube: https://youtube.com/morejanda
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/morejanda
Website: https://michaeljanda.com
Courses: https://morejanda.teachable.com
Community: https://morecreativeacademy.com
 
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👋 Meet Lois McKenzie
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Lois is a creative copywriter and passionate storyteller, based in Costa Rica. With over a decade of experience writing advertising and sales copy for everyone from unicorn startups to bestselling authors. As the founder of Copy Club, a private member's lounge for thought leaders, Lois helps entrepreneurs and writers own their voice and lean into the utterly human potential of storytelling to create impactful marketing that builds communities, feels like art & sells like hot cakes.
While Lois spends much of her time supporting her clients in uncovering their boldest marketing messages, she's even more obsessed with the art of writing itself. She believes that the key to creating truly resonant marketing lies in embracing a creative, disciplined approach to the written word, and that being a skilled and persuasive writer is essential for long-term success in marketing today.
Lois's unique approach to copywriting is rooted in her love for storytelling, which she discovered at a young age surrounded by her mother's overflowing bookshelves. She understands that the way we connect with others' stories and express our own informs the quality and impact of the copy we create – for our businesses and our communities.
Through her sold-out creative copywriting course, Sweet Talk, her transformative women's writing retreat in Costa Rica, and her copywriting workshops, Lois empowers writers and entrepreneurs to put the art back in marketing, one story at a time.
https://weareupclub.com/copy-club
https://weareupclub.com/retreat

In this episode of 'What the Helvetica?', Mike Janda and Chris Thomas dive into Chris's journey of starting and scaling his agency. They chat about the growing pains of hiring the first employees and the ups and downs of growing a business. Chris shares the pros and cons of partnering and how he navigated through different challenges over the years. From early struggles and scaling mishaps to personal hurdles and a new outlook on growth and fulfillment, Chris's story highlights the resilience and adaptability needed in the creative business world.
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🎙️ About What the Helvetica? Podcast
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”What the Helvetica?” is an engaging series of conversations between Michael Janda and guest entrepreneurs, delving into the realities of building a business. What happens behind the curtain? What crucial insights remain unspoken? It’s not all sunshine and roses; ”What the Helvetica?” dives deep to unveil the raw truths of entrepreneurship—good, bad, and ugly—and listeners may learn a thing or two along the way.
🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-helvetica/id1744396039
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03dUQpH60WJwgkDZqZLnr3?si=c3abf90398bd456a
🎧 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5ee30875-178e-460f-bd13-aa3b751a2e70
🎧 iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/172847580
🎧 Other App Links Are Here: https://www.whatthehelveticapodcast.com
 
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🤝 Connect with Michael Janda
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Michael Janda is an award-winning creative director, designer, and agency veteran. In 2002, he founded the creative agency Riser, which provided design and development services for clients that included Disney, Google, Warner Bros., Fox, NBC, ABC, National Geographic and many other high-profile brands. Michael sold his agency in 2015 and now spends his time speaking, developing books, courses, and social media content to help creatives level-up. He is the author of “Burn Your Portfolio” and “The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing.”
Instagram: https://instagram.com/morejanda
YouTube: https://youtube.com/morejanda
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/morejanda
Website: https://michaeljanda.com
Courses: https://morejanda.teachable.com
Community: https://morecreativeacademy.com
 
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🤝 Connect with Chris Thomas, Founder of YNDR
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If you broke Chris down, he would be ‍40% Creative, 40% Strategic, & 20% BBQ
Yonder practically exploded out of Chris in 2019. He leveraged 20+ years of marketing experience to build it.
But here's the kicker, Chris isn't your average marketing agency founder. He's a former Global Head of Product Development and marketing for a Fortune 100 powerhouse. He's been in your shoes, hiring agencies and expecting ROI. He knows the drill.
After leaving the corporate world, Chris noticed a gap. Many companies were still sticking to outdated marketing strategies, and it was time for a change. Why not give those companies the same approach the big boys use.
Put it this way, imagine if Don Draper of Mad Men & Tommy from movie Tommy Boy parents got together you would get Chris. Lots of fun, but unstoppable in a room casting a marketing vision, just give him the room and he will show ya.
Website: https://YNDR.com
LinkedIn (Main Content and Channel) https://www.linkedin.com/in/yndr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Beardedcbass/
Podcast: https://www.yndr.com/chris

Creating and customizing your own workspace is key if you want to succeed in the creative industry. In this video, Michael Janda and Veronique Zayas share their tips on making workspaces that boost creativity and productivity. They talk about taking smart risks, being adaptable, and adding personal touches to your space. By sharing their experiences with overcoming financial hurdles and designing perfect workspaces, they offer great advice on handling challenges and achieving success. They also cover topics like growing your business, communicating effectively, working remotely, enhancing customer experiences, and the importance of human connection. Tune in as we explore how community, collaboration, and building a talented team can create an inspiring creative workspace.
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🎙️ About What the Helvetica? Podcast
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”What the Helvetica?” is an engaging series of conversations between Michael Janda and guest entrepreneurs, delving into the realities of building a business. What happens behind the curtain? What crucial insights remain unspoken? It’s not all sunshine and roses; ”What the Helvetica?” dives deep to unveil the raw truths of entrepreneurship—good, bad, and ugly—and listeners may learn a thing or two along the way.
🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-helvetica/id1744396039
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03dUQpH60WJwgkDZqZLnr3?si=c3abf90398bd456a
🎧 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5ee30875-178e-460f-bd13-aa3b751a2e70
🎧 iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/172847580
🎧 Other App Links Are Here: https://www.whatthehelveticapodcast.com
 
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🤝 Connect with Michael Janda
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Michael Janda is an award-winning creative director, designer, and agency veteran. In 2002, he founded the creative agency Riser, which provided design and development services for clients that included Disney, Google, Warner Bros., Fox, NBC, ABC, National Geographic and many other high-profile brands. Michael sold his agency in 2015 and now spends his time speaking, developing books, courses, and social media content to help creatives level-up. He is the author of “Burn Your Portfolio” and “The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing.”
Instagram: https://instagram.com/morejanda
YouTube: https://youtube.com/morejanda
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/morejanda
Website: https://michaeljanda.com
Courses: https://morejanda.teachable.com
Community: https://morecreativeacademy.com
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👋 Meet Veronique Zayas
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Veronique founded HatchMark Studio in 2015 out of the need to scale up or scale back. Since then, she’s been dead-set on building the agency she wants to work at and cultivating a team that’s driven to create and collaborate to support that vision.
Although she started HatchMark as a brand designer, her focus has shifted to leading client strategy and positioning, new business development, and internal growth.
She’s passionate about helping organizations excel, and leaning in to support their growth - whether it’s a startup struggling to differentiate their brand in a crowded industry, or a 100+ year business making the shift to the digital marketing world. Best business advice? People work with people they know, like, and trust. And she’s lucky to be able to do that every day.
Website: https://www.hatchmarkstudio.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hatchmarkstudio/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hatchmarkstudio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronique-zayas/
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6P3gIgDxKkKdVcVyrAY9B3?si=dd6dff79db5b46d2
 

What is the big problem with social media in 2024? Are you falling into this trap on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok? Join Michael Janda and Eva Alordiah as they dig into this topic from marketing intuition to the impact of AI on monetization. Their conversation delves into branding, storytelling, and the evolving landscape of social media. Gain valuable insights on prioritizing authenticity, leveraging long-form content, and harnessing AI while staying true to your creative vision.
----------------------🎙️ About What the Helvetica? Podcast----------------------”What the Helvetica?” is an engaging series of conversations between Michael Janda and guest entrepreneurs, delving into the realities of building a business. What happens behind the curtain? What crucial insights remain unspoken? It’s not all sunshine and roses; ”What the Helvetica?” dives deep to unveil the raw truths of entrepreneurship—good, bad, and ugly—and listeners may learn a thing or two along the way.
🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-helvetica/id1744396039🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03dUQpH60WJwgkDZqZLnr3?si=c3abf90398bd456a🎧 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5ee30875-178e-460f-bd13-aa3b751a2e70🎧 iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/172847580🎧 Other App Links Are Here: https://www.whatthehelveticapodcast.com
----------------------🤝 Connect with Eva Alordiah----------------------Elohor Eva Alordiah is an award winning Rapper, Writer, Entrepreneur and Co-founder of Africa’s first all-in-one course hosting platform Kobocourse.com
Eva is a multi-faceted creative artist who has indulged in every expression from writing to poetry, rap music, fashion designing, makeup artistry, public speaking and now, digital marketing.
After falling into a deep depression in 2017, Eva took a needed break away from her first love of Rap music and spent her new found solitude investing herself into the rabbit hole of digital marketing. 
What started as a simple exploration of content creation will later lead Eva into the fast-paced world that is the online education business.
In 2020, just as the pandemic was shutting the world down, Eva teamed up with her brother, Keno Alordiah out of necessity, and together they built the Saas platform Kobocourse.com 
Together the sibling co-founders are growing Kobocourse.com into the only platform African creators will need to earn money online by selling their knowledge to a global audience.
Eva now juggles her time between her music career as a Rapper, Writer and Teacher, while building the next generation of African creators monetizing their knowledge online easily, thanks to Kobocourse.
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@elohorInstagram: https://instagram.com/wifimoneywoman Kobocourse: https://kobocourse.comPodcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/evarything
----------------------🤝 Connect with Michael Janda----------------------Michael Janda is an award-winning creative director, designer, and agency veteran. In 2002, he founded the creative agency Riser, which provided design and development services for clients that included Disney, Google, Warner Bros., Fox, NBC, ABC, National Geographic and many other high-profile brands. Michael sold his agency in 2015 and now spends his time speaking, developing books, courses, and social media content to help creatives level-up. He is the author of “Burn Your Portfolio” and “The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing.”
Instagram: https://instagram.com/morejandaYouTube: https://youtube.com/morejandaLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/morejandaWebsite: https://michaeljanda.comCourses: https://morejanda.teachable.comCommunity: https://morecreativeacademy.com

Is your business destroying your mental health? Ever felt you're always struggling emotionally and mentally in your creative business or freelance career? You are not alone! In this episode, Michael Janda and Cyrus Kourt delve into the emotional toll of running a creative business. They discuss the unique challenges creatives face, from managing unpaid clients to setting boundaries and dealing with financial struggles. They also explore the impact of Instagram and other social media platforms on mental health, with Janda noting the disconnect between the "rosy picture" of perfection and the reality of imperfections.
Michael Janda opens up about his experience with therapy and medication for mental health, emphasizing the importance of seeking help when needed. The episode concludes with insights into the emotional wellness of creatives and the unique pressures they face in the industry. ----------------------
🎙️ About What the Helvetica? Podcast
----------------------
”What the Helvetica?” is an engaging series of conversations between Michael Janda and guest entrepreneurs, delving into the realities of building a business. What happens behind the curtain? What crucial insights remain unspoken? It’s not all sunshine and roses; ”What the Helvetica?” dives deep to unveil the raw truths of entrepreneurship—good, bad, and ugly—and listeners may learn a thing or two along the way.
🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-helvetica/id1744396039
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03dUQpH60WJwgkDZqZLnr3?si=c3abf90398bd456a
🎧 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5ee30875-178e-460f-bd13-aa3b751a2e70
🎧 iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/172847580
🎧 Other App Links Are Here: https://www.whatthehelveticapodcast.com
 
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🤝 Connect with Michael Janda
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Michael Janda is an award-winning creative director, designer, and agency veteran. In 2002, he founded the creative agency Riser, which provided design and development services for clients that included Disney, Google, Warner Bros., Fox, NBC, ABC, National Geographic and many other high-profile brands. Michael sold his agency in 2015 and now spends his time speaking, developing books, courses, and social media content to help creatives level-up. He is the author of “Burn Your Portfolio” and “The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing.”
Instagram: https://instagram.com/morejanda
YouTube: https://youtube.com/morejanda
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/morejanda
Website: https://michaeljanda.com
Courses: https://morejanda.teachable.com
Community: https://morecreativeacademy.com
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🤝 Connect with Caerus Kourt
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Caerus is founder and creative director at Bookery, a design agency for education, activist, and humanitarian publishers everywhere. Bookery specializes in accessible and comprehensive subscription design to amplify publishers’ messages to the world and reach the eyes they need to teach and inspire.
Website: https://www.bookery.design
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caerus-kourt