By: Ginna Royce, Founder & Creative Consultant

I’m going to tell you a story about achieving the unachievable. It’s a story about building a niche business from the ground up . . . although, it felt like we started 10 feet below ground.

BlaineTurner Advertising was built without a business plan, a business class, or any entrepreneurial experience. It was a fluke, a quirk of fate. You could say luck, but I’ve been told that luck is where opportunity meets preparation.

We had plenty of opportunity; mentors who were generous with their time and expertise, clients who took a chance on us, and a few lenders who believed in us. 

It’s the preparation that I’ll get into.

Initially, we set out to change the way our agency works with clients. 

Instead of going straight to the drawing board–the design software–we learn as much as we can about the business. We research the competitive landscape, the customers, the brand, and the market. This preparation set us apart.

A local businessman owned seven KFC stores, and he was our first client. Having never worked at a KFC, much less a fast-food restaurant, we threw ourselves into the eleven herbs and spices – literally. We worked in the kitchen and at the counter. We chatted with customers about the chicken, the prices, the specials, and the service. Some KFC customers stopped on the way home from work to purchase a “family-style” meal instead of cooking. We positioned KFC as the weeknight dinner solution for busy moms, ‘Mom’s Night Off.” We targeted the husbands, too: “Your wife called, she said, bring home KFC.” Weekday sales increase 21%.

We visited drilling sites for mine shafts. Dirty work in the middle of nowhere. The GPS didn’t even work for the roads we were on. While filming, the rig workers were more than happy to be in our video so they could show their families what they did every day. They were proud of their work. This led to a recruitment campaign, “Are you tough enough?”

Mastering something requires more than just basic knowledge; it needs to be refined over time and through practice, dedication, and yes, sweat, grease, and dirt. It’s an art. It’s what we bring to every client: solving business challenges with marketing research and strategy, not just pretty design. 

Art is the conscious creation of something meaningful using skill and imagination. We are masters of both through preparation. 

Where creativity and business collide in a more powerful way. 

The Art of Business.