When I finished the manuscript and edits for Soul Uprising, I felt like I had nothing left to give. No more energy to pour into the project. I was overwhelmed. The thing is, the book content itself is only half of what’s needed to bring a great experience to our readers and event guests. There are a myriad of critical details that combine to make a successful launch: a strong website, an engaging event, a great presentation of the book and supporting materials. How was all of that going to happen when I was maxed out?
Enter Daphne Christensen. Daphne is our Lead Brand Strategist at Entrepreneurial Technologies. She has captained everything surrounding the launch, from the details of our cocktail party, to working with our partners, to making sure we had just the right gift bags. She has truly brought it all together.
One of Daphne’s most crucial qualities is remaining flexible under pressure. She’s always willing to consider another avenue--important when you’re planning an event with a million details that all need to play well together. One key moment was during the cover design process. Nothing seemed to be working. Every mockup we tried looked cheesy, boring, or fake--a huge problem when writing a book that talks about the importance of authenticity. That “oh no” feeling spiraled and suddenly I was feeling insecure about the way I looked and really getting myself down to the point that I doubted that we could come up with the right cover. It was a pretty low moment.
That evening, Daphne sent me a mockup with the text on the cover rotated vertically, so it appeared to go up (‘uprising’, get it?). Instantly, it felt right. I breathed easier. My self-criticism started to fade away. We were going to get this figured out after all.
Daphne also has an incredible sense of what’s going to feel right for the situation. When you’re planning a product launch, you know that every detail has to support the overall feeling you want to convey. She painstakingly sourced each element so that everything, down to the bag tags, would feel high-quality and uplift our guests. She doesn’t get locked in to one particular vendor or idea--she keeps looking until you find the perfect option. For me, it was important to minimize the use of disposable plastic items. She jumped fully on board with this mission, seeking out recycled and sustainable items for our launch.
The reason Daphne has been so instrumental in the success of our launch is that she can see from the big picture to the nitty-gritty details with clarity and style. This allows her to capitalize on the spirit of the project, while coming up with new ideas that bring unexpected elements to the table. Daphne, we could not have done this without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for guiding this project to life.