LinkedIn is my go-to social media destination for discovering new business opportunities. Unlike other platforms, users network, engage, and communicate with their careers in mind, making it a more professional online experience. While it originally acted as a resource primarily for job seekers, members now use it to share industry news and insights, increase brand awareness, and connect with potential collaborators. For my business, Map Agency, it’s relatively easy to find and connect with customers. Since interest-based targeted advertising has become one of the platform’s offerings, however, I’ve noticed that my personal account gets tracked by other businesses more frequently. …

Uncle Matt’s is a bakery in Sandy Hook, CT. The owner, Matt Kirshner, is a pastry chef that trained at renowned New York City establishments like the Russian Tea Room and the Essex House Hotel. He has a worldly view of baking that isn’t common in a small town, however, his bakery has become known as somewhat of a neighborhood coffee shop. The reputation doesn’t match the high quality of Matt’s delicious breads, desserts, and other baked goods.  To draw more affluent customers from surrounding towns, Uncle Matt’s needs to elevate their brand perception in the marketplace. Enter, the influencers. …

Starting a design studio is relatively easy. All that’s needed is a computer and a creative suite of software. Registering a business with a state can be done in a few minutes online. That’s it. What they don’t teach in design school is how to win new business. Turns out, that’s the tricky part. While anybody can be a graphic designer, clients need to pay for the services rendered in order to have a successful business.  Like many entrepreneurs, I started a business during the pandemic. Map Agency is a branding and graphic design studio based in Sandy Hook, CT. …

In this hyper-digital world of augmented and artificial reality, many of us look to create memories we can hold onto. We’re physical beings, and touch creates a vivid sense of recall. Fujifilm is looking to fulfill this basic human need with Instax, a line of instant analog cameras. Here’s how it works: aim the camera, snap a pic, and wait for the printout. The photo develops as, in the words of Outkast, you “shake it like a Polaroid picture.” For those of us that grew up in the 80’s, the experience of holding a photograph is pure nostalgic gold. To …

Edmond Town Hall is a 1930's Georgian-style historic building in the heart of Newtown, Connecticut. As the name suggests, it once served as the town hall. Today, it's a community gathering place that shows movies and live performances in a 500-seat theatre. However, very few local residents realize that Edmond Town Hall also has rental space. Guests are welcome to rent the theatre for private screenings, a full gymnasium for sporting events, or one of several historic rooms for galas and weddings. Edmond Town Hall wants to generate awareness of their available space and, more importantly, get people to rent …

NATO has been in the news a lot lately. Otherwise known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the transnational military alliance includes 32 members, including the United States, and was established in the aftermath of World War II. The security pact is simple: each independent member state agrees to defend each other against attacks by other parties.  No doubt, member expansion and the current situation in Ukraine has led to heightened tensions between NATO and Russia. In addition, support for NATO has been heavily debated since 2018, when President Donald Trump began threatening to pull America out of the alliance. …

Connecticut is in a state of exodus. Big businesses, and all their tax-paying employees, have been leaving the state for years. General Electric, the company founded by Thomas Edison, left for Boston in 2016. They blamed state taxes as a major issue. LEGO, based in Enfield, announced their headquarters will also be moving to Boston by 2026. Aetna, United Technologies, Edible Arrangements... the list of state departures continues to grow. (Fowler, 2023) The solution? A bold rebrand, of course, and a brave new advertising campaign. In 2023, Governor Ned Lamont launched a $1.5 million platform to tout all of Connecticut’s redeeming …