Meet EO Accelerator
Kate Carter, Co-Founder & Creative Director of Saint Friend
Saint Friend is a brand studio here in Portland that helps companies build brands people actually fall in love with. We work with everyone from fintechs + banks (Coinbase, Umpqua Bank) to arts organizations (Waterfront Blues Fest, Oregon Symphony).
What makes us different is our collaborative sprint approach — we move fast, we include our clients in the process, and our work actually gets launched. We've been part of over $300 million in client exits and raises because we focus on brands that drive real business outcomes, not just beautiful design.
We're equal parts strategy and creativity. My co-founder Nick leads the writing side, I lead design, and we have an incredible team that makes it all happen.
>What's one thing that makes your business unique?
Our equal emphasis on design and writing. This is rare to find in a small studio, and hugely valuable for our clients.
>What are some core business areas that you’ve improved during your time in Accelerator?
Strategic Plan and Vision, as well as Financial Reporting and Dashboards. We were entirely project-based when I started EO, which meant chasing down a new book of business every 90 days basically. We've shifted our model to be part project-based, part recurring revenue. It means we have a lot more stability and predictability. Our improved financial reporting has allowed us to understand too when we need to make changes, and we've done the 1% levers exercise, leading to about 7% in annual savings.
>What percentage of your revenue growth do you attribute to strategies learned in the Accelerator program?
51-75%
One of the most impactful things for me has been leveraging the tools I've learned in EOA to help stabilize my business even when life happens. I had my second baby in January, and this time around I was able to actually step away from the business for a few months, and have been working 4-days per week since returning to be able to spend more time with the babe! Even with reduced capacity from me, our business is doing well and operating smoothly.
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