Time With The Boss: Katie Schenck & Heather Lechner, Ballyhoo Blue Workshop

Katie Schenck and Heather Lechner
Ballyhoo Blue Workshop

Website: ballyhooblueworkshop.com
Industry: visual communications


What is your mission?
To be trusted creative and strategic partners with our clients, telling their stories in visually compelling ways that inspire and move key audiences.

What was the smartest thing your company did in the past year?
We have a fantastic roster of current clients that keep us busy. The smartest thing we did this year was changing our mind-set to network within our existing customer base. Engaging our existing network opened up new possibilities for them and reaching out to new prospects to see how we could help them communicate their stories in bold new ways.

How do you try to differentiate your business from others in your industry?
At Ballyhoo, the thing that differentiates us is built into our name: workshop! It’s a magical synergy when we sit down at the table with our clients, roll up our sleeves and collaborate to generate strategic, purposeful results.

What’s the hottest trend in your industry, and are you going to jump on board?
Marketing trends come and go, but at the core of every project is telling a story and getting a message across. We approach every project as a communication challenge. So we don’t tend to follow trends but rather focus on our clients’ individual needs and challenges to ensure that we help them deliver their message in the most clear and concise way.

What’s the hardest part of your job?
We started the company with a strong dedication to work-life balance. As we’ve grown, it can be daunting to be responsible for each of our team members’ livelihoods. It is a constant balancing act of making sure we’re growing the business but staying true to our work-life balance values. It’s definitely walking a tightrope, but it’s energizing and keeps us on our toes!

What’s the best part?
Without a doubt our team and our flexibility. We feel like we’ve built a team that brings incredible experience to the workshop but also incredible personalities that make each individual critical to our success. And the flexibility we have, whether it’s in work hours, traveling for projects, tackling design challenges or maintaining a good client workload balance. Having the freedom and flexibility to do what we need to, when we need to, truly feels like “having it all.”

What advice would you share with new entrepreneurs?
Find a strong partner and great outside advisers. They are the hidden gems that keep you sane and help you to push your dream and your business further than you even think possible. And don’t forget to cut yourself a little slack every now and then. Mistakes and missteps are going to happen; it is how you bounce back that really matters.

What book is on your nightstand?
Katie — For fun, “A Handmaid’s Tale” and “This I Believe”; for insight, “Lean In.”
Heather — I just finished reading Barbara Corcoran’s “If You Don’t Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails: And Other Lessons I Learned From My Mom” and for my light read “What Alice Forgot.”

What has made you successful in your industry and in St. Louis?
Our backgrounds are rooted in large agency business, which means our designs come from a holistic communication background — really understanding the story so that we can help tell it visually. In addition, our flexible culture allows for our team to ensure family is first so when they are at work, they are focused and bringing their best to the team and to our clients. n