Today we’d like to introduce you to Tana Llinas.
Hi Tana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a multi-disciplinary award-winning designer, speaker, and businesswoman. I have worked with local and global organizations, top creative agencies, and notable brands such as VISA, Starwood Resort & Residences, Chronicle Books, Starbucks, the University of Miami, and The Cleveland Orchestra.
A business leader for more than 16 years, I am the founder of and creative director behind Brand Poets, a creative agency specializing in brand development and digital marketing. I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and began my professional career in Barcelona, Spain, as a design assistant to Javier Mariscal, one of Spain’s most well-known modern illustrators.
I went on to develop digital and print brand systems for a wide range of private and commercial clients throughout Spain and the United Kingdom: spas, hotels, real estate developers, museums, and fashion brands before returning stateside. Originally from Iowa, I am a first-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and have traveled to over 47 countries (and counting). I find inspiration in faraway places, innovative thinkers, and well-executed special effects in zombie flicks.
I have served on the board and as president of the AIGA and the Palmetto Bay Business Association in recent years. I am also a recent scholarship awardee of the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business program and serve as lead ambassador. I enjoy mentoring future creatives by critiquing prospective RISD applicant portfolios for the past two decades.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Throughout most of my career as an entrepreneur, I’ve had to make tough decisions but have also been awarded much success due to a strong professional and personal support network and inner tenacity.
I enjoy the flexibility of being my boss and working with people who inspire me — there is a constant learning curve when you are scaling your business. What worked for us two years ago is no longer relevant. We have to be continuously looking at new technology, talented team members, new markets, and more significant projects.
As you know, we’re big fans of Brand Poets. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a collective of strategists, storytellers, and digital artisans, crafting better stories for brands who want better connections. Since 2016, Brand Poets has been creating or repositioning companies, products, places, and events through branding. With a firm brand foundation, our team then leads the communications efforts in the digital space with website development, marketing automation, PPC, and social media management.
At Brand Poets, we tell better stories for brands who want better connections. We do this by creating authentic brand systems and then telling the world about them through digital mediums. We focus on humans first — cultural and environmental influences that drive perception. Then, we layer on sophisticated data to build authentic brand systems that resonate with diverse audiences across the globe. This combination makes us a leader in customer journeys.
OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: We focus on humans first — cultural and environmental influences that drive perception. Then, we layer in a level of data sophistication to put together authentic brand systems that resonate with diverse audiences. This combination makes us a leader in fostering customer journeys.
RESULTS: Our client partners are recognized in the marketplace, respected by their peers, and envied by their competitors. They have a strong foundation on which to build successful marketing campaigns that drive traffic, ticket sales, memberships, and enrollment.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking it.
I am a natural-born risk taker.
I’ve become more calculated over the years as I try to predict success through financial models, experience, and gut intuition. Being bold in business is about making leaps forward — investing in someone or something that will make a substantial difference in your team or how we deliver our services.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://brandpoets.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandpoets
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandpoets
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brand-poets/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMf3WdMFnziaEa9FCy3zgjQ?view_as=subscriber
