Hi there, my name is

Kaare Long

And I am a Small Business Marketing & Growth Consultant Specializing in Rural Businesses

About Me

I have worked with small businesses for 25+ years. Starting as a performing artist in high school and right after graduation. I quickly became engrossed with the business operations of arts organizations and began working closely with them in marketing and administration – this was when a Cue Creative was born.

A Cue in the performing arts world means to be ‘activated’ or ‘alerted’ to your moment. It is time for you to step onto the stage and perform your part. a Cue evolved over the years as a small business, and I learned firsthand what challenges lay within the small business growth journey. As a Cue grew, so did my team. I have worked with some of the country’s most prestigious business growth, marketing, and sales strategists with over 50+ years of experience collectively, most of whom are highly regarded women in business.

I’ve always had a passion for anything ‘business.’ Starting young, I played shop and papers while I bossed my little sister around organizing and arranging things. Over the years, my shop and papers have transformed into an agency and strategies, and my bossiness turned into leadership. My delight in supporting and assisting small businesses continues to grow. As my personal lifestyle is changing rapidly – I’m moving from the big city of Vancouver to a farm in a small rural town near Clearwater, B.C., I am choosing to focus my skills and specialize in business growth, leadership coaching/mentoring and consulting, marketing strategy, planning and implementation for small and rural businesses. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners get onto centre stage and step up to their next level of growth, profitability and impact.

I look forward to working with you!

Lights. Camera. Action!

About You

Have you hit a plateau?
Are your results not matching
your expectations?

Sometimes, it takes an outside perspective

to get things growing again.

I can help get you unstuck.

What you’ll gain from working with me

Mentorship on developing yourself as an entrepreneur and a leader
Insight into blind spots or gaps of knowledge or experience
Holistic support that addresses mindset & energy as well as strategy & plans
A focus on self-awareness and self-talk and how that affects your business
Solutions to your most pressing challenges
Guidance on time management and work/life balance
A Diverse network of connections and resources to assist you in your businesses growth
Access to business marketing services and tools, and expertise
Access to PR & Communications tools and expertise
An opportunity to work with someone who has 25+ years of entrepreneurial and business growth experience working with some of the top tier executive level business specialists

Empowered Business Growth

As your business growth partner, I will provide you with insights, support, strategies, guidance and an action plan that will get you back on stage and into the spotlight so you are empowered, focused and ready to grow your business!Lets Chat

My Services

What is a Mentor?

As your mentor, I can be the support you need from someone who has ‘been there done that’ I bring with me over 25+ years of entrepreneurial experience. I will share insights with you based on real-world experience that includes both failures and successes and I’ll provide connections to resources and other types of advisors. We’ll trim things down to the priority focus for you from moment to moment. This is important as running a business can pull you in multiple directions. And sometimes, going through something, rather than avoiding it, is the best teacher. I can help you understand what challenges you face that are pretty common for businesses along the growth journey and what challenges are coming up due to personal blocks. I can help you ascertain where you are in relation to your business and what you can focus on personally and professionally to keep the growth consistent. A mentor is a safe place to help you learn how to utilize your failures as currency toward your success. Every business owner needs a mentor. There is no reason to go it alone.

Good Mentorship follows the 4 C’s

Conversation
Connection
Community
Culture

What working with me as your Business Mentor looks like:

We decide on re-occurring weekly, bi-weekly or monthly sessions where we spend 90 mins on a video chat or in person if viable to focus on the current challenges or situations in your business. I’ll be in your corner and ready to support you on a schedule you can rely on. Mentor rates are flat rates and designed to be affordable and accessible.

Ready to get started? Contact me below:

What is Business/Leadership Coaching:

Leadership: When I work with you as a leadership coach, we focus primarily on the mindset and approach of an engaged and empowering leader. How do your personal values overlap with your business values? How do you ascertain your vision and magnify it? What new skills might you need to develop, and how do you establish and keep your influence with your team? This focus is ideal if you are growing as a business and taking on more support with employees, subcontractors or other team members. Good Leadership is about empowering and lifting your team, so it requires a good awareness of interpersonal dynamics and an ability to offer effective communication.

What will you gain?

In our sessions, we will focus on your ability to see the strengths and weaknesses of individual team members so that you can support each individual to grow and flourish. You will learn to apply compassion, self-awareness and collaboration in your influence. This work will enhance your performance and help you achieve your business’s short-term and long-term organizational goals.

What it looks like to work with me as a business leadership coach

We will set a structured timeframe ( 4-6 weeks) to address different areas of focus in leadership and your mindset and how it will affect your leadership abilities. We will meet weekly or biweekly for 60 mins and have an agenda for each session. This service comes as a pre-set package with structured modules of learning.

Business: Working with you as a business coach is a more involved process than the business mentor relationship. I focus on your strategic business growth. As a seasoned and experienced entrepreneur, I will become your business partner and advise you on how to:

Turn your dream job into a reality
Turn the side hustle into a full-time gig
Identify and expand on your vision and goals
Find solutions to current challenges
Utilize resources available like funding, mentorship, community support
Help you stay accountable to yourself and your business
Review Business Plans and Budgets
Review operation plans and budgets
Suggest strategy creation where needed
Review grant/loan proposals
Choose and set up the business structure
Review Business Model

Whether you are just starting with an idea or well into a plan of action and are looking for some sound, experienced business advice/coaching to expand on your goals and/or explore new possibilities, I can provide that for you!

What it looks like to work with me as a business coach

4 or 6 – 60 min coaching sessions with me
Business advice on how to approach your current challenges or personal roadblocks
Sound and practical business advice for all the operations/marketing and sales components vital to your business
Personal and professional development depending on where you are in the entrepreneurial journey
Pivoting perceptions to see your current situation in a new light
A direct and compassionate sounding board that will provide unbiased feedback with guidance and support

Ready to get started on Business or Leadership Coaching? Contact me below:

What is Marketing Consulting?

When I work with you as a Marketing Consultant, I bring my 15+ years of marketing strategy and tactical implementation experience to you. I can assess the best platform or tactic for your needs and ensure that you have a process supporting your actions so your marketing has a purpose and a roadmap.

Marketing is tricky as there are many ways to market a small business. The best approach is to avoid the ‘shiny object’ syndrome and not deploy many marketing tactics without a strategy first. I’ve seen countless small businesses try things and get frustrated when they don’t work after spending thousands of $$’s. When running a business, throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks is not the most effective or efficient course of action.

What does working with me as your Marketing Consultant look like

After an initial Discovery Session, we will likely do a full audit of your business to asses what systems and actions have worked for you and what have not. We’ll dive into your process and identify any gaps. We’ll then give you some key takeaways to implement immediately to get revenue flowing. You can continue with the marketing consulting or work with the information the audit gives you on your own. If you keep working with me, I’ll help you create a marketing plan and budget to ensure that you are implementing the right tactics at the right time within budget and we’ll continuously assess and measure so that we can pivot where needed and eliminate tactics that aren’t working.

What you will gain from having a Marketing Consultant

You will gain valuable insight and guidance on the right tactics for your business and your ideal client. You’ll have an in-depth audit of your business so that you know where there are gaps and how to close them. You’ll avoid the frustrating mistake of spending a lot of money on tactics that are not meant for fast returns – like social media. You’ll get revenue flowing by leveraging readily available opportunities and then plan to expand your marketing step by step.

Ready to start planning? Contact me directly below:

What is PR and Communications Consulting?

An often overlooked yet vital component to businesses, especially when they are growing in popularity and visibility. If you have a social media presence or any other type of marketing/public presence, you must have some PR ‘know-how’ to handle your reputation and situations that call for extra campaigns or media relations. Communication is a significant component of PR and content work in marketing, but it is also essential for internal operations and when building company culture. I also specialize in crisis communication to help put out fires when and if they get started. Media and communications can be fickle, and the internet is less than forgiving. It’s essential to have a communications plan for when things go wrong.

What does working with me as a PR/Communications Consultant look like

I have a lot of experience working with Social Media, Mainstream Media, Print Media, Blogging, Influencing, and other forms of Media. I can help you navigate this world effectively, as it is full of procedures and processes you must follow. I have access to software that can be utilized by your business to give you a branded newsroom with the ability to send out Press Releases to local media. I can also help you craft and send a Press Release when needed. This service is an ‘as needed’ service and will be billed at flat rates depending on your needs.

To learn more, contact me below:

What is Performance Coaching?

Did you know? The a Cue in my business name came from my time as a performing artist. I was a singer, dancer, actor and musician. The word ‘Cue’ means to be activated to go on stage or begin your part. Performance was my first love so I brought a part of it into the business world! Performance Coaching is helping you to know how to effectively record videos and ‘lives’ for social media or your website, how to stand, how to talk, what lighting to use, and what clothing to wear. I also help with speaking and helping you eliminate those dreaded ‘ums‘ and ‘ahs‘ in your clips. Being on video, speaking, doing interviews, and podcasts are all very important ways to highlight your credibility in your skill set. If you’re terrified of the process and don’t know where to begin, or even if you want to polish up your skills, I can help.

What does working with me as a performance coach look like?

We will meet, discuss your needs around what kind of media you want to do, and then create a plan to make the material you want and coach you in the process. This usually is charged by the individual project and can take anywhere from 1 week to 3 months or more, depending on the scope.

To discuss further contact me below:

Contact Me!

“Met with Kaare through the ' BC Small Business - Ask an Expert service'. Great service with lots of information and clear, concise marketing strategy tips. Passionate, Personable and friendly, and went above and beyond to help me while i'm in the early stages of my business. Would strongly recommend to anyone looking for marketing direction!”
Kevin McHughMarketing Consulting Client

“I took the Instagram made easy workshop with Kaare earlier this week. She's just phenomenal! I experienced a very informative, positive and uplifting learning environment. I feel empowered and grateful to be plugged in into a skillful and supportive community. Thank you Kaare for your gentle heart and awesome attitude!”
Melanie RequetMarketing Consulting Client

“Such a joy to learn from Kaare; she is a professional, knowledgeable, creative, fun, strategic, visionary!💛. Kaare, thank you again for the exceptional service you provide”
Nousha BehbahanianBusiness Coaching Client

“Kaare's advice has always been sound and she has a talent for being firm but gentle, catering to my personality. I am great at detail, logic, and plans, but my blind spot is tuning in and using my female intuition in my business. Kaare's intuitive leadership skills have greatly benefited my confidence as a business owner, and even my personal relationships, which often seep into the business.”
Sandra NomotoBusiness Mentor Client