I can't believe it's already been a year since Mission Control was incorporated! From its wild start in a local election (which was a great success, by the way---read about it in our last post here), this small biz has really launched into orbit with thrilling new projects.
Since the nature of this work means most development details are kept on the down-low, here is a quick behind-the-scenes look at some of what we've jumped into since last summer. Keep in mind that most are works in progress and don't necessarily represent the final product! :)
Website: Miigwech, Inc.
Miigwech is a nonprofit organization established under the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, founded in 2021 and led by Indigenous women. I'm beyond fortunate to call their director, Meredith, my friend, and helping her grow the organization and work towards its goal of Mino-Bimaadiziwin (The Good Life) has been such a rewarding and enlightening experience. Though founded just last year, the organization is growing rapidly as folks see the enormous potential of supporting an Indigenous-led nonprofit that approaches systems change from three directions: education, policy, and direct assistance.
Though still under construction, I encourage you to visit miigwechinc.org to see what we've accomplished so far and all the good work they're doing (and make a tax-deductible donation, if you want to see more)!
Website & PR: Coveyou Scenic Farm Market
After designing David's site for the Great Lakes Energy campaign, I was asked to help create his new farm market website. To incorporate online shopping, we're using the BigCommerce platform, which has been a fun (and, at times, frustrating) learning experience for me, as it doesn't have the same flow as other systems I'm used to. But with me handling mostly front-end design, navigation, and page content, and David and market manager Glo handling the back-end product listings and vending, we're nearly ready for the site to go live!
Shortly after it launches, we're also organizing a small PR campaign to get the word out about one of the farm's produce membership options. We're hoping that the campaign's timing will help increase awareness and drive traffic to the new online store as well as boost membership signups.
Photoshoot: Admired in Harbor
Admired in Harbor is a cute salon and clothing boutique in Harbor Springs. As excited as I was to do my first paid retail photoshoot, I was also pretty nervous. Luckily, owner Rebecca and the lovely ladies modeling the merchandise were a joy to work with and made me feel right at home. We focused on Rebecca's upcoming spring and fall clothing lines, a brand of handbags, and a brand of flattering jeans especially made for plus-sized women.
Website: Tara's Meadow Education & Retreat Center
Based on Beaver Island, Tara's Meadow aims to connect people to "earth-peace, culture, and spirit" through outdoor experiences, education, and community-building. I first met their director, Seamus, a couple years ago through the local college, where he teaches a course on sustainability.
After tinkering with the existing Weebly website, the Tara's Meadow team and I determined their quaint nonprofit's online presence needed a complete overhaul. With the first twenty hours provided pro bono, we agreed on a contract in early 2022 and got things moving. I switched the hosting service to Wix and have since been building the entire site from scratch, creating lots of unique copy as I go. I anticipate the first version will be ready to launch by June, though additional integrations and the lodging info will likely take longer.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned to see how these and other Mission Control projects turn out!
Comments