Welcome back to Wingbeat!

Throughout February, I translated the bird archetypes I’ve been building into a series of watercolor studies. Needless to say this took over my availability to write this newsletter.

Coming back to writing after a month of exploration resulted in a new business fable, which you may read below. I'd love any feedback or comments you may have! Just reply to this email.

Keep Flying! Katie Kangas

​Feathery Fable​

There were five birds consulting together in the wild. They argued upon the best way to attain their next meal.

One bird took flight and soared across the heavens until its sharp eyes spied a rodent darting through the brush. The Falcon swooped down and caught the creature inside its sharp talons.

A much smaller bird flitted away towards flowers and, with its petite, long beak and tongue, it drank the sweet nectar at the base of the flower. The Hummingbird traveled far, following the blooms wherever they grew.

The next bird, who was much too large to fly high or swerve around dainty flowers, began pecking at the small morsels on the ground around them. Soon the Turkey meandered off , always pecking and staying close to the ground.

Another bird positioned itself along the pond shore, where its long legs blended with the swaying reeds. It stayed quite still until all nature forgot it was there. A fish swam by, and it quickly struck with its long beak to catch the fish and swallow it whole. The Heron then continued surveying the pond from its camouflaged position.

The last bird thought all of this quite silly. It left the wild and found a small barnyard where a farmer was scattering seed to feed his many animals. In exchange for her eggs, the farmer agreed to care for the chicken from then on.

The first bird, a Falcon, is the architect who knows the exact type of project she seeks, and goes out in search of clients, who are ready to take action on their project.

The second bird, a Hummingbird, has a special set of skills that apply to a variety of projects. He travels to apply that skillset on projects with budgets strong enough to support his services.

The next bird is a Turkey, the architect willing to do whatever projects need to be done around her town. She makes a living picking up small code reviews, tenant fit-outs, anything. She doesn't need to chase projects. Her network supplies her with enough work, and her efficient systems make her business quite profitable.

The fourth bird, the Heron, has a mission. Instead of chasing projects, he settles himself in a community, researches, and networks to know it better than anyone. When he sees a problem in that community, he reaches out to solve it while maintaining his position within it.

The last bird, a Hen, is like the architect who desires to nurture and serve others first. She develops relationships with clients who need her services, then intentionally provides valuable education that informs the client and guides them to grants or connect them with resources that advance their mission or business. In return, they hire her often because of the trust built through the value she first provided.

Winged Wisdom

The moral of this story is to leverage your natural strengths and abilities in your marketing strategy to secure projects aligned with your professional practice.

According to their Nature

Katie Kangas, Feathery Fables (A book yet to be written)

Flying Solo Podcast

Listen to the first full episode Flying Solo Episode 2: Form Takes Flight where Katie explains the origins of the Flying Solo Podcast. And how birds can inspire business strategies.

​Check out the Flying Solo Podcast on your favorite platform.​

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