The article gives us great visibility
To mark the agency's 10th anniversary, our President and Chief Strategist Marie-Ève Guidi recently gave an interview to the magazine Industry & Commerce. The magazine is published 5 times a year and has over 50,000 loyal readers. It offers excellent visibility in the manufacturing, commercial, industrial and institutional sectors. We'd like to thank Myreille Bélisle-Barrette for her excellent editorial work!
At 34, already 10 years' experience with Guidi.co
Marie-Ève Guidi was just 24 when she founded her agency. Surrounded by a family of entrepreneurs, it was only natural for her to become a businesswoman! This fall, Guidi.co celebrates its 10th anniversary.e anniversary.
With a DEC in graphic design in her pocket, Marie-Ève continued her training at UQAM and completed a bachelor's degree in graphic design. She tells us about her journey, from the school benches to the head of a graphic design agency. eight employees.
"After my studies, I quickly found a job in Lanaudière. It was only a year and a half later that I decided to go into business for myself. I wanted to live the entrepreneurial life; it was my greatest motivation! I started out very naively, thinking it would be fun to go into business for myself! My family encouraged me along the way and continues to support me."
She then founded her company, Guidi.co, in October 2013. Not really knowing what to expect in terms of work, her beginnings were rather modest. "Right from the start, I had two employees with me. I've always believed in teamwork, even if I didn't necessarily have the resources and means to hire two people. I was bold enough to take the plunge. Today, Guidi.co has eight employees. Everyone is very busy and things are going well. I intend to hire two more people next year. Growth continues!"
Branding and the Web
Most of the services that Guidi.co offered in its early days are still in place. The entrepreneur tells us about her area of expertise. "We have two main areas of specialization. First, we have visual identity, i.e. logo design and everything that encompasses communication tools such as stationery and advertising. The second is website design. What has evolved is that we now offer two types of website. We offer tailor-made sites for well-established customers with specific needs in terms of functionality. At the same time, with DezWeb, we've developed another system that enables us to offer websites that are much more affordable and accessible. Demand for this type of site has really exploded, as most companies sometimes just want a simple, functional showcase to display their web presence." The Guidi.co team supports innovative start-ups and solopreneurs as well as large corporations.
Marie-Ève mentions: "The type of demand that is growing is for social network management and content creation. Whether it's for visuals or story management, this service is experiencing growing demand within the company. I now have a person dedicated to this task, who devotes a large part of his time to it." PRICIDERM Soins médico-esthétiques, in close collaboration with M Expérience, trust the agency to design their visuals and manage their social networks.
The rise of content creation
Social networks are exploding, and entrepreneurs often need professional support to manage this phenomenon. Fortunately, more and more people are specializing in this field. Guidi.co has responded to this new demand. "We have a strong presence for our customers on social networks, mainly Facebook and Instagram."
Marie-Ève has surrounded herself with a solid team of skilled editors. "With very little information, we're able to produce effective content for websites, social networks and printed brochures. This is increasingly in demand. Many business owners tell us: "We don't have the time to produce quality content. Can you help us?" We're proud to be able to respond positively to their request!"
For the creation of professional videos and photographs, the entrepreneur collaborates with photographers, but also with her in-house staff. "We can visit the customer's premises to produce lifestyle content for the company. Sometimes we work with customer videos to create visuals. We're very flexible and versatile. The main objective of any good communication is to reach customers with the right message. So it's essential to determine which platforms are best suited to each individual's objectives, but also the most likely to reach the target audience."
An innovative work team
Guidi.co is an integrated communications agency. In 2019, the team showed innovation by deciding to move to telecommuting. "This was before the pandemic and it was a request from my employees. We tested it for four months. Finally, at the end of this trial period, everything had gone well. Then came the pandemic. Containment was not a catastrophe. On the contrary, the pandemic was a great moment! People sought out our services more. For Guidi.co, this has been very positive. My team works 90% from home. We meet at least once a month for group activities or team meetings. We've set up a highly technological, communication-oriented working system. The team stays in touch at all times."
Guidi.co: a strong presence in the region
Over the years, Marie-Ève has developed a loyal clientele with whom she has collaborated since the start of her business, including Cinémas RGFM, a family business for four generations, as well as international company Strong MDI. "For Cinéma RGFM in Joliette, we created a website and an entire corporate identity. We also work with the international company Strong MDI, located in Joliette, which designs cinema screens distributed worldwide. Our relationship with this company goes back many years. In fact, they were one of my first customers. In particular, we designed posters in several languages, adapting the design to each poster because the reading direction is not the same. There are many graphic differences from one language to another. We even designed data sheets translated into Mandarin. It was a really stimulating challenge. We also manufacture the company's kiosks and banners for its presentations abroad."
Marie-Ève also tells us about her special relationship with another of the region's leading companies, the chocolate factory. Choco Chocolat. "It used to be very artisanal, and now it's considered a must-visit place. What we do for this chocolate factory, and what we love to do, is all the product labels and packaging, such as for the spread jars, 3D chocolates and many other items. We've also designed the company's logo and website. When she has a new project, she calls us and we build it together. We really are partners when it comes to communication. That's how we like to be perceived, and that's the kind of long-term relationship we want to establish with our customers."
Guidi.co also collaborates with La Distinction, a catering and event organization company located in a country setting near the Fernand-Lindsay Amphitheatre. "This is another great business relationship we've had for many years. We're really lucky to have customers who stay with us for a very long time."
Excelsior Prize in 2017: New service company
Excelsior Prize in 2022: Service business under $500,000.
