puzzle heads
Building Puzzle Heads’ Content Engine for Business Growth
Audit to Action Quick-Start Service | 90-Day Content Kick-Start | Visual Brand Kit | Copywriting and Editing | Newsletter Planning | Social Media and blog Content and Design | website design
The Key Challenge? Truly owning her marketing.
When Mira Herbert, founder of Puzzle Heads, first approached Forge & Spark, she had a clear vision to grow her Montessori-aligned educational puzzle business beyond Etsy and to shift the sales and marketing focus to her own channels, including her website and newsletter. Her handcrafted puzzles were (and are) already loved by teachers, parents, and caregivers, but we saw that her marketing systems weren’t yet set up to scale—along with opportunities to help Puzzle Heads shift sales to its own channels, amplify the business’ Canadian identity, and set up a repeatable system that Mira, a solopreneur, could sustain on her own.
Working with Mira Herbert was a joy. She’s an artist and craftsperson with power tools. Love at first sight! Mira designs, crafts, paints, and finishes (with love) every single one of her puzzles, which feature large, beautiful images with minimal background distractions, reflecting the core principles of the Montessori philosophy, which emphasizes focusing a child’s attention on one idea at a time to maximize learning. Together with our CEO, VP Creative Strategy, strategist, and project manager, we partnered closely with her across every step—from audit to implementation.
Our work:
A deep dive into a beautiful world of Montessori puzzles
Because Mira’s needs were unique, we created a tailored, combined version of our Audit to Action and 90-Day Content Kickstart services. Our aim: to help Mira translate her passion and expertise into a brand and online presence that would resonate with her audience of (primarily) Montessori parents and educators – without overwhelming her in the process.
Our initial Audit to Action work involved a comprehensive assessment of Puzzle Heads’ aspirational and direct competitors, examining their social platforms, websites, blogs, and educational resources. From our research, we provided clear recommendations for how Puzzle Heads could stand out in the Montessori and children’s toy space, creating engaging content across the right channels with clarity and consistency. We translated this into a clear 10-step prioritized collection of tactics.
▶ Clear marketing objectives and KPIs (website sales, newsletter growth, and social engagement
▶ Clearly outlined marketing personas to represent Puzzle Heads’ most important audiences in sequence, including content to appeal to them
▶ Messaging pillars to elevate Puzzle Heads’ artisanal craft, Montessori authenticity, and emotional impact
▶ Channel strategies for website, newsletter, Instagram, and Pinterest (with recommendations for Etsy)
▶ A month-by-month tactical roadmap for July through September—including updated web copy and design, reusable Canva templates, founder-story content, newsletters, and blog launches
We delivered it all in a detailed 3-month roadmap that captured both strategy and the slew of content we set to develop next.
Implementation: batched content and systems setup
Once we had the roadmap nailed down, in the Implementation phase, our team rolled up our sleeves alongside Mira’s, delivering:
▶ Two full “story packages” each with a month’s worth of thoughtfully crafted social media posts with completed copy, visual assets, and strategy, ready for Mira to share directly with her audience.
▶ Future content outlined: we shared newsletter and blog post plans complete with copy and design, ready for import into her systems for send-out in the fall ‘high season’
▶ A fully designed website home page and About page that reconsidered and nurtured the customer journey of Mira’s most important audiences
▶ Setup of a new analytics and reporting system based on Roadmap goals and Key Results
▶ Freshly branded social templates to use now and into the future
We also guided Mira through content planning and creation so that —when she feels ready — she can use all tools, templates, and systems to truly own her own marketing, connecting with her audiences and driving more sales.
By the end of the engagement, Puzzle Heads was delighted to own:
▶ A refreshed website and brand story that clearly conveys its Montessori-aligned values and Canadian identity as well as Mira’s remarkable story
▶ A sustainable 90-day content calendar with reusable design templates to ease publishing
▶ Newsletter and blog foundations ready to nurture an engaged community of parents and educators
▶ Analytics and reporting systems in place to track progress and inform decisions
▶ A clear, repeatable content marketing system designed for hand-off and ongoing growth
But perhaps most importantly, Mira gained clarity and confidence in how to tell the Puzzle Heads story through content and a smart marketing system that feels authentic, purposeful, and scalable.
As we write, Puzzle Heads’ newly refreshed website is live, the organic social content is up and running, and paid ads are in the pipeline to reach the Montessori community.
Other results we’re proud of:
▶ A strengthened brand voice: Messaging now clearly reflects Puzzle Heads’ Montessori-inspired values and Mira’s thoughtful approach to learning across all digital channels, namely the website and Instagram.
▶ Knowledgeable recommendations: We provided a research-based strategy and practical guidance on how to execute it effectively.
▶ Visual design insight: Guidance on content formats ensures the brand’s values are expressed consistently and beautifully across channels.
▶ Community connection: Human-centered content ideas help foster trust and engagement, bringing Puzzle Heads closer to the parents and educators who value intentional learning.
Why We Love ‘Em
We fervently believe in the power of education and curiosity-led learning, and are grateful that all the little learners and puzzlers out there have someone as passionate and talented as Mira on their side.
Sending out a huge thanks to Mira and the Puzzle Heads team for their dedication and collaboration. We can’t wait to witness the impact of her brand growth! 🎉
Check out more of our work here. And if you, too, are interestedin getting your marketing on track for the next quarter (or beyond) we warmly welcome a quick email to hello@forgeandspark.com or call to 778.601.4644. 💛