Meet Prasanna of Conscious Copy

Prasanna Nara is a thoughtful copywriter and Manzana resident. Prasanna is in the office one day a week to work on her business. Last year, she founded Conscious Copy, an ethical copywriting service aiming to support, connect and inspire valuable causes. Prasanna’s work is highly accessible; she describes it as empowering consumers through transparency and empathy.

We caught up with Prasanna to talk about her experience as an entrepreneur.

Can you tell us a little more about your approach to copywriting? What are the values that influence your work?

Absolutely! I'm an ethical copywriter, which means that I write words for clients that make a positive impact on people and the planet. The values that influence my work are empathy, transparency, authenticity, collaboration and passion.

Empathy means using emotion and data to empower consumers, not manipulate them. Transparency means speaking honestly to the consumers, admitting our shortcomings and holding ourselves accountable to do better. Authenticity - I never force my clients or their brands to be something they are not. I encourage them to explore their brand purpose and share their true story with their audience. Collaboration - I work closely with my clients to achieve awesome copy that stays true to their brand while communicating themselves clearly to consumers. Passion - I love what I do and work with people who love what they do too.

My journey with ethical marketing is very much intertwined with my shift toward becoming a more ethical consumer. Two years ago, when I was working freelance, I got a wonderful opportunity to work with NZ's first ethical brand directory, fair&good, to make ethical shopping mainstream. While I was doing my research, I was overwhelmed by the amount of evidence that so many of our products are made with forced labour.

I was shocked at my own ignorance for never knowing (or wanting to know) about the impact of our purchases. But at the same time, I was being introduced to all these amazing Kiwi brands that were doing incredible work for their supply chain and our environment while making beautiful products. I knew then that I wanted to use my skills as a force for good by writing for ethical businesses - and that's pretty much how Conscious Copy was born!

Do you feel that your expectations and goals for your business have changed since Conscious Copy’s initial conception?

Great question. I'd say yes and no. I started Conscious Copy with the intention of helping ethical businesses improve their communications and marketing so they can grow their impact. That hasn't changed. This past year, I've worked on some incredible projects from ethical fashion to a children's charity, and I'm so grateful for the clients that I work with.
Being an overachiever-perfectionist-Southeast Asian, I do tend to have silly expectations of myself! I think I'm always trying to top what I've done and if I feel like I haven't met my business goals after a certain period of time, the imposter syndrome kicks in.

Fair enough, but I’m sure that’s also what keeps you developing your craft! On that topic, what are your next steps?

Honestly, I'm not sure. I like going with the flow.

To me being a "conscious" business means doing what feels best in the moment. No rigid business plan, no strict rules to follow, just having fun with whatever I'm doing. There are definitely things I'd like to do in the future: hold a workshop, launch an ethical marketing course - but I'm not in any hurry to get there.

For now, I'm focussing on learning as much as I can and providing value to my clients and lovely Instagram community.

Thanks Prasanna!