Barbara Shimasaki

As a one-woman design studio for 30-plus years, Barb has partnered with corporate marketing teams, startups, and solopreneurs on a wide variety of business communication projects. A lot changed in 30 years. Business cards morphed into QR codes, brochures spun into websites, and sell sheets became emails. Navigating change meant staying in business.

The most recent change meant a return to fundamentals—writing and learning—but this time on social media. She began to post regularly and learned from a mentor to listen for “signal.” That led to experiments with formats, topics, and hooks to learn what resonated and what flopped. LinkedIn, with the powerful networking effect of its professional community, became her platform of choice. 

These days she provides thought leadership ghostwriting services to time-pressed leaders and experts. Her studio, Barking Dogs Digital, offers strategy and execution of posts, articles, and newsletters that build authority and invite growth opportunities. 

Barb hails from Suffield, Connecticut, a town of farms. The background soundtrack of a Zoom call may feature an early morning lawn mower or a very loud robin—but mostly peace and quiet. It’s the perfect spot to make noise online.