I had a client tell me once that branding her business (with me) was better than therapy.
Before you start coming at me – I’m not saying DON’T go to therapy. I’m not saying I AM a therapist.
What she told me really opened my eyes to the powerful process my clients go through and the transformation in themselves they see as a result.
No woo woo, even though I love a bit of woo woo.
The notion that brand building really taps into another level of awareness as an entrepreneur started with this very client; during the process I ask clients to collate visuals that speak to them- a moodboard, Pinterest board, scrap book – anything visual that they resonate with when they have their business head on.
When it came to reviewing hers – something was really off. I was faced with dark, moody images, dull tones, murky photography and cliché’s of woods, landscapes and people working.
Zero personality. Dark. Dull. In lack. Empty.
And to be honest, not her at all – this was a woman full of life, passion, energy and abundance – intelligent, curious and very FULL of personality.
Having already done the hard work with her, I could see the brand quite clearly – vibrant, joyful, simple. But something was clearly holding her back. The exercise had shown that.
So we talked.
We talked through the work we had pulled together so far – the strategy, the who, the what, the how, the WHY…
We challenged everything, asked LOTS of questions, worked through it again and unblocked where she was blocked: she hadn’t done this process before for herself and there was fear, a lot of it.
Every single client has an element of that in them when they start this journey, even if you’re a seasoned business owner – the idea of transformation, change, digging deep to have more solid foundations, is unsettling. No guarantees. A lot of work. A lot of time.
Brand asks some pretty deep questions, tough ones that need to be well thought through and ones that make you uncomfortable. It asks you to reflect on yourself, your strengths, your ambitions, your weaknesses and opportunities for growth. Baggage and beliefs you’ve carried for years, holding you back as well as remembering those magic moments that sparked this journey in the first place – it’s all part of it.
‘But don’t you just do logos’ I hear you cry.
We do them, sometimes – but it all starts with questions like – What’s keeping you up at night? What’s the biggest impact you can have? What’s your headline in 3 years time? How do you want your audience to feel after working with you? What legacy do you want to leave? What do you stand for?
As much as it pays to be visionary and strong, it equally pays to be vulnerable and open.
Far better to work through this now and know the decisions you make have been pressure tested, than down the line when it’s even harder to make changes.
That’s how we have honed our process over the years to understand what’s essential, what WE need to do a fantastic job and what our CLIENTS need to come through the fear of the work. It’s also how we have come to really understand the emotion, subconscious and reality of the process our clients face, we are super mindful of that, too.
But holy hell, what about the results?! How do clients feel afterwards? Was it all worth it?
Well, humble brag alert…
“I’m so incredibly grateful we could do this work so early on. The impact has been to give us a North Star – through our visuals, our words and everything that we do, to build the foundation.” – Carolina Garcia Jayaram, CEO, The Elevate Prize Foundation
“From day one, seeing what they had taken from us was eye-opening – it was ‘WOW – they really understand us’. We knew what was going to come during the process was going to be brilliant.” – Paul Moynihan, Founder, TaskHer
“We are so proud of our brand! Box Creative really understood us, the enthusiasm right from the start was palpable and got us excited about working with them.” – Anna Hernandez, Founder, TaskHer
“My brand is amazing and I am SO happy with the way it’s come together- it is soooo beautiful!! 🙂. I couldn’t be prouder to get this out to the world.” Angie Kubin, Founder, One Wild Life Design
“We ended up with something far better than we could have imagined.” Carly Painter, Co-Founder, Nanny Bright
BLUSH
So if you’re in a funk, if all you’re seeing is murky, dull crappy visuals in your head and you want some help through the process of building your brand – you’ve come to the right place.
So lay back on the couch, reach out to me and tell me all about your brand fears.
Lauren 🌱