Tired of business advice that doesn't feel like...YOU? Sign up for the Being Yourself is the Strategy™ newsletter. These aren’t tips or “how-to” emails. They’re honest reflections on running a business…the kind that help you slow down, think differently, and question the pressure to do everything faster, bigger, better.
I accidentally scared my client 😭
Hey Reader,I have to tell you something I'm still feeling a little cringey about (because we like to be real here, right?). 😭 I sent a client her Brand Intensive report...and in the email and video I sent her I said... *hold for a second* (I had to check so I could share exactly what I wrote...) "I hope you understand that the feedback I shared isn't meant to discourage you, it's meant to give you a strong foundation. Because when your brand is clear, everything else…your content, your marketing, your sales...gets so much easier." My intention? To be thoughtful. To give her a heads up that I had some real, constructive feedback in there (I mean that's what I get paid for right?!). What actually happened? She told me she had to wait until she had enough emotional capacity to open it. Ughhh. I am currently melting into my seat while I type this. I thought I was being kind, but instead I basically put a "WARNING: BAD NEWS INSIDE" sticker on her report. The thing is that the review wasn't bad news at all. It was just honest. And she needed honest because she had been carrying around a brand built for a version of herself she'd already outgrown. Her visuals...soft watercolours. Sweet. Safe. Totally fine. And completely wrong for who she actually is and the clients she actually wants to attract. Her brand wasn't a lost cause at all. Her copy? Honestly powerful. Her self-awareness about who she is and who she serves? Crystal clear. What HER brand was missing wasn't more work or more clarity...it was permission. Permission to actually look like herself instead of looking like what she thought a "professional" in her field was supposed to look like. Want to know what she said after she (very bravely 😅) opened the report? She said: "The recommendations were simple and doable — not an overwhelming overhaul, but clear, actionable steps I can actually work with." No bad news. Just clarity. And honestly? Clarity might be the most exciting thing you can get when you've been stuck. So if you've been carrying around a brand that belongs to an older, smaller version of you...one that doesn't quite capture who you've become or the clients you actually want to attract...that's not a you problem. That's just unfinished business. And it's exactly what the Brand Intensive is designed to help you with! It is NOT a teardown or a giant overwhelming project. It's just an honest (and very in depth) review at where your brand is versus where YOU are...so you know exactly what needs to change and why. With the right foundation, your business should change and grow with you. You are allowed to change! Even if your brand colours, values, and website do not. That's normal. It's expected! While I am still feeling a little cringe about using "scary" wording when I delivered my latest Brand Intensive review, I am SO grateful for the feedback. And I am actually EXCITED to refine how I deliver this report for the next client. The way I show up for my clients IS part of my brand. And it simply took someone else's eyes to show me something I couldn't see before. That's not a weakness (as much as my perfectionist self sometimes tries to convince me it is). We are always too close to our own stuff to see it clearly, which is exactly why it's good to have someone in your corner who can see what you can't! Hit reply and tell me...what's one thing about your brand that you KNOW doesn't feel like you anymore? I read every single one. 🩷 Emily 💋 👉 Ready to book your Brand Intensive? Learn more here! |
Being Yourself is the Strategy™ Newsletter
Tired of business advice that doesn't feel like...YOU? Sign up for the Being Yourself is the Strategy™ newsletter. These aren’t tips or “how-to” emails. They’re honest reflections on running a business…the kind that help you slow down, think differently, and question the pressure to do everything faster, bigger, better.
Hey Reader, When I joined the coaching staff for my daughter's rep hockey team, I spent wayyyyy to many nights wondering if I should have said "yes" in the first place because I felt like I didn't fit in. It wasn't that the other coaches were bad guys (they aren't at all!). But they all seemed to have this effortless confidence...the kind that comes naturally when a space is predominantly centered around them. They stepped onto the ice assuming they belonged there and that they knew best. As...
Hey Reader, The most random thing happened the other day and I just had to tell you all about it because there is a lesson here for all my sensitive, people-pleasing friends. I was out with a friend (and fellow entrepreneur) when I noticed I had a voicemail. It said..."Oh, hi Emily, this is *redacted name*. If you can text that would be better. Otherwise, you can call. *redacted phone number* Uh, I have some questions. Thank you." At first I figured it was spam. But when I looked the number...
Hey Reader, You know that voice that shows up a few weeks after you launch something new? After all the "fun" of creating, designing, and writing about your new thing is mostly done... It sounds a little something like this: This isn't working. You should have done it this way. You should blow this up before it blows up in your face. Yeah, that one. The annoying thing about this voice is that sometimes it is right. Sometimes moving on or changing something in your business IS the right call....