Hey, I'm Emily...a bold brand strategist + designer helping values-driven businesses look as good as the impact they're making!
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.
This brand change wasn’t part of the plan 😬
Hey YOU!Tired of business advice that doesn't feel like...YOU? This newsletter is your permission slip to build your business on your own terms...let's dive in! Not every pivot in your business starts with a big plan. Sometimes it starts with a gut feeling or a quiet voice that says, “This doesn’t feel like me anymore.” Back in April, I felt that exact twinge after reading a post about how sharing how phrases like “getting money into women’s hands” can unintentionally exclude non-binary and gender-expansive people. And honestly? I was triggered. 🤪 Not because I disagreed—but because deep down, I knew they were right. And that meant I had to do something about it... At first, that “something” was small. I added a note to my website footer: “While we focus on women entrepreneurs, everyone is welcome here. We’re committed to a safe space that celebrates diversity, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.” I shared about it in this email → When Your Brand Gets Called Out. It didn’t require a full rebrand and it didn’t undo the work I had already done. But it was a step toward realignment. And I couldn’t unsee what it brought up. The truth is, I wasn’t ready to make a big change then. And I certainly didn’t love the idea of walking away from all the energy I’d poured into Bootstrapped Woman (my old business name) and all of the time spent on doing the "right" things to build my brand's visibility. 🫠 But doing things like writing technical blog posts for SEO instead of writing about what fires me up, wasn't feeling right either. The longer I sat with it, the more I realized: My brand values and my brand messaging were no longer saying the same thing. And that misalignment needed to be fixed. So here I am. A new name, a clearer mission and a business that feels a lot more like ME. Even though it felt scary to “start fresh,” the truth is—my strategy, offers, and identity didn’t need to be scrapped entirely. They just needed to be unbuttoned. Because what’s underneath it all? That’s what matters most. 💕 The values. Getting honest about what I care about, what I actually want, and how I want to show up was the shift I needed. It’s what allowed me to reimagine my business into something that feels like I'm back on the right path, AND heading in the right direction. Unbuttoned Brands isn’t just a rebrand for me. It’s permission. To stop performing. It's about doing business your own way. Doing it in a way that honours your growth, your values, your energy. And the truth is, I wouldn’t have landed here if I hadn’t listened to the small signs along the way. The twinges. The triggers. The quiet whispers. That’s the power of intuition. ⚡️ It’s not always loud or flashy. But it will point you in the right direction if you let it. Remember, your next move doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. It just has to feel right to you! |
Hey, I'm Emily...a bold brand strategist + designer helping values-driven businesses look as good as the impact they're making!
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, Sometimes I get confused... Not about the work that I do. Not about WHY I do the work I do, my offers or my vision for the future (I've got a killer brand strategy)! What I get confused about is how I want to promote my work to the world. As a branding expert, sometimes I feel like I also have to be a marketing expert. The two are not the same (I wrote an article about that here)! Every small business owner is in charge of figuring out what works best for them. You can have all...
Hey Reader, There comes a point in every business when you need to stop wearing all the hats (you totally look cute in all of them, but not when you are wearing them all at once!). It's not easy...especially if you're an eldest daughter perfectionist whose greatest fear is accepting help (like me)! But that's exactly what I did last week when I hired a new copywriter to upgrade my website. There's this feeling that creeps in before a big era of your business, where nothing is broken exactly,...
Hey YOU! My brand hasn't changed much since 2023. But I have. And twice a year, I make sure my photos catch up. Not because I need a new look. But because the version of me showing up in my photos needs to match the version of me showing up in my work. When I feel like my photos aren't representing the current version of me, I feel myself holding back instead of fully showing up. Sound familiar? I see you not sharing your website...not raising those rates...and NOT being visible to the very...