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.
Why I do this twice a year...✌️
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 people who need you! In order to feel comfortable doing all those things, you have to be proud of who you are...and you get there by building a business (and life) that feels good. You have grown...you've evolved...as you should. Your brand needs to reflect that (no more "beginner brand" energy for you)! Before I started this business, I was a freelancer, full-time marketer and author figuring out what was next. In August 2023, I launched Unbuttoned Brands (previously called Bootstrapped Woman) with my old photography gear and a biz friend who was willing to snap some shots. The photos were fine...they did the job. But you know what really did the work? My brand! I launched with the same vibrant colours and bold values you see today. But of course...my business isn't the same as it was when I launched in 2023...and neither am I (but not just because I'm almost hitting 40)! I'm 37 now, and I'm more confident than I ever have been before which is exactly why I recently updated my photos with Jocelyn Phillips (a total level up)! Don't get me wrong...I still struggle with a touch of imposter syndrome and I still battle my people pleasing demons...but the person I am today has some real life EXPERIENCE. I have hundreds of newsletter readers, have sold thousands of books, and I get to help really cool people build brands that stop them from being their industry's best kept secret. I couldn't have done this without my brand. And I get it, you might be rolling your eyes because the "brand girl" is trying to tell you branding is the answer to all your problems. It's not. But it's something that will get you to where you want to be faster (but without all the hustle culture nonsense). Branding-done-right makes marketing your business easier because it makes you look trustworthy, attracts the right people, and makes you the obvious choice. What I learned from every single one of my photoshoots was that the more I felt like ME, the easier it was to market myself. There were shoots where I felt more like I was playing a character, because I didn't like my makeup and hair and tried wearing clothes that didn't feel like me. Branding isn't about becoming someone else. It's about turning up the volume on who you already are! I'm not always wearing my pleather leggings, but you bet I'm in leggings every single day! And my closet is absolutely full of all my brand colours. Your brand isn't just about making you look good...it should feel like YOU, too! That's the strategy. Which is why brand strategy has to come before anything else. Before the logos, before the photos, before the website. Because without it, you're just guessing. Ready to talk branding? 👉 I’m now booking brand design projects for May! Payments plans available! Just email me back or book a discovery call here. *My new photos are by Jocelyn Phillips! Highly recommend her if you are in the Greater Toronto + Surrounding Area. |
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! Last week I did something I've never done before! I recorded a video for YouTube WITHOUT a script. If you've been a subscriber for awhile, you might remember my short attempt at creating video content back when I basically just read my newsletters on camera. Reading them off like a script helped me feel less pressure to spontaneously summarize what I wanted to share, but it also may have come across as a little too "perfect" (even for this perfectionist) and maybe a little...