issue #148 If there is one thing that I get from my grandfather, it is a love for ice cream. Specifically soft serve custard — but that's beside the point. This bond between us runs so deep that I told a story about it at his 90th birthday this past December. And I spent seven years of my life working in an ice cream parlor. I can confidently say that I haven't "ruled out" owning an ice cream stand sometime in a future life. So my grandparents obviously thought it was a hilarious joke to...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
issue #147 "Do I have enough answers for you to really do this?" Savannah's face on my Zoom screen showed the familiar mix of hope and hesitation I've seen countless times. As a Broadway professional trying to merge her theatrical world with her freelance business, she was caught in that messy middle so many multi-passionate entrepreneurs find themselves in. Knowing she wanted to change her brand, but not being able to figure out how to translate her idea into an identity. And there it...
about 2 months ago • 7 min read
issue #146 I had just finished Mother's Day brunch on Sunday when I realized: I had almost dropped the ball on a very important email that my brand management client needed ASAP. I was left with no choice but to Irish goodbye the entire family, slip out, and run home to take care of it real quick. I was back within an hour. No harm, no foul. But still — a sign that shit was about ready to hit the fan, and I needed to do something about it. The last month has been one of the most fulfilling...
about 2 months ago • 7 min read
issue#145 This time a year ago, I would tell you NOT to do what I am doing right now. But, the last year in business has easily been the hardest, and a lot of unlearning. My offers changed a lot. I repositioned my brand. I seriously considered giving up. And unlearned a lot of what i “thought” showing up for my brand looked like. Especially when it comes to selling. Yet here I am, breaking my own rules. 17 new subscribers, my best-performing masterclass ever, $2,500 from all new offers (not...
2 months ago • 6 min read
ISSUE #144 “You might be too fancy, I don’t know if I can hang out with you anymore,” joked my partner’s stepdad after I pulled up to his back shop in my new-to-me “designer” car. In fact, since buying my dad’s old car off him last week, I’ve gotten a lot of similar reactions. Which is funny to me, considering it’s a 17-year-old car with 150k miles on it. But the brand blinds people to that. (And I'm not telling you this to brag - but because there is a HUGE lesson in branding here). Branding...
2 months ago • 7 min read
ISSUE #143 I’m writing this newsletter en route to one of my favorite places (even if I’ve only been there once), and I can’t help but think about our first trip there four years ago. I was transitioning from being a jack-of-all-trades freelancer and creating Cedar June. One of my contracts was doing social media management for an e-commerce rug company. In the 4 months I worked with them, I had 3 different people cycle through the role that was my contact, and only the first ever even made...
3 months ago • 4 min read
issue #142 The first false spring has come and gone, and we're officially into the third winter in our little more-cows-than-people corner of Western New York. This basically means the weather is cold, snowy, rainy, or muddy every day, and there is nothing to do. We don’t get much of a spring up here - it’s winter, then rain, and BAM, summer appears. So, in the meantime, Kyle and I have been filling our evenings with one of our favorite pastimes. Roasting the shit out of people on survival...
3 months ago • 6 min read
issue#141 Q1 was probably one of the hardest seasons of business I’ve had in a long time. Maybe you can relate? I know a lot of us were seeing fewer inquiries and sales, which meant everyone kicked things up a notch and pivoted strategies in real time. I can honestly say that Q1 made me think more about multiple income streams, side hustles, and getting a second job than I have in a while. I wondered if I would even make it out the other side of my rebrand. The root of the problem was I...
3 months ago • 6 min read
issue#140 I'm not saying that one week changed everything in my business, but it absolutely created a major shift in my creativity and gave me the momentum I needed for the final push on this rebrand. Since taking the week before last to focus solely on my brand, I've: Finalized my messaging Ideated updates for my lead magnets Beta-launched my Brand Brushstrokes offer (which has been my best-received offer to date—two new clients in the first 10 days, plus a handful of leads in my CRM - 2...
3 months ago • 4 min read