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 2 months 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...
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...
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...
3 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...
3 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...
4 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...
4 months ago • 4 min read