This is transparent, no-BS marketing advice about the stuff most people don't talk about—pricing struggles, what didn't work, and lessons from my own messy middle (plus life as a soloprenuer behind the screen).
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Modern feminism (under one umbrella ☂️)
Published about 2 months ago • 6 min read
2ND EDITION | ISSUE #152
These days, friends call me “Catie Pinterest” -specifically, by my one best friend, Jason “Mary with a C” - a play on the fact that my name is, in fact, not Catie but Mary And “Marty” - a play on Mary with a C/inside joke that has morphed into a nickname all its own Back in 2009, I had a nickname that was not *so* different. A nickname that at the time I hated. Martha. Inspired by the one and only, Martha Stewart. Now, my friends were not trying to be mean -and I knew that. I was known as “the creative girl,” the artsy girl. I liked to cook, and I was crafty. So they called me Martha. But this was back in 2009. Before Martha Stewart was very cool. Before she had the rebrand of the century. And as years passed, my fondness for Martha grew.
These days, I find myself pinning old photos of her and aspiring to have my own "Martha Stewart" summer. So when I found myself eating an early girl dinner, with an empty house for the evening, and in need of a good distraction, the new Martha Stewart documentary on Netflix was a no-brainer. And if you want to learn anything about building a personal brand, Martha is the queen. There would be no Joanna Gaines, Erin Benzaken, or homemaker Instagram influencer if it weren't for the *first* influencer, Martha Stewart.
Martha - the queen of the umbrella brand
one of my fave shots of martha - which is obviously on my garden inspo board
If you catch my stories on Instagram, you'll have seen yesterday's breakdown of just what an umbrella brand is. And Martha is the perfect example. In a world where men decided how brands were built. Martha could see something that no one else could - the power of a personal brand.
What Martha could see that others couldn't was that she was the audience. She knew what they wanted - just who they were. She knew that just because you don't have a lot of money, it doesn't mean you don't have a lot of taste. And instead of niching down to become "just a cookbook author," she built something others could aspire to: a personal brand.
Her first book - "Entertaining" solidified that her brand was built on positioning > niching down. It covered everything from food to florals, setting a table - all connected under the personal umbrella brand that was Martha herself.
She singlehandedly filled a gap in the market. Competition? That didn't really matter - there was (and still is) no one quite like Martha (and we haven't even skimmed the surface on her social and cultural personal rebrand in the 2010s).
A multipassionate, multifaceted businesswoman, Martha has built a brand that has remained relevant for over 50 years. Without ever worrying about niching down or fitting into any kind of mold (unless it was a jello mold, maybe?)
She goes to show that there can be an effective strategy behind personal branding for your business, and with the right positioning, that personal brand can give you the creative freedom to explore and sell your multidisciplinary expertise.
How to position your multifaceted expertise and interests under a personal brand umbrella
When it comes to the strategy behind building an umbrella brand, I find it's easiest to start with a little doodle of an umbrella, so grab a scrap piece of paper (it doesn't have to look pretty) and draw an umbrella - then put YOUR NAME on it.
Now, under the umbrella, you'll want to put your individual offers or businesses underneath it. For example, CJ alum Dr. Jen Clemons - her brand umbrella is "Dr.Jen" that's what people know her as, even though she technically has two separate businesses (and websites for that matter), her in-person clinic, and her online education platform.
When it comes to your content strategy & online footprint - think about that umbrella and how you can build your brand's world in a way that easily navigates people "under" that umbrella to wherever they need to go.
If you need some 1:1 with the strategy behind your founder-facing brand, I am currently testing a 60-minute strategy offer that is designed to help you navigate the messy middle of growing your brand and position your next pivot, whether that's a total rebrand or just figuring out if your new offer "makes sense" within your brand as a whole. You can click here for more details and hit reply on this email with any questions
From a design point of view, using an umbrella strategy can actually help you cut out a lot of the "overthinking" when it comes to themes and "world-building". My latest Brand Brushstrokes client, MJ, is a perfect example of how design can help to communicate the multifaceted nature of your brand.
MJ's umbrella is simply MJ. She is the face of her law firm - but also now the face of a growing personal/lifestyle brand thanks to her huge success on Threads. So she came to me for help creating an identity for both brands. An identity that wasn't a complete 360 from one side of her business to the other, since there will be (and already is) some overlap in her audiences.
Brand Colors for MJ Morely Law
Brand Colors for More With MJ
Starting with color. We created two similar brand color schemes, with the two colors in the middle of both being the exact same on both brands, and the bottom section being only slightly different. So one brand to the other didn't feel like a totally different "vibe" they were both created from the same moodboard and creative direction.
We also used the same fonts on both brands, the only difference being the accent font for each.
Finally, I designed 6 branded illustrations that could be used in either brand and a complete set of guidelines so her team knew exactly how to implement the similarities (and differences, like how we are treating corners and borders) on both sides of her branding.
If you need help branding multiple offers, or even sides of your brand, Brand Brushstrokes is a perfect solution because having branded illustrations gives you room to create mini identities for each side of your business within your brand as a whole.
Positioning yourself as a founder facing a brand means just that - you've got to be willing to show up, show your face, and share some of who you are behind the scenes. Your audience - just like Martha's needs to feel like they can like, know & trust you in a world full of faceless Instagram accounts and AI deepfakes if you want them to convert to paying clients at the end of the day.
Instagram threads and stories are one of (if not the best places) to do this from a content point of view. But that doesn't mean that personal elements can't also be a part of your branding. MJ lives & works in Buffalo and can be found threading about The Buffalo Bills (a shared love that made working with her an immediate YES for me) every Sunday - so why not give her a little Buffalo (her favorite of all the illustrations) to include in her brand identity.
Bookmarked on the Gram'
These days, a smile from social media is something we can all appreciate - and I found this particular post SO freaking heartwarming.
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I've already talked in this newsletter about my disdain for the characters in this season of The Summer I Turned Pretty. It was definitely one of those shows I watched in an effort to remain culturally relevant in a world where I do not identify as a Swiftie. But THIS post was such a genius way to promote an offer & brand within such a relevant convo of how problematic these particular characters can be.
Listening
I've been on my nightly walk with headphones GROOVE for the past week. So it's been podcast central for me.
If you have any podcasts you are currently loving, please send me some recommendations! I am currently in a business, sales, and strategy mindset when it comes to what I listen to.
Catie's Fall Curriculum
Back in June (I think?) I took a workshop with my longtime internet friend, Maegan Tomela Burke (an umbrella brand in her own right), called the 12 Week Year.
In typical Mae fashion, she simplified an overwhelming business book (that inspired the WS), making it so much more actionable.
My summer 12-week year didn't go so well. Life got life-y. But I looked through my notes from her WS and started a fresh one on September 1st that I am feeling so good about already!
My focus for the next 12 weeks is on Finances, physical wellness, and stability. I'll share more of my wins & lessons in this section in the coming weeks.
One real-life brand highlight, three sticky note-worthy strategies - packaged in a weekly marketing resource designed to help you take aligned action to build & grow your brand.
This is transparent, no-BS marketing advice about the stuff most people don't talk about—pricing struggles, what didn't work, and lessons from my own messy middle (plus life as a soloprenuer behind the screen).
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