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I peered over the dash and looked down the steep and rocky hill.

I knew we shouldn’t have taken this way.

There was no way we could get down there, right?

White knuckling the oh shit handle, I held my breath as Kyle slowly let off the gas, and we started to wobble down the road (if you could call it that), turning the wheel left & then right to avoid the larger stones & potholes.

And then - as we reached the bottom, I saw it.

Water.

​

The road was washed out.

Could we even get back up that hill?

​Remember, driving down flooded roads, and I don’t have a great history (re: issue #23 | my redneck is showing)​

Have I mentioned that this was how we were spending Kyle's 30th birthday and our 8th anniversary?

(yes, they are the same day; I hate it, and it's a story for another day)

This wasn’t the route I wanted to take - and now - there was a chance we could get stuck here.

My saint of a sis-in-law decided to test the waters (literally) and walked into the flooded road to see if we could get across.

Turns out - it wasn’t too deep, and slowly, we made our way through.

The sun was setting, and the clock was ticking.

The gate to get into our campsite closed at 8.

After one final rough stretch of road and then, the most beautiful thing I had seen all day.

Two yellow lines.

We’d made it.

There was an easier way all along—just like I thought there had been.

Whether you’re on a road trip or building your brand, it’s all too easy to get off track and take way longer than you know you should.

Sure, you know where you’re trying to go and the direction you’re heading in, but there’s this nagging feeling that it shouldn’t be quite this hard or take quite this long.

The scenic route is great and all (plus it makes for some good stories), but when it comes to your brand, sticking to it for too long can just turn into wasted time.

And God knows wasting time is not on your to-do list.

You want to make the most of your time, especially when it comes to building your brand and growing your business.

Managing your brand efficiently is such an important skill to have as a business owner, but not a lot of people really talk about it.

So, let’s start the conversation…

Keep Reading For Newsletter Highlights

• 5 signs that you're taking the long road (and how to find a better route).
• The #1 thing I’ve spent way too much time on is my brand.
• What’s holding you back? Creative blocks & aha moments.
• Your 12-week brand roadmap (smoother roads ahead)

←sometimes, building your brand can feel like this 5 signs that you're taking the long road (and how to find a better route).

Sign #1. You're frustrated by the lack of progress your brand has had.

Sign #2. You are spending a lot of time creating content that isn't getting results.

Sign #3. You feel uncertain about what's next for your brand and business

Sign #4. You aren't confident about how to talk about your brand, its value, and your offers.

Sign #5. You feel like your growth is stagnant, and you aren't seeing financial gains.

And now for that whole "find a better route" part.

Route #1. Get organized (blah blah blah I know) but making shit happen for your brand is a lot easier when you have a clear path and know what you need to & when you need to do it by. Whenever I really need to make some moves in my brand - I get extra intentional about setting aside time each week

Route #2. You could outsource - and hire someone else to help speed up the process of building your brand

A NOTE FROM CATIE 1 game-changing decision that helps me plan my week in less than 5 minutes Taking off a month-long sabbatical earlier this summer was awesome - but by the time that sabbatical started, I was teetering on the edge of burnout. I have struggled with burnout since college and my first job. To make a month off possible, I had a lot of client work to do and Brand Management retainer hours to bill in advance. At the start of the summer, my work schedule was pretty non-existent. I was in a season of needing to be flexible and work when I could, but that also meant there was no hard stop. I felt like I never had an evening during the week, and I was always working against the clock. I didn’t have the time, clarity, or creativity to work on my own rebrand, and even though I was writing a rebrand email series to help keep myself accountable, I wasn’t making the time I needed to make much progress on my brand goals. Since getting home, I’ve changed one thing in the day-to-day of how I manage my brand. For context, I use Notion for long-term planning, project planning, and content creation, and Sunsama for weekly planning, daily planning, and time tracking. I love Sunsama because I can time block how long I want to set aside for different projects, and then create to do lists within those blocks, and then track how long I actually work all in one place. So here’s my new rules: A. I’m only allowed to schedule myself 6.5 hours of work a day (because, for some reason, as a recovering workaholic, 6 hours felt so much harder?). B. I don’t add those “blocks” to the calendar ahead of time, I add them as I go and work around meetings. It creates less pressure to have to stick to a schedule and has let me take lunch dates & much-needed naps guilt-free. With the exception of meetings, there’s nothing on my calendar - until I sit down to work on it & put it there. And some days, I will work a little over that time - and that’s okay. But old me (pre-sabbatical me) would say, “Omg, I have so much to do,” and schedule myself 8 (or more) hours of work - and naturally go over. I was working toward my vision of freedom—to travel for a month of the summer—but I wasn’t embracing any real freedom in my daily life. I thought a visual might be helpful, so you can click the link below for a quick loom of my Sunday Sunsama planning for this week: 5 MIN WEEKLY PLANNING ROUTINE

here's how we can work together

​>> Apply to be a Beta Tester: I'm currently taking applications for my 12-week brand mentorship program, perfect for coaches, creators, and service providers who need 1:1 support & feedback in building their brand but aren't in a season for "done for you" packages. Only five spots are available & I'm accepting applications through August 19th.

​>> Book a 60m Strategy Call With Me: These Strategy sessions are a great way to get clear on your brand's next steps and are perfect for creators, coaches, and service providers who want to leverage more of their personal brand in their business.

​>> Design your Brand with Cedar June: Build a brand that feels authentic to you with 1:1 help from yours truly :) Together, we can design a brand strategy, identity, and/or website that aligns with your personal aesthetic & positions you as an authority in your industry.

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Share your thoughts, feedback, or even suggestions for future topics. I value your input and can't wait to hear from you. Please email me at catie@cedarjunestudio.com, and let's keep the conversation going!

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