Tl;DR: Want to skip right to the free gift? That's cool, though you'll miss the big changes happening 'round here....

The first thing you need to know is that I’m horrible with money.

I don’t want to think about it at all.

💸 It comes in, it goes out, and I try to ignore it.

The second thing is because of that, you’re gonna get good gossip.

Flash back to last month. I buck up and go to a private webinar on bookkeeping for designers.

This amazing, super pro gives us a freebie to help track income, and asks us to click the link during the call so we can workshop together.

Here’s where things get interesting.

All of us designers go to her site at the same time to download the freebie.

That’s when the private chatter perks up in Discord:

(I’d send a chat screenshot but it feels a little invasive. So bear with my exact play-by-play instead.):

Liv:

Omg just saw that stock image 🤦🏽‍♀️

Becca:

Stahpppp

Shonda:

I’m sorry but her site is not good enough to be picky with the income of her clients. Something’s not lining up here.

Liv:

wait what did she say about her clients income? That she only works with people making 200k or more?

Maegan:

“6-7 figure businesses”

Jen:

her 1:1 clients start at $200K

Shonda:

On her site it says they have to make $20k months for one service and $7.5k months for her other service.

Liv:

Wut

Jen:

DIYer but only works with clients who make $200k or more…??? hmm

Maegan:

This stuff always irks me

Becca:

It’s a red flag for me. I’d just keep it moving.

Alex:

Her site needs work

We both know what’s happening here, right, Reader?

I mean, I talk about it non-stop.

It’s wild to see it, though, with the exact people that should be able to diagnose immediately.

This pro’s ideal client & offer says 6-figure, while her messaging and brand scream DIY.

Now I am NOT judging.

Maybe:

… she just doesn’t have time to spend on her branding.
… she is so good, she already has too many clients.
… she thinks branding isn't important, or has other financial obligations, or has it on her to-do list but just hasn't gotten to it.

(I’m not immune either. I mean, have you checked out my empty portfolio lately? No time, m’dude).

This provider might be the BEST at the services she offers. But if she can’t break through to her audience, she’ll keep her spinning her wheels.

She'll keep creating content, going to summits, and doing workshops like this with no return on investment and wondering why.

How many people would have JUMPED on as new clients from this workshop if her online presence matched her offer? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Does your online presence match your IRL business?

At times, mine has not.

I started my business 5 years ago, and didn’t touch my hastily thrown-together brand for several years.

So I went through this same existential crisis very recently.

I needed to redo my brand from top to bottom (well, maybe not the top, but we’ll get to that in a minute).

But you can’t do any of that without doing the foundational work.

You gotta start with strategy.

Otherwise you’ll end up posting like so many other social media cries for help:

^ That’s what happens when you pick based on trends or what looks good while scrolling your fave stock site.

When your visual and written messaging is based on core brand strategy, it is nimble and flexible. But still always hits you in the feels.

So last year I tucked in to my own Brand Strategy Blueprint: the mini-course I use with Two-Week Site Solution clients.

→ I took the embedded quiz to nail down my Brand Archetype and my ideal client’s Archetype,

→ used the fill-in-the-blank workbook to regenerate my Brand Bio and USP,

→ played with the drag & drop tool to nail down my new Brand Vibe,

→ and took the Visual Messaging Moodboard Masterclass to develop my new Visual Brand Identity.

Then I used those to create every single piece of the cohesive brand you see today.

I updated my graphics, my patterns, my imagery, my fonts, and my written messaging. Everything got a spanking new refresh.

Except maybe the biggest piece.

Which brings me to the third thing you need to know.

When I did allllll of that foundational brand work, a tiny part of me knew I needed to change the biggest piece: my business name. 😬

And by “a tiny part”, I mean HMFIC-Carolyn* was shouting it, and Expert-Procrastinator-Carolyn was ignoring her.

I mean, 'SmallBiz Sidekick' sounds like a Virtual Assistant.

Nothing wrong with that! When I started out, I offered a much wider range of services. But that has changed.

But omggggggg it was going to be a TON of work. And much less stimulating than updating my fonts.

If you’ve been reading my emails, you know that Big-Boss-Carolyn finally got her way this summer.

This January, the name change will be complete (the government agrees!) as well as all public-facing-everything.

To celebrate, I have a mini treasure hunt for you.

→ Uncover my new business name, and you can win your own copy of the Brand Strategy Blueprint (valued at $89).

All you need to do is be one of the first 3 people to decipher the first word of my new business name:

___________ Creative Studio

Here’s your hint:

It's this unique-looking flower ⤵

Here's a bigger hint:

It's not just a flower, but also a fruit. A fruit that grows where I live. And the wild version of my all-time favorite fruit!

Okay ONE more:

It's used in modern herbalism for its calming effects on the nervous system, making it a symbol of emotional balance and calm.

Need another???

This plant grows wild and is considered quite resilient. Because it can thrive in challenging environments, it symbolizes strength and adaptability.

→ Just like you and me, Reader.

TO RECAP: The first 3 people to reply to this email with my new business name will receive a free Brand Strategy Blueprint 🥳

And for everyone: emails will start coming from my new domain in January!

Thanks for joining me on this ride. I truly appreciate you.

*In case you missed it way back when, HMFIC = Head-Motherfucker-in-Charge. AKA Big Boss Carolyn.

When you need it, here are 3 ways I can help you:

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