Branding 101 for Inner Compass Academy
Who I am and how I got here (the short version).
My name is Jena Thielges (jenna til-jess) a brand and squarespace website designer and the founder of Sundai Studio (sunday studio).
I’m a daughter of entrepreneurs.
A mom to a 5 year old
Originally from western NY state (the finger lakes region) and now live in northern Virginia with my husband Jake and daughter June.
Earned a BFA (bachelor of fine arts) in Graphic Design
Been working in this field since 2012 and been serving women who are therapists and coaches exclusively since 2019 (7+ years).
I’ve worked with over 300+ brands (including Vanessa’s brand!) and what I’ve come to learn is this: your brand as a personal brand should embody your unique energy & branding can be done in phase. And when you evolve in business (which is expected)… your brand should evolve with you.
So because of that this workshop is here to teach you what branding is, how to spot when a rebrand should happen, how to approach it, and provide resources to get you started.
Let’s dive into how to do it!
QUESTIONS FOR YOU:
Do you already have a business serving clients?
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Is this ICA work something you hope to integrate into your business and website?
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How do you feel about your current brand and website (if applicable)?
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How do you feel about STARTING a brand and website (if applicable)?
Chapter 1: Normalizing the Overwhelm.
The Common “struggles” new business owners face: and what I would tell you on a consult call…
A note of caution: When you should actually hold off on any branding…
The Common “struggles” new business owners face when creating a brand and website for their business. This is intended to normalize all current fears and feelings. These “struggles” are pulled directly from past client inquiries (keeping names anonymous, of course).
“I’m overwhelmed and don’t know where to start”
“I know what style I like and how I want it to feel but I don’t know how to make it happen”
“I’m overwhelmed by the tech (which platform should I use? Do I need to do instagram? Email marketing?).”
“I don’t know how to nail down my messaging”
“I’m struggling with my target market and niching down”.
“I’m multifaceted and don’t want to pigeon hole myself into one thing (to niche or not to niche).”
“My business is evolving and my current brand doesn’t feel like me anymore, I don’t have the time to DIY” (for more established business owners - Looking at you Vanessa!).
Take Away: NONE of the reasons above should STOP you from moving forward with a brand and website build.
The brand and website process actually brings a lot of clarity to these things.
Here’s what should stop you….
When to possibly hold off on a rebrand:
If you are considering an EITHER OR approach to your target market. Aka if you’re not sure who you want to work with yet and you’re considering two very different target markets (teens vs 60 year old men). Think psychographics (values, interests, attitude) and demographics (age, genders, job titles). You can have a wide range for your target market but something has to tie them all together.
Solution? DIY a super simple brand, WORK with both groups of people, collect the data and find out who/what aligns more.
If you’re going through a major life transition or big loss in your life that requires a lot of time and energy.
Solution? Give this time. Again, a super simple DIY brand may be a better fit.
I have had clients PAUSE projects if there’s a big death in the family. We don’t want to get photos taken of a really tough time in your life right? It’s also just hard to think clearly.
PS - This content is still valuable to come back to at some time in the future!
Chapter 2: What is a brand and how do I build one?
THE PIECES OF YOUR BRAND: Logo, color palette, brand fonts, imagery and copy (5 key elements).
Gestalt theory: means that the human mind perceives the whole of an object or experience as different from—and greater than—the sum of its individual parts. Aka your brand is not just your logo.
Therapist, Supervisor, located in Austin, loves black and white, doesn’t own a pair of jeans.
Soul Guide, a Channel, located in Tennessee, a soft whispering voice, warm, open, loves a rainbow sparkle.
In order to make an aligned decision on those, we actually need to understand: your unique energy and who your target market is.
Personal Brands vs Nike (these are two totally different types of brands). As a coach or therapist or service provider, you are innately building a personal brand.
Depth Therapist, Author, Facilitator, located in LA / Costa Rica, rebirth is a huge theme (that snake is her tattoo), earthy but never afraid to be bold.
Kenda is a Career Coach, located in Atlanta, sooooooo organized (our project was always a head of schedule), polished and she loves her glam.
Therapist and Coach, located in Napa region in CA, would live in her garden if she could, loves astrology, so warm, the best laugh, loves yellow.
My Personal Brand Philosophy: The 70/30 Rule.
Tips for when you’re just starting out:
Branding can be done in phases: Templates vs Custom Design
Tips for finding a Designer for Custom branding & web design.
My "personal brand philosophy": When making design decisions consider yourself and your preferences 70% of the time and your target market’s 30%. When you’re just starting out it’s better to build your brand off of something that won’t be changing as easily or quickly (YOU and your energy).
This allows for pivoting if needed when it comes to your target market. This includes the name of your business, your logo and graphic symbols. They should feel universal to you, not necessarily geared only to an individual target market.
Tips for when you’re just starting out: you can DIY a text only logo, diy colors, fonts, imagery and copy. I’ll provide best practices here in a canva doc (suggested fonts, and color combos).
You can DIY a text only logo, diy colors, fonts, imagery and copy. I’ll provide best practices here in a canva doc (suggested fonts, and color combos).
Website Templates & Brand Templates:
Pros:
Cons:
Custom Website Design and Brand Design:
Pros:
Cons:
The takeaway: Find a budget that feels comfortable to you. Branding can be done in phases! You just want to make sure you’re addressing all pieces of your brand. This will make marketing way easier. Blogpost specifically on templates vs custom design >
You want to find a design partner that matches your style and aesthetic. Where to find them? Referrals, site credits, your peers, instagram search bar, good ol’ google. You can typically see if it’s a match by looking at their existing portfolio. Does it align? Are you excited by their work?
The Portfolio Test: makes sure you’re choosing a designer that’s going to get you the result you’re looking for. Don’t ask them to go outside of their style too much, even if they say they can. This includes design AND tech. Book a consult call to see if the energy matches.
Chapter 3: Marketing Worksheets and Activities
A Marketing Resource: The Customer Flow Worksheet
The Customer Flow Journey worksheet activity:
Walk through refining offers, selecting marketing channels that align with YOUR energy. This helps you visualize what you’re building and why your website is important. Share real case studies and examples of past clients and their anonymous Customer Flow Journeys.
Take action today with The Website Prep Checklist
Website Prep Checklist - This can be done on your own time but let’s talk about:
The importance of showing credentials and ways to do that!
Gathering images: walk through the different options you can take for brand photos. Check out this blogpost >
Testimonials (ask your colleagues).
Free Resources / Freebie options. Do we actually need them?!
Q&As: The most common questions.
Round of Q&As (a few to kick things off):
Should we show pricing on the website
Squarespace vs Shopify vs showit vs Wordpress etc
Website tips for page flow
SEO overview.
Chapter 4: Brand, Website & Social Resources from Sundai Studio:
Free Instagram Canva Templates for you: Start Here
These free Canva Template set includes a great base starting point to introduce yourself, be clear about your offers both on the grid (pinned!) and in stories.
Here is a tutorial to learn how to edit these templates >
50% Off Website Templates in the Shop: with code ICA
Website Template Kits: Great starting point for beginners - I have 3 templates in my shop. They get a Squarespace website template, mini brand kit in canva, logo template, brand icons, and a teachable course showing them step by step how to build their site.
Typical cost is: $364
With code “ICA”: $182
Design Days & more Custom Design Work
I’ll also talk about Design Days that can be added to those templates and more custom design work. I’ll share who is a good fit for custom design and who would be better suited for a more DIY situation with those templates either from my shop or another template shop.