I remember that feeling; the rush of excitement. An idea was born in my head, something clicked in my mind and a wave of energy went straight to my heart. “I’ve got an idea, I’ll create my own business. I’ll be an entrepreneur, it makes sense! I’ll never get bored! I’ll decide my own limits!” 

If you’re like me, the emotion that comes with new ideas can be strong; but then, after a few days, I start looking for reasons why that idea won’t work. Maybe I mask it as being realistic. Although I consider myself to be a fairly optimistic person, sometimes I think my idea just wasn’t good enough.

Have you ever felt this way?

The thing is… when an idea stays in my mind for days, weeks, and months, I’m pretty sure it’s a good one. It evolves through time, I begin adding details, and start becoming more interested in the tools that will help me accomplish it. 

One of those ideas was creating my own business—my own branding agency. This was way before Found Brands was born. I was 21, hungry, and eager to be independent.

And, at the same time, I was completely unaware of the difficulties and challenges that I would face as an entrepreneur (solopreneur at first). But I was excited and ready to learn.

And I did learn a lot. Guess how—from the mistakes that almost cost me my business, because I just didn’t know better.

Next stop, disaster

As a proud graphic designer, one of the first things I did when setting up my business was to create a logo, define its visual identity (colors, typography, and more), and build a website.

And then, I started working hard, I networked, I scheduled the meetings, I closed more deals, I rented an office, I hired a team, I worked even harder… And I ended up exhausted. 

The business was managing me, instead of me leading my business. 

That exciting feeling of independence and financial freedom that came with the original idea of owning a business seemed so far away. I felt lost.

I was doing everything I thought I was supposed to do: booking as many projects as possible, advertising, expanding our menu of services to meet all of our clients’ needs, and being always available for them. It was crazy.

The problem was that I was missing one important thing—my purpose.  I hadn’t defined WHY I created a business in the first place, apart from making money and being financially independent, but that wasn’t enough.  

The turning point

After feeling tired and burned out, I knew something needed to change. But the change had to start with me—why am I doing this? Where do I want to go?  

So I did the homework. I started learning and applying brand strategy to my own brand. I did the exercises, went deep into my motivations, and redesigned my brand to express my real values and attract the right people.

I defined my brand’s purpose, personality, style, and voice. I clarified who my clients were and who weren’t. I could easily set goals that were aligned with my vision, and it was so much easier to make business decisions because I knew where I wanted to go with my brand. 

And now I feel way more confident than ever before. My first business is still alive and thriving, and I have even been able to create a new one: Found Brands. I can easily engage with new clients that feel the same way as I did, excited, hopeful, and ready to show the world what they are made of. 

My purpose 

The main reason why I started Found Brands is to help entrepreneurs like you avoid the same mistakes I made. Because you deserve to be on the right track from day one.

The good news is that I can help you achieve that for your brand, and by doing that for your business, you’re doing it for yourself.

Warmly,

Miriam