Eve: My experience of Your Brand Blueprint
Why I chose to do Your Brand Blueprint, how it works, and how it has helped me.
By Eve Sturdy
Photography by Lucy Hannah
Where I was before
I’ve been in business for nearly five years now, three of which have been full time. However, I still felt like a start up. Everything was moving along, I had great clients, but I still felt like I was winging it a lot of the time and I had a MASSIVE case of imposter syndrome.
When someone would ask me “what do you do?” I downplayed it and in a quiet voice would say something like “I do graphic design and social media” which of course is the most basic and generic of explanations. Giving confidence to my clients about themselves and their businesses was no problem for me, so why did I struggle to have confidence in myself and my own?
I first discovered Fliss in a membership we both did together by another Blueprint alumni, Océane Meftah called The Curious Magpie, all about unlocking creative ideas. I really liked chatting to Fliss in the Slack group and started following her on Instagram.
After about a week following Fliss, I signed up for the waitlist for Your Brand Blueprint and in the meantime I did her end of year Brand Review. I really loved the way the review was presented and liked the platform Heartbeat that Fliss uses. It’s a really friendly community 😊
Why I chose to do Your Brand Blueprint
The Brand Review prompted me to think about what I wanted to achieve in my business this year and I realised that what I really wanted was to take a good look at my brand.
I had a logo I loved, brand colours etc, but I never really delved deep into what my brand stood for. I roughly knew what my values were, who were my ideal clients but nobody else knew so how was I ever going to attract them!
I set up my business initially when I started doing some freelance work, and then a change in personal circumstances led to me becoming self employed full time. I hadn’t stopped in between to look at my business as a brand. I didn’t know what my vision was and I hadn’t written a mission statement. I was just floating along.
Fliss sent me a lovely message when the waitlist opened and we had a chat about how Your Brand Blueprint could help me. I was confident that this was the next step I needed to take to turn my business into a brand I was passionate about.
How it works
Each part of Your Brand Blueprint is broken down into sections. You have homework to do before the group sessions with the support of Fliss and others in the community.
The group coaching sessions are so helpful. Not only does Fliss ask questions that really make you think - the rest of the group do too. I really recommend attending as many of the live sessions as you can, because questions and answers flow so much more easily when it’s in real time and you get so much more from being able to ask the questions from the whole group.
The Heartbeat platform is an amazing community where you can ask questions and support each other, as well as receive direct messages. You can access all the course sections, resources, events (live calls) and the community all from Heartbeat - and there is a phone app too 🙌
Why the 1:1 sessions are so great
When I joined the Blueprint, I chose to add on three 1:1 sessions with Fliss as well as having the group sessions. I’m so glad I did, as I found them really helpful.
At the beginning I still had so much imposter syndrome, but after my first 1:1 session I already felt more confident. Fliss really listens to what you say and then asks you questions about it, and I really needed that extra pair of ears! They are such a great option for helping to clarify your thinking and I really recommend adding them on.
How the Blueprint has helped me.
As I write this, I haven’t quite finished my Blueprint because our group sessions have only just finished. However, I have already started making changes which others have noticed and commented on. I am more confident in how I show up on social media and in person: I am enjoying creating engaging content now. And I am already attracting the right audience after only a few months.
Right from the start, I knew that this was one of the best investments I could make for my business. Having a better grasp of what my brand stands for, what I can offer my clients, who I want to work with and what my brand’s personality is, has been invaluable. I can’t wait to see what happens over the next few months.
Photography by Lucy Hannah