The Climb Seemed Impossible

major achievements

Jan 2017-Apr 2018

Raised prices to $3000

On Carli’s first website, she took a merciless swing at anyone who dared judge her for getting married when she was 18 years old. On that first ever about page, she contended that (and still does, last time I checked) that it was the best decision she’s ever made. 

But the best decision Carli ever made had more impact on her future business than she ever planned. After looking through endless options of wedding invitations that were too expensive for their shoe-string budget, she decided to design them herself. But she didn’t expect that this one experience would nurture an unknown passion for design that would change the course of her life. One day she turned to her husband-to-be and said, “I wish I could do this for my job,” to which he informed her, laughing a little, that design was, in fact, a job. Elated, she began studies as a graphic design major in college. But she dropped out when she felt like the pacing and the materials weren’t taking her where she wanted to go. 

Tenacious as ever, she began studying how to make design her career on her own, designing logos and wedding invitations here and there for trade, for $50, $100 (but never anything over $300. No one, she figured, would pay her that much). She started to learn more about business. She’d watch free webinars and buy programs that promised her the clients she wanted if she could just make a perfect Instagram feed, or learn how to use Etsy better, but nothing seemed to get her the traction she was looking for. She’d go home to design after her two side jobs (one as a dental assistant and the other as a wedding blog assistant) and would regular clock 80 hour work weeks, and yet she hardly made any money. She could feel in her bones that she had the potential to be successful, if only she could figure out how to get traction. 

She was at the end of her rope when she saw a post Emma had written about how she thought she might be able to help people in their branding, inviting people to reach out. Carli had seen Emma create and launch a shop with beautiful cohesion and an impressive amount of sales, so she responded. 

Created 8 new beautiful invitation suites

Sold out of branding packages 

"I had no real direction to my brand. If it looked pretty and it pleased the client, then I was okay with it. But I was so sick of being price shopped. I felt like the only reason people wanted to hire me was because I was a newbie and would offer cheap prices. I wanted to reach my dream clients sooo badly but the climb seemed impossible."

Consistently booked 4 figure branding projects

Created an aligned design aesthetic rooted in her Heart Story

As they started working together, it was clear that Carli didn't need a new Instagram strategy, a better client process, or more website traffic to see traction. She needed to create a unique design aesthetic that people couldn't get from anyone else. Since she kept getting price shopped, it was clear that she needed to start there.

First, Carli discovered her Heart Story, which brought immediate clarity and alignment to her vision, although it would take time to work everything into her design work. Hers is one of moving from Utah to Idaho, feeling alone, and having a new friend show her the wonders the Idaho mountains. She felt a sense of belonging, and the aesthetic was adventurous, rugged, and awe-inspiring. Because she was so inspired by what she felt in her Heart Story, she could confidently say no to the aesthetic of her peers (something that's surprisingly hard for us creatives: wanting to both stand out and fit in at the same time), and design something only she could design. 

New brand imagery would be able to communicate the beauty, desirability, subtle nuances and depth of her new inspiration and her new design aesthetic. Emma envisioned, styled, and planned a collaborative branding shoot with talented artists in Carli's area, including Mandi Nelson, Nicole Land of Soil & Stem, and Abigail Dayton. Emma also created more expensive-looking backdrops that aligned with Carli's Heart Story.

First, Carli discovered her Heart Story, which brought immediate clarity and alignment to her vision, although it would take time to work everything into her design work. Hers is one of moving from Utah to Idaho, feeling alone, and having a new friend show her the wonders the Idaho mountains. She felt a sense of belonging, and the aesthetic was adventurous, rugged, and awe-inspiring. Because she was so inspired by what she felt in her Heart Story, she could confidently say no to the aesthetic of her peers (something that's surprisingly hard for us creatives: wanting to both stand out and fit in at the same time), and design something only she could design. 

New brand imagery would be able to communicate the beauty, desirability, subtle nuances and depth of her new inspiration and her new design aesthetic. Emma envisioned, styled, and planned a collaborative branding shoot with talented artists in Carli's area, including Mandi Nelson, Nicole Land of Soil & Stem, Claire La Faye, and April Benincosa. Meanwhile, Carli explored more deeply what inspires her. She looked in nature, typography, calligraphy, illustration, hand-made paper, natural tools, charcoal, graphite, and more to create the most beautiful invitation suites she'd ever seen.

When the creation team shared her new images on Instagram, Carli started to receive followers, inquiries, and new clients. And while she'd expected people to contact her mostly for stationary, more and more creatives were so taken with her intentionality with typography, her fresh take on organics, and her bold confidence, that they wanted her to create their brand. 

So, typical to her tenacity, just a little over a month after her branding shoot, she more than doubled her prices for a logo and quickly launched a new branding service that sold out without much promotion. She quit both of her part-time jobs. She quickly learned that in order to deliver what the clients needed, and for her own well-being and happiness, she needed to understand the strategy behind branding and master it.

Her dedication to strategy, coupled with her breath-taking designs that people started taking real notice of allowed her to take on projects for dream clients in the creative industry like D'Arcy Benincosa, Nicole Land, and Emma Natter. 

As Carli grew into her new identity as a brand strategist and designer, she was beginning to outgrow the stationary-focused images she had gotten so much traction from. She wanted imagery that would help future clients see her as a go-to designer. She worked with Erica Kopp from Stay Co, Heather Nan, and Samantha J to create incredible new imagery. Even with the shift in focus and a new team, you can still see pieces of Carli's Heart Story flowing through the images, including the adventure wardrobe, the natural fabrics, and her easy-going nature.

With her newfound freedom in having a business that was bringing in the clients that had seemed impossible just months before, she was excited about what was coming next. There were mostly two things on her mind: 

1. She and her husband were ready to have a baby. How can you do that when you're working 80 hours a week in the business you love while your husband is a full-time student?

2. As she unraveled the mysteries of brand strategy for herself, she realized something: other designers didn't know this stuff, and they were trapped charging an unlivable wage. It was painful to remember her own experiences of that.

Unrelated as the two seemed, she had ideas. Ideas for how these two all-consuming thoughts would intersect in the future of her business. To learn what happened next, continue reading her journey in Chapter 2.