Build a Better Brand Digital Workshop
Quickly customize the 5 essential pillars of a strong brand
Immediately become the master of your marketing and outshine your competition by intentionally building a clear, cohesive and timeless brand inspired by your passion, authenticity and truth.
Without having to learn trendy marketing tactics, tackling technology, or hiring an expensive advertising agency.
Creating a brand strategy that works for your business is not a job reserved for expensive experts and agencies—it is reserved for you.
No one knows your business better than you do, no one knows your clientele better than you do, and no one else feels the source of your passion like you do.
Learn my step-by-step process for building a strong brand based on purpose, clarity, and connection.
Are you a small business owner, solo-preneur, or craftsman looking to scale your business by reaching more customers while feeling 100% confident in your marketing and sales abilities?
Then you already know that your messaging needs to clearly communicate your business to people who need and want your products/services.
You know that an effective marketing strategy will help you reach more ideal customers in a shorter period of time. And how much time coming up with that strategy can take.
You also know that advertising works! But how quickly you can burn through your budget without really knowing exactly what type of medium converts.
Here’s what you might not know…
Your business already has a brand—whether you’ve intentionally created it or not.
A brand is not a logo, a website, your social media presence, or signage… it’s all of it, and then some! But mostly, it is the overall impression your business makes on consumers which allows them to know what to expect, distinguishing you from your competition. It is how you make them feel, if and how they feel connected to your business, how they speak about your business, and how loyal they become.
Most entrepreneurs don’t spend a lot of time planning out their brand.
But, if you put a little bit of time and effort into intentionally crafting your brand and properly organizing it for your ideal audience, you’ll quickly reap the rewards. Building your brand helps you convey your company’s quality, credibility, value, and experience.
Great branding has always been one of the keys to entrepreneurial success—even personal brands—but today it’s more important than ever.
- 90% of users expect to have the same branding across all platforms/channels
… and...
- 91% of consumers would rather buy from an authentic brand
… however...
- 71% of companies list customer confusion as the biggest negative impact of an inconsistent brand
… and...
- Bad brand aesthetics caused 52% of consumers not to buy from a company
… therefore…
Your business’ messaging NEEDS cohesion throughout every area—visually, verbally, aesthetically, and emotionally—both externally and internally.
Even though the reasons to carefully craft your business’ brand are obvious, the process involved in actually creating one successfully is anything but.
Small business makes an incredible impact in the lives of so many people, but owning one is still the path less traveled.
Hours, days, weeks and years feel longer—yet pride, perseverance, faith and courage feel so much greater. Especially as a solo-preneur.
Powered by something deep inside, you have a passion that can’t be matched. You know your purpose, you know the impact you are here to make—but you also know the risks. Yet you act despite fear.
Your fuel has become my fuel. It’s helped to shine a light on my purpose—to listen to and understand a business owners’ calling and transform it into an authentic, meaningful brand that tells their story to the people who need to hear it most. Your current and future customers who want and need your products/services are the very people who are going to keep your business in business.
One small business, one small brand, one small story, can have one BIG impact.
Not only are your customers’ lives improved, you are also impacting the lives of your employees, allowing them to fulfill their unique calling in a workplace that appreciates them; and, the families they come home to; and, the businesses they buy from to put food on their table and clothes on their backs; and, the experiences and adventures that grow the minds of their children.
The ripple effect your small business has is tremendous. Your idea, your sweat-equity, your passion is making a world of difference! And when you’re wearing too many hats this fact can be easy to forget.
They say that about 20% of small businesses fail within their first year, and almost half close their doors by their fifth year. And while there are a great many reasons that can happen, I’m here to focus on one: branding. Professional logos, websites, advertising campaigns can cost upwards of $5,000-100,000+! And if you’re just starting out, you probably feel like your money can be better spent on things that actually run the business: employees, rent, goods, etc. You just need a logo before you order a sign and some copy before building your website. But what needs to happen BEFORE creating any content related to marketing, is not something to be overlooked. You may only see the logo, sign, and website, but oh is there sooo much more hidden behind the scenes.
Have you ever wondered how your competition always seems to send out the right message at the right time, swiping your customers out from under your feet?
Or how they confidently boast their business unapologetically? You’re probably noticing because you wish you were doing it, too. Wondering what they have that you don’t.
Their confidence comes from having clarity. And clarity comes from competency. I don’t mean competency in your craft, you obviously have that, I mean competency in you. Knowing you, knowing the why behind your passion, knowing not what you sell but the results you create.
Competency creates clarity.
Clarity creates confidence.
Confidence attracts customers.
Even with the best intentions, most new solo-preneurs end up abandoning the process of creating an intentional brand, allowing competitors to swoop in while they remain side-lined.
- They fall victim to high-budget advertising agency fees.
- They get sidetracked running operations and managing a team.
- They allow themselves to get busy working IN the business instead of ON the business, finding themselves falling back into the rhythm of their skill or trade.
- They have a lack of clarity around the importance of a cohesive brand, and exactly what they need to do to create one.
Here’s how this is irreversibly crippling. As a busy entrepreneur with customers to serve and services to fulfill, you literally can’t afford to veer off course. The moment you let your guard down while your brand story is written by someone else, is the moment you’ve lost control, making it that much more difficult (and expensive) to change perceptions.
Intentionally building a clear, cohesive and timeless brand for your business is something you need to get right the first time.
And luckily for you, there are very few small businesses out there doing this right. They’ve gotten caught up in the operations, working day-by-day, not taking a step back to see the influence they’ve had as a whole. Nor are they paying attention to what they’re putting out there, making sure it is a true reflection of who they are and who they want to be known as. Surface-level marketing yields surface-level (and short-term) results.
Which means, there is still a golden opportunity for you to jump in, clean up the mess, and become the master of your marketing using a step-by-step process so you don’t get stuck.
Three mistaken beliefs you need to shift now to immediately become the master of your brand and outshine your competition.
“Branding my business well isn’t going to pay the bills.”
You are absolutely right, taking time to carefully brand your business is not going to pay your bills, you are.
But who is paying you?
How do they feel about paying you?
Are they excited, or are they reluctantly giving you their credit card, possibly never to return?
And what are they telling their friends and family about their experience with your business?
You may think that “if you build it, they will come.” Some may, but most will not. Just being open isn’t enough, you have to be open to providing an authentically aligned experience that leaves your customers wanting and NEEDING more.
Most entrepreneurs approach creating their brand as just another “thing to learn.” But the thing is, you can’t treat branding as just another “strategy” or “system.” It’s an immensely valuable (and fragile) project that when done right, can earn you revenue over the course of your business’ lifetime.
Therefore… branding your business well IS going to pay your bills… and then some.
“My product/service is fantastic, and it’s priced right! It doesn’t matter how ‘pretty’ it is.”
I’m sure your service is fantastic, you’ve poured your heart and soul into your business to get it off the ground! You’ve worked long hours, sacrificed time with your family, your friends, and ut-oh, your own self-care.
So now you’ve got to just “get it out there.” You’ve got to market. What is marketing?
The American Marketing Association dubs it “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
Sounds simple enough, right? You’ve already created your offerings, you’re currently selling them, you know they are valuable (because you’ve gotten reviews/testimonials), and you’re ready to make some real money! Naturally, it is time to market your business!
This is usually when clients come knocking on MY virtual door. They need help with their marketing, because what they’ve done hasn’t worked and what they’re trying to do is sucking up valuable time. They come looking for a play-by-play on how to get more customers and leads, but what they don’t expect are all the questions.
Why do I ask so many questions? Because I’m in the communication business. My goal is to help my clients communicate effectively about their business to the people who need them most.
You can talk about your business all day long to everyone you encounter, but without communicating a concise message that your ideal audience will resonate with, you’re going to burn out quickly and overspend your marketing budget—only to wonder why it didn’t work… or worse, blame it on something external like your ad rep or billboard company.
Branding is an inside job.
Before you can market yourself, you need to know what message to communicate.
You can’t craft a message without knowing where you stand in the marketplace—your niche—or your ideal audience, because you’ll want to speak their language.
And the absolute best way to get to the bottom of identifying your niche and ideal audience is one word: Why?
I’ve asked hundreds of clients over the last two decades the same sets of questions in the same order, to get to the point where I’m able to create original, strong, timeless visual brands for them… brands that work! I sit down with my clients, one-on-one, and get uncomfortably deep, quickly! Because it is my job to make sure their business is a true, authentic reflection of them.
And while their products and services ARE fantastic, “getting it out there” effectively—both verbally and visually—takes careful planning and deep understanding.
“How I market isn’t going to ‘make or break’ my business.”
You’ve made your business, you created something from nothing! So how can you keep it together? Marketing, my friend. And there is no better form of marketing than word-of-mouth. When was the last time you told your friend or family about a product or service without showing them a picture, a website, a store-front? Or, at the very least told them about an experience or interaction that felt special to you. That is branding… the feeling you got, the feeling you are SO compelled to share!
And I’d dare say that business knows that being consistent and understanding their clients’ pain points and doing a good job of expressing how they ease them had everything to do with you spreading the word... While topping it all off with a look that’s easy on the eyes.
Now you may be asking, “What does knowing ME have to do with branding and marketing my business?”
I dare to say, everything.
As an entrepreneur, you started your business for a reason. A reason over-and-above wanting to make money, perhaps a reason that allows you to have the lifestyle you want, on your own terms, in your own way, without answering to a boss. The fuel that powers your business every day is the very thing you are most passionate about that. Without that fire inside of you, you’d be quite content going to work for someone else every day, leaving ideas at the door when you get home, loathing Monday mornings.
Your business is undoubtedly a reflection of you, therefore YOU are the best person to create the brand.
The future of your business is worth it.
Allow yourself to take the time to dive deep and identify and define the brand at your core, at your business’ core. You’ll achieve more peace of mind when marketing, you’ll feel more confident with your selling process, and generate more income and impact as your business scales to true profitability.
You are the perfect person to bring your brand to life. Only you have the capability to write your own business’ brand story. An effort that will never go in vain, as it will help you make quicker business decisions, it will help you narrow down advertising mediums to the most effective for your audience, it will clarify your messaging to your most ideal customer, and empower your employees to become excited messengers.
ENROLL NOW
I’m your instructor, Maria Traino
In my experience, one’s business is a reflection of one’s self.
My childhood and early adult life was spent in a third-generation family restaurant. It still is a business run by my parents, who are relentlessly proud of serving the community. They are serving not just a meal, but a place for camaraderie, friendships, stories, relaxation, and laughter. My grandfather always told my father, who always told my sisters and I: We treat everyone who comes in here the same, whether it’s the president or our neighbor. Service has been part of every day of my life. My entire adult life was dedicated to learning, developing, and using my skills of creative thinking and graphic design—the one thing I seemed to be best at. When I chose the field of study, a friend of mine said “why would you want to be a graphic designer, they’re a dime a dozen?” I’m so glad I didn’t listen to them.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, To inspire means to fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
People inspire me, they always have. Their dreams, their stories, their passions, their motivation, the way they act on their ideas and the difference they make in the world. Their unrelenting ability to always find their center, their true north, and keep trudging on, no matter the challenges—not just in business, but in life. Every single person possesses this drive, somewhere deep inside, whether they know it or not. No matter who I meet, more often than not I’m able to see something in them and wonder if they see it too. I wonder if they’re happy. I wonder if they’re listening to their hearts, acting on the thing that brings them the greatest joy. And wonder if they’ve turned that passion into a career that offers at least a little bit of financial benefit. And if they’re not, I wonder why. What’s holding them back? Societal pressures? Self-doubt? Lack of confidence? Maybe a lack of introspection, not even knowing their passion.
You’re here because you’ve done it! You’ve tapped into your highest potential, you’ve followed your passion, you’ve taken inspired action and work relentlessly to make your dreams come true.
You, the fearless entrepreneur, are my greatest muse. You are the reason, when I decided to turn my passion into a business—when I merged my life of service with my skill for design—I chose the word “inspired.”
At Inspired Studio, I’ve worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, CEOs, Marketing Directors, and craftsman who were oozing with passion. I’ve spent thousands of hours listening and tens of thousands of hours pouring my skills into bringing their dreams of beautiful brands to life. What a gift it has been to be invited into their world, into their business—exposed to their greatest hopes and fears—in order to craft a visual brand that expresses their true self to their most ideal audience. By working together, the outcome inevitably becomes greater than the sum of the individual parts.
I’m grateful every day to be able to do what I love, to collaborate with visionaries to create something authentic, something intentional, something inspired.
An intuitive process that aligns your true passion and purpose with crystal-clear messaging, bringing your timeless brand to your ideal audience with ease while outshining your competition.
I’ve taken everything I’ve learned from spending tens of thousands of hours over the last 15 years of working with entrepreneurs, and channeled it into a comprehensive, step-by-step program that clarifies an authentic, intentional brand inspired by your passion. Build a Better Brand Workshop is the first of its kind that…
Helps you uncover your Why: Knowing the passion behind your purpose will be your true North when you get stuck. There’s not a business (or marketing) decision that can’t be simplified when you’re reminded why you started your business in the first place.
Defines your Marketplace Niche: Determined by either your why or ideal audience, knowing where you stand in the marketplace will help you position your messaging in a way that leaves you without competition.
Intimately introduces your Ideal Audience: There are people out there needing, praying, and hoping for your product or service. We’ll get to know who they are, what fuels their desires, and why it’s important to speak their language.
Engages Emotions: How your audience feels is the best way to connect with your ideal audience on a deeper level, building that trust and oh-so-sought-after brand loyalty.
Masters your Marketing: After identifying and defining the key ingredients, this final recipe brings your “better brand” to the table—time and time again.
The end result: A clear and steady foundation from which to build your own brand that has no competition, ready to be profited from for the rest of your entrepreneurial life.
So, if you’re ready to finally start marketing with ease and attracting ideal buyers while saving time and advertising costs, here’s how we’ll get you there.
You will uncover your greatest differentiation factor, and how to use it to connect with your best clientele.
You will be introduced to your ideal clientele—you’ll get to know them as well as you know your best friend.
You will identify and define your business’ personality, allowing you to harness the power of human connection.
You will become a master of your messaging, always knowing what to say and when—no longer wondering if you’re being understood.
You will receive five worksheets designed to walk you step-by-step through the same process I’ve used for dozens of clients to design authentic brands.
Happiness Guaranteed
I know you’re investing your funds and your time, and I want to guarantee that what you learn at the Build Your Better Brand is totally worth it. It’s a tried and true method of getting to the root of your business’ truth for entrepreneurs who are excited and COMMITTED about creating a strong brand. After spending time with the 5 lessons, you’ll have everything you need to do just that. If you try the course, do the work, and still aren’t completely satisfied with what you’ve learned, send us an email showing us that you tried, and we’ll gladly issue a refund.
"Going into this, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I just thought I'd answer a few questions about my business and think of what I wanted my logo to look like. But that wasn’t it at all, it was much more. Right from the beginning the workbooks were great, it really made me stop and think about what I wanted my business to be, the actual brand for my shop moving forward!"
Joe Miller
Handcrafted Custom Woodworking
Are you ready to Build a Better Brand for your business?
Here's what you're getting when you enroll today:
BUILD A BETTER BRAND DIGITAL COURSE: $997 VALUE
• 5 Training Modules, from harnessing the power of your uniqueness to mastering your messaging
• 7 Video trainings
• More than 30 pages of fillable PDF worksheets
• 4 swipeable messaging formulas
BONUS #1: Pre-designed Brand Guide PowerPoint Template (Value: $297)
- Your Brand Guide becomes your “brand bible” used to make sure everyone who touches your brand will be on the same page… literally.
- Gorgeously designed, easy to edit, PPT template to use to compile your answers from the Workshop.
BONUS #2: Private, Facebook Group (Value: $47/mo.)
But when you enroll today, you’ll get access to everything for just:
How to know if you’re ready to intentionally create a stronger brand for your business, using my proven step-by-step method:
1. You've just started your business, online or otherwise, and you want to do it right the first time. You know who you are, you know the impact you can make, and you don't want to waste time promoting yourself half-way.
2. You've been in business for 1-3ish years, you've bootstrapped your first look and now you know what's working and what isn't. You've shifted your business over time, and now you are finally ready to invest in a look that is up to your standards!
3. Investors have your back. This thing HAS to work! You've got some money to invest in publicity, but what you don't have is time to waste.
4. Your business is your life. Your business is your future. It's your passion. You've poured every fiber of your being into it, but something still doesn't feel right. You're ready to uplevel, but you're just looking for the next step.
5. You've already invested in a designer or web designer and they're still not getting it right. You've thought to yourself, "is it me? Am I not communicating clearly enough?" You might not be. I can help you.
6. You don't fancy yourself a sales-person and struggle to find the words to tell others about your business. Finally knowing exactly what to say, and to whom, will be a game-changer for you!
7. You have the time to dedicate to introspection and creative thinking... time to work ON your business instead of IN it.
If you’ve said “yes” to at least three of the 7 above, I can’t wait to meet you inside Build a Better Brand Digital Workshop!
Frequently Asked Questions
While it ABSOLUTELY will spark some inspiration, this course has nothing to do with design. This course was created to teach you everything you need to communicate about your business BEFORE you create a logo, BEFORE you choose colors and typography, BEFORE you write the copy.
What you will achieve is the foundational elements for EVERYTHING else to be built upon.
What I can say is this: You'll be able to use your final brand bible as a tool to negotiate a great logo design rate, copy writing rate, etc—because you'll be equip with THE tool that will allow them to "get" you.
Been there!
Trust me, no one knows how hard it is to write, design, create for your own business than me! It IS hard! It feels impossible to be biased. But, what I can tell you is, I’ve used the same process I use on my clients for myself. And I found that I knew way more than I gave myself credit for.
Did I mention lifetime access?
You can access the course in your own time and tackle the worksheets at your own pace. As a self-study workshop, this is completely in your control. And! It is step-by-step and simplified enough to power through over a weekend if you wanted to binge watch. And if you have a team, feel free to include them!
I believe in you.
And I believe in the gifts you were given. I believe you have them for a purpose. And if you’ve made it this far, my hunch is that you believe this, too. There are people out there who need what you have, but if they don’t know about you you’re doing them a disservice.
I’ve got you covered, including specific questions, prompts, lists to circle, and fill-in-the-blanks.
How much are you spending
on a TV subscription?
I don’t know about you, but I pay way too much. I also get sucked into giving it too much of my time. Why not invest a little money and time into something that you’ll actually see a return on? You’ll make more money, AND more impact. And get to know yourself a little more in the process.
