See the work for yourself.
When SWD brought me in, they weren’t looking for a rebrand—they were looking for a stronger connection with their customers. Their products had earned a premium reputation, but in a market where buying decisions often came down to price, the value behind the brand wasn’t coming through. What we discovered was that SWD’s greatest differentiators weren’t missing at all. They already existed in the way the company operated, supported contractors, and approached innovation. The challenge wasn’t creating a new identity—it was uncovering the story that had always been there and giving the business the language to communicate it consistently.
Business Challenges
- Premium spray foam manufacturer competing in a market where purchasing decisions were often driven by price.
- Despite decades of technical expertise, custom formulation capabilities, and exceptional customer support, these differentiators weren’t clearly communicated.
- Marketing focused heavily on products rather than the experience, expertise, and service customers actually valued.
- Leadership wanted to strengthen customer loyalty, create consistency across the organization, and give the sales team a stronger story to tell.
Solutions
- Led a company-wide brand workshop to uncover the values, stories, and customer experience that already existed within the organization.
- Interviewed stakeholders across departments to identify what consistently set SWD apart in the field.
- Developed a new brand story centered around SWD’s commitment to spray foam, technical expertise, and customer partnership.
- Defined the company’s value proposition, messaging pillars, and brand positioning.
- Repositioned product marketing to communicate business value rather than technical specifications alone.
- Built messaging frameworks for leadership, marketing, sales, recruiting, and customer communications.
- Created brand guidelines to improve consistency across internal teams and external creative partners.
- Directed trade show messaging, product launches, social media strategy, website messaging, sales collateral, and customer-facing marketing materials.
- Continued advising leadership as Fractional Brand Director, ensuring every customer touchpoint reflected the new positioning.
1st House Impact
- Shifted conversations from competing on price to communicating long-term value.
- Unified messaging across marketing, sales, technical support, and leadership.
- Increased engagement across social media and trade show conversations.
- Made it easier for the marketing team and creative partners to produce consistent, on-brand content.
- Created a scalable messaging system that supports future product launches and business growth.
- Built enough strategic value that the initial engagement evolved into an ongoing Fractional Brand Director partnership.
New Culture wasn’t competing against other cheese brands—it was introducing an entirely new category. The product delivered the taste, texture, and stretch of traditional dairy cheese without using cows, but explaining how it worked without overwhelming or alienating consumers was the challenge. Our role was to transform complex food technology into a story people could understand, trust, and get excited about.
Business Challenges
- Introduce a completely new category of dairy cheese made with animal-free casein.
- Build consumer confidence around an unfamiliar production process.
- Differentiate New Culture from plant-based and vegan cheese alternatives.
- Develop messaging that balanced scientific credibility with emotional appeal.
- Create a messaging framework the internal marketing team could scale as the company grew.
Solutions
- Facilitated a brand strategy workshop with the leadership team at New Culture’s Bay Area headquarters.
- Identified the product’s strongest differentiators through collaborative discovery sessions.
- Clarified New Culture’s brand positioning within the alternative dairy market.
- Developed the brand story, value proposition, and messaging pillars.
- Simplified complex biotechnology into messaging consumers could quickly understand.
- Positioned the product as real dairy cheese—made differently, not an imitation.
- Developed the core messaging platform, including the tagline “Cow cheese, without the cow.”
- Delivered comprehensive brand messaging guidelines to support marketing, communications, and future growth.
1st House Impact
- Established a clear messaging strategy for an emerging food technology company.
- Differentiated New Culture from traditional plant-based and vegan cheese brands.
- Equipped the internal brand team with a scalable messaging framework.
- Created consistency across website copy, social media, press materials, and brand communications.
- Helped translate technical innovation into consumer-friendly language that reinforced the company’s mission.
When Selena first reached out, her goal was simple: get more clients. She was running her esthetics business from home, relying primarily on social media to attract new appointments, but growth had plateaued. As we worked together, it became clear that what made her business special wasn’t the services she offered—it was the experience she was creating. From the alternative décor and curated music to the welcoming environment she had naturally built, Selena wasn’t trying to recreate the traditional spa experience. She was creating a space where people who often felt out of place elsewhere could finally feel at home. Rather than broadening her appeal, we leaned into it—defining her ideal client, strengthening her positioning around “Esthetician for All,” and building a brand that spoke directly to the community she wanted to serve.
Business Challenges
- Grow a home-based esthetics business into a recognizable brand.
- Stand out in a crowded market where services alone weren’t enough to differentiate.
- Attract loyal clients by building a stronger emotional connection.
- Create a brand foundation that could support future growth.
Solutions
- Defined a value proposition rooted in the experience Selena was already creating.
- Transformed “Esthetician for All” from a slogan into a clear brand promise centered on inclusivity, safety, and belonging.
- Encouraged Selena to embrace the LGBTQ+, alternative, and goth communities she naturally connected with instead of trying to market to everyone.
- Developed the brand story, messaging pillars, and strategic messaging guidelines.
- Continued as Selena’s Brand Advisor, helping guide key business decisions, growth initiatives, the opening of her Downtown Mesa studio, the transition from SlizSkin to Studio Selena, and her expansion into San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora.
1st House Impact
- Built a brand that clients connected with long before booking an appointment.
- Strengthened customer loyalty by embracing a clearly defined community instead of broadening the audience.
- Created a strategic foundation that continues to guide marketing and business decisions.
- Supported the successful evolution from a home-based business to an established studio brand across two markets.
- Established a long-term advisory partnership that continues to evolve alongside the business.
When Alexandra approached me, she wanted to launch an online fashion brand but felt overwhelmed by the number of decisions ahead of her. From product selection and suppliers to positioning and aesthetics, every option seemed possible. Without a clear brand strategy, every decision felt equally valid.
Rather than starting with products, we defined the brand first. By establishing a clear point of view and customer experience, every decision that followed—from sourcing to visual identity—became intentional, consistent, and aligned with the vision.
Business Challenges
- Refining offers
- Creative direction
- Marketing strategy
- Customer experience
- Sales messaging
- Partnerships
- Brand decisions
Solutions
- Defined the long-term vision and positioning for the brand.
- Identified Alexandra’s personal style as the brand’s greatest competitive advantage.
- Positioned Casa Clover as a curated destination for elevated occasion wear.
- Developed the creative strategy that guided product selection, customer experience, and visual direction.
- Refined the story behind Casa Clover and its promise, “Wear Your Luck. Leave an Impression.”
- Created visual brand principles through curated mood boards.
- Directed the visual identity with a trusted designer and aligned the web developer around the brand strategy.
- Advised product sourcing decisions to ensure vendors and collections reflected the intended positioning.
- Continued serving as Alexandra’s Brand Advisor as the business evolved.
1st House Impact
- Replaced uncertainty with a clear strategic direction.
- Transformed a broad concept into a focused fashion brand.
- Created consistency across product selection, visual identity, and customer experience.
- Enabled creative partners to execute from a shared brand strategy.
- Established a strategic foundation that continues to guide the brand’s growth.