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Until as recently as a last year, I used to rush to my desk every morning straight from school run. Diligently attending to my to do list and squeezing every ounce of productivity out of my day. The harder I worked the more successful I’d be, right..? It's how I'd been taught to think and act all of my life. I'd never questioned it even when I moved away from a finance role to follow a creative vocation instead. It was ALL about working hard and generating output. Others would wax lyrical about the benefits of getting out into nature. But if I went for a walk, I’d feel guilty about the emails waiting for replies in my inbox and the creative projects I should be making traction on. And I'd feel guilty about my husband slaving away at his desk downstairs. I just didn't get 'it'. But then things started to shift. As I put more and more pressure on myself to be able to create on demand, I felt hairline cracks start to appear. First of all I started to experience periods of overwhelm and anxiety, with projects starting to feel harder and take longer than maybe they should have. I was overthinking, overanalysing and being overly critical of my output, but it was manageable and no one would have noticed from the outside. But then I got proper creative block on a project... It just wasn’t flowing and the more I pushed my energy on it, the harder it became. I spent hours second guessing myself and going round in circles. I worried I wasn’t going to be able to deliver, even though I knew I always did. The stress of it all made me ill and I could see that rather than being a slave to another business, I’d just become a slave to myself: I realised that forcing my energy was not the pathway for unlocking flow and that I had to take ownership so that I could do my best work for my clients. I realised that if I wasn’t looking after myself in mind, body and spirit, then actually I was doing a disservice to my clients. It was a call to arms to face into my conditioning - I had to work at breaking the old corporate working practices that weren’t serving me any longer. I had to start honouring my energy instead. I used to walk for exercise alone but now I start most mornings in the forest. I'm there to clear my head and fill my creative cup so it’s ready to pour freely over my projects. It’s a non negotiable and it's been a revelation for my business - As I started to look after myself and my energy, my projects became easier and inspiration would hit more often and more strongly. Plus people and opportunities started to come out of nowhere. Self-care is not a luxury We all have people in our lives that don't understand what it is to work for yourself. People who might comment frequently about the ‘luxury of being able to take time off’ and that ‘we can’t all escape to the forest or beach whenever we want’. I’m learning to allow these judgements to wash over me rather than to dictate my actions as I once did. I say that lightly, because shedding the cloak of our conditioning and other peoples expectations doesn’t come easily - It’s HARD WORK and a continual battle in self worth. It means valuing ourselves enough to prioritise practices that help with our emotional and physical well-being, and that is not something that comes easily. In general it doesn’t come easily to women of my generation who were raised to be 'good girls' and conform to expectations. Learning to look after ourselves without feeling guilty about having time for yourself (however you want to spend that time) takes a lot of work...but it's a beautiful unfurling process. For those of you who are not into 'the woo', the story ends here, a happy story of shedding old working habits and finding my way back to nature to unlock my creativity. Woo lovers, continue with me since I'm going to reflect on how this was all written into my Human Design chart ready for me to discover when the time was right. Unlocking inner radiance When I discovered Human Design and started delving into the Gene Keys (a spin off of HD), this experience all made so much sense because it’s all there (as of course it would be) - scripted into my chart and in particular into my Radiance Sphere. The Radiance sphere governs your physical, emotional and mental health and is a source of great personal vitality if you're living in alignment with your design…or the opposite if you are not. I have Gene Key 15 in my Radiance Sphere which is the energy for aligning with natural rhythms and pace of life. It’s all about connection to the natural world, fluidity, honouring ebb & flow, celebrating seasons, and nurturing the mind, body and soul connection. Honouring and working with the 15 unlocks the highest expression of Magnetism, but forcing my energy and disconnecting from nature is a spiral into the shadow state of Dullness - which is exactly how I’d describe that creative block when it hit... Just becoming aware of this has been so reassuring for me and means I know what to do to come back into balance when I'm feeling off-kilter, so I can get back to doing what I love sooner. I can’t begin to explain how much I love delving into this stuff and sharing it with people who are open to it. It’s like a magic formula for ‘doing you’ - in life and in business - and I can feel the huge potential for us small business owners to integrate this into our brand, marketing, messaging and offers. If you're curious too, you can register interest on the sign up on this page. With heart, Lucy x Explore the Blog About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Book a Human Design Reading | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand.

Is your website (or lack thereof) holding you back from enthusiastically sharing your message with the world? When you set about to build a business, it may feel like an uphill slog because there is so much to do. In fact, creating your website and brand may feel like a mountain all in itself, which is totally understandable if you’ve never done it before and you’re not quite sure how to navigate the path. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed or frustrated at your lack of progress in this area, then trust me when I say you’re definitely not alone. So you can stop beating yourself up. I find so many of us get stuck looking up at the enormity what lies ahead, that it can be easy to fall into one of two situations: A) continue to procrastinate on building their brand / website and invest all their energies in social media and hope referrals don't dry up. B) settle for a brand / website that has been serving a purpose but that deep down doesn’t really reflect what they’re all about. Both of which mean that you’re never really giving your business full permission to grow because subconsciously you’re holding back… The kind of things we tell ourselves: “Once I’ve completed this course, THEN I’ll feel ready to create my online presence” ‘’When I finally get my website sorted, THEN I’ll lean into opportunities’’ ‘’Once my brand is in place, THAT'S WHEN I’ll launch my new offer’’ People who come to me looking for help with their branding / website have decided it’s finally time to take action, but for most it’s been a bit of a journey…of procrastination and trial and error…to get to the point of actually hitting ‘send’ on my contact form. Now let me tell you right now that I love it when that email pops into my inbox, because here’s the thing: Having a website or online presence in itself is not the final destination, it’s just base camp at the foot of the climb. And when you arrive at base camp, that’s when the actual hard work in marketing and building your business REALLY starts. That’s when you have to actually promote what you do and why people should work with you. And let me tell you, it’s a whole lot easier to do that confidently when you have a professional online presence behind you. So that email in my inbox marks the start of a new chapter of taking inspired action, whether or not we go on to work together. My advice? Get to base camp as gently as possible. Lay concrete foundations for growth so that you can crack on with the main event. Don’t wait for all of your stars or ducks to align, because your brand, website and message are going to evolve anyway. Finding someone to entrust with your brand If you’re not sure how to navigate the path to base camp, then find someone who has experience in the area to gently and compassionately guide you along the way. Find someone you can trust with your brand; someone who is going to look after you along the route and who will take your project personally. A designer who knows how much this means to you, rather than someone who is just going through the motions and shepherding you along a website production line. If about now you’re thinking ‘I’m only just getting started, I don’t need a website or brand yet’ Once upon a time it was perfectly possible to build your business up for a few years before creating a website or brand, but I feel those days have gone. Why? Because our expectations....consumer expectations...have changed. How many times have you made an instant decision about whether or not to work with someone based on the first impression of their website (or lack thereof)? We do it all the time. It’s human nature. If a website doesn’t immediately grab our attention and inspire confidence, then we simply move on to the next one that does. If you’re a credible, trustworthy service-based business, then the reality now is that people expect you to have the basics of a website and brand behind you. You may also think that you can get by just with social media…but it’s a risky approach. Accounts are hacked or deleted by Meta every day, and that puts your entire business at risk if social media is your primary source of leads. At this point I want to say that getting the basics in place doesn’t have to cost the earth, and it’s important to take the approach that’s right for where you’re at in your business. Which may range from doing it yourself to full custom design, or anywhere in between. However you decide to approach it, my main hope is that you can conquer any procrastination or overwhelm you’ve been experiencing, to take inspired action towards growing the business of your dreams. If you need any guidance in this area, please know my door is always open to you. I’d be honoured if I could in any way illuminate your path or hold your hand through the process. With heart, Lucy x Explore the Blog About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Book a Human Design Reading | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand

With the playing field for small businesses shape shifting by the month, one thing is for certain when instability is the norm… And that is : Having a sound understanding of who you are and what you stand for will serve you well and act as your inner compass. Your brand story Your brand story is essentially the story of who you are, what you stand for, why you do what you do and who you help. It describes how your business came to be and why people should care about it. It’s something that I dive into with my clients because you need a firm handle on this before going into the first stages of brand  or website design. It can be so easy though to get stuck thinking that your brand story is just one tune, which you define once and then reel off over and over again. When in fact, you can instead be singing from a whole hymn sheet. The elements of your brand story It's useful here to outline what actually makes up your brand story. Branding experts all have different ways of approaching this, but I like a simple format best: Act 1 : Brand Journey / The path that led you to here: Back Story - context setting Story - your pivotal ‘ah ha moment’ Lesson - what you learnt in that moment Act 2: Brand Identity / The what, why, how of now as a result of this: Values - guiding beliefs Mission / purpose - reason for existing Vision - aspiration for the future Strategy - how you align your actions to your mission / vision What I see is that sometimes people get caught up in trying to pinpoint one specific moment in Act 1… The truth is there probably isn’t just one perfectly positioned epiphany event where the stars aligned and you knew to the depths of your soul what you had to do in business. Release the pressure to fit yourself nicely into a pigeon hole. Your path to here is a culmination of all of the defining moments and beautiful experiences (whether happy or painful) that have shaped you and brought you to now. The moments that have made you question the status quo and think “it doesn’t have to be this way, it can be better”. The experiences that have irked you and lit a fire under your arse to do something different - to create positive change. “I can do this!” If you reflect, there will be defining moments from all stages of your life which will be relevant for your brand journey. Clarity wins In many instances, on your website for example, you do want to wrap this message up into a succinct statement, because clarity wins and we need people onboard before we lose their attention... But elsewhere in your marketing, why not spread your wings and experiment a little with your storytelling? Stories are the ties that bind us humans together and create connection after all. So peppering your marketing with all of the relevant personal experiences and 'ah ha moments' that have defined you will make your message more meaningful and memorable. Release yourself from a script The big brands spend thousands defining their brand story, and they stick to it. One story to rule them all. As a small business owner you make your brand and your story is constantly evolving with you. The ability to dance with your message is your super power - don’t feel the need to stick to a script! Depending on what you’re talking about, certain parts of your brand journey will be more relevant than others, lean into that. Don't let your brand story define you. You define your brand story. Embody the whole of you in your message. With heart, Lucy About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Book a Human Design Reading | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand.

I was on Facebook just recently and a particular post caught my eye which I found really interesting and wanted to explore today through this blog post… Someone had posted to say that they were irritated by other women showing up on Instagram and talking about being 'authentic and genuine', while using a face enhancing filter on their videos. As if this were the ultimate in inauthenticity. This post had prompted a stream of comments in agreement, which - to be honest - I was a bit surprised at. Because lots of us wear make up don’t we? And you could say that’s a little like using filters. Does that make us inauthentic because we’re hiding our imperfections from the world? I don’t think so. I believe we are beautiful with or with make-up… With or without filters…. But if a woman (or anyone for that matter) feels the need to apply makeup or use a filter for some added confidence to show up and shine, then that’s ok in my books! Whatever it takes I say! Does being authentic mean having to show up 'warts and all'? It got me thinking today about authenticity because it’s a term that’s banded around a lot in the small business world. And as a photographer and visual designer, this is also a subject I ponder often, because I create ‘pretty things’ so that people can stand out, but for me it’s so much more than the visuals. Does it make my photographs inauthentic because I edit the shots from my personal branding shoots? Should I be encouraging my clients to be showing up ‘warts and all’ instead? No! When someone books me, they are booking a professional experience and they expect to receive professional looking images that show them in their best light. I’m sorry to the authenticity police…but that does involve some editing to brighten and subtly enhance. It NEVER includes body morphing, however. Because authenticity runs much deeper than the visuals doesn’t it!? It’s not just about pretty photos, visuals and branding. And it’s not about whether you choose to wear make up or use a filter on your videos. Authenticity is about showing up as yourself and sharing what you know to be true for you. At the deepest level. It’s about unlocking and sharing the message that’s deep in your heart. And not being scared to stand up for it… So long as we’re doing that, does it really matter what we look like?! And is it anyone else’s business whether we choose to use an Instagram filter or go the natural route by slicking on some red lippy and finding a lovely patch of front-lighting to soften the laughter lines? No. Whatever it takes to do your stuff, JUST KEEP DOING IT. I’ll be cheering you all the way! I’d love to know your take on this. What does authenticity mean to you? And do you judge people as inauthentic for choosing to use a filter? With heart, Lucy About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Human Design for Business | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand.

I feel a shift slowly taking place in the way we market our businesses, which feels exciting to me. Automated sales funnels, trip wire products, upsells, conversion metrics and of course the old faithful 'free webinar plus the pivot and pitch moment' have been the cornerstones of many marketing plans in recent years. ...but I sense collectively we’re growing tired of these tactics? Just like 90's cargo trousers and crop tops, things come in waves and there has been a cloud of largely masculine energy dominating marketing in general for many years now. I’m not just talking about the above tactics or pushy "bro marketing techniques" here. I’m also talking about the cookie cutter approach and the generally upheld view of the ‘best way’ to market your business. It's no wonder that it feels like everyone is starting to sound the same... How do you stand out in a world where everyone is doing the same? Not by doing more of the same, that's for sure. Maybe a different approach is called for now...? It feels that maybe it’s time for a touch of the feminine in our marketing to return to balance? What might feminine marketing energy look like? Feminine energy is free flowing, creative, intuitive and not bound by rules in the way of masculine energy, so it might look a bit like... Harnessing intuition and acting in response Embracing our humanness in our business Marketing in a style that feels authentic to you Celebrating true individuality and self expression Nourishing the person behind the business Sound good so far? You're my kind of person! Let's explore! Leaning into intuitive marketing We’re not robots but it feels like we’ve been operating as robots when it comes to automated sales funnels and conversion metrics. Behind those conversation metrics are real people, with real stories and lives. Real hopes and dreams. Yes, there is a place for webinars, trip wire offers, lead magnets and all of that (I love a lead magnet!), but maybe it’s also time to lean more into intuition? To feel into what people need to hear in the moment? It’s our superpower after all, but we’ve been so intent on setting up processes and systems that sometimes we forget that there are people on the receiving end. I'd love to see heart-led branding and marketing becoming more of a thing. Being human and embracing all of your self Is it a cliche to say ‘you are your niche’? Probably. I’ve heard this expression banded around for years and it feels a bit overdone, but I wonder how many people are actually fully embracing this sentiment? Because fully embracing ‘you are your niche’ means bringing all of the sides of you to the fore. It means dropping the mask of what should be done / said and feeling into what is authentic for you. And that's really bloody hard. Easy to say. Not so easy to do. ‘You are your niche’ means being open and vulnerable and human. Most of us aren’t really up for that because we're worried about the consequences. What might happen if we were...? That's an exciting thought! Marketing in a style that feels authentic The more I get to know Human Design and the Gene Keys, the more I believe these systems hold so much goodness when it comes to building and marketing a business based on your individuality and self expression. I believe they could be the key to bringing more of you into your brand and to understanding what people are looking for from you. I get that some people (my husband included) can be sceptical about things that might require a leap of faith and trust in something bigger; in my experience some people are just closed off to certain things in life and that's fine. There’s no changing their view…until they want it changed. The accuracy of the charts speak for themselves if given a chance. Now I love a bit of woo, but it has to been substantiated by something and it has to have a practical application. And this is where Human Design ticks my boxes and gets me really excited, because I can see huge potential here for bringing greatness to your brand if we can only harness this power. Rest assured I’m not going to be going into the science here, but please know that the roots of these systems lie in quantum physics. There are so many ways that Human Design & Gene Keys can inform our marketing, but today I want to touch upon the Brand sphere line numbers. When it comes to marketing style, the Gene Keys identify 6 distinct lines and we each have one of these based on the details of our charts. This informs our marketing style and frequency. Isn't it interesting to know what people are looking to you for to that you can tailor your marketing approach accordingly? If you're a Line 1 People are looking to you to showcase yourself as the expert. Your marketing style is with boldness and conviction. When you lead with boldness and conviction people will feel secure and have confidence in you and your business. If you're a Line 2 People are looking to you for your natural passion and enthusiasm. They want to feel swept up in your dance. Your passion and pure authenticity is what inspires passion in others. People are looking to you for an example of how to be truly and uniquely yourself. If you're a Line 3 People look to the line 3 for your wisdom. Your life will be a series of trial and errors, of testing and experimenting but there are no such things as failures, only lessons. You see life as a game and it’s important not to be too serious in your marketing message. Your hindsight is what people are drawn to, because this is the foresight for others. If you're a Line 4 This is all about heart-led branding and marketing and putting the feeling back into business. Line 4’s are here for the joy of being in service to others and they are the natural community builders and networkers. People are looking to you to lead with heart and inspiration through your reflection of personal experiences and vision of how good things could be. This line is about openness and honesty. If you're a Line 5 People look to your for your inner wisdom and simple, practical solutions to their problems. Your marketing message needs to mirror this so cut out the extra fluff! You are a natural leader with an inherent ability to see the practical answers and to communicate these simply. You need to become adept at listening in order to create the right solutions for the right people. You are aware of feelings, but you don't lead with them. If you're a Line 6 People are looking to you for your greater vision and role model energy - you are a natural educator and guide by helping people to help themselves out of the trenches rather than by telling them what to do as a Line 5. You have an inner vision of what is best for people in the long term, which is magnetising to people when you share it. I'm a line 4, which is all about community and voicing stories from the heart. I definitely notice that when I market my business from this place, I generate more engagement and leads I wonder if you resonate with one of these specifically? It would be interesting to see if it tallies with what your chart says. You can check by downloading your free Gene Keys profile and heading to the life’s work / brand sphere where it will show you the line number. You can also find this information from your Human Design chart by looking for top black sphere on the RHS and noting the number which follows the dot (ie. 46.4 means my line number is a 4). Identifying your prime gifts and working with them Leaning into the feminine in your marketing means sharing more of your gifts with the world. The first step in expressing your gifts is obviously identifying them, but the truth is that we can’t always see the woods for the trees when it comes to what we’re great at. Luckily our prime gifts are right there in our Human Design charts along with the shadow work needed to unlock them, which is a truly beautiful thing for those open to discovering it. When you can spot your core gifts in a line up, it makes expressing them SO much easier! These are the natural gifts that make you magnetic to other people, and they might not be what you are currently talking about in your marketing…and I’d say that’s untapped potential right there. Looking after the person behind the business I can’t talk about a feminine take on marketing without raising the elephant in the room. Slaving way until your battery is exhausted may have once been heralded as the epitome of dedication, but it’s swiftly fallen from grace. If you're going to shine bright, then you need to plug yourself in occassionally, but the speed of life will have us believe that time for ourselves is a luxury. The pressure to be 'doing' is real and for me it's been one of the corporate hangover habits I've learned to kick, but which has taken a time. Your business is an extension of you, after all, and a healthy business means you need to look after and nourish yourself first. Sleep, nutrition, exercise and time for yourself may form the pillars, but Human Design also gives us clues about the individual self care techniques and grounding routines that help us to show up as our best selves for our work and clients. This differs from person to person and you might be surprised at what comes up! And that’s the beauty of it. We no longer have to create a cookie cutter business and market it like just everyone else. How liberating is it to know that we have the freedom to carve out our own niche, lean into our gifts and approach marketing in a way that feels aligned. And not only that, but in doing so your business should flow with more grace and ease. Finding the balance Obviously this is a balance because we also need to implement the structures, processes and marketing foundations required to grow a thriving business. I have a special interest in how we can practically combine the gentle nuances of Human Design with the basics of great branding (such as clear messaging, a solid visual identity and compelling website) to craft a business that helps us to thrive whilst calling in the right people. I am totally onboard with this experiment and I’d love to welcome anyone who is open to join me. If you'd like to find out more about any of the above feel free to reach out in the normal channels. With heart, Lucy About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Book a Human Design Reading | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand.

Earlier this year there was much upset at home when my son had his YouTube account deleted by Google. When I got the email at midnight, I was so upset for him…he’d spent time and energy building up to 800 subscribers and was so passionate about it. I couldn’t sleep. And as I lay there in bed worrying about how I’d break the news to him, I realised why I felt so emotional about it. It's because it really brought home just how vulnerable our businesses can be on social networks. We're just pawns in someone else’s game. Other people make the rules and decides what goes. The plug could get pulled at any time. My son's experience brought home the importance of not putting all of our marketing eggs in one basket. Accounts are deleted / banned / hacked all of the time. Often with no warning. And if we're ONLY marketing our businesses on social media, then this could spell disaster. Yet I see so many small businesses who are building their entire empires on Facebook / Instagram / Tik Tok - without the safety net of a website or native platform behind them. I’m not exaggerating when I say the thought of this literally makes me break out in a cold sweat. I get why we are so obsessed with marketing on Instagram. The instant validation, the dopamine hit that comes with feeling accepted. And of course...it's relatively quick and free to implement compared to the time it takes to create longer form content. But here's the thing: Social media is not a marketing strategy, it’s a marketing channel. I'm going to say that again because it's REALLY important. Social media is not a marketing strategy, it’s a marketing channel. We need to first look after the centre of our marketing eco system, and then allow the overflow to spill out across our social channels. This is why all signs point to the importance of having your own website, so that you can create your empire on your own land. Once we've done that, we need to get that machine turning for us, by becoming a beacon and a hub for others with our content. If you've got a website already... Make sure the basics are working for you. If you've got a website already, make sure that it's doing its job for you across the pillars of style, story, SEO, structure and strategy. Your website should feel like an accurate representation of your brand because showing up with the right brand energy is so important for feeling confident to market your business with passion. As we all know, our brand is so much more than a logo and our website is vitally important when it comes to brand positioning and message. If you're reluctant to share your website because it doesn't feel like you or it's completely out of date, then there is some work to do. Next...build your base of content Once you've got the basics in place, then I'd encourage you to consider starting a blog. There are so many reasons why blogging is seriously good news for your business. Write content that you feel passionate to share and that will help your ideal audience. Content that allows you to share your perspective about what you do and what you see in the world. This will become the foundation of a content marketing system and has far more longevity than a Insta post. In particular, I recommend creating nurturing evergreen content which will build connection and position you as as expert in your field. You can then employ content repurposing techniques to squeeze the juice out of each piece of evergreen content that you create. If you're thinking "but I don't have the hours in the day for all of this", then I've got you covered. Here is the beauty of it: Since you've already done the hard work in creating content which is infused with your brand voice, you can easily outsource the repurposing side of things, safe in the knowledge that it will still sound like you. Obviously a blog is just one way of sharing your voice, you could also consider a podcast, but a blog is a gentle and accessible way in which is why I recommend it to my clients. If you don't yet have a website... It's time to start I know that there are so many reasons to put off your website...cost, time, experience, overwhelm are all things that I see coming up again and again. You may feel that you're just getting started in business and are wondering if you even need a website from day one. Or you may simply not know where to start with it all... Whatever the reason you've put it off until now, I'd gently encourage you to make a commitment to doing it, so that you have an online home to signpost people to. If budget or time is your block then, know that your website doesn’t need to be complicated and you CAN do it yourself if you feel inclined. A simple one page website with contact page that’s aligned to your brand and optimised for search engines can be enough to get started with. This will give you an online base from which to grow and you can build it out by adding to it as you go. As soon as you are ready, you can then start to employ some of the content marketing tactics in the above section. Your website also doesn’t need to be complicated in terms of technology. I believe you should have a website that enables your business rather than hinders it and it should be simple to use and navigate. You don't have to be overwhelmed with technology every time you want to make a change which is why I recommend and build my websites in Wix. There are also many other platforms that offer ease and flexibility and we are all so different. I'd encourage you to experiment before committing to a platform. In summary Creating content purely for social means that we will always be at the mercy of the social media networks and algorithms, and I for one have grown tired of this over the years. I want more control which is why I am adjusting my sails in regards to my marketing approach. Social media plays an important role in our marketing efforts, but it shouldn't be the central cog in the machine - it works best when in conjuction with a wider content marketing strategy that is considered and intentional. This feels like a much gentler way of marketing. With heart Lucy About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Book a Human Design Reading | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand.

As small business owners, leads are the lifeblood of the business. It's always tempting to look for the next marketing trick or technique to generate interest in our services, but so often there is huge opportunity right at the front door. I was completing one of my free website audits just recently and it stuck me just how much untapped potential there is hiding right underneath our noses if only we look... The marvellousness of your website On social media it can be hard to get your message in front of the right people. I don’t want to say we’re ‘fighting’ for attention…but sometimes it can feel a bit like that can’t it? But it’s all worth it when social does its job properly and someone clicks on the link to your website…. And boom! Someone has decided to grace you with their undivided attention for a few precious moments. It’s a chance to leave a great first impression. To make a mark. All eyes and ears on you and your business - Just you and your ideal client hanging out in cyberspace together. How bloody marvellous of an opportunity is this?! This is why I LOVE website design so much. It's so liberating. It’s empowering to know that your website is the one place where you have 100% free rein - away from the noise and conditioning of social media - to carve out your own little slice of heaven on the internet. Heaven might sound a bit melodramatic, but for your ideal clients it can feel like that…when they’ve been searching for someone just like you and then they find you, you’re like the missing piece of their puzzle! Your website is a place where you can hold space for your people to feel seen, heard and understood. A place for your unique gifts and perspectives to shine, uncensored. A place to be beautifully, unapologetically YOU. Half of the battle is getting people there, but once they are there, then we've got to make those minutes of undivided attention work for you - we need our website to be compelling enough to make people WANT to take action. Your secret sauce as a small business owner As a brand and website designer, I look at A LOT of websites and it's fair to say that they come in all shapes, sizes and qualities. So often though, I see brands with truly beautiful service offerings falling at the first hurdle when it comes to getting people excited and inspired enough to take the next steps. Many businesses have perfectly functional websites which tick boxes in terms listing their services, experience and credentials…but they’re missing a trick in terms of really creating an experience for their visitors that will move people into action. Because we don't just want functional do we? We also want a little bit of magic too. As small business owners, we have something very potent in our marketing tool kit and that is the potential for creating TRUE human connection. It's the ace card up our sleeve. Our secret sauce. The likes of John Lewis have their customer avatars nicely defined, but they’re in the business of marketing to the masses and they’re constrained in what they can say and the language they can use.…but as smaller businesses, we can connect deeply with each other one on one -  and this can be our super power! So what does this mean for our website? When people land on our site, we have an amazing opportunity to create an experience for our visitors. An experience which gives them a glimpse into our world and what it looks and feels like to work together. We can literally paint this picture for people. If we can get the perfect people onto our site AND we get our part right, then we’ll inspire others to work with us. Our website becomes the perfect appetiser to the main event, which is working together (in whatever shape that takes for you) Does your website have hidden potential waiting to be released? How good is your website at getting people excited about working with you..? I’d really encourage you to look at your website objectively and ask yourself the following deep and meaningfuls.... What I kind of feeling do I want to inspire in people with my products or services? What does the transformation I offer people feel like? Do you leave them blissed out? Grounded? Inspired? Motivated? What are these feelings? Now the hard bit…how well does your website do at actually evoking these feelings in your visitors? Does it give you all the feels and make you want to book your services? (if we can't get excited, how can we expect others to..?) What we want to do is capture a little slice of that transformation energy and wrap it up in our website. This is not just about our branding and how we talk about our services… It's about taking a step back and taking a holistic view of your brand and then being intentional about how you package that up into your website. It's about diving deep into your messaging and really uncovering your truth. It’s about creating visual impact where we can, such as using video and full width hero imagery, colours and gentle scroll animations that speak to the feeling we want to leave people with. It's about navigation, layout, structure and what kind of calls to action are brand appropriate. When we consider our website as a portal into our world and not just a resource for sharing information in a dry fashion, the opportunity is SO much greater. So much else is possible on the other side. And this is what we want to lean into and showcase. Another important question I have for you today... How excited does your website make you feel? Joyous, liberated, excited? Or frustrated? Overwhelmed? Bored? More often that not I meet business owners in the latter camp. I’m in my happy place when I’m tinkering with websites. I find it so freeing to be able to express myself unhindered. As the most important part of your marketing eco-system, I believe your website should make you feel lit up, confident and inspired to market your business. Maybe it’s a little too much to hope that you’ll love playing with your website as much as me, but I want you to feel empowered by it - not stressed out. Your website shouldn't give you a sinking feeling every time you think of making a change or adding a blog post. There's been a lot of masculine energy in the website design world in general, but it doesn't have to feel overwhelming and techy any more. Happily there are now options which make designing your site a positive and uplifting experience. Your website can feel light and fun and bubbly if you want it to! I would love to show you how. I offer a limited number of free website audits each month - please feel free to apply for one if you feel called to. I cover messaging, structure, style and SEO in these reports. Website design is constantly evolving, as is your brand. So your website is not something to do once and leave…there will be constant refinement and once in a while, a radical overhaul. Maybe it's time to reimagine your website into a happy place to be for both you and your clients. With heart, Lucy About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Book a Human Design Reading | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand.

In my line of work I meet lots of women who are bloody amazing at what they do, but who actively resist promoting their services because it feels so uncomfortable. And I get it because I have a lot of the same resistance to selling. For my generation of women, much of this is linked to conditioning around fitting into the crowd...being seen and not heard...not rocking the boat. We've been taught that we shouldn't be 'too loud' and modesty is the most attractive quality. Many of us have also been subjected to unsavoury 'bro marketing' tactics that have tarnished our overall perception of selling (I know I certainly have). And then there's the fear of putting yourself out there and failing, or being rejected… Put these factors together then, and it’s easy to see why selling can feel like a huge mountain to climb. But just hoping that people will find your offers and love them enough to reach out is not a strategy. I know that you’ve got valuable gifts to share with the world, and it’s not helping anyone to have them hidden away. (And believe me when I say that I’m talking to myself here as well. I know what I should be doing…many of my blog posts end up being a pep talk to myself :) When selling feels hard. In an ideal world, you have something to sell which solves a problem (or fulfils a desire) for a certain type of person. That certain type of person is aware of their problem and when they find you, they understand that you have the solution. It's an easy exchange as soon as they find you. Invariably though, there is some energetic resistance between the two of you that means that: A) You don’t feel comfortable making an offer or talking about your services B) They are not warm to receiving an offer C) A combination of both of the above And this is exacerbated on social media where everyone is at different stages of the buying cycle - some of your audience are in blissful ignorance even to their need for your product or service, whilst others are ready to buy with one nudge in that direction. How can we reduce this resistance to make selling feel more effortless? It seems to me that we have to take a multi-pronged approach to this. 1. Get comfortable with knowing you're really good at what you do Yes, you are! To put the right energy into selling, we first have to believe in what we are offering to people...we have to see ourselves as the expert in the room. If internally we're thinking that a client will be better off working with Jane Jones down the road, then we're going to be unconsciously sabotaging our marketing efforts. It's that old imposter syndrome rearing it's head. This might feel like a big ask, how might we find this inner confidence in practice? Take time to congratulate yourself on your successes. Reflect on your experience and qualifications that give you a unique perspective vs your competition. Remind yourself of reviews from happy clients (and if you aren't gathering these, START NOW!) Iron out your process and fill gaps in your knowledge to boost your confidence. Know that you're not meant for everyone, but that you'll be the perfect fit for some. Trust that wherever you are is exactly where you are meant to be - look for the lessons. Spend time with people who will encourage your dreams rather than rain on your parade. 2. Content foreplay If you were at a networking event and met someone new, and the first thing they did was launch into their service offering and prices without even getting your name, you’d think it was very odd. And you probably run a mile. The same is true online. Like it or not, if we want people to buy from us, we need to spend quite some time in a courtship dance, because that’s the nature of being human. But when we’re not dealing with people face to face, it can be easy to forget the importance of putting energy into the warm up exercise. If the only time you post on social media or send a newsletter is when you want to present an offer, it’s likely to fall flat. People want connection and to be nurtured into a buying decision, they want to feel that you're not only in it for the sale. What does this mean for us? In content terms, engagement content is the equivalent of foreplay - it's content which is primarily focused on providing value, building your know-like-trust and establishing you as an expert in your field. It's not about making a sale - although it does ensure you'll be front on mind when the time is right. What might this look like then? Engagement content is content that: Addresses their reservations. Challenges myths in your industry Speaks to the tangible benefits of what you do. Explains how your services can help solve their problems. Addresses a limiting belief stopping them from buying. Explains what alternatives are available to them (and why these aren't ideal) Changes the way they see the world. This kind of content is great for building rapport and establishing trust, and it means that when you do need to make an offer, people are receptive. And because you’ve been investing in your people, you’ll also feel energetically good about making an offer - which is exactly where we want to be for it to land. The next point I have for you when it comes to making selling feel easier, is this: 3. Dive really deep on your purpose Your purpose needs to be something so much bigger than just you - it needs to be something you can imagine people campaigning for. These are the themes of freedom / opportunity / rights / inspiration. I’m going to use one of my services as an example for you: I create websites for female business owners so they can stand out online I create websites for female business owners so they can stand out online and create fulfilling work doing what they love I create websites for female business owners so they can create positive ripples in the world and inspire the next generation of girls to do the work they love. Can you see the difference between these options? This last one is rough but getting there - I can imagine a movement for it. When you’re connected to a purpose that’s so much bigger than you, the process of selling becomes less about you and more about your greater cause. Figuring this stuff out is going to make you show up, because people are relying on you!. People are looking for worthy causes to back all of the time - and we can give them something to believe in. Can you imagine a campaign march for your purpose...? If not go another layer deeper. 4. Don’t do what everyone else is doing, find your own ease I’ve lost count of the number of webinars I’ve sat through which share some free content and then present an offer at the end. Sometimes, if the value and price is right - I’ve purchased. But more often than not, I’m only there for the free content, no matter how much time they’ve spent warming me up with content and emails. If the intention isn’t there, the intention isn’t there. This format of selling has been doing the rounds for years now, and it’s worked very well for many. But my sense is that people are wise to it and we’re looking for something different. Just because the marketing gurus are doing it, doesn't mean you have to if it doesn't feel authentic to you. Likewise you don't have to launch into talking to camera if that doesn't feel the right way to go - do what feels in alignment to you. 5. Lean into your Human Design selling style Human Design helps explains why one selling style will work for one person, but flop for another - even if the content were exactly the same. This is because we’re all energetically hard wired to travel through life in different ways. As a Generator Type, I’m here to work, build, and create. When I do this in an area I love I’ll draw people towards me. But as my strategy is to RESPOND, I have to make sure I’m building in response to an external human cue from my network (and not just because I want to do something.) This has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn over the years - I can create all I want for myself (and I should) but when making offers I need to check in to ensure I’m creating in response. This is true for me, but your chart will hold clues about what kind of selling style will suit you. Another place to look for clues to our selling style is in our profile lines. We each have 2 profile lines which make up our role profile, all of which have different qualities (if you’re new to HD you can think of these lines a bit like a Myers Briggs profile). I’m a 4/6 which means that my marketing style is to share stories, wisdom and create connections with people. When I’m doing this, I’ll call in opportunities. But people will need to know me before they decide to work with me, so pitching on a mass webinar of cold leads might not be the best option. It’s all an experiment though and that’s the beauty of it - Human Design not about labelling or 'should do’s'. It’s about noticing what’s in your chart and playing with it. 6. Support your confidence with a strong brand foundation. I get asked a lot whether you need a website and brand when you're just starting out. And whilst you might not need a fully fledged 4-6 page website and brand identity to accompany, in my opinion you do need something in both of these areas. And I can help to create this brand and online presence…but I’m not interested in doing it JUST for the sake of doing it. It’s what having a brand and website GIVES my clients that I’m really interested in: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It gives you the confidence you need to go out there and actively promote your services. It means you’ll push yourself forwards for different opportunities knowing you’ve got a credible online presence behind you. It means you’ll approach your business with the energy and positivity you need to help it flourish. All of this means you’re able to put yourself out there in the world to create impact and spread positive ripples. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ THIS is the real reason you need a brand behind you, IMO. And it’s what lights me up to help you create. 7. Sometimes you’ve just got to do it. And practice. There’s no point in shining your light in a room for one. If you want to help others with your services, at some point you just have to get out there so that others can be attracted by your light. It’s going to take practice to figure out what works for you To summarise then, selling and putting ourselves out there might feel hard, but it's a necessary part of running a business so we have to find our way with it. Here are some things that we can practically do to make it a little easier. Build your confidence in your skills Nurture your audience with connection content to break down the barriers Make your cause bigger than just you so you have a reason to show up Don't do what everyone else is doing if it doesn't feel authentic to you Lean into your Human Design strengths Practice, practice, practice. Does this resonate with you? How do you find the process of selling in your business? With heart, Lucy About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Book a Human Design Reading | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand.

I remember watching Tomorrow's World in the 80's - I'd be glued to the TV as Judith Hann and her co-presenters would bring us the next big things in science and technology that would revolutionise our lives. It was brilliant and wacky all at once, and part of the joy was in not knowing which of the predictions would 'make it' and which would flop. Based on predictions, we should now be travelling around in flying cars, hydrating meal pouches for lunch and being served by robots and artificial intelligence on a daily basis... And that's what I want to talk to you about today. There’s no denying that AI is big business and we’re all wondering how it’s going to weave it’s way through our everyday lives. Or not, as the case may be - depending on which camp you're in! Either way, you can’t have failed to notice the noise around it. AI tools for speeding up your content creation An area where there seems to be some traction and where small business owners can find a practical application is copywriting. Apps such as Jasper.ai, Copy.ai and Copysmith.ai are leading the charge and are promising to save you time and make creating copy for your business a breeze. With content creation being one of the biggest time commitments in our marketing, business owners across the world are being lured by the vision of a magical utopia - where content is created effortlessly at the touch of a button. As an aside, Google has been flip flopping about whether or not it will penalise users for using AI to generate large swathes of content for your blog or website...so it's hard to know how that will play out. But what we do know is that it will always penalise low quality or spammy content. But just because the AI functionality is there, it doesn’t mean you should use it Whether or not Google says it’s good or bad, there remains a big question around why you would even want to use it in the first place… Which is what I’m going to explore today. If Content is King, then QUALITY CONTENT is Queen. And we all know who wears the trousers in that relationship. Quality content over volume is definitely where it’s at. Whilst the thought of having AI generate blog posts for you whilst you put your feet up and watch the world go by might sound appealing…there are some very compelling reasons we might want to stick with doing it ourselves. We also have to ask ourselves...what’s the purpose of our content? If it’s simply to create a blog post that’s stuffed full of keywords that will help you get your website ranked, then I'd urge you to rethink, because you’re missing a trick. If it’s to nurture your following, create connection and position your offers in a way that’s attractive to your ideal audience, then you'll want to be VERY considered with how you use copywriting apps - because they are certainly not a magic bullet towards creating the connection you're seeking. And this is because there are some things that AI, no matter how advanced, simply can't do. What the AI bots can't do for your business and marketing... Understand and utilise the subtleties of human language and emotion to help readers to feel something. Infuse your tone of voice and personality in a deeply authentic way. Interweave stories and personal anecdotes that will resonate with your readers. Tread the fine line between vulnerability and sharing too much. Feel into what needs to be said in the moment based on your unique intuition. Create thought-leadership content that challenges the status quo and adds your perspective to what you see happening around you. This last one is a biggie because as we move into a time that’s more about the individual than the corporation, the ability to position yourself as a leader and put your individual stamp on your content is crucial. It’s what’s going to set you apart. Ultimately, the bots are going to be great at sharing from the head, but not so much from the heart… This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use it, it’s a really valuable tool in conjunction with the above and we're going to explore this now. Where AI-generated content is useful: To generate descriptions and ‘what is’ content that you can sprinkle throughout your long-form content. To help you simplify complicated topics that you can’t find the right words for. To generate ideas of what to write about in the first place. To create catchy headings and titles. To rework chunks of your own copy to give it a fresh new feel. As a starting point for content which you can then pepper liberally with your perspectives and humanness. Copywriting apps are a great tool in our marketing arsenal, but when you're creating content for your brand don't ever forget the following: Artificial Intelligence can't replace YOU as the voice of your brand Stick with me now because I'm going to get a bit gushy on you...but I TRULY believe the following: YOU. ARE. AMAZING You are a totally individual, once in a lifetime creation and wholly unique. There is no one else on the planet now (or never will there be) who is JUST like you. Isn’t that an amazing thing?! It blows my mind and gives me the same kind of feeling I get when I look up at the stars. Our individual humanness is our superpower if only we can lean in to it. Often, we can see this amazingness in others, but we can't always see it in ourselves - which is why I love sharing the life-changing magic of Human Design with people who are open and receptive to it. Now more than ever people are looking for openness, authenticity and connection. But here's the thing, content that has been created by AI is the antithesis of that whole sentiment, isn’t it? Sometimes things (like AI) come along as a catalyst to speed up our awareness of what truly matters…to bring us back to ourselves. What do we do in the face of this then? I feel that now is the time that we should be leaning into our humanness more than ever. With large swathes of people jumping on the AI band wagon, the people who are writing content from one human to another human and from the heart are going to stand out. If you haven’t started your blog or podcast yet, now is the time. Tell stories in your writing, speak of your experiences and lessons, share perspectives, be vulnerable and open (as much as you can be)- and most importantly, speak from the heart and not the head. Are you with me? If you think you don’t have anything to say, think again. Don’t underestimate the power of your micro stories - the seemingly unremarkable moments of the everyday - to create connections with your ideal audience. If you need help unblocking this please do drop me a note. I’m really passionate about it. If the tech associated with setting up your blog is a blocker for you, then again - get in touch. All of this can and SHOULD be really easy and I'm absolutely committed to bringing simplicity and removing overwhelm for you. What are your thoughts on this? I’d love to know if and how you use AI to speed up your content creation or if you’re leaning into intuitive writing. With heart, Lucy About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Book a Human Design Reading | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand.

Do you have hangover habits from your corporate days or previous career? I’m not talking about the hangovers that followed the one too many large glasses of wine in the John Lewis bar or local pub (which as it goes, seemed to happen pretty darn often back then…) No, here I’m talking about the habits and conditioning that I picked up in my two decades of working in the corporate world. These are habits that end up deeply ingrained, and when you start working for yourself you can find them hard to break. I had a job even to recognise these habits when I first started my business. Now of course, there are also a lot of good things that you take away from the experience, but I'm not here for that today... Today I want to talk to you about my biggest 'hangover' from my corporate days, and what I've done to address it. So here goes. Wearing the presenteeism badge of honour When I worked in Finance, lunch was grabbed on the go - it would be 20 mins between meetings to grab a sandwich, which was most often consumed 'Al Desko'. It seemed like you were rewarded for the longer you could spend at your desk or in meetings, toiling away. The later you worked at night, the better an employee you were. Presenteeism was worn like a badge of honour, even though it was never openly discussed. And with senior managers setting the example - staying late and answering emails into the early hours - there was little you could do but follow suit if you wanted to get on. Personal wellbeing was definitely at the bottom of the pile. It wasn't even a consideration. I never really went in for this, but I felt the expectation fully on my shoulders. I also felt the judgement that came with not falling into line. After returning to work after having my son, I went down to reduced hours and then I’d really set my stall. Presenteeism was a huge thing and you had to be seen to be working, doing or creating the whole time. This pressure to work and be 'doing' all of the time (and be seen to be doing) was the biggest hangover I took away from my corporate days. It still creeps up on me occasionally. On the plus side, getting a cup of tea definitely classed as a 'doing' activity and it was a welcome break to an otherwise unremarkable day that was filled with back to back meetings and spreadsheets, so we drank cups and cups of the stuff. I was also a lovely opportunity for connection and to catch up with one another. I still love the little lift that a good cup of tea brings to my day. A happy habit for me and not one that I’ve managed to kick. Anyway, enough about tea...onto what I've done to recode some of my corporate conditioning to unleash my creativity! Recoding my corporate hangover habits Exercise and wellbeing is a non negotiable When I worked full time in Finance, going to the gym was just another thing to add to the long list in an already 'hamster-wheel-esque' day. In my early days of Corporate I NEVER exercised for the fun of it - I exercised purely to burn off the energy from those aforementioned large white wines and to keep my weight in check And, I’m a bit ashamed to admit that...but it’s true. There was no joy in the gym for me, just guilt for paying the membership and not having the time / energy to do it. And because the work day was long, I did only what time allowed and built exercise into my routine, such as a twice daily speed walk from Vauxhall to Victoria. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to recognise the link between exercise and my energy, and how significantly it affects my overall outlook on life. I've come to realise that exercise is the foundation for everything. Now, I know this sounds so stupid, because it’s so bleeding obvious and people tell you all the time…but I don’t think you can truly believe it until you can actually feel it for yourself. When exercise became less about fitting into my jeans, and more about filling up my energy cup, I didn't need any extra incentive to do it - and now I won’t compromise on it because it supports my business. Taking the time to properly move your body should never feel like luxury - because you can’t create from an empty or unhappy tank ( or this is my experience, at least). As I edge closer to peri-menopausal age, I know this one is going to become even more important - and I’m hoping to be on the front foot with this one. So many traditional working practices seem so counterintuitive to all of the research on peak performance. I hope more employers are making this link and actively encouraging their people to take time out of their day to move - please tell me they are! But based on my husband's working habits, I’d say we still have a long way to go yet. Which leads me nicely on to... Honouring natural rhythms When you work in a busy commercial environment, there is an expectation that you can just keep churning out work hour after hour and day after day. One things gets done and then it’s immediately on to the next with little or no breathing space between projects or tasks. I’m not knocking this, it’s just the nature of working in an office where there’s more work than people. It’s a symptom. When I set out working for myself, I naturally started working to this robotic pattern because it was all I’d ever known. Do, Do, Do, then look up to see what’s next. After a few particularly taxing projects though, I realised this way of working wasn’t necessarily the way to do my best work, so I needed to find a better way. To adapt. The robot needed recoding. Everything in nature ebbs and flows, just as the seasons, and so does your energy. You will have a natural rhythm which is why you might feel completely zonked the day after a big outpouring of mental effort / creativity. I had to fight against my corporate conditioning on this, but I’ve now learned to lean into the flow and take time to replenish with the ebb. Because being in output only mode when faced with an ebb is like swimming upstream. Honouring your rhythm helps you to capitalise on the creative inspiration when it comes calling for you. And, most importantly perhaps - I’ve learned not to feel guilty about taking some down time. ...because the rest is also the work. That’s all for this post, I hope you’ve found it interesting and I’d love to know if anything resonates with you. Do you have any corporate hangover habits of your own? And with all of that in mind, I’m off for a swim! With heart, Lucy About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Book a Human Design Reading | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand.

I asked my newsletter subscribers what they struggle most with in their business, and some of them raised comparisonitis. It's become a bit of a buzzword amongst small business owners but if you've never heard of it, then it's likely you're already in your lane and don't suffer from it! Comparisonitis is the compulsion to compare one's accomplishments to another's to determine relative importance and self worth (Wiktionary) And I totally get this, because I’ve suffered with it intermittently over the years and it can leave you feeling completely defeated and deflated - and lacking in the energy you need to move forwards. With the rise of micro influencers and lower barriers to entry to business than ever before, it can feel like we're competing against the world and his dog on social media. What I know for sure, is that there are a lot of people on Instagram who know a darn sight less than you about your subject, but who appear to be the expert because they’re showing up with shed loads of energy and confidence... Wallflowers like us aren't helping anyone by sitting on the sidelines, wallowing in our modesty, waiting to be recognised. It seems to me that if we want others to see us, then we have to recognise ourselves as an expert first; only then can show up in the right way and kick comparisonitis to the curb. "Just stay in your lane and put the blinkers on", they say - Not as easy as that though, is it? Repeating ‘I deserve to own this space’ 100 times a day doesn’t work. You can repeat mantras until you’re blue in the face, but if your subconscious doesn’t actually believe you deserve to own the space, then that’s what's going to affect the experience for us. Some of this comes with experience and personal development, so there might not be a quick fix, but these are some of the practical things that have helped me to quieten the comparison. What I wish I'd have known sooner about comparisonistis... You need to reframe your story to unlock your gifts Comparisonitis has showed up for me a lot because I didn’t start my working life in a creative vocation - I started it as an accountant working for retailers including John Lewis & Harrods. I’m a career changer and I’ve self taught myself all things branding, photography, website design and SEO. Being a career changer and being self taught can make you feel like a fraud when you’re starting out - ‘who am I to call myself a designer / photographer / SEO expert? (*edit as required). But when I started instead to focus less on what was lacking (such as a formal qualification and agency background) and more on how my experience brings an entirely different perspective to my projects, I could see that my offer was actually incredibly unique. Things like... A solid background in the foundations of business. A unique empathy for career changers so I can hold their hand as they create their brand. A passion for helping others to find freedom after corporate. The ability to provide a holistic, joined up service right from branding to photography to web. A very personal and bad experience with my first website (Wordpress) that led me to find a more empowered solution and to master Wix. An obsession with learning and adding new skills to my mix, so that my clients can always benefit from an increased portfolio of services. This is different to my competition - which is a great thing! Your unique story and tapestry of experience will be your point of differentiation too, and the more of this that you can bring to your brand, the better...as confirmed here by a client that I am onboarding this week for web, brand and photos. The main reason for choosing for you is I admire your story, your style and I feel that you will be collaborative in approach whilst still holding my hand with advice.... and of course will produce something beautiful and impressive to meet my needs! Having a strong website and brand behind you will give you confidence When you're building a business, passion is not enough. You need it, but more than passion you need to unlock the purpose that drives that passion. And then you need a brand that is aligned to that purpose...so that other people can feel it too. I can not begin to tell you how much more energy I have for marketing my business now I’ve spent some time realigning my website to my brand (still work in progress as my rebrand is not yet launched) It gives me a new confidence to respond to enquiries, and makes me want to actively promote my services. Get the basics in place - but know that they’ll evolve. Start creating credible expert content early Every morning for years I would wake up with the copy for a blog post running though my head, and every day for years I would ignore these words. I'd think to myself: "Oh yes, that's a great topic for an Instagram live...I’d better make a note of it so that when I get the confidence to do one, I’ve got a list of things to chat about" Dear Idea, thank you for visiting me in the night, but it's a no. My strength and what I enjoy is not talking to camera, it’s the written word. And I’d been ignoring my blog and my newsletter for years. When I finally started blogging, rather than pushing these ideas down, I was giving them form through my posts. As I wrote more and more, it was as if I had turned on the tap in other areas of my business too - leads, enquiries, bookings. I can’t explain this, other than to say that I had stopped fighting against my natural tendencies and was finally owning my voice. My mindset also shifted just knowing that I had a growing base of content behind me, which meant I felt confident to actively market my business. I can’t stress enough how important it is to find a platform for your voice. Your platform might not be a blog like me, it might be a podcast, Substack or video content - or initially it might be your newsletter - but I’d encourage you to find a way to unleash your voice so that you can share your perspective with the world. You are not treading on anyone else’s toes Even if you are pivoting to do something completely different, know that you have just as much right to do what you are doing as anyone else. So don't mince your words to make it sound like you're doing something different because you're worried about pissing someone off. Because again, while you're busy playing down your business to keep other people happy, you're secretly telling your subconscious that you're not worthy or you don't really want this to happen. And we all know how important the subconscious is. There will always be overlap with other people, but you should never dim your light. Become an expert in your field If you don’t feel like an expert, then make a conscious decision to plug the gaps you think you have in your knowledge. You might not need to do a course - podcasts and audiobooks are your best friend here! I love nothing more than a gym session with a mind-expanding podcast or two. I personally find that I have most of my brainwaves and ideas for content like this! I like to listen with the speed ramped up to get more of the goodness. And listen to the podcasts in the niche that you serve, you’ll get familiar with industry trends and challenges your ideal clients are facing, as well as the kind of language that’s used - all of which is like gold dust for attracting your people because they will feel like you're speaking directly to them. This leads me nicely on to: But also know that what you know is probably enough I am an eternal learner but I feel like I never know enough. In my Human Design chart, I have the gate of depth plus an undefined Head and Ajna (for those of you with an interest in HD). All of which means I have a tendency to never feel that know enough, even though I do. Recognising this in my chart has been empowering because when I realised that I probably DID know enough after all, I could see where I’d been limiting myself and started to behave more like the expert I actually was rather than paying for yet another course. Which in turn called in more opportunities. Remember you only have to be the expert in a room of 10 people, not the world. Followers and likes do not validate us We’re human and getting the likes and followers makes us happy because it’s a sign that we are accepted by our tribe. But if you're focussing all of your marketing efforts on social networks, then it’s easy to feel a pressure to get the likes / follows and then to use these as a measure of success. I believe that the way to get past this is to revert to my point above - creating credible expert content. Start to create your credible expert content first (blog / podcast / newsletter), and then sprinkle it over Instagram. Instagram is where your content should end up, but if you create just for Instagram then you’ll be creating for likes and without a strategy. Honestly it saddens me to think of all the strong, graceful women who have felt the pressure to revert to dancing reels to get attention when they could be positioning themselves as the expert instead. If dancing is on brand, by all means do it - but don’t do it just for likes if it feels unaligned! Because people can tell...if you feel uncomfortable doing it, then we feel uncomfortable watching it. We are not performing monkeys. Mute the triggers There are going to be people who trigger you and for some reason, those people seem to show up EVERYWHERE. They’re the ones nailing it on Insta, getting the brands and clients you want to work with. It’s been said a million times but all is not what it seems on the surface and the quicker you realise this, the better. For some reason though, we seem to think OUR trigger people are the exception to this rule.They aren't. When you're scrolling, it’s good to explore what's triggering for you, because there will be a lesson in here. What do they have that you secretly want? What do you admire? What are they doing that you find offensive? And then unfollow or mute those accounts (if it's an industry peer) because you want to create a social space that feels positive, rather than triggering your self doubt. Accept that you won't be the right person for everyone, but for some people you will be perfect It can be hard when you see other people working with the clients you'd dream to work with - I know in particular I've been triggered over the years when I see people choosing to work with other photographers. But I've come to accept this is fine and it's now just water off a ducks back - for some reason unbeknown to me, this person is not actually my right fit, even though I think they might be. In fact, sometimes I even actively encourage my website clients to work with another photographer if my light and airy style is not going to be aligned to their aesthetic. I believe that the right clients and customers will present at the right time. Not all clients are equal and not all clients are perfect for you. When you go big on embracing your brand purpose and heartset, you'll start to magnetise the right people towards you...trust that above all else. That's all for this post and my ponderings, I'd love to know your experience of comparisonitis and how it shows up for you in your business. Do you have special ways of dealing with it? With heart, Lucy About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Book a Human Design Reading | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand.

As a Wix Marketplace Partner, I get a lot of enquiries from small business owners around the UK looking for help with their websites. We're not supposed to be everything to everyone and so many of these are a straight no from me (...and if I'm completely honest I do quite enjoy hitting the 'Decline' button in a Britains Got Talent stylee). Reasons I hit the decline button X They want a website with ALL of the features, but for a £300 budget. X They want a website with ALL of the features, but for a £300 budget - and they want it delivered last week. X They're in the business of fences, tattoos, sheds or computer software. I work with wellness and creative businesses - this is what lights me up and where I'm best placed to help. X They don't tell me anything at all about their project and I'm left guessing what they do based on their email address. Sorry, it's a no again. It's just as validating to know what you DON'T want, as it is to know what you DO want, isn't it? So a lot of what comes through the Wix Marketplace is just is noise....but then there are the enquiries that restore my faith and make fielding all of these other enquiries worthwhile. The diamonds in the rough. ...these are the brands that make me want to go the extra mile because they've gone all-in on creating and spreading positive ripples in the world. They're leading with purpose at their heart and they make it through my filter because they're ticking my boxes...but what do they need help with? The most common request is I get via this avenue is for help with SEO And I get it, because if your website isn't generating sufficient leads then it's easy to put two and two together and assume that it's your SEO. But SEO in itself isn't a magic bullet, it's just one element in your toolkit and it might not be the reason that you're not attracting / converting leads. What's the real problem with your website? I'm going to say it (and apologies if I offend anyone)...but you can't polish a turd. When I look at lots of these sites, they're not only missing the basics of SEO but they're also missing the very basics of web design, branding and usability. Spending money patching up SEO when the foundations aren't in place is (in my opinion) a waste of your money. It's a bit like spending money on boosting random posts on Facebook - you may as well take a £20 note and cut it into pieces, because it's not going to deliver value for money. We don't just want people to discover our website, we want people to discover it and then love it so much that they sit a while with us. So how do we do that? Imagine for a moment that your website is an event or party... Stick with me...all will become clear. SEO might help to get people to your party initially, but if the conversation, music, atmosphere and food are rubbish...your guests will make their excuses and leave at the first opportunity they get. Which in tune signals to Google that your site isn't relevant or engaging. What we want instead is for people to arrive at our event and immediately get a great first impression. Because we know the type of people on the guest list (our ideal customers) we've been able to spend lots of time thinking about the perfect atmosphere that they will enjoy. We've curated the perfect food, drinks, playlist, lighting and finer details to exactly set the mood. We welcome people with open arms and answer any questions they've got so they know what we're about. And because our guests like what we've created, they want to stick around and spend some time with us...they might even have a good old snoop around (after all, who doesn't love a nosy round with a glass of something pink and bubbly in hand!). All of this means that they'll want to get to know us better. Hopefully they'll leave their calling card and ask us to get in touch. Which gives us the chance to step in and nurture them towards the Golden Buzzer moment when they entrust us with their business. This in turn signals to Google that we're relevant and primed to engage with the right attitude. Focusing on SEO without also addressing the fundamentals - structure, messaging, style - is a bit like advertising a party without planning the party itself. What does Google say about this? John Mueller of Google (who leads on Search and is therefore quite an important voice regarding this matter) recommends that small businesses would do well to focus on the basics rather than implementing age-old SEO tactics, because it's about appealing to people first and foremost. Focus on building a strong website first (messaging and offers) Let your business stand out with custom images (and I'd argue, your brand style) Create a clean, easy to follow structure for people (usability) Show Google & visitors that you have great content (using SEO and all of the tools we have available both on-and off-site) Because of the above, it's very rarely that I take on an SEO project without a complete rework of the website homepage if it's needed. I'm not someone who would feel comfortable to charge for SEO tweaks knowing full well that it probably won't increase your discoverability and leads - because we need to get discovered but then your website also needs to be pulling it's weight in terms of getting people to stick around and to complete on your CTA. That's all for this post and I hope you've found something useful in here. If you need help to create the brand, website or imagery that will set your business apart and empower you to share your message and create ripples in the world, then please do feel free to get in touch. And rest assured that there's none of that clunky, complicated Wordpress technology here. My clients demand a simpler, more intuitive solution to their websites - which is why I choose Wix for all of my sites. With heart, Lucy About Lucy: I'm a brand designer, photographer and Wix website designer based in the UK. I help wellness & creative businesses build their brand and online presence through photography and web, brand & human design, so that they can create positive ripples in the world. Work with me | Book a Human Design Reading | Sign up to my email list to join my inner circle and for help on creating impact in your brand.