☕️ your business is running… but imagine if it was running on purpose


You’re not new to this. This isn’t luck. You’re not still testing the waters to see if this side hustle is gonna stick.

Nope—you’re in it. You’re booking clients (mostly through referrals), juggling a million responsibilities, and doing the damn thing.

But when it comes to marketing? It feels like pulling teeth.

What are you even supposed to say? “Hire me, I’m awesome? (instant ick) So you do what you’ve always done:

  • Post a random photo of yourself on IG because “I should probably show my face.”
  • Slap up a testimonial screenshot with zero context.
  • Maybe throw a Canva graphic in there… but is it even on-brand? Who knows.

Then? Either you ghost your audience for weeks or you keep posting… but it feels like no one is paying attention.

Meanwhile, potential clients are checking you out—and bouncing. Because there’s nothing pulling them in.

And before you say “But I get clients through referrals!”—yes, for now.

But what happens when you want to grow beyond referrals?

What about all the unseen referrals—where someone says, “Hey, she’s amazing, you should check her out,” and when they do? There’s nothing there to make them stay.

The problem isn’t that they think you’re bad at what you do. It’s just that your brand isn’t fully showing how damn good you really are.

It’s time to take your brand seriously.

Right now, your business is running. It's operating. It's going through the motions.

But are you running it—or is it just running you?

Because truthfully? If you don’t have a clear strategy, your brand is just floating.

You’re reacting to opportunities instead of creating them. You’re hoping people find you instead of leading them straight to you.

And that’s where a Brand Blueprint changes everything.

Your Brand Strategy = Your Business GPS.

If you’ve ever wished for a step-by-step guide for your business—something to tell you:

✅ What moves to make (and which ones to skip)

✅ How to stand out instead of blending in

✅ How to attract the right clients instead of just whoever shows up

…then a Brand Blueprint is exactly what you need.

No more second-guessing. No more winging it. When your brand strategy is locked in, everything becomes easier—from marketing to executive decisions.

  • Should you tap into that social media trend? Let’s see if it aligns with the strategy. If it does, go for it.
  • Should you launch that new offer? Let’s check it against the strategy. If it aligns, we move. If not, we pivot.

Simple.

Your marketing stops feeling random & starts attracting your best-fit clients.

Right now, referrals are keeping you afloat. But imagine if those tripled—not because of luck but because your brand actually shows up in a way that makes YOUR people want to book you.

Your dream clients are already looking for someone like you, but you haven’t given them anything to help them pull the trigger on choosing you... until now.

And unfortunately... a lot of people sell “brand strategy” as a fancy 26-page PDF that just regurgitates what you already know. Or worse—it’s filled with abstract fluff that sounds smart but never actually gets used.

That’s not what my Brand Blueprint is.

Yes, you’re getting the clarity and refinement you need, but you’re also getting tangible applications that make it immediately actionable.

Things like…

  • Now that you know exactly what makes you different, here’s how to write your IG bio so it actually attracts clients.
  • Now that you’re clear on the feelings you want your brand to evoke, here’s what to tell your designer when it’s time to refine your brand identity.
  • Now that your core messaging is solid, here are actual content ideas to bring it to life—so you’re never stuck staring at a blank screen.

This isn’t just an abstract “strategy.”

It’s your blueprint—something you can actually use every day to grow your business.

Right now, your brand message is getting lost in translation.

Remember the game of telephone? You start by saying “I have blue shoes” and by the time it gets back to you, someone’s saying “I gave bad news” and now everyone’s confused like 😵😕???

That’s exactly what happens when you outsource your marketing before getting clear on your brand.

Your message and your vision gets muddled as it passes from contractor to contractor, and by the time it reaches your audience, it’s not saying what you think it is.

And I get it—when you're already overwhelmed running your business, so handing off your marketing seems like the obvious move.

Hiring a social media manager, a website designer, or a content creator feels tangible—a quick fix to the “I don’t know what to do with this” problem.

You find someone you like and basically say:"I don’t know what to do with this, so just do it for me."

But here’s the problem with that approach: If you don’t have a brand strategy in place first, your money isn’t being well spent.

Because all that content? All those visuals? They won’t be rooted in anything cohesive.

They’ll just be a mishmash of disconnected ideas that don’t actually drive results.

But when you start with brand strategy?

Suddenly, your content has a clear message. Your visuals reflect who you actually are.

Your marketing isn’t just stuff you put out—it’s a magnet for the right people.

Investing in Brand Strategy isn’t something you just ‘hand off’ and hope for the best.

A Brand Blueprint isn’t a passive investment—it’s a collaborative process.

You know your brand better than anyone, which is exactly why you play an integral role in shaping this strategy.

This isn’t about me making up some polished version of your business—it’s about pulling out everything that already makes you amazing and refining it into something powerful and clear.

That means sitting down, reflecting, and getting real about your goals, your message, your deeper why.

The more you write in our questionnaires, the more honest you get, the deeper you go? The better your results. No hiding. No holding back.

When we do this work together, you’re building the foundation for everything else:

  • Your brand identity (so when you invest in a designer, they create something aligned—not just “pretty”)
  • Your content strategy (so you actually know what to say, instead of guessing)
  • Your entire marketing approach (so you stop throwing spaghetti at the wall and start making intentional moves)

Without a brand straegy? You’re just throwing money at random marketing tactics, hoping something sticks.

With a brand strategy? You’re making strategic, intentional moves that align with where you want your business to go. (Remember what I said last week - you can't out-market a mess. You need that clarity BEFORE you can start marketing effectively)

I’ve got 2 Brand Blueprint spots open for March.

If you’re ready to take control of your brand and make your business work for you, hit reply (or complete this form) and let’s chat!

Until next time,

Marissa


It's a secret, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
Unsubscribe · Preferences

The Content Pour-Over

Just like making coffee, anyone can create content. But crafting crave-worthy content, much like a perfect pour-over, requires effort. Subscribers to the Content Pour-Over get weekly actionable insights to enhance their content through marketing psychology and brand strategy principles.

Read more from The Content Pour-Over

To set the scene, this past weekend my boyfriend and I were talking about engagement plans while touring open houses because we're planning on buying a home together soon. Needless to say, he's more than just a 'boyfriend' at this point, so the story I'm about to tell you holds a little more weight on the importance of showing up real. Let’s rewind to 2023 when Adam and I first met. For our second date, he took me (ME?!) to an art gallery. 💀 Now, we were still in that “getting to know each...

I don't know who needs to hear this, but your best content ideas aren't going to come from endlessly scrolling your feed and regurgitating what you see other people doing. Your best content comes from LIVING. Put down your damn phone, experience the moment, and allow yourself to actually exist without your business owner hat for a bit (yes, you're allowed to do that you know). Because those moments when you're free to be just Reader, not Reader, the badass business owner? Those are the...

You didn’t start your business to become a social media expert. And yet… there you were last night stressing over which trending hooks and audios to use on your Reels at 10 PM. Go ahead. Name one client who hired you because of the sound you picked on your Instagram post. ...I’ll wait. But for real, for real. You want the truth? You don’t have a social media problem. You have a brand clarity problem. Because if you knew exactly who you’re talking to, what makes you different, and why your...