May 20, 2026
What I Wish Every Entrepreneur Knew Before Hiring a Brand Designer
I haven’t discussed the emotion behind hiring a brand designer, and how it requires you (the client) to be in quite a vulnerable position.
When you’re handing over the visual representation of something you’ve poured yourself into (for months, sometimes even for years) and trusting that another person will hopefully ‘get it’ – wishing that they’ll see what you see, and that they’ll translate the things you feel in your gut into something the rest of the world can recognize.
THAT in and of itself is not a small role to trust someone with and I don’t think it’s mentioned enough!
It’s easy to talk about the basics of hiring a brand designer and the logical needs behind it – of course! But there are so many nuances as to why you may be hesitant or had a not-so-lovely previous experience. OR how you’re remaining ‘content’ with your current brand even though there’s something tugging at you to invest (and trust) in something deeper.
So before you ever hop on a discovery call with me (or anyone), I want to give you the conversation I wish every entrepreneur got to have initially. This isn’t the “how to prepare your Pinterest board” conversation – the real one that talks about how this can feel like you’re handing a piece of your heart over, and hoping it doesn’t get crsuhed in the process.
Did you have a bad experience?
Most of the entrepreneurs I work with come to me after at least one branding experience that left them feeling…kind of off? Sometimes the final product looked beautiful on paper, but it didn’t feel like them. Or the process felt rushed, transactional, and like they were just picking from a menu of options that could’ve belonged to just about anyone.
And here’s what this can actually cost you (beyond the money): it makes you second-guess yourself a little bit. You start wondering if maybe you’re the problem. “Maybe I’m too picky. Or I don’t know what I want. Maybe my business just isn’t ‘there yet'” – all things I’m sure you’ve thought of if you’ve been in this situation.
(None of that is true, by the way)
What’s usually true is that the process skipped the most crucial part: understanding who you actually are, how you work, and what makes your thing your thing before anyone cracked open a design program.
When that step gets skipped, you end up with a brand that looks like it belongs to someone else’s business, and you can feel that every time you show up online.
What I wish you knew moving forward
So here’s what I wish you knew, from someone who takes this work probably a little too personally (I say that with full self-awareness and also zero apology):
Your brand designer should ask you some hard questions. Not just “what colors do you like and not like?” I mean questions that make you pause a little way. What do you want people to feel when they find you? What kind of client relationships drain you? What’s the version of success that actually sounds like your life? If your designer isn’t digging into the strategy underneath the aesthetics, the visuals will never land the way they should.
You don’t need to have it all figured out before you start.
I talk to so many people who feel like they need to arrive at our first call with a perfectly articulated vision. You don’t – that’s literally what I’m here for. What you do need is honesty about where you are right now and willingness to explore it. That’s enough to start with, and we’ll find the clarity together.
A mood board isn’t a brand strategy.
I love a good mood board (truly). But a collection of images you’re drawn to is a starting point, not the whole destination. Strategy is the foundational work of figuring out why certain things resonate, what they communicate to your specific audience, and how to translate that into a system that works across every touchpoint. The mood board is the spark, and the strategy is the architecture that helps build your visual foundation.
The process should feel collaborative, not like a shocking reveal.
If your designer disappears for three weeks and then hits you with a “ta-da!” moment that is wildly surprising, it can be a red flag. Good branding is built in conversation and understanding. You should feel like a co-creator, not a spectator. Your input isn’t an inconvenience either, it’s actually the entire point.
And now my favorite piece – feedback is a crucial part of the process (and we welcome it).
This one is personal for me as I care deeply about every project I touch, and I want it to be right. Not right for my portfolio’s sake, but right for you. That means I actually want to hear when something feels off. It’s taken me awhile to separate the personal from the business, and now I know that a good, albeit great designer won’t crumble at the honesty. We’ll use it to build something that better resonates. Your instincts about your own brand matter more than an emotional attachment to someone’s work, and the right designer will treat them that way.
Okay…prove it.
Here’s a real example for ya – I worked with a client recently who came to me after a previous branding experience that checked every aesthetic box but missed the mark on something she couldn’t quite name. The colors were on trend, the fonts were so elegant (beautiful, truly). But every time she went to post on Instagram or update her website, she felt like she was performing; almost like she was wearing a mask.
When we sat down together, I didn’t start with design. We started with her. What lights her up about her work, how she naturally communicates, what her dream clients actually need to feel before they trust her enough to book – and from there, we built her brand from the inside out.
The final result looked completely different from what she originally thought she wanted. And the best part? She loved it more than anything she could’ve pinpointed on a Pinterest board because it wasn’t aspirational – IT WAS ACCURATE.
That’s the difference between a brand that looks good and a brand that works for you. One gets compliments, the other gets bookings (though in my biased opinion, the best kinds of brands get both).
Does this resonate?
If you’re reading this and feeling a little protective of your vision, a little nervous about handing it over, and a little unsure whether someone else can really capture the thing that makes your work special..
Great. That tells me you care!
The entrepreneurs who do the best in my branding process are the ones who show up honestly. They say “I don’t know exactly what I want, but I know this isn’t it.” They also trust the process AND themselves enough to speak up when something doesn’t feel right.
I don’t consider that high-maintenance or being a difficult client, but partnership and collaboration!
If you related to some of this, my Brand Energy Mini Reading might be the perfect place for you to begin!! It’s a low-pressure way to explore what your brand is actually trying to say before you commit to a full redesign. We’ll dig into your foundation together, and you’ll walk away with clarity into what makes YOU the superpower behind your business.
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