1:1 brand coaching with Jen, founder of Studio 27eleven
Finding clarity and confidence through curiosity
Before we started working together
When Jen reached out, she’d been running Studio 27eleven, her freelance graphic design business, for five years. With more than a decade of agency experience behind her, she knew design inside out, but when it came to defining her own brand, things felt murky.
She describes it as “just plodding along, not 100% sure what it was that I actually enjoy doing.” Despite helping other businesses with their brands, she struggled to apply that same thinking to her own. “It’s easier for me to see it from the outside,” she said, “but to apply that same sort of thought process to myself, I needed someone else to come along and help.”
That lack of clarity held her back. She’d find herself taking on projects she didn’t love and hesitating to reach out to potential clients because she wasn’t sure who she wanted to attract.
1:1 brand coaching: the process
Jen wanted to carve out time to focus on herself. To step back from the client work and look at what she really wanted from her business. Our coaching sessions together became her space to do that.
“It was really nice actually,” she said. “It felt like a bit of me time. I’d close the door, get my notebooks out, and dedicate that time to reflecting.”Some sessions pushed her to the edge of her comfort zone. She laughed about leaving with “a scrambled egg brain” after the harder ones, but knew that was part of the process. “You have to do that work to understand yourself better.”
Where curiosity became confidence
Then came the lightbulb moment: curiosity.
“I remember getting into the bath and suddenly thinking, it’s curiosity. That’s what I like! Anything that sparks intrigue or makes you go, ‘what’s that?’”That single word became the anchor point for Jen’s entire brand. Something she could always return to. “Before, I wasn’t sure what I was able to anchor myself to,” she said. “Now I do, and it just frees your brain up really.”Once Jen had that clarity, everything else started to click into place. She became more intentional with her work, more confident in her outreach, and more protective of her energy.
She built a targeted campaign designed to attract the right people, and for the first time, understood why she was reaching out to them. “It helped me recognise the type of clients I want to work with and why. That’s really helped me build my confidence to approach new people and back myself.”
That new confidence extended to her boundaries, too. “I’ve been better at saying yes and better at saying no – and not feeling like I should have said yes when I didn’t want to. The work I’m doing now aligns more with the type of design work I enjoy.”
Even her product range, cards, bookmarks, craft kits, and art prints, took on a new meaning. It no longer felt like a side hobby, but a natural extension of her brand. “It all comes back to curiosity,” she said. “People discovering my products are experiencing that same little spark of ‘what’s this?’ that I love creating.”
A creative life that fits
Before we worked together, Jen’s business was running, but not quite in the direction she wanted. Her design work was solid, but her confidence wavered. She said yes to things she didn’t really want to do, second-guessed what clients were looking for, and often felt disconnected from her own creative spark.
After our coaching sessions she’d built something stronger: a business that finally felt like her.
She started making clearer, more confident decisions. She now says no to projects that don’t fit, and yes to work that aligns with her values and design style. Her marketing is purposeful instead of reactive; every piece of content has a reason behind it.
“Before, I’d just post things without really knowing why. Now, there’s thought behind it. I know who I’m talking to and what I want to say.“I think the confidence I’ve got from our sessions is a big thing – and the clarity as well. I now understand why I do what I do. That’s what I’ve taken away from our coaching together.”That shift in understanding reshaped not only how she works, but how she feels about her business. With her brand now anchored in curiosity, she no longer questions her direction. She trusts herself. She’s confident approaching new clients, clear on her creative boundaries, and genuinely enjoying her work again.
Before:
Unclear on ideal clients and direction
Reactive marketing and low confidence
Saying yes to projects that didn’t align
After:
Clear on her core theme of curiosity
Confident, purposeful marketing
Stronger boundaries and client fit
A creative business that feels aligned and enjoyable
Jen’s advice to others
Her biggest takeaway? Make time for yourself.
“Put in the time and effort to really drill down what it is you want to do. It’ll feel slightly scrambled at first, but it’s worth it. Six months down the line, once you know this information, you can’t not know it and you’ve got that for life. We spend so much time doing this work for others, but investing that same time into yourself makes you better at what you do.”Jen chose to do 1:1 brand coaching with me. Want to know more about it?