As a small business owner, it's easy to get bogged down with the day-to-day grind. We're constantly switching hats and are so focused on where we want to take our dream that we forget to look around and give thanks for the blessings we've got right here and now.

As I approach Thanksgiving and the one year anniversary of me taking the crazy wonderful leap, I think it's time to slow down, take a step back, and identify what I'm grateful for in my business right now.

If you're anything like me, you can't stand conflict. Tension makes your skin crawl and you'd rather swallow your pride in an effort to keep everyone happy. Being an introvert and a people pleaser, I'm personally inclined to keep quiet while others get loud. However when it comes to running a business, that just doesn't work.

I've heard far too many horror stories of creatives being manipulated and trampled by their own good intentions. Whether they slipped into perpetual “yes” mode, got dragged into an endless cycle of revisions, or never got paid for their hard work, these stories used to terrify me as I toyed with the idea of working for myself.

How could an introvert and people pleaser like me put on a fierce face and be the boss I needed to be? As I've come to learn, the key is to create systems that set you up for success. These 7 strategies have helped bring me out of my introverted people-pleasing shell. My hope is that they'll do the same for you too.

I'm beyond thrilled to finally unveil the new branding I've been working so hard on behind the scenes for Restored 316! When Lauren first contacted me I resonated so strongly with her story and our first call proved to me right away that we'd be a great fit. So without further ado, I'm so excited to share a peek into the process behind Restored 316's new look!

Function Coffee Labs, a Philly-based specialty coffee shop with a focus on crafting delicious experiences, was the first branding project I took on under my new business last January. For this reason, FCL's branding will always hold an extra special place in my heart.

My work with owners Meg and Ross not only helped me feed my caffeine addiction and better understand the specialty coffee realm, but it also helped me uncover my passion for branding within the hospitality industry. 

Working for yourself is an extremely romantic idea. It's all about taking the leap, chasing your dreams, and building a life you love, isn't it? At the heart of it, this is absolutely the sunny side of being self-employed. But not every day ends up feeling this way.

The Self-employed illusion

I've been working for myself for just about 10 months now. At first the freedom was all but intoxicating. I mean, I get to work from home, I can wear whatever I want (most often yoga pants), and there's no onslaught of annoying meetings to keep me from doing the work I love. Amazing, right? At first it absolutely was.

After a while, however, it gets old. When the novelty wears off, working for yourself can get pretty lonely. I started feeling sloppy, anxious, and absolutely starved for company. It felt like I had to wait forever for my husband to get home, and yet I simultaneously felt like I was behind on everything and never had enough time. Couple that with not knowing where your next project is coming from, and you've got one stressed out mess of a girl.

Solving the Struggle

As you can probably tell, the struggle has been extremely real for me recently. I'm a firm believer in being very open about this journey (even the not-so pretty parts), so last week I took to Twitter and Instagram to talk about it. After sharing my own challenges, I was amazed at the overwhelming response I received.

As it turns out, so many freelancers and business owners share my dilemma. Better yet, many of them began sharing their own amazing stories, encouragement, and their answers to the solopreneur struggle. I wouldn't dream of keeping this wisdom to myself, so without further ado, I'm excited to share our answers with you!

Whether it's a logo and brand identity, package design, or a full website, professional design is an big, exciting investment. You've put a lot of thought into this decision. So now that you've decided to hire a designer, how can you be sure to get the most value for your time and money? Well, friend, these 7 tips will help you do just that!

Just as logo and brand files can be a bit confusing to implement, I've encountered more than a client or two that is totally baffled by their brand's color palette. Although they're absolutely smitten with their brand's new color scheme, it's all those color values that are the issue! Pantone, RGB, CMYK, and hex—what does it all mean? Which ones do you use for print? What about web? Does it really even matter?

Although it can be frustrating at first, it absolutely matters. Not to worry—your brand's color palette doesn't have to be another headache! I'm here to break down the different color terms you'll likely encounter in your brand guidelines so you know what they mean and how to use them.

The branding process takes an extraordinary amount of time, effort, and collaboration between designer and client. But what about all those mysterious final files? Too often they're just passed on as an afterthought with little explanation of where and when to use them.

So when should you use which file type anyway? What's the difference between web and high resolution? What if you need to use your logo over a photo? What then? Well, that's exactly what I'm hear to share today. So bear with me, and I'll do my best to shed some light on all those shiny new brand assets you can't wait to use!

When you're searching for the right brand designer, it's a no-brainer to peruse the work on each prospect's website. An online portfolio is a must for any designer, but in today's hyper-social culture, more and more designers are also making a serious statement with their work on social media.

For my brand this mostly applies to Instagram because of it's highly visual nature. As I harness Instagram for my brand more and more, my feed has become a kind of curated mini portfolio in its own right and proved to be pretty powerful for my business. So what's the point? Why share work on social? Well, let's take a look.