Episode 110 – How to Build a Brand from a Place of Rest (not Hustle)

Friend, I’m so excited to welcome you to today’s episode of the Brand Strategy Podcast where I’m over the moon to introduce you to my sweet friend, Ashlyn Carter. If you’ve not had the opportunity to get to know Ashlyn, I promise you will love her. And today, we’re talking about how to build a brand from a place of rest not hustle. Ashlyn is a conversion copywriter and marketing strategist who specializes in wedding and creative industries. Ashlyn left the hustle of corporate PR world to bring in more than 7-figures in her own business writing for creatives like Jenna Kutcher, Hillary Rushford, Lara Casey and so many more.  Honestly, she is a master at crafting launch funnels for her clients that are wildly profitable, even to the tune of over $500,000. Ashlyn is based in Atlanta where she lives with her sweet husband and precious baby boy and she and I both share a small obsession with weekly margaritas and tacos. Ashlyn and I met years ago at the 2015 Illume Retreat as she was just getting started in the world of entrepreneurship and it’s been so amazing watching her grow over the years. And with that, let’s dive into this incredible conversation about how to work from a place of rest, not hustle. WORK FROM A PLACE OF REST NOT HUSTLE 4:30 – How Ashlyn started her business 8:00 – The lightbulb moment of working from a place of rest not hustle 10:50 – The “onlyness” factor 13:00 – “Good sales should feel good and pull the weight off the hustle.” – Ashlyn Carter THE MISTAKES MADE WHILE INTENTIONALLY BUILDING A BRAND 14:30 – The mistakes made along the way of intentionally building a brand that supports Ashlyn’s message 15:45 – You grow into your own advice 16:50 – Getting rid of the “safety blanket” that fear was holding onto 19:30 – Becoming a specialist not a generalist THE FIRST STEP TO REST: DEFINING ENOUGH 22:30 – Working with a financial coach can help show you what is enough 23:20 – Get clear on your sales goal and only go towards that—this gets rid of the shiny object syndrome 25:45 – Defining enough and give yourself grace as you chase after your definition of success 28:30 – We work so hard to build these businesses, but we also need to remember to live our life 31:00 – Communicate your values to your clients and live those out THE POWER OF INVESTING IN YOURSELF 32:30 – How the investment in the Illume Retreat changed Ashlyn’s mindset to bet on herself and take the leap in her business 34:30 – The importance of finding the “Ashlyn-sized hole” in the industry 35:00 – Illume put relationships in front of Ashlyn that she never would have gotten online 36:30 – The Illume Retreat created a space for women to show up and get vulnerable OVERCOMING THE FEAR OF WORKING FROM THIS PLACE 40:00 – Reflection: What would you do if you were the best? If you were the best one at whatever it is that you want to...