Building a Spiritual Brand: The Raw, Unfiltered Truth
If you’re building a spiritual brand, chances are… it hasn’t been a straight and easy path.
You’ve tried things that looked good on paper but felt off in practice. That cost you more than they were worth (in energy, if not monetarily.) Maybe you’ve even questioned whether you’re cut out for the spiritual entrepreneur life at all.
I get it. Because that’s been me.
The way I approach building brands now didn’t come from getting it right the first time. It came from doing it wrong. More than once.
Before my business brought me abundance + fulfillment, it went through a period of misalignment, burnout, undercharging, overworking, and trying to fit into someone else’s version of success.
And looking back, that’s exactly what shaped my spiritual approach to branding.
So instead of sharing the highlight reel, I want to show you the real path that led me here… and what it might mean for the way you’re building your own brand.
This post has been updated from the original shared on Jan. 11, 2021.
Why am I sharing this?
Often we see where others are currently—in business, in life—without knowing how they got there. We see the result but we don’t always understand the journey. We may assume it was easy and even be hard on ourselves by comparing our current struggles with their supposed ease and success.
The truth is…
We learn more from failure than success.
And as part of my value of authenticity (in life and in my business), I believe we need to talk about all of it: the good and bad.
So, read on for my journey, with its many peaks and valleys (mostly valleys tbh)…
2012
Where It All Began
Only a year out of college, I launched Incandescent Creative as a way to build my design portfolio.
Eventually, with nothing more than my first “real” client + enough dissatisfaction in my 9-to-5, I decided to pursue freelancing full-time.
Baby’s first self-employed paycheck 🥲I was learning on-the-fly, teaching myself how to build websites in Wordpress (this was when Squarespace was a fledgling platform—now I prefer to work with SS) while designing (you know, that thing I started my business to do) and running a business… invoices, contracts, accounting, and so. many. emails.
(Seriously, NO ONE tells you how much time you’ll spend writing emails in your business!) 😅
I charged by the hour and wayyy undervalued my time. (Case in point: I had a client tell me point-blank to double my rates.)
Even though I was struggling AND had someone telling me to charge more, I didn’t believe I could actually get away with charging DOUBLE. I mean, I had only been making $7.50/hour a few years earlier. How could I possibly make such a massive leap?
To be real, pricing is hard. (But that’s a whole other conversation for another day.)
This lack mindset manifested in attracting clients who didn’t value what I offered, leading to self-doubt* and frustration.
I toughed it out for 9 months before accepting an in-house position with one of my clients, who was the CMO of a small tech start-up.
I stayed with that company for two years before I got the entrepreneurial itch again.
*If you’re feeling self-doubt, check out this post: Conquer Imposter Syndrome: 3 Powerful Kundalini Yoga Practices to Reclaim Your Confidence
2016
Take Two
This time, I leveraged my recently acquired marketing know-how and rebuilt Incandescent Creative as a BuSiNe$s, honey *spoken with true JVN flair*
Instead of jumping into the branding work I know and love, I floated myself with unfulfilling but steady tech design retainers and focused on my own brand, website, and marketing strategy.
(I did finally double my rates at least!)
When I wasn’t designing infographics, I was poring my time and money into ecourses, ebooks, etcetera, to basically learn “How to Entrepreneur Right.”
I was so focused on modeling my business after someone else’s definition of success and seeing everything I was doing “wrong” that the light at the end of the tunnel seemed to slip farther and farther away.
It felt like I could never catch up—there were plenty of other businesses offering similar services that would always be five steps ahead of me, so why should I bother?
This time, I made it 11 months before being recruited and accepting yet another in-house design job at a tech company. (Where I ended up expanding my skillset and doing some work I’m very proud of.)
Leading a team branding exercise as Senior Designer at that tech company in 2018It felt both like a Godsend and like throwing in the towel.
Because I’d just received the download to bring spirituality into my business. But I didn’t know how yet. (That would be revealed several years later.)
However, all that work I put in wasn’t for naught. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I’d built a foundation. The blog I started (the very same one you’re reading right now!) during this chapter of my business would start gaining traffic. And when I next returned to my business, that small boon would feel like a divine nudge of encouragement.
(Third time’s a charm, right?)
2020
Once More, With Feeling!
(aka When Everything Changed)
After not touching my business in over 3 years (yikes, I know) I was at a crossroads: I had to decide whether to tear it all down and rebuild, or to just pull the plug entirely.
Option A was incredibly daunting. Thoughts were poring through my mind: ‘Where would I even begin? Is it worth it? Do I want to keep putting money into a website, email list, etc. with no guarantee?’ Option B was clearly the easy way out…
But I had just gone through a spiritual awakening where everything in my personal life was torn down and in the process of being rebuilt—so what was one more thing?! Plus, as I mentioned, my blog had started to bring traffic to my website, which felt encouraging. I decided it was worth a shot.
(And let’s be real: This was 2020. What else was I going to do while the world was in lockdown?)
More than that, I felt compelled to do meaningful work.
So, slowly, I rebuilt my business from the ground up.
This time, my spiritual journey guided me. I told my head to take a backseat and listened to my heart. I used my self-awareness to shape my business, instead of following others’ recipes for success. And I started showing up as my true self, instead of hiding behind a facade of what I thought my brand “should” be.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this laid the foundation for my spiritual branding process.
Through building my own brand in this more conscious, authentic way, I discovered…
I felt more connected to my work because my business was a true reflection of me. Not just professionally but personally and spiritually. It wasn’t just part of me—it was ALL of me, poured into my business. By being aligned with who I am on a deeper level, I felt a sense of fulfillment and purpose I’d never experienced before.
I organically attracted clients, without doing any marketing or advertising. I unwittingly established my business in a unique positioning by leading with my truth and authenticity. This is what I now refer to as your distinct frequency. That frequency naturally magnetizes the right people into your business because 1) they feel a resonance with you and 2) you stand out from everyone else in your space. (No one can imitate your honest expression!)
And this led me to create spiritual branding, a conscious approach to personal branding that turns your true expression into your brand’s greatest strength.
My uncomfortable journey discovering and expressing my truth gave me the ability to support my clients in doing the same. (See some of those brand expressions in my portfolio.)
So here I am, 14 years later.
The road has been a bumpy one, for sure, but the experience has shaped me and my business in ways I never could have imagined. For that, I am grateful.
I’m sure there will be more twists, turns, and bumps ahead, but I’m excited to see where they lead me.
No matter where you are on your journey, I hope reading my story gave you some reassurance. You don’t have to get it “right” the first time. In fact, maybe getting it “wrong” a few times is what will lead you to your truest version of success.
Ready to build your spiritual brand?
Here are 3 ways I can support you…
✺ Brand Essence (DIY Branding)
If you’re craving clarity and want to build your brand foundation from the inside out—at your own pace—this is for you. Start building your brand, stat →
✺ 1:1 Brand Coaching
If you want personalized support, honest reflection, and intuitive guidance as you build your brand, we can sit side-by-side (virtually) and bring it to life together. Let’s talk →
✺ Brand Alchemy: Holistic Branding + Website Design
If you’re ready to hand it over and be fully supported in creating a brand and website that feels like you, this is my most immersive, done-for-you experience. Get the full service treatment →
NOT SURE WHERE TO START?Get in touch and we’ll find the path that fits you, your business, and the season you’re in currently.
