Let’s be honest.
A lot of brands look good.
But looking good isn’t the same as working.
In a world flooded with design trends, AI-generated logos, and yet another beige aesthetic “rebrand,” we’ve watched one too many founders build brands that feel like beautiful cages. Slick on the surface, but completely disconnected from the people behind them.
When the brand doesn’t reflect the real you, showing up for it becomes just another chore on a never-ending to-do list. Cue: design fatigue, inconsistent messaging, and the slow unraveling of something that once felt energizing.
But let’s take it a step further—because this isn’t just about branding.
This is about founder fatigue.
And I’ve felt it.
After 10+ years of building ENC, after seasons of pushing through sleepless nights, new motherhood, self-doubt, and the constant pressure to grow and evolve—there have been moments I’ve wanted to burn it all down and start fresh. Not because I didn’t love it. But because I couldn’t recognize myself in it anymore.
I’ve stayed up late reworking client decks after putting my son to sleep.
I’ve carried the weight of payroll, creative output, and strategy all at once.
I’ve poured myself into brands and left nothing in the tank for my own.
There’s a voice that creeps in:
“If this tanks, I’m fucked.”
“If I stop showing up, it all falls apart.”
“If I pivot now, what does that say about all the work I’ve already done?”
The truth is, most founders don’t burn out because they’re lazy or unfocused.
They burn out because they’ve built something that no longer fits, something you built for a version of yourself you’ve outgrown, or for a market that’s shifted, or for expectations that were never yours to begin with.
I believe wholeheartedly that your brand should energize you.
Not drain you. Not box you in. And definitely not become something you secretly resent.
It means designing with the human in mind. Starting with you.
It means knowing what the brand actually needs to do, not just what you want it to look like.
It means building a visual language that can evolve with you, not just keep up with what’s trending this month.
When clarity meets creativity, something powerful happens:
You stop faking it.
You start showing up.
And that’s when momentum really builds.
This is where sustainability in brand-building lives. Not in repurposing old templates. Not in copying what worked for someone else. But in building something true enough to outlast the noise and light enough to carry with joy.
What is one small brand decision you made early on at ENC that changed everything?
We decided trends weren’t our thing.
We didn’t chase them, we didn’t mimic them, and we definitely didn’t let them dictate our direction. Sure, that’s probably why our follower count didn’t skyrocket overnight, but honestly, I wouldn’t trade that for what we’ve gained. It’s given us the space to build something with depth. A brand that actually reflects our ideas, not the algorithm. That decision to tune out the noise has allowed us to pave a lane of our own. One where we feel inspired, get inspired, and then turn around and pass that spark on to others.
And that? That’s the kind of brand I’ll keep showing up for.