A decade in business teaches you things no course, mentor, or marketing pro ever could.
My journey, which started back in 2015, has been about so much more than just designing brands—it’s been navigating the highs, the lows, and the downright chaotic moments of entrepreneurship. I’ve learned what works, what definitely doesn’t, and most importantly, what actually matters.
Some lessons came easy. Others? I learned the hard way—through burnout, trial and error, and the kind of facepalm moments that make you want to cry. (Or scream. Or both.) But through it all, I’ve built a business (and a life) that I love. And today, I’m sharing five lessons I wish I had known sooner—so you don’t have to take the scenic route like I did.
1. It doesn’t have to be so complicated
As a young designer, my mentors drilled perfectionism into me. And as a result, I overthought every tiny detail of every little thing. Bless my past teachers and creative directors for the attention to detail I’m now known for. But as a natural-born people pleaser, I didn’t really need help with perfectionism. What I needed to learn (the hard way, as it turns out) was how to streamline.
For years, I made everything so much more work than it needed to be. I’d write every client email from scratch instead of creating templates. I’d spend weeks crafting a blog post, share it once, and then immediately stress over what to write next—completely missing the fact that I could repurpose it into a dozen pins, multiple emails, and a month’s worth of IG posts. (Sidenote—if you’re not repurposing your content for every marketing channel possible, please do yourself a huge favour and start.)
I thought customizing everything made my client experience more valuable, but the truth? My clients don’t need a bespoke experience at every single touchpoint. They just need my proven, repeatable process that delivers. And refining that has saved me more time (and sanity) than I can count.
Now I know better. Every successful entrepreneur batches, automates, and repeats processes. It doesn’t make them lazy or impersonal. It gives them bandwidth—so they can focus on what actually moves the needle, instead of getting stuck in an endless loop of reinvention
2. DIY doesn’t always save you money
I can’t tell you how many weekends I spent bleary-eyed, hunched over a Google Sheet, convincing myself that struggling through my own bookkeeping was saving me a buck. Sure, I learned the basics of my own numbers (super important). But the real magick happened when I let it go—hiring an expert so I could focus on what I do best.
Now? I’ll shout it from the rooftops: DIY isn’t free. It costs you time, energy, and honestly, confidence. Trying to do it all yourself means something else—something you’re actually great at—is getting neglected.
So if you’re DIY-ing your branding right now? Let’s have a chat. Because just like I wouldn’t trust myself with tax season, your brand deserves more than a makeshift logo and a colour palette picked off Pinterest. (#sorrynotsorry)
3. You don’t have to be good at everything
As I transitioned from a freelance graphic designer to being creative director of my own brand and web design studio, I thought I had to be “full service” to be taken seriously. So I built a team covering everything—copywriting, photography, all of it. I love collaborating with creatives, but if I’m honest? It was also about control. I wanted to make sure everything was done to my standards.
The problem? I spread myself way too thin. Managing all those moving pieces pulled me away from what I actually love—strategy and design. And the truth is, people want to hire experts. They don’t want someone who does everything pretty well, and they certainly don’t want someone who is burnt the F out. They want someone who’s exceptional at one thing. So instead of being a “jack-of-all-trades” studio, I doubled down on what I do best.
And just like that? Business got clearer. Simpler. More magnetic.
4. Niche, niche, niche
Niching down is brutal. It forces you to be cutthroat—to strip away what’s “good” so you can get to what’s great. And even though I teach my clients this, I avoided it myself for years—until finally, I hired a coach to help me do for my own brand what I do for others.
Turns out, it’s really hard to see your own blind spots.
Defining your niche isn’t just about what you offer. It’s about creating a crystal-clear connection between your services and what your ideal client actually wants. When that clicks? Suddenly, you’re not just “an option”—you’re the option.
5. Own your weird
Even when I was freelancing and too shy to share my mystical side with the internet, astrology was shaping my business. I’d study my chart, the current astro-weather, and I realized my favorite clients were the ones who loved when astro chatter crept into our meetings.
So I went all in. Over time, my love for astrology and design evolved into Moonstone’s proprietary process—a completely unique approach to branding that I’m wildly proud of. And guess what? It’s a huge reason why clients choose us over anyone else.
Was I scared to talk about it at first? Hell yes. I thought people might think I was unprofessional or crazy. But as Jamie Kern Lima says, “You’re not crazy—you’re just first.” So instead of watering yourself down, own the things that make you different. They’re what make you magnetic.
What’s next for you?
These lessons took me years to learn—but you don’t have to take the long road. If you’re ready to stop second-guessing and start building a brand that actually works, let’s start with something fun: Take our Brand Tarot Quiz and uncover the brand style that’s written in the stars for you. 🌙✨
