Branding Your Work is a Hilarious Cruel Punishment from the Gods

I’m starting a new personal project, and it’s reminded me that BRANDING YOUR WORK IS A HILARIOUS CRUEL PUNISHMENT FROM THE GODS.

How hard is it to come up with a brilliant brand name? Right?

It can be really, really easy to phone it in and just go with something like, “Stephanie’s World.” Please do not go with “Stephanie’s World.” Not only is it of high top sneakers from the 90s (oh wait, those are cool again!), but it takes a lot of money / time / anger management classes to market a name that nobody understands at first glance. That’s like starting a pizza shop but calling it “Larry’s Salmon.” Or worse: “Elevate.” Why is everyone elevating everything? Honestly, any name that includes words like: Summit, Peak, Venture, Elevate, Integrity, Horizon, Legacy, or Solutions deserves to be sent to Branding Jail with a lifetime sentence of Comic Sans.

So anyway. *swirls coffee* I’m starting a new personal project, which means I’m starting a new newsletter, because this is where all projects should start: by thinking on the page.

I know it’s tempting to want to put up the website.
Start the Shopify shop.
F*ck with Instagram.
Make really ugly logos.
Make more really ugly logos.
Buy extra-thick business cards that don’t fit into any wallet.
And put the proverbial business cart in front of the proverbial business horse.

That’s a typical approach. You go out, set up a shop, and then try to get people in the door.

MEH! Not my favorite. I’ve already got an ulcer thinking about it. This is when it gets really hard because every Etsy shop owner on earth—for example—is trying to figure out how in the gin bottle to differentiate themselves from every other Etsy shop on earth.

There are SO many lovely Etsy shops. And SO many lovely Shopify stores. And SO many (lovely, lol) competitors. How do you stand out from the crowd??? 🎯

(Especially if you are selling breast-milk-flavored toothpicks like these guys. I mean, SO MUCH COMPETITION.)

But—whatifwhatifwhatifwhatifwhatifwhatifwhatifwhatifwhatif…

You started with the people.
You gathered them together around a shared mission.
And then offered your work as a helpful tool on that shared mission?

This is the difference between:

A Product-Led Business (🛒 “Build it and pray they come.”)

and

A People-Led Business (🎤 “Make friends first, then sell them stuff that aligns with your shared worldview”)

One starts with a product. The other starts with a point of view.
One says, “Here’s my store!”
The other says, “Here’s my story.”
One puts business cards in the mail.
The other puts meaning in people’s inboxes.

And I can promise you—the latter is always going to be the best route for creators like you and I. Because you don’t have millions of dollars in ad spend like big corporations to market your stuff; you need to use your point of view to market your stuff.

Turns out?
Your weird little brain is the budget.
Your taste is the billboard.
Your personality is the brand.
Your email list is the marketing department, PR firm, sales team, and vibe check—all rolled into one.

And this is the magic of starting with editorial instead of inventory. You’re not just trying to sell someone a thing. You’re inviting them into a worldview they want to be a part of.

Alas!

The very first step when launching a new project—at least, from the weird little brain of Ash Ambirge—is to stop overthinking it, and start talking about it, instead.

In other words: start a newsletter, you magnificent goblin.

And stop overthinking what it should contain!

The point is not to make an airbrushed magazine (ew), the point is to have a journal of ideas. How much nicer is it to think of it that way, as a journal of ideas? You don’t have to ~HaVe All tHe AnSwErS~ like a posh British aristocrat, you simply need to be willing to show up and explore one big question that matters to you.

The question you pick is the theme of your newsletter.
It’s the mortar that will hold everything together.
It’s the thread that will bring cohesion to your ideas.

A few examples:

🧼 EXAMPLE 1: THE PRODUCTIVITY NEWSLETTER

Before:

“I guess I’ll write a newsletter about productivity? Everyone likes productivity, right?”

After:

“I’m writing a newsletter called Brain Soap, where I de-gunk the modern mind. Each week I explore one tiny habit, weird system, or renegade thought that helps clear mental clutter and reclaim your brain for actual living.”

Question/Thread/Theme:
How do we un-junk our minds in a world obsessed with doing more?

Why it works:
They stopped trying to be a productivity oracle and started writing from their real curiosity.

🔥 EXAMPLE 2: THE CAREER NEWSLETTER

Before:

“Should I make it a how-to newsletter? Maybe a career newsletter? I’m just so sick of fake LinkedIn crap.”

After:

“It’s called Corporate Hell, and it’s a weekly takedown of the most absurd career advice out there—with a side of actual useful rebellion.”

Question/Thread/Theme:
What if we stopped pretending to love the game and started rewriting the rules?

Why it works:
It’s specific, spicy, and pointed. The theme is clear: dismantling bad advice while creating a new playbook. It turns personal frustration into community resonance.

🐀 EXAMPLE 3: THE URBAN NEWSLETTER

Before:

“I think I’ll write about city life? But I don’t want to sound like a travel guide. And also I hate brunch culture.”

After:

“It’s called Concrete Fauna, and it’s a weekly observation of the strange rituals of urban living. (Yes, including the guy who rollerblades in a cape at 7am.)”

Question/Thread/Theme:
What does our built environment say about the animals we’ve become?

Why it works:
It makes everyday life strange and fascinating again. It’s like a David Attenborough voiceover for people watching from the fire escape. It’s not about traveling the city—it’s about interpreting it.

See how starting with one meaningful question you want to answer can define your entire brand????

See how much easier it is, when you start with something you are genuinely curious about?

Once you figure out what your question is—

—the rest practically falls into place, because NOW you have enough focus to come up with a killer name. (That’s brilliant and makes sense!) NOW you have enough focus to picture the theme of the newsletter. (And the content you’ll write each week!) NOW you have enough focus to really picture the perfect shop. (And exactly what it’ll contain.) NOW you have enough focus so can picture the perfect books, the perfect workshops, the perfect courses. (And even start to plan them!) And NOW you can really get excited, because—dear god—you have the one thing nobody can ever wrap their sweaty little meat sausages around these days:

Clarity.

And while I do despise the word “clarity”—PTSD from Freshman English—damn is it good for the soul.

And it’s good for your business’ soul.

And it’s good for your ability to rally people around you, right out of the gate.

Because you are not telling them to join “Stephanie’s World.” (Yawn, nobody cares.)

You’re showing them why it matters to theirs. (Oh, this is about something I care about? Tell me more.)

You’re not saying “come watch me.” You’re saying “Hey, I’ve been obsessing over this one thing, and if you’ve been obsessing over it too—pull up a chair.”

You’re not offering a brand.
You’re offering a breadcrumb trail of meaning.

And that’s what people want to follow—not just a logo, not just a vibe, but a genuine question that makes them feel seen, validated, and understood.

And the more you see them, baby?

The more they’ll see you.

And the more they see you?

Sales no longer become a struggle.

They simply become the inevitable byproduct of a meaningful question…well-answered.

P.S. Revealing my new personal project soon! 🥁 Hint: it has nothing to do with marketing. Or that time I hung out on Martha’s Vineyard all day with the plastic size sticker still on my pants.