Make Your Brand Stand Out

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Brittany Veenhuysen, Owner of BrandPsyche, located in Calgary, AB, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

BrandPsyche develops unique brands for growing businesses by drawing on a combination of philosophy, psychology, and storytelling. It is a loud, busy world out there, and we love working with brands that want to stand out from the crowd.

Tell us about yourself

After graduating with a BA in English, I had a fairly predictable career crisis (what on earth do you do with an English degree?) and ended up training as a technical writer. While working at a software company, I realized my entrepreneurial aspirations and jumped off the deep end into my business.

Since then, I’ve spent nearly six years ghostwriting books for public speakers and CEOs and creating business messaging that matters – stories that connect business owners with people they love to serve.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

When people read what I’ve written for their businesses, and they either tear up or start repeating, “Yes, yes, yes,” I feel like I’ve tapped into something important hidden just below the surface. I’m so proud to have co-founded BrandPsyche because I get to make this magic happen on the regular with the support of outstanding design skills and smart business strategy.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Sifting through the multitude of (often conflicting) advice when it comes to business development, marketing, and making an impact. Everyone and their cat has two cents to say on these topics. I’ve learned to go with my strengths, trust myself, and not be afraid of blundering or changing my mind now and again. There is no “right way” to do business that applies universally. It’s better to act and learn from your actions than to do endless research that leads in circles.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

You don’t need to see clearly where your journey will end in order to start a business. Trust that your experiences will guide you towards what is meaningful. I couldn’t have foreseen or planned where I am now, and I have a pretty vivid imagination.
Connect with people who are doing the same thing you are – bonus if they are further along. These are the people who will give you confidence and courage and share hard-won knowledge that will help you succeed.
If something doesn’t feel right, or if you make a regretful decision (underpricing yourself, for instance), reflect on it, learn from it, be grateful for it, and let it go. It is simply a chapter that becomes part of your story of transformation.

I’ve been asked many times whether it’s better to start a business all at once or begin with a side hustle and grow it. I did it all at once and spent a couple of years telling people that a side hustle might be the less crazy choice.

However, I’ve changed my mind on this topic. If you have a fire burning in you to start your business, go all in. There is something about having to make it work that turns you into a superhero. Side hustling, because it’s not a top priority, can end up lowering your confidence that you could make it work as a single source of income. The truth is that when a challenge is set before you without distraction, you are more likely to make it happen.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.brandpsyche.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandpsyche.inc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandpsyche/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brandpsyche/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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