DTLD Magazine | ISSUE 04

ISSUE | 04 BUSINESS | MARKETING | ENTREPRENEURSHIP

THE DTLD POV DTLD Magazine is a digital publication, created by INICIO Creative Agency, bridging the gap between business and creativity. This publication is designed to bring entrepreneurs business advice and news in a new, fresh, and exciting way.

DTLD Magazine is here to provide the latest information that will take you to the next level in your professional life. We hope this magazine opens your mind and allows you to think about things in new ways that bring forth innovative action toward your goals.

Here at DTLD, we are committed to forging a path of our own, and we hope we can inspire you to do the same.

INTRODUCTION

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PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

WELCOME TO DTLD. Wow, wow, wow. We are back and truly better than ever. As we drop our fourth issue I am overcome with emotions knowing what the future holds for us...

Incredible partnerships, amazing events, more ways to grow as a business and creative, and that just scratches the surface.

This magazine is the table we all are trying to find a seat at and let me tell you. There are infinite seats for each and everyone of you.

So pull up a chair, get involved and let us know how we can support you.

Welcome to your tribe. DTLD Magazine is back.

WITH ALL MY LOVE, SASHA MONIQUE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, DTLD MAGAZINE OWNER OF INICIO CREATIVE AGENCY

from the editor 02

table of contents PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

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Business The New Rules of Growth: Scaling with Intention in an Overstimulated Market Recession-Proofing Your Business: Strategies for Long-Term Growth From Six to Seven Figures: What It Really Takes to Scale Profitably Money Rituals: A CEO’s Guide to Financial Power

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branding The Costly Branding Mistakes Even Established Companies Make Your Brand is Your Creative Medium: On Strategy, and Building Something Escape-Worthy How Personal Branding is Evolving Beyond Social Clout Why the Best Brands in 2025 Prioritize Strategy Over Aesthetics

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marketing Why Micro-communities are Becoming the Most Valuable Marketing Asset You’re Talented, But That’s Not Why You’re Broke: Let’s Fix the Marketing Gap AI and the New Marketing Playbook: What’s Hype vs What Works

04 PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

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creator focus Trill Sofia Aguilar Delaun Oshea Monique Hutson Jeremiah McKibbins

105 Art + Culture The New Cool: Why DTLA’s Culture Shift Matters for The West Coast Creative Identity Why The History of DTLA Still Shapes the Culture We’re Creating Now DTLD Insider: Los Angeles Unlocked

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DTLD Business directory

for all inquiries: hello@dtldmag.com marketing@dtldmag.com dtldmag.com @dtldmag

PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

THE DTLD STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SASHA MONIQUE COORDINATOR + MANAGER GABRIEL BARILLAS DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING DEBI LEWIS PHOTOGRAPHER JEREMIAH MCKIBBINS OF KIBBS STUDIOS

STEPHANIE BRODIE GABRIEL BARILLAS RICKY MEDINA ELLA MILAN JAH ALLEYNE DARLENE BARILLAS SERENA SANCHEZ MEGAN MUNSELL ELIZABETH KAWACHI

PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

DTLD STAFF + CONTRIBUTORS

CONTRIBUTORS | MODELS

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B U S I N E S S

PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

T H E O F

N E W R U L E S G R O W T H :

SCALING WITH INTENTION IN AN OVERSTIMULATED MARKET | SASHA MONIQUE |

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PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

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We are all hanging on by a thread in the digital space these days.

Quibi: The $1.75 Billion Brand That Mistook Hype for Strategy

We are truly bombarded with content, comparison, and constant pressure to scale, faster, louder, bigger. In a market where everyone is thirsty for attention, growth has become less about intention and more about intensity.

In April 2020, Quibi (short for “Quick Bites”) hit the scene with a staggering $1.75 billion in funding led by Hollywood heavyweight Jeffrey Katzenberg and former HP CEO Meg Whitman, with a belief that mobile-first, short-form content was about to be the next big thing.

I mean at this point are we solving a problem here, or just seeing who can outalpha who? But here’s the thing no one’s saying out loud: not all growth is good growth and that is a hill I will die on.

The brands that are truly thriving in 2025 aren’t the ones chasing every trend or posting around the clock.

They’re the ones moving with clarity, scaling with structure, and building with long-term vision. They’re being intentional with their efforts and not overcompensating in areas that don’t require energy to begin with.

This is the shift from hustle to harmony, from expansion to alignment. In a world built on overstimulation, the most powerful move you can make is to grow with intention.

Unfortunately…It wasn’t.

And it wasn’t just bad timing, it was a masterclass in scaling before solidifying, something we see far too often in the entrepreneurial world.

Quibi launched like it had already won the game. Massive talent deals. Over 200 employees. A-list content. But what it didn’t have? A clue if anyone actually wanted what they were building.

Especially in a pandemic, when “on-the-go” content became irrelevant overnight. Let’s be honest, we were all drinking, eating, and dancing our way through TikTok and endless days of isolation.

So what really went wrong?

Let’s talk about what that actually looks like.

Growth Doesn’t Matter If It’s Not Sustainable There has been a glorified school of thought that the faster you scale the better chance your business has of being successful, but time and time again we see fast scaling leads to fast burnout of both the entrepreneur and the brand itself.

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They skipped the market research.

Quibi bet big on a format no one asked for, without testing demand.

They scaled for the spotlight. The team invested like they had a loyal audience, but they were still in beta, whether they knew it or not.

They didn’t pivot at all. User feedback rolled in, but the brand was too rigid to adapt.

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They relied on name recognition instead of actual relevance. Big names don’t mean you understand modern consumer behavior.

Six months. That’s all it took for Quibi to collapse.

The platform shut down, refunded what it could, and became a punchline in tech and entertainment circles, a case study in what happens when branding, budget, and buzz replace actual strategy.

It doesn’t matter how loud your launch or marketing is. If your product doesn’t meet a real need, no amount of celebrity cameos or slick branding will save it. Strategy first. Scale later. Every time.

In a Noisy Market, Clarity Is the Ultimate Advantage

Because not every trend deserves your time.

Not every opportunity is aligned.

And not every “yes” leads to growth.

When brands start chasing attention instead of alignment, they dilute their message, confuse their audience, and burn out their momentum.

It’s actually concerning how much info and promotional materials we consume on a daily, and if you are also an entrepreneur, it’s amplified even more so.

True brand power comes from discernment. From intentionality. From knowing what you're here to say and having the patience to say it with purpose, not panic.

As we shift that lens to then take into consideration the consumer, they are being fed well-crafted promises every second of the day, struggling to know which solution is the actual solution they need, and which thing is the actual thing they want.

In order to gain that clarity - revisit your brand strategy once or twice a year. Refine your process towards reaching your goals and be firm in sticking to your brand guidelines. These were developed with long-vision in mind.

And this is where brands lose their momentum. When the pressure to make sales kicks in or when the pressure to obtain validation kicks in, we start operating from a place of absolute misalignment.

Steering away from that is driving you straight into confusion.

What actually will benefit a brand is saying no more often than saying yes out of the need to stay visible, stay relevant, or stay busy.

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If your brand has lost clarity from too many pivots, trend-chasing, or saying yes out of pressure, the first step is to strip everything back and reconnect with your original “why.”

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Audit every piece of your brand, from your offers to your messaging, and ask if it still reflects where you're headed, not just where you've been.

Then rebuild with intention: define your voice, realign your strategy to your values, and measure success by depth, not digital noise.

When the world is overstimulated, clarity is the most magnetic thing your brand can offer.

Not more noise. Not more content. But a bold, unapologetic sense of self.

And when you lead from that place, your audience doesn’t just notice. They remember, and they trust.

Operational Maturity is the New Flex Scaling isn’t just about seeing your marketing start to work and see an influx in leads, scaling is more the backend of how your business operates as momentum builds and one of the biggest indicators a brand is not ready to scale is its brand experience once you enter.

We can look at social media, a website, or any first brand touchpoint and interaction as forward-facing. These are surface-level touchpoints that create a visual representation of what a brand acts and feels like.

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Once you enter into that brand, we now call it the backen,d and when your backend is operating like it's in chaos mode, then your brand value and brand perception start declining at a steady rate.

Behind-the-scenes dysfunction might be invisible to your audience at first, but it shows up in missed deadlines, broken client experiences, burnt-out teams, and inconsistent delivery. And that? That’s expensive.

In 2025, the real flex isn’t just hitting new revenue milestones, it’s having the infrastructure to support it without crumbling. Operational maturity means you’ve built the systems, team, and workflows that allow your business to scale without spiraling.

One of the most overlooked aspects of scaling is personal evolution.

As entrepreneurs, we spend so much time focused on revenue milestones and external growth that we forget to check in with the most important piece of the business: us.

The truth is, the business you built at the beginning was designed to match a very specific version of you—your skillset, your capacity, your mindset, your goals at the time.

But you're not that version anymore.

What worked when you were building to your first six figures—custom offers, high-touch delivery, wearing all the hats—will burn you out if you try to sustain it at seven. Yet many founders stay in business models that no longer fit, out of fear, habit, or misplaced loyalty to “what got them here.”

Ask yourself: Signs Your Business Model Needs to Evolve:

Can your business handle double the demand next quarter without you doubling your hours?

You’re saying yes to opportunities that no longer excite you

Do you have SOPs, automation, and delegation in place, or are you still ducttaping every area of your business together?

You’re hitting revenue goals but constantly feel overextended

Are you growing with intention, or just surviving the growth you asked for?

Brands that scale sustainably aren’t built on adrenaline, they’re built on structure.

The behind-the-scenes is the foundation. Get it right, and growth becomes a natural extension, not a constant emergency.

Your Business Model Should Evolve With You

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You’ve outgrown your ideal client but haven’t updated your positioning

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Your offers are built around your availability, not your zone of genius You’ve built a team but still operate like a solopreneur

3. Design for Capacity, Not Pressure Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

Your new level might require more automation, more leadership delegation, or fewer offers, not more work. Design your business to hold the level you’re scaling to without needing you to do more, faster, or harder.

4. Reposition Your Brand As you evolve, your messaging needs to grow with you. Are you still speaking to the same problems, the same audience, and with the same voice? Or is it time to step into a new level of authority, insight, and positioning?

Here’s What Evolving with Intention Looks Like: 1. Audit Your Offers Ask yourself: Do these offers reflect the type of work I want to be doing now?

Are they scalable? Do they support the kind of schedule, energy, and income you want at this stage?

You may need to raise your prices, productize your services, or retire offers that no longer serve you, even if they were once your bread and butter.

2. Redefine What Success Looks Like Your metrics for success will shift as you evolve. Maybe you used to chase visibility, volume, or 10k months. But maybe now, efficiency, impact, creative freedom, or quality of life matter more.

Align your business model with today’s version of success, not yesterday’s

If your brand still reflects who you were two years ago, it’s time for a refresh that matches who you’ve become.

5. Give Yourself Permission to Burn the Old Playbook Growth doesn’t just require strategy, it requires honesty. Are you still making decisions based on scarcity, survival mode, or fear of losing momentum?

Or are you building from alignment, maturity, and a clear vision for where you’re going next? Sometimes evolving your business means letting go of systems that once worked—because now, you know better. You are better.

Your business should be an extension of your evolution, not a prison of your past.

When you allow your model to grow with you, intentionally, strategically, and honestly, you unlock a new level of sustainability, satisfaction, and success that isn’t just about numbers… it’s about freedom.

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Because real scale isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things for the right version of you.

Growth, But Make It Aligned We’re no longer in an era where speed alone equates to success. The brands that are winning in today’s overstimulated, hyper-competitive market aren’t the loudest or the flashiest—they’re the ones moving with clarity, structure, and intention.

They’re not chasing every trend. They’re not burning themselves out to keep up. They’ve built from the inside out, anchored by strategy, driven by purpose, and scaled through discernment.

This is the new era of entrepreneurship.

One where alignment outperforms adrenaline. Where clarity is more magnetic than constant visibility. Where scaling looks less like sprinting, and more like strengthening the foundation brick by brick.

So whether you’re just starting to feel the pull toward something deeper, or you’re in the messy middle of redefining what growth means for you, know this: you don’t have to build the way everyone else does. You don’t have to keep saying yes just to stay in the game.

And you absolutely don’t have to sacrifice sustainability for the illusion of momentum.

Build with vision. Move with intention. Grow like you’re staying.

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R E C E S S I O N - P R O O F I N G Y O U R B U S I N E S S : STRATEGIES FOR LONG-TERM GROWTH | SASHA MONIQUE |

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The year was 2008; unemployment hit 10%, 9+ million jobs were lost, household wealth dropped by $19.2 trillion, and 4 million+ homes foreclosed. Welcome to the Global Financial Crisis, one of the most severe economic downturns since the Great Depression.

Now, the year is 2025, and we are approaching another “unprecedented time”.

Lastly, Professor Jeffrey Frankel from Harvard's Kennedy School has indicated that the current likelihood of a U.S. recession is approximately three times the normal rate, attributing this increased risk to recent tariff initiatives and their economic repercussions (The Economic Times).

But before we start being blamed for fearmongering, let’s take a look at some facts.

Goldman Sachs increased the probability of a U.S. recession within the next 12 months from 15% to 20%, citing heightened risks associated with trade policies and market volatility (Wall Street Journal).

While a recession is never an event that anyone wants to live through, there is hard evidence that the entrepreneurs who know how to move and manage any climate are the ones who will come out scot-free.

Economists at J.P. Morgan Chase have estimated a 40% chance of a U.S. recession this year, expressing concerns over "extreme U.S. policies" and their potential impact on economic stability (ABC News).

During and shortly after the Global Financial Crisis, we saw some of the biggest brands get their start. Brands like Airbnb (2008), Uber (2009), Instagram (2010), Slack (2009), Venmo (2009), Pinterest (2010), Groupon (2009), Warby Parker (2010).

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So, what do all these brands have in common in building long-term growth? They solved problems made worse by the recession, and as an entrepreneur, now more than ever, it's time to be thinking 10 steps ahead.

Strengthen Your Cash Flow Strategy Cash flow is what keeps your business breathing, especially in a market where unpredictability is the norm, not the exception.

When times get tight, the businesses that survive aren’t the flashiest; they’re the ones that know exactly where their money is going and how to make every dollar count.

Start by getting incredibly honest with your numbers. Audit your spending, eliminate unnecessary expenses, and trim the fat in areas that aren’t directly tied to revenue or retention.

This isn’t about scarcity, it’s about intentionality and also seeing where money never needed to go in the first place.

Then, build a short-term cash reserve, even if it’s small to start. Think of it as a cushion, not just for emergencies, but for peace of mind. Because let’s be clear: profitability matters far more than popularity.

This is the time to focus on what brings in actual revenue, not what just looks good or feels busy.

In uncertain times, stability doesn’t come from selling more, it comes from knowing your business is lean, sustainable, and set up to weather any season.

Streamline Your Offers Your offer suite should really only include what’s most profitable, what’s in demand, and what is the least resource-intensive.

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This is the time to cut the fluff and truly just offer what benefits you and your business the most.

What most people do is make rash, emotional decisions when money feels unstable, and they start throwing everything at their audience. The more offers, the greater the ability to make sales, right?

Wrong. This breeds confusion, and confusion in your brand always leads to one thing: lost revenue.

A wide offer suite doesn’t create opportunity, it creates friction. It dilutes your positioning, splits your energy, and makes it harder for your audience to understand what you're known for and how to buy from you.

Instead, take a breath and simplify.

Look at what’s selling well with ease. Look at what lights you up to deliver. Look at what your audience keeps asking for.

Then double down on those.

So if you’re constantly pouring energy into visibility but neglecting the people already inside your ecosystem, you’re leaving money and momentum on the table. Now’s the time to double down on experience.

Refine your onboarding, check in more, and overdeliver where it matters.

Retention is less about being flashy and more about being intentional and irreplaceable.

Get Hyper-Clear on Your Ideal Client’s Current Priorities Recession-era buyers are not the same as expansion-era buyers. They’re slower to make decisions, more skeptical of big promises, and need to see a clear, immediate ROI before they commit. If your messaging hasn’t evolved with the times, it’s probably not hitting the way it used to.

This is where clarity becomes your biggest conversion tool.

Clarity sells. Simplicity scales. And a refined offer suite is one of the fastest ways to recession-proof your revenue.

What problem is your audience really trying to solve right now?

What do they need to feel safe investing in you?

Focus on Client Retention Over Constant Acquisition

Are you marketing from your perspective, or speaking to theirs?

Chasing new clients all the time might feel like growth, but it’s often just an expensive distraction. In uncertain times, retention is where the stability lives. Your current clients already trust you, they’ve already bought in, and they’re far more likely to invest again, if you give them a reason to.

According to a Salesforce report, 76% of consumers expect companies to understand their needs and expectations, yet only 34% feel like companies actually do.

According to Bain & Company, increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%.

So, if your brand can actually reflect your audience’s current reality? You stand out without begging for attention.

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Protect the CEO (That’s You) Truthfully, none of this works if you’re falling apart behind the scenes. Your nervous system is the engine behind your decisionmaking, your visibility, your energy, and your ability to lead. If you’re constantly in fight-orflight mode, you’ll start making fear-based moves that feel productive but actually pull you out of alignment.

Now is not the time to operate from burnout. Now is the time to slow down and get intentional, to re-regulate, and to prioritize space, not just strategy.

Because in uncertain seasons, the most recession-proof thing you can do is build a business that doesn’t require you to selfsacrifice just to stay afloat.

Recession-Proofing Is an Inside Job Recession-proofing isn’t just about slashing prices or adding new offers on the fly. It’s about getting clearer, leaner, and more strategic than ever. It’s about building a business that doesn’t just survive volatility, it stabilizes through it.

The brands that last aren’t reacting to every economic shift. They’re grounded in their purpose, backed by systems, fueled by clarity, and led by founders who know how to pivot without panicking.

So as the market moves, here’s your real power move: Get clear on what’s working.

Let go of what’s not. Refine your message.

Focus on what sustains. Protect your peace while protecting your profits.

That’s how you lead in uncertain times.

That’s how you build a brand that lasts.

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S I X T O F I G U R E S :

WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO SCALE PROFITABLY

PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

| SASHA MONIQUE |

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Here’s the inconvenient truth: there’s a lot of noise about “scaling.”

Somewhere between the fourth Canvamade sales graphic and yet another “I hit 7 figures in my sleep” caption, the actual strategy gets buried.

The internet will have you believe that scaling to seven figures is just a matter of adding more offers, hiring a VA, and finally launching that digital course you’ve been overthinking since 2020.

But for those of us living outside of fantasy funnels and algorithm dreams, we know better.

Scaling isn’t about doing more. It’s about getting smarter with what’s already working, and letting go of what isn’t.

Let’s get into what it really takes to grow from six to seven figures without burning out, selling out, or building a monster you secretly want to burn down.

1. Profit Over Popularity (Because Likes Don’t Pay Your Accountant) Let’s start with the most unsexy but crucial piece: profit. Revenue is that flashy number you post in your story. Profit is what pays your team, covers your taxes, and lets you take a vacation without spiraling.

Here’s the math no one brags about: According to CB Insights, 38% of businesses fail because they run out of cash, not because they couldn’t sell.

And yet, many entrepreneurs hit six figures and immediately start scaling their expenses like they’re the CFO of Vogue.

The expensive coach. The new Kajabi plan you’re barely using. The aesthetic brand shoot for an offer you haven’t launched.

Sure, you look successful. But if your expenses are rising faster than your revenue, all you’re doing is building a bigger hamster wheel. Real growth starts when you stop trying to impress and start trying to sustain.

2. Clean Up Your Offer Suite (You’re Not a Buffet, You’re a Brand) At six figures, it’s easy to justify having 3, 4, even 5 offers. You’re testing, exploring, “giving the people options.” Cute.

At seven? It’s chaos.

Too many offers = diluted energy, diluted messaging, diluted income.

If your audience needs a roadmap to figure out how to pay you, you’ve already lost the sale.

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Let’s look at the facts: Companies with a clear core offer convert better and scale faster.

According to Harvard Business Review, businesses with focused product lines saw 30% higher growth than those with scattered offers.

Here’s what works when you scale: A signature offer or product that generates consistent, predictable revenue.

Ask yourself: Can my business run without me micromanaging everything?

Do I have workflows my team can follow, or just vibes and voice notes?

1-2 supporting offers (entry-level or premium) that serve different stages of your client journey.

Everything else? Retire it, archive it, or save it for your close friends on IG. Clarity converts. Simplicity scales. You’re not Amazon, stop acting like it.

If I took two weeks off, would the business grow, stall, or combust?

If the answer is combust, welcome to your sign.

4. Step Out of the Product Role (Because You Can’t Be the Face, the Funnel & the Fulfillment) Let me say this gently: You are not the business. You’re the builder of the business.

3. Fix the Back-End (Because Google Docs Are Not an Operating System) This is where the “fun” begins. If your entire business is still held together by Airtable, 47 Notion templates, and sheer willpower, congratulations. You’ve built a very busy job.

Not a business. Scaling without systems is like pouring champagne into a paper cup.

You can try it. But it’s going to get messy.

Here’s what the data says: Businesses that automate routine tasks see a 10-15% reduction in operating costs (McKinsey).

Companies that invest in systematizing early scale 3x faster (Zapier Annual Report).

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So no, this isn’t just about hiring a VA to “clear your inbox.” It’s about actually stepping into the role of CEO and building infrastructure that doesn’t collapse the moment you’re offline.

At six figures, being in the weeds is almost inevitable. You're in the DMs, doing client work, building funnels at midnight, and posting “authentically” on stories while halfasleep.

At seven figures? That behavior is a liability.

Being the bottleneck isn’t noble, it’s expensive.

According to a Gallup study, companies with leaders who effectively delegate grow 33% faster than those that don’t.

Scaling requires leadership. Not martyrdom.

That means: Delegating delivery with confidence, trusting your team to run systems without hand-holding, and making decisions from a CEO headspace, not a survival one.

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You can’t scale if you’re too busy being “busy.”

5. Build a Brand That Doesn’t Panic When You Take a Break Here’s the test: If you ghost social for a week, do sales stop?

If yes, you don’t have a brand. You have a very public habit. Scaling with intention means building brand equity, a reputation that sells even when you’re not showing up 24/7.

That looks like: Creating long-form content that works for you while you sleep (hello SEO, podcast interviews, and email automation)

This one’s easy to skip, but it’s the most important of all. You can build a sevenfigure brand that checks every box and still hate every minute of it. And then what?

Scaling shouldn’t cost you your peace.

Your nervous system is a business asset.

Your energy sets the tone for the entire company.

Your burnout is felt by your clients, your team, your audience, and your bank account.

Data backs it: Founders who report high stress and low satisfaction are more likely to make reactive, high-risk decisions (Harvard Business Review).

Building a referral-friendly experience Leveraging client results and storytelling, so your work becomes your marketing Stats don’t lie: Businesses with consistent branding see 23% higher revenue than those without it (Forbes).

Businesses led by emotionally regulated founders have higher employee retention and client loyalty.

So yes, automate the systems. Delegate the tasks. But also, block off rest like you block off launches. If you’re constantly building from exhaustion, you’re building a business you won’t want to keep.

Email marketing still outperforms social media by 400% ROI (HubSpot).

Scale With Sanity or Don’t Scale at All

So while the internet is out here shouting into the void for engagement, you could be sipping coffee while your systems and storytelling do the work for you. Your brand should sell even when your phone is off.

Scaling sounds sexy until you’re crying into your laptop, wondering why you ever wanted to grow. So here’s the invitation: Don’t just chase seven figures. Build for longevity, profitability, and alignment.

6. Protect Your Energy (Because Burnout is Bad for Business and Branding)

Let go of the clutter. Clean up what’s working. Say no more often than you say yes. And remember: you’re not building for clout. You’re building so you can actually live.

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M O N E Y R I T U A L S : A CEO’S GUIDE TO FINANCIAL POWER

| MEGAN MUNSELL |

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Let’s be real: most of us didn’t start our business because we were dying to stare at spreadsheets. We started because we had a big vision—freedom, impact, legacy. But somewhere along the way, money became stressful.

Systems got messy. Profit got murky.

And suddenly, what once felt expansive starts to feel like a weight.

If that’s you? You’re not alone. You’re not bad with money. You just haven’t been taught to relate to it like a CEO. Hi, I’m Megan Munsell. I’m a CPA and CFO for women-led businesses who are playing big and building empires— without burning out. I’ve worked with everyone from scrappy startups to public companies, but what lights me up the most is helping female founders feel powerful when it comes to their numbers.

Because money doesn’t have to be dry.

Or stuffy. Or overwhelming.

Money gets to be sacred.

This isn’t about boring spreadsheets or rigid budgets. It’s about rituals. Practices.

Rhythms that actually work in your real life. It’s about cultivating a financial system that isn’t just strategic—but sacred. That honors your goals and your nervous system.

Let’s walk through the three most common money blocks holding entrepreneurs back—and what to do instead.

Ritual #1: Make your money visible Avoidance is the real reason most people stay stuck. If you don’t know what’s going on in your finances, you’ll never feel safe enough to grow.

The ritual: Create a monthly money date.

Light a candle. Pour your favorite drink. Open your books.

Review your income, expenses, and open invoices.

Track your cash flow and celebrate your wins.

The ritual: Monthly forecasting with intention.

Project your income and expenses 90 days out.

Plan big spending decisions in advance.

Sync your goals with your cash flow.

Think of it as financial manifestation, but with spreadsheets. You’re making sure the numbers align with what you actually want.

Ritual #3: Turn profit into a practice Here’s the truth: profit doesn’t just “happen.” You create it with clarity and consistency.

The ritual: Pay yourself first.

Know your margins.

Set aside taxes each month (yes, each month).

Create a profit account—and use it for wealth-building.

You don’t need to guess if you’re doing “okay.” You can build a system that shows you. One that grows with you.

The Monthly Ritual Flow

This isn’t about shame or stress—it’s about intimacy. Get close with your numbers. Know them. Understand them.

Let them talk to you.

Week 1: The Money Check-In Payables, receivables, deposits.

Is money flowing in the way you want it to?

Ritual #2: Stop only looking backwards

Week 2: Profit & Project Check Are you staying on budget?

What’s actually working?

Your bookkeeping tells you where you’ve been. But your vision needs a map to where you’re going.

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Week 3: Cash Flow & Big Picture Strategy Balance sheet, reserves, planning.

What’s on the horizon?

Week 4: Intuition + Numbers = Alignment What does your gut say?

What do the numbers say?

How do we honor both?

Money isn’t just numbers—it’s energy.

If you’re building a business rooted in vision and purpose, your money systems need to support that.

You deserve structure that gives you peace. You deserve clarity that fuels creativity. You deserve support that sees you.

You don’t need to become a finance expert to feel powerful with money. You just need to show up consistently and choose tools that work for you.

This is your invitation to start. Not with fear. Not with perfection. But with devotion.

Money is not the enemy. It’s your ally. Let’s make it sacred.

Want to deepen this work? Start by creating your own money ritual this month. Pick one of the practices above and commit to it. It’s not about doing more—it’s about doing it with intention.

And if you want support building a system that works for your real life, I’m just a click away.

P.S. I’m putting together a free Financial Empowerment Calendar that lays out the key money dates, monthly mindset prompts, and the exact strategic actions I walk my CFO clients through each month.

It’s perfect whether you DIY your finances or have a full team. Keep your brain clear, your taxes on track, and your profits intentional. It drops soon—stay tuned.

MEGAN MUNSELL

FOUNDER: ABUNDANTIA ADVISORY

All-inclusive fractional CFO and accountant for female founders and minority-led businesses. myabundantia.com | @meganmunsellofficial 29

BUSINESS

PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

T H E C O S T L Y B R A N D I N G M I S T A K E EVEN ESTABLISHED COMPANIES MAKE

| SASHA MONIQUE |

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Some of the most unforgettable branding blunders happened in 2010 and 2024, missteps so unexpected that they became case studies in what not to do.

In 2010, Gap made one of the most infamous branding mistakes in history by changing its iconic logo seemingly out of nowhere.

Without warning or consumer input, the brand decided to part with its classic blue box for a modernized, Helvetica-heavy design that felt generic, cold and corporate.

The criticism was immediate and overwhelming, with customers calling it soulless and unnecessary, remember this was before social media too.

Within just six days, Gap reverted to its original logo, admitting the change was a mistake. The estimated cost of this failed rebrand? $100 million.

So what exactly was the point? Like most brands, the hunger to remain relevant. But what most companies don’t realize is that legacy is favored over a subjective perception of relevancy and Gap learned that the hard way.

Customers favored the existing brand with a strong emotional tie to a logo that represented a retailer they could depend on.

The rebrand lacked consumer input, showcasing a large lesson that the audience you build is more than a pool of sales. They are a community that build loyalty to your brand and deserve to be included and brought into your brand universe.

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But, the biggest blunder of all? The redesign was not rooted in a rebrand strategy. At the time, Gap was struggling with declining sales. Instead of addressing deeper issues, like customer engagement, product innovation, and market positioning, the company tried to solve a business problem with a cosmetic fix, as so many do.

When a brand with decades of recognition makes a sudden, unexplained departure from its identity, it doesn’t feel like innovation, it feels like a mistake and it was.

Fast forward to 2024, and Jaguar found itself in a similar branding crisis. The luxury automaker, long associated with sleek British craftsmanship and high-performance vehicles, decided to completely reinvent itself. In an effort to modernize, Jaguar abandoned its heritage-driven brand identity and repositioned itself as an allelectric, ultra-minimalist luxury brand.

With an industry naturally evolving and progressing towards the EV shift, Jaguar felt the pressure to reinvent itself to adapt to the times. The issue here is that we live in a world where not everything needs to be “modern” to be “in”.

The reality is, Jaguar completely sanitized the brand of any nod to its British roots and rebranded to be just “another brand” that could easily be switched out with any other automotive name.

These knee-jerk reactions are entirely relatable as an entrepreneur. Our emotions are so deeply wound into our businesses until you work on separating the two. But those emotions are the exact reason why when business feels shaky, drastic and impulsive decisions are made.

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Luxury brands thrive on heritage, and Jaguar’s shift felt like an abandonment of what made it iconic.

But those emotions are the exact reason why when business feels shaky, drastic and impulsive decisions are made.

Luxury brands thrive on heritage, and Jaguar’s shift felt like an abandonment of what made it iconic.

The minimalist rebrand made Jaguar feel indistinguishable from competitors like Tesla and Lucid, instead of reinforcing its unique place in the market. And, instead of gradually introducing modern elements while honoring its past, Jaguar made an abrupt shift that confused and alienated loyal customers.

That impulse can be the death of your brand as you know it and all it takes is one reaction to a singular problem that has infinite solutions.

The Lesson for Entrepreneurs and Established Brands Alike Gap and Jaguar’s branding failures weren’t just design missteps, they were strategic failures that disregarded the core principles of brand evolution.

Their mistakes highlight a reality that many businesses, from startups to global corporations, fail to recognize: branding isn’t just about looking good; it’s about maintaining trust, emotional connection, and strategic positioning. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur building a personal brand or an established business looking to stay relevant, here’s what you need to take away from these costly rebranding missteps.

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1. Change for the Sake of Change is a Risky Move Many brands rebrand because they feel they have to (sales are dipping, new competitors are emerging, or they fear their brand is becoming “stale”). But the question isn’t just “Should we change?”, it’s “Why are we changing?”

Before any major brand shift, ask yourself: Is there a clear strategic reason for this change beyond just aesthetics?

Are we solving a real business problem, or are we hoping a rebrand will “fix” deeper issues?

Have we tested new branding concepts with our audience before fully committing?

If you’re rebranding just because your competitors are, you’ve already lost the game. And if you’re rebranding because you think it’ll fix your problems, you’re already done for.

2. Customer Loyalty is Hard to Earn, Easy to Lose Your brand doesn’t exist in isolation, it exists in the minds and hearts of your customers. A rebrand that disregards their emotional connection to your business can do irreversible damage.

Consider how your audience will perceive the change: Are they emotionally attached to your current brand identity (this includes more than colors and fonts)?

Will this rebrand strengthen our market position, or could it confuse our loyal customers?

Rebrands should be purposeful and backed by strategy, not just a reaction to industry trends or a need to “freshen things up.”

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Have they expressed frustration with your brand, or is this change out of nowhere?

Will the new branding help them feel even more connected, or will it alienate them?

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Gap’s rebrand failed because it was a onesided decision; customers weren’t part of the process, and the change was forced on them overnight. Had Gap engaged its audience, gathered feedback, and introduced the change gradually, the backlash could have been avoided, as could have been the 1 million dollar loss.

For entrepreneurs: Even if you don’t have millions of customers like Gap, the same principle applies. Listen to your audience.

Their perception of your brand matters more than your own.

A brand update should feel like a natural step forward, not a hard reset.

4. Aesthetics Matter But Without Strategy, They Mean Nothing Great branding isn’t just about visuals.

Your logo, color scheme, and design are important, but they are meaningless without a strong foundation.

A successful brand strategy includes: Clear positioning – What space do you own in your industry?

3. Consistency Builds Trust; Abrupt Shifts Can Break It

Emotional connection – What does your brand make people feel?

A strong brand is recognizable, reliable, and consistent. When businesses make abrupt, drastic shifts, especially without clear reasoning, it creates uncertainty. And uncertainty breeds distrust and confusion.

Before making a branding shift, evaluate: Does this rebrand align with our core brand values, or are we abandoning our identity?

A strong brand voice and message – Can people describe what you stand for?

Will our audience still recognize and trust us after this change?

If a rebrand is purely aesthetic and lacks realigned messaging, positioning, and a customer-driven approach, it’s nothing more than an expensive facelift and we all know how those fade over time.

How can we ensure that this transition feels natural, not disruptive?

5. Your Brand’s Legacy is an Asset; Don’t Throw It Away

Jaguar’s mistake wasn’t in modernizing, it was in completely discarding its identity rather than evolving it.

An identity that its loyal customers held on to dearly because let’s not forget… Your brand identity should reflect your ideal audience as much as your vision and once you alienate them, you alienate your legacy.

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Consistency across platforms – Can customers instantly recognize you?

A brand’s history is a competitive advantage. Companies that have been around for decades (or even just a few years) have built up recognition, trust, and emotional equity with their audience.

Instead of erasing that legacy, the goal should be to evolve it while keeping what makes the brand special intact.

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When rebranding, ask: What elements of our current brand do people already love?

How can we modernize without losing our core identity?

Is there a way to keep a connection to our past while stepping into the future?

The best brands honor their history while embracing innovation. They don’t discard their past, they build upon it.

Rebranding Without Strategy Is Just Expensive Confusion The most iconic brands aren’t built by playing it safe but they also aren’t built on ego, panic, or aesthetic impulses.

What Gap and Jaguar teach us is this: when strategy takes a backseat to trend-chasing or fear-based decisionmaking, the fallout isn’t just cosmetic,it’s cultural, emotional, and deeply expensive.

The uncomfortable truth? Most rebrands fail because they’re reactions, not refinements. Someone gets bored.

Someone gets nervous. Someone sees a competitor’s glow-up and starts second-guessing everything they’ve built. But branding is a long game. And evolution, when done right, should feel inevitable, not abrupt.

So whether you’re rebranding a billion-dollar company or revisiting your personal brand as a solo founder, the question isn’t just, “How do we look more modern?”

It’s, “How do we deepen trust, increase relevance, and reinforce the essence of who we are, without losing what made us valuable to begin with?”

That’s the real work.

And the brands that do it well?

They don’t just survive cultural shifts, they lead them.

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Attention is currency, and nowadays, it’s hard to earn.

What “worked” in the last five years won’t cut it today—and frankly, it’s about time we bring a little wonder (and maybe even some foolishness) back to the table.

We’re overstimulated. We’re sick of being sold to. You can’t walk five steps down the block or scroll twice without getting face-f*cked by an ad. This desperation for our time and attention only feeds our craving to witness something that actually feels good. Something meaningful.

That’s why the most magnetic brands right now don’t operate like businesses— they create like artists.

They’re immersive. Emotional.

Experiential.

Y O U R B R A N D I S Y O U R C R E A T I V E M E D I U M ON STRATEGY, ARTISTRY, AND BUILDING SOMETHING ESCAPE-WORTHY

| ELIZABETH KAWACHI | 39

They have a definitive voice, presence, vision, mood, and pace. They’re not concerned with asking for attention. They move in a way that makes people feel lucky to have found them.

Most importantly, they offer something many brands forget to consider: An escape.

Whether you’re selling a product, a service, or an experience, your business is more than what you offer—it’s how you make people feel and how they experience you in return.

And if you can make them feel something real, you’re already ahead of the game.

People don’t want throwaway content.

They crave connection.

They’re hungry for moments that make them stop. in. their. tracks.

Strategy, when done well, feels like magic.

But underneath the magic, there’s rhythm.

There’s design. There are deliberate, intuitive choices.

They desire worlds they can step into where it feels like they can leave their reality behind, just for a little while—and happily so.

And that’s what separates the forgettable brands from the ones that make people say: “I don’t even know why I love them so much… I just do.”

Creating Experiences is the New Strategy

The Role of Art in Business

If attention is currency, then experience is what earns it (and keeps it).

Art moves people. It changes us on a neurological level.

In a market where everyone’s screaming into the void, producing no-thought nonsense and hoping something sticks, the smartest strategy isn’t louder or more frequent messaging. It’s deeper resonance.

It activates the parts of the brain that store memory, emotion, and empathy. It shifts our mood. It expands our perception. It interrupts our autopilot.

The brands that last don’t just market to their audience—they move them.

Because no matter how smart your funnel is or how optimized and on-point your website may be, people will forget what you said long before they forget how you made them feel.

And experience is what creates that feeling.

It doesn’t have to be flashy, but it must be intentional.

People can smell the stench of inauthenticity from miles away. While you’re busy taking that “fake it til you make it” advice to heart, your audience is probably already getting lost in a brand that’s leading from clarity, perspective, and undeniable presence.

Color palettes that evoke memory.

A voice that makes people feel seen and understood.

Client journeys that feel like ritual.

As noted in Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross: “Your senses lay the foundation for how and why the arts and aesthetics offer the perfect path to amplify your health and well-being.”

In other words, art changes us—for good.

This is why storytelling matters. Why aesthetics matter. Why pacing, tone, texture, mood—all matter. Why weaving intention into every fiber of your business is what turns something from average to brilliant. From forgettable to worthwhile.

Substance brings much-needed depth.

And depth separates the flat from the immersive. When your brand moves like art— with rhythm, restraint, and emotional pull— that’s when people lean in.

That’s when a sale becomes more than a transaction.

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It’s storytelling you can touch, bring home with you, and contribute to.

Crafted, intentional, and alive.

That’s what art does—and what makes experiences like these worth witnessing.

World-Building Takes Top-Shelf Over Brand Development A brand isn’t just how you show up. It’s what people step into.

It becomes an exchange of energy.

You see it in brands like Aesop, who focus on creating experiences that play with the senses—where every store is its own story.

Each location is designed with a unique theme: varying architecture, materials, and mood.

From the moment you step inside, your senses come alive with the subtle scent of botanicals, the organic textures, and a cup of tea offered before a product ever is.

Or consider Loro Piana, who transformed a Milanese kiosk into a functioning post office for fashion week, complete with cashmere totes, a curated print newspaper, and handwritten postcards you could actually send.

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It’s the difference between a business with personality and a business with gravity.

When you treat your brand like a world, every touchpoint becomes part of the experience: Your emails. Your website. Your product displays. Your playlists. Your packaging.

All of it contributes to the feelings you’re trying to create.

This is the power of world-building: it gives your audience somewhere to go.Somewhere to belong.

They’re not hellbent on selling you beauty products. It’s seduction by way of luxuryinspired ritual.

These aren’t just branding or marketing campaigns.

It’s not a moodboard or marketing or visuals.

It’s the tone of your voice, the rituals you create, and the rules of your universe.

And when people feel like a part of something, they don’t just consume. They stay. They advocate. They tell their friends.

They keep coming back for more.

This is where identity shifts from just logos to landscape. From selling to storytelling. From content to culture.

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Because when you move with intention, you don’t need to sell—you reveal your value. And that is the attraction that turns brands from desperate to magnetic.

Make Art and Make it Meaningful Your business is simply the vessel for your art to take flight.

What makes your brand unforgettable isn’t how often you show up—it’s how deeply you’re felt when you do. Not just what you offer but the world you build around it.

So, design it like you would your favorite room. Write it like a story you’d want to live inside.

Create it like it already belongs to someone’s memory.

You don’t need to be the loudest in the room. You just need to be the most alive. The most human. Because your business isn’t just what you do. It gets to be your creative medium.

ELIZABETH A.D. KAWACHI

COPYWRITER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR: MAD HEIRESS

Mad Heiress is a creative estate specializing in seductive identity and artful execution for brands with bite. @madheiress | themadheiress.com BRANDING

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H O W P E R S O N A L B R A N D I N G I S E V O L V I N G BEYOND SOCIAL MEDIA CLOUT

| SASHA MONIQUE |

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There was a time when personal branding meant showing up online with perfectly curated photos, punchy captions, and a feed that looked more like a lifestyle magazine than a business presence.

The formula was simple: be visible, be aspirational, and most of all, be everywhere.

And for a while, it worked. Followers turned into buyers. Likes turned into leads. Social media clout became the metric by which personal brand value was measured.

But the game has changed.

In 2025, personal branding is evolving, and social media clout alone no longer cuts it.

The era of perfectly polished personas is giving way to something more powerful: depth, credibility, and alignment.

People are no longer asking, “How many followers do you have?” They’re asking, “What do you stand for, and why should I trust you?”

We’re Tired of the Performance. We Want Proof Today’s audience is more discerning than ever. They can smell performance from a mile away, and they’re not here for it.

What they’re craving is consistency over curation, substance over aesthetics, and integrity over algorithms. Social media might still be the stage, but what earns attention now is not how loud you are, but how aligned you are.

According to a 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer study, 67% of consumers say they trust people more than institutions, but only if those people show consistency across platforms, decisions, and actions.

Translation: being visible isn’t enough, you have to be rooted.

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Authority Is the New Currency The rise of AI-generated content, influencer fatigue, and digital noise has created a credibility gap, and the way to bridge it is with authority.

That means having a point of view, a body of work, and actual results to back your message.

It means building a reputation that extends beyond your Instagram grid. It means having substance people can reference, not just a vibe they can scroll past.

Your audience wants to know: Have you done the work you talk about?

Do others respect your opinion outside your own platform?

Are you building something that lasts, or just selling something that trends?

Multi-Channel Presence > Single-Platform Dependence One of the most strategic shifts happening in personal branding right now is the move away from platform dependency and toward multichannel presence. The smartest personal brands aren’t just building audiences, they’re building ecosystems.

For years, Instagram was the nucleus of personal branding. Then came TikTok. Then came burnout. Because here’s the truth: social media is rented space.

You don’t own your audience. You don’t control the algorithm. And the moment you stop feeding the machine, your visibility vanishes.

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That’s why forward-thinking founders, creators, and leaders are diversifying how and where they show up.

They're expanding into: 1. Thought Leadership Platforms Spaces like LinkedIn, podcasts, and newsletters are no longer optional; they’re essential. They allow you to build credibility, share long-form thinking, and nurture a deeper, more intentional audience.

LinkedIn positions you as an industry voice.

Podcasts build intimacy and trust.

Newsletters create direct, algorithm-free connection.

2. Earned Media + Guest Features Being featured in digital publications, interviews, panels, and guest content takes your brand from self-made to industryrecognized. It’s third-party credibility, proof that your voice holds weight beyond your own platform.

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3. Community-Led Spaces

So, What Does This Mean for You?

Whether it’s a private membership, Slack group, in-person event, or group program, community is the new currency. People are tired of one-way content and passive consumption. They want connection, interaction, and belonging.

If you’re building a personal brand in this new era, here’s what to focus on:

When you build a community around your brand, you’re no longer just the face of a business, you’re the center of a movement.

4. Digital Infrastructure & Owned Content Your website, blog, SEO content, lead magnets, and email list are the foundation of a sustainable personal brand. These are the things you control, the places where your content compounds over time.

Social media is fast food, quick, consumable, disposable.

Owned content is the fine dining experience. It takes longer to create, but keeps people coming back.

Values, Vision, and Vulnerability Matter More Than Ever This evolution isn’t just strategic, it’s cultural.

We’re in a moment where the personal in personal branding is making a comeback.

Consumers want real humans, not highlight reels. They want to connect with founders, creators, and experts who are honest about their journey and transparent about what they stand for.

This doesn’t mean trauma-dumping or oversharing; it means letting people see the person behind the positioning.

The most powerful personal brands in 2025 aren’t “influencing”, they’re leading.

They’re vision-driven. Integrity-led. Bold enough to go deep when others are staying on the surface.

1. Refine Your Message Be crystal clear on what you stand for, who you serve, and what transformation you offer. Say less, mean more.

2. Build Proof Don’t just post, show. Case studies, testimonials, frameworks, media mentions, and lived experience all matter more than follower count.

3. Diversify Your Presence Start planting seeds outside of Instagram. A newsletter, a podcast, a blog, or a LinkedIn presence gives your brand roots, not just reach.

4. Be Human Let people see your thought process. Share your shifts, your values, and your behind-thescenes. That’s what builds real connection and long-term brand loyalty.

We’re in the era of less noise, more nuance.

Personal branding is no longer about being everywhere, it’s about being exactly who you say you are, consistently, across every space you show up in.

Because clout fades. But credibility compounds.

And in a world full of voices, the ones we remember are the ones that are real.

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UNLEASH YOUR CREATIVE POWER & BUILD A BUSINESS THAT THRIVES You’ve got the passion. The vision.

Now it’s time to turn it into profit.

I help creative entrepreneurs blend artistry with strategy— so you can grow your business without burnout.

What I help you do:

> Align your creativity with a smart business strategy > Ditch limiting beliefs and step into your power > Build a brand that’s bold, profitable, and all you > Grow sustainably—with clarity and confidence

No more choosing between passion and profit. Let’s turn your vision into a thriving, aligned business.

Ready to scale?

Let’s build with clarity, strategy, and a little magic.

@kellyadamscoaching | kellyadamscoach.com

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W H Y T H E B E S T B R A N D S I N 2 0 2 5 PRIORITIZE STRATEGY OVER AESTHETICS

| SASHA MONIQUE |

We’ve reached a point in entrepreneurship where smoke and mirrors are louder than ever. With an endless variety of AI tools and design apps at their fingertips, business owners can easily craft a polished, aesthetically pleasing brand.

But here’s the problem, visual appeal alone has never been enough to build something that lasts.

Today’s consumers expect brands to look good; that’s the bare minimum.

What truly sets successful brands apart in 2025 isn’t just how they appear, it’s how they think, position, and connect.

So what happens when all you have is aesthetics, but no real substance behind it?

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NOMADIC

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You become forgettable. Just another brand with something to say but no real stage to say it on.

So, let’s break this down even further.

What’s the true cost of not prioritizing brand strategy?

But the brands that prioritize strategy alongside aesthetics? They’re the ones winning.

Businesses with consistent branding can experience a 10-20% revenue growth compared to those with an inconsistent brand. (socialinsider.io)

By focusing on positioning, storytellingdriven marketing, and building emotional connections, they not only survive industry shifts but also navigate them with ease.

Their brand isn’t just seen; it’s remembered.

Companies may spend 5-10% of their annual marketing budget on rebranding efforts due to a lack of a clear brand strategy. (Smashbrand)

Beautiful Brands or Beautiful Noise?

And that’s just scratching the surface. A brand that has yet to truly and definitively prioritize brand strategy will face hardships in positioning power against competitors, price justification and perceived value, the ability to steadily see growth both in marketing and sales, and limited organic marketing results such as word-of-mouth, image recall, and impact-driven content marketing.

The world of entrepreneurship has exploded over the past 5 years. With an average of 430,000 new business applications per month in 2024 (US Dept of Treasury), more and more individuals are leaning into the Great Resignation and taking a step towards their goals of financial freedom.

So, where does one even begin with brand strategy? I can’t lie. It’s a multilayered process of defining key elements that further allow your brand to stand out, but to start to move in the right direction, start to outline your brand foundation: the DNA of what makes your business irreplaceable.

But as this industry has continued to steadily surge, the concept of brand strategy (an already abstract and complex topic) has continued to fall by the wayside.

Think of it like sculpting a masterpiece.

Before you refine the details, you need a strong, intentional form. Before you worry about the colors, the logo, or the snappy tagline, you need to define what your brand actually stands for. Because let’s be honest, without a solid foundation, all the visuals in the world won’t save a brand that lacks substance.

Let’s unpack why the smartest brands are ditching surface-level aesthetics for strategy and how you can use the same approach to build a brand that captivates and dominates.

While aesthetics and “vibes” seem like a more tangible and immediate process, the long-game is one that is necessary with competition being so prevalent.

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So, where do you start? Right here: 1. The Unshakable “Why” Why does your brand exist beyond making money? What fire fuels its mission? This isn’t just a line for your website, it’s the core belief that makes your audience trust you. If you don’t have a reason that excites you, why should anyone else care?

2. Core Values That Actually Mean Something No more fluffy, corporate “integrity” and “excellence” nonsense. What are the values that truly drive you? What would you never compromise on, even if it meant losing business? Define these, and they become the backbone of every decision, collaboration, and piece of content you create.

3. Your Ride-or-Die Audience Who is this brand for? And please, don’t say “everyone.” The sharper your focus, the stronger your impact. Who are the people who will see your brand and instantly feel like you get them? What do they crave, struggle with, obsess over? Speak to them like you’re inside their heads.

4. Your Brand’s Signature Edge What makes you different? And I don’t mean “we provide high-quality service”, so does everyone else. I mean, if your brand disappeared tomorrow, what void would it leave? What’s the thing that makes people choose you over the millions of other options?

5. A Brand Voice That Hits Home How does your brand sound? Because if your audience can’t recognize you in a lineup of competitors, you’re blending in (and blending in is business death).

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Are you bold and rebellious? Warm and wise? Playful and witty? Define your tone and let it be unmistakably yours.

Lay the Foundation, Then Build the Empire Once you’ve carved out these essentials, everything else, your visuals, content, messaging, falls into place with effortless clarity. Brand strategy isn’t about being trendy.

It’s about being undeniable.

Get this right, and your brand won’t just be seen. It’ll be remembered.

Customer Experience > Aesthetic Appeal A stunning brand can turn heads, but a seamless customer experience keeps people coming back and client retention is your ticket to building a business that lasts.

In 2025, consumers expect more than just curated feeds and pretty logos.

They crave brands that understand them, anticipate their needs, and make every interaction effortless. It’s no longer enough to look good, brands need to deliver value at every touchpoint and prove they’re worth staying loyal to.

From intuitive websites to frictionless checkout processes, hyper-responsive support, and proactive problem-solving, the brands that win prioritize function over flash.

Aesthetic appeal might get someone in the door, but a great experience is what builds loyalty, trust, and long-term success.

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Let’s Look at the Numbers 86 percent of customers will leave a brand they liked after just two bad experiences (Wisernotify).

57 percent of customers will switch to a competitor after a single bad experience (Giva).

While 65 percent of customers want brands to adjust to their expectations, 61 percent feel most brands treat them like a number (Salesforce).

The Future of Customer Experience: Personalization is Non-Negotiable While customers and clients want to enjoy their experience with a brand, they expect personalization at every step more than ever. They want to feel seen, heard, and valued, not just another transaction in your system.

So, what does this look like in action?

Personalized recommendations using AI-driven insights to tailor product suggestions, offers, and content based on browsing behavior Instant replies on social media that provide quick, helpful responses to show customers their time is valued Chatbots for instant support that answer unique questions in real time, reducing friction Leveraging AI and automation to use consumer data tracking and predictive analytics to customize interactions and anticipate needs Brands that integrate these elements seamlessly don’t just attract customers, they create raving fans who stick around. In 2025, that’s the real competitive edge.

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Brand Strategy Aligns Every Touchpoint for Longevity A brand isn’t defined by a single moment or design choice, it’s the consistency of every interaction a customer has with it. The most successful brands aren’t chasing trends; they are rooted in a strategy that makes them instantly recognizable across platforms, experiences, and time.

A clear brand voice, mission, and values don’t just create trust; they serve as a blueprint for growth. Businesses that focus on strategic positioning rather than aesthetics alone are better equipped to evolve with industry shifts, maintain relevance, and scale without losing their identity.

But the real question is: how do you position yourself in a way that ensures longevity, recognition, and trust? Let’s look at some of the greats…

Aime Leon Dore – The Art of Timeless Streetwear Aime Leon Dore (ALD) has transformed from a niche streetwear brand into a globally recognized powerhouse without relying on hype-driven releases or fleeting trends.

Founded in 2014 by Teddy Santis, ALD built its success by prioritizing brand storytelling, heritage inspiration, and community-driven marketing over flashy aesthetics.

ALD doesn’t chase fast fashion cycles; instead, it cultivates a timeless aesthetic rooted in New York’s street culture, vintage Americana, and European sophistication.

The brand’s collaborations, retail experiences, and visual identity all reinforce its position as a cultured yet effortless brand for the modern, style-conscious consumer.

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How Aime Leon Dore Nails Brand Strategy: Cohesive Visual and Brand Identity: ALD’s muted color palettes, classic silhouettes, and high-quality materials give the brand a refined, recognizable aesthetic that feels nostalgic yet modern.

Intentional Collaborations: ALD partners with brands that align with its identity, such as New Balance, Porsche, and Woolrich, ensuring that every collaboration feels curated rather than opportunistic.

Exclusive but Not Overhyped: ALD uses scarcity in its product drops while maintaining a sense of accessibility, striking a balance between desirability and authenticity.

Retail Experience as Brand Storytelling: ALD’s flagship store in New York isn’t just a retail space, it’s an immersive experience that includes a café, creating an aspirational lifestyle around the brand.

By prioritizing longevity, heritage storytelling, and consistent brand positioning, Aime Leon Dore has carved out a space in the luxury streetwear industry that isn’t dictated by fleeting trends but by cultivated brand loyalty and aspirational identity.

Porsche – Legacy, Innovation, and Brand Exclusivity Porsche is a masterclass in strategic branding, seamlessly blending heritage, performance, and exclusivity to maintain its status as one of the most revered automotive brands in the world.

BRANDING

Unlike other luxury car brands that often dilute their image with mass-market models, Porsche has consistently positioned itself as a brand for drivers who value precision, engineering, and a timeless aesthetic.

Rather than radically reinventing its design language every few years, Porsche embraces evolution over revolution, ensuring that its vehicles, whether the 911, Taycan, or Cayenne, maintain a visual and performance DNA that is immediately recognizable.

How Porsche Nails Brand Strategy: Consistent Brand DNA: Every Porsche model reflects the brand’s commitment to precision, performance, and luxury. The 911, for example, has retained its iconic silhouette for decades, reinforcing brand loyalty.

Balancing Heritage with Innovation: While staying true to its motorsport roots, Porsche has also embraced new technology, such as the Taycan, its first fully electric vehicle, without losing its core brand identity.

Exclusivity and Scarcity: Porsche maintains its prestige by keeping production numbers lower than demand, ensuring that each car remains a status symbol.

Immersive Brand Experience: From Porsche’s Experience Centers to bespoke customization programs, the brand goes beyond selling cars, it sells an elite lifestyle.

Porsche’s ability to honor its legacy while embracing modern innovation proves that a well-positioned brand doesn’t need to chase trends.

Instead, it can refine and reinforce its brand identity over time, ensuring its place in the luxury automotive world for generations to come.

Brands with a Purpose Cut Through the Noise Consumers in 2025 aren’t just buying products, they’re buying into brands that align with their values, beliefs, and aspirations. With endless options in every industry, the brands that rise above the noise are the ones that stand for something bigger than just aesthetics or sales.

A well-defined purpose does more than differentiate a brand; it builds trust, loyalty, and emotional connection. People want to support businesses that feel authentic, contribute to something meaningful, and create a sense of belonging. When purpose is embedded into brand strategy, it transforms customers into advocates and communities into movements.

Why Purpose-Driven Brands Win 82% of consumers want a brand’s values to align with their own (Edelman).

64% of global consumers will choose, switch, or boycott a brand based on its stance on social issues (Accenture).

Brands with a strong sense of purpose grow twice as fast as those without one (Kantar).

88% of consumers say authenticity is a key factor in deciding what brands they support (Stackla).

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How Brands Are Leading with Purpose 1. Clear Brand Mission – Defining a core mission that goes beyond profit and resonates with consumers.

2. Authentic Storytelling – Sharing real, meaningful narratives that highlight the brand’s values.

3. Community-Driven Engagement – Creating spaces where customers feel like they belong and can contribute to the brand’s mission.

4. Sustainable and Ethical Practices – Ensuring business operations align with the values the brand promotes.

A brand without purpose is forgettable. The companies making the biggest impact are the ones that go beyond aesthetics to build something real, lasting, and emotionally resonant. In a world full of noise, purpose is the ultimate competitive advantage.

At the end of the day, brands that rely on aesthetics alone will always be replaceable. The ones that build clear positioning, emotional connection, and long-term strategy are the ones that stand the test of time.

Brand strategy isn’t just about looking good, it’s about being undeniable. It’s about crafting an identity so distinct, so rooted in purpose, that consumers don’t just recognize your brand, they feel connected to it.

The brands that align every touchpoint, prioritize customer experience, leverage data, and lead with purpose are the ones that dominate their industries. They don’t chase relevance, they define it.

So the question isn’t whether you should prioritize brand strategy.

The real question is: Are you building something that will last, or just something that looks good for now?

WANT TO ADVERTISE WITH US?

EMAIL US AT MARKETING @DTLDMAG.COM

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PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

M A R K E T I N G

W H Y M I C R O C O M M U N I T I E S A R E B E C O M I N G THE MOST VALUABLE MARKETING ASSET

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| SASHA MONIQUE |

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We’re entering a new marketing era, one where big audiences are losing impact, and smaller, more intentional groups are taking the lead.

This isn’t a fleeting trend. It’s a fundamental shift in how influence, loyalty, and conversion work in a saturated digital space.

Brands that once focused on reach are now pivoting toward resonance. And the smart ones?

They’re building micro-communities, on purpose.

Let’s Define It: What Is a Micro-Community?

Forget vanity metrics.

Forget “building a following.”

A micro-community isn’t just a niche audience or a clever group name in your Facebook sidebar.

It’s a tightly connected group of people, built around shared values, experiences, and transformation, curated by a person or brand who knows how to foster trust, not just capture attention.

This might look like: A group coaching container that extends into a Telegram chat that actually stays active after the program ends A wellness brand with a paid Slack channel, where members talk more to each other than to the founder A local artist hosting monthly IRL pop-ups for 20 collectors, instead of chasing 10,000 likes Micro-communities aren’t about exclusivity. They’re about belonging.

And that makes them powerful.

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Why This Shift Is Happening Now We’re seeing this rise in microcommunities for a reason, several, actually.

1. The Content Boom Created Disconnection People are overwhelmed. We scroll for hours and remember none of it. The average user sees over 10,000 brand messages per day (Forbes, 2024) yet feels less connected than ever.

Connection has become a premium.

Micro-communities offer what public platforms don’t: Slower, deeper conversations

A niche is “who it’s for.” A microcommunity is “what they build together.”

A community is defined energetically.

Relevance over reach

Your micro-community doesn’t just consume your work, they co-create with you. They shape your offers. They build culture around your brand.

They feel human, and that’s exactly what the internet has been lacking.

They become brand evangelists, not because you asked them to, but because they want to. They turn your brand from a transaction into a shared identity.

2. The Algorithm Isn’t Your Friend Anymore Gone are the days when building a platform meant consistently showing up and trusting that people would see your content.

Now? You could post the best thing you’ve ever written and still get buried.

Micro-communities operate outside of that chaos. They’re algorithm-proof. You don’t have to chase visibility when you’ve built a space people choose to show up in.

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This Isn’t Niche Marketing, It’s Community Design

This is where we make the distinction: A niche is defined demographically.

Recognition over visibility

3. Trust Is No Longer Built in Public People don’t trust public praise the way they used to. Influencer culture has made testimonials feel scripted, and curated content has made authenticity feel manufactured.

But inside a micro-community?

The rules change. The guard comes down. And the conversions? They happen fast, because trust is immediate when people feel seen.

The Business Case: Micro Means More (Yes, Really) Let’s talk numbers for the skeptics.

Higher Conversion Rates According to HubSpot, microcommunities boast 2x–5x higher conversion rates than traditional social media audiences.

Smaller groups allow for personalized engagement, faster decision-making, and easier follow-up.

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Lower CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) It costs significantly less to acquire a customer through a micro-community than through paid ads or influencer collaborations. Word-of-mouth is more effective, natural, and sustainable inside these spaces.

Faster Feedback Loops Your community will tell you instantly if something’s landing or flopping, which means tighter iterations, stronger launches, and less guessing.

Higher LTV (Lifetime Value) Micro-community members tend to buy repeatedly and stay longer. You’re not just gaining a customer; you’re nurturing a loyal ecosystem of buyers, collaborators, and advocates.

But Doesn’t This Limit Growth?

No. It focuses growth. Here’s the thing: you can still scale a micro-community model, you just do it horizontally, not vertically. You don’t need one giant following.

You can build multiple micro-ecosystems: One for new leads One for paid clients One for alumni One for referrals or partners It’s not about going “small” forever. It’s about getting intentional before you scale so your growth doesn’t dilute your brand.

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What It Looks Like in the Real World Let’s paint some examples: A thought leader runs a low-cost monthly membership where 100 people get intimate coaching access, early content, and real-time input.

A wellness entrepreneur builds a localmeets-digital micro-community with city meetups and a shared content vault.

A designer creates a private client experience hub that functions as both a deliverables space and a creative process diary.

The key? You’re not just selling access, you’re curating experience.

How to Start Building One You don’t need a massive audience to build a micro-community. You need clarity, consistency, and commitment to real connection.

1. Define the Culture, Not Just the Offer What values will your community share?

What language will they use? What makes this group different from just another “course chat”?

2. Choose a Container That Encourages Intimacy Skip the chaotic Facebook group if you can.

Try Slack, Circle, Geneva, Voxer—even Notion.

The medium matters more than you think.

3. Lead With Contribution, Not Conversion Serve first. Let people get used to sharing, contributing, and shaping the space. Sales come faster when connection comes first.

4. Make It Worth Staying For Micro-communities thrive on momentum.

Don’t overfill them with tasks. Keep it light, useful, and human. Drop insights, spark conversations, and celebrate your people.

Depth > Noise. Every Time.

Micro-communities are not a trend.

Here’s how to begin: 63

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They are the corrections to the burnout, algorithm fatigue, and endless audience-chasing we’ve been fed for the past decade.

This is where marketing becomes personal again. Where your business becomes a brand people feel part of. Where relationships drive revenue.

Because in a digital world built on quick content and shallow scrolls, the most radical thing you can offer is a space that actually feels like something.

You don’t need a million views.

You need 50 people who believe in what you’re building.

And you need to give them a place to build it with you

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PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

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Y O U ’ R E T A L E N T E D , B U T T H A T ’ S N O T W H Y Y O U ’ R E B R O K E : LET’S FIX THE MARKETING GAP | SASHA MONIQUE |

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PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

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Let’s not dance around it, you’re good. You’re not mid.

You’re not messy. You’re the person people text when they need “your eye on this real quick.”

You’re the creative behind the scenes of other people’s wins. You’re the one who delivers, every single time.

And yet… your bank account is still fighting for its life.

Not because you’re untalented. But because you’ve got a visibility problem disguised as a humility flex, and a marketing problem masquerading as “not wanting to be salesy.”

This isn’t a low blow. This is truth. You don’t need another certification. You need a message that moves.

The Gap Between Mastery and Momentum Here’s the deal: the better you are at your craft, the easier it is to assume your work speaks for itself.

Reality: It doesn’t.

We live in a world where average work with a strong brand will outperform elite work that’s hiding behind vague copy and outdated Instagram carousels. People don’t pay for the best, they pay for what they can understand, trust, and remember.

And that’s the part no one teaches you in the course.

Not the art school.

Not the coaching cert.

Not even the mastermind that promised “magnetic marketing” but handed you a 10-slide template and said, “Just follow this.”

There’s a gap between what you do and how it’s perceived. And that gap is why you’re underbooked, underpaid, and frankly, underrated.

Marketing Isn’t the Megaphone It’s the Translator Marketing isn’t about being loud. It’s about making your work legible in a world with a 2.5-second attention span.

It’s the difference between saying:

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“I help people reconnect to their creativity through transformational frameworks,” and saying: “I work with burnt-out founders who haven’t made anything for themselves in months and get them making magic again.”

See the shift? One feels like a guess. The other feels like a mirror. Your clients aren’t confused. They’re overwhelmed. And if your messaging feels like work, they’ll scroll right past it.

Why This Hits Harder for the Gifted Ones The most talented people are usually the worst marketers. Why? Because they operate on instinct, not articulation. Because what comes naturally to them is hard to explain without watering it down. And because they’re too close to the brilliance to describe it with any edge.

If that’s you, congrats. That’s fixable.

Here’s how you know you’ve got a marketing gap: You’re booked sporadically, but no one knows what you really do You can sell in conversation, but struggle to convert through content You get referrals... but can’t replicate the momentum Your website feels like an identity crisis You’ve written your “about” section 17 times, and it still sounds like everyone else It’s not a talent problem. It’s a translation problem. And unclear brands don’t scale.

They stall.

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Your Work Deserves an Infrastructure, Not Just an Aesthetic What if your brand actually matched the quality of your work? What if your business didn’t feel like a secret? What if people didn’t just stumble upon you, but sought you out? That’s what marketing, real marketing, can do. Not the copy-paste launch sequence. Not the trendy 21-day challenge.

But the kind of positioning that makes people pause mid-scroll, screenshot, and DM you “this is exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

Because here’s the real shift: We’re not marketing for reach. We’re marketing for resonance.

And resonance doesn’t come from hype. It comes from honest clarity, smart psychology, and brand energy that actually aligns with your depth.

So What Do You Do With This?

Here’s where we start un-glitching your genius: 1. Define the real result you create Not the fluffy one. Not the safe one. The one your best client cried about when they emailed you six months later.

2. Stop sounding like ChatGPT in a sunhat The goal is not “palatable.” The goal is unforgettable. Say it how you would say it.

That’s the hook.

3. Give your offers a backbone People don’t buy offers, they buy outcomes.

If your offer doesn’t clearly solve a real problem, it’s a wish.

MARKETING

Refine your process. Build proof. Back it with confidence.

4. Build a brand that shows up when you’re not around Stories. Systems. Structure. Visibility that doesn’t require you to post three times a day and pray to the algorithm gods.

5. Market with conviction, not apology You’re not “putting yourself out there.” You’re inviting the right people in.

Let’s Be Clear: You’re Not Broke Because You’re Untalented You’re broke because you’ve been playing small in the name of humility.

Because you thought doing great work was enough.

Because no one taught you that the market rewards clarity, not effort.

But now you know.

So now it’s on you.

You can stay quietly brilliant, or you can become boldly booked.

Just don’t confuse staying humble with staying hidden.

Let’s close the gap.

Your bank account will thank you.

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A I A N D T H E N E W M A R K E T I N G P L A Y B O O K : WHAT’S HYPE VS. WHAT WORKS | SASHA MONIQUE |

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The AI wave has officially crashed into the world of marketing, and most people are either drowning in the noise or pretending they’re surfing.

Where the AI Hype Is Outpacing Reality

Scroll any business feed, and you’ll see it: - "This email was written by AI!" - "Here’s how I built a launch funnel in 7 minutes using ChatGPT!" - "AI will replace 90% of marketers by 2030!"

The truth? Some of that is smart. Some of that is straight-up smoke and mirrors.

Because while AI is absolutely reshaping how marketing is done, the new playbook doesn’t mean abandoning strategy, it means getting better at it.

And if you don’t know what’s actually worth integrating versus what’s just wellbranded hype, you risk automating your way into irrelevance.

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Let’s break it down. Not as futurists. As marketers who still believe message matters.

Let’s call out the fluff so we can get to the function.

1. “AI Writes My Content Now” - Cool, But Can Anyone Tell It’s You? Yes, AI can write an email.

Yes, it can generate 100 captions.

But can it replace the voice, context, and intuition behind your brand? Not even close.

Most AI-generated content reads like a freshman copywriter playing Mad Libs. It’s grammatically perfect, SEO-optimized, and emotionally… sterile. Good copy sells not because it’s correct, but because it’s human. And AI can’t replicate lived experience, brand memory, or emotional nuance, at least not yet.

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If everyone’s using the same tools and prompts, guess what happens? Everyone starts sounding the same. And sameness is the fastest route to invisibility.

2. The Myth of “Fully Automated Marketing” Some platforms will try to convince you that you can set up a marketing machine that runs itself forever. No updates. No thinking. No iteration.

Just plug, play, and profit.

The reality? Every AI system still needs human oversight. Without clarity in your funnel goals, audience segmentation, and content ecosystem, all automation does is scale mediocrity. You don’t need a machine to do more. You need a system that helps you do better.

3. “AI Will Replace Marketers” Is Lazy FearMongering Let’s be blunt. AI won’t replace marketers.

But it will replace marketers who rely on tactics without strategy. The marketers who bring human insight, brand clarity, cultural context, and deep emotional intelligence to the table? They’ll lead the future of this industry.

Where AI Actually Works (If You Use It Right) We’re not anti-AI. We’re anti-buzzword. And we’re pro-strategy. So here’s where AI is genuinely transforming marketing for the better: 1. Intelligent Ideation & Research Support You don’t need to stare at a blank page anymore. Use AI to: Rapidly test content angles Summarize dense market reports Find related pain points from your audience

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Reverse engineer successful copy from competitors Build content calendars in minutes based on trends AI isn’t the writer—it’s the brainstorming partner with an impressive memory and zero ego.

2. Smart Personalization at Scale This is where the magic happens.

With the right tools and ethical data collection, you can personalize: Email sequences based on behavior

It’s one thing to know what happened. It’s another to predict what’s coming and pivot your marketing before the dip hits.

The New Marketing Playbook: Human at the Core, AI in the Workflow The marketers who win in the AI era will do three things exceptionally well: 1. Keep the Human Voice Intact Use AI to accelerate and structure, but never to replace.

Great marketing comes from lived experience, not clever prompts.

Your brand voice can’t be generated, it must be remembered.

Product recommendations Sales page variants Timing of messages based on engagement history

Your storytelling can’t be faked, it must be felt.

According to McKinsey, brands that personalize digital experiences with AI see up to 20% increases in customer satisfaction and 1015% increases in sales.

Your point of view is the asset, and AI has none of its own.

And personalization doesn’t mean “Hi, [first name]”, it means recognizing patterns and meeting people where they are.

3. Predictive Analytics That Shape Strategy This isn’t about guessing. AI can analyze: Funnel drop-off points

2. Build Systems, Not Scripts AI should be integrated into your process, not your personality.

Think: Tools that summarize your podcast episodes for content reuse AI that analyzes your funnel and highlights weak points

Audience engagement by time of day or topic

Chatbots that triage inquiries before passing them to humans

Content that drives not just clicks, but conversion

But never tools that turn your offer, your voice, or your mission into something generic just to be “efficient.”

Which segments are most likely to churn or upsell

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3. Stay Adaptable, But Stay Rooted AI is evolving fast. The platforms will keep shifting. The tools will keep multiplying. But the core of good marketing hasn’t changed: Know your audience Speak to their now, not your someday Make it clear, emotional, and actionable Show up like a real human who gets what they’re going through The brands that thrive won’t be the most tech-savvy. They’ll be the most attuned.

AI Is Not the Strategy. It’s the Amplifier.

Here’s the truth: AI can help you scale, but it won’t help you lead.

It can optimize what you’ve built, but it can’t define who you are.

It can generate content, but not connection.

And if your marketing lacks meaning, no tool will fix that.

So let the tools evolve. Let the dashboards get smarter. But you? Stay sharp. Stay sovereign. Stay human.

Because the future of marketing isn’t man vs. machine. It’s both, when used with intention.

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creator focus

trill 73

CREATOR FOCUS Visionary - Producer - Music Director - Tour Director trill

DM: Thank you so much for joining us! To start things off, do you mind telling us about yourself?

T: Thank you for having me—it’s an honor. I’m a music producer, creative director, and show architect. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working behind the scenes with some of the most iconic artists in the world, developing live shows, curating sonic experiences, and building full-scale productions that connect with people in unforgettable ways. I come from a deeprooted love for music, storytelling, and culture, and I’ve built my career at the intersection of all three.

DM: You’ve built quite the roster of talent you’ve worked with. How did you get into this industry and wearing so many hats?

T: I got into this industry by saying yes to opportunities that challenged me—even before I felt fully ready. I started playing bass in church, but I quickly realized my vision extended beyond those four walls.

IG: @OFFICIALTRILLMUSIC @OFFICIALTRILLENT

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CREATOR FOCUS

TRILL

I’ve always been drawn to the full experience—

The key is preparation—when you know your craft,

the way visuals, movement, sound, and emotion

you can show up with confidence and clarity.

all come together. Over time, I learned every piece of the puzzle: production, creative

DM: Can you share a behind-the-scenes

direction, logistics, even business strategy.

moment from your career that profoundly

Wearing multiple hats wasn’t just a choice; it

impacted your perspective on the music

was necessary to bring my ideas to life the way I

industry?

saw them.

T: One moment that changed everything for me DM: Working with legends like Beyoncé and

was watching a stadium full of people cry during

Justin Timberlake must come with immense

a show I helped build. It reminded me that this

pressure. How do you maintain your artistic

industry isn’t just about entertainment—it’s about

integrity while meeting high expectations?

impact. Behind the glamor, there’s a responsibility to lead with intention. That night

T: The pressure is real—but so is the purpose.

reminded me that people don’t remember the

When you’re working with legends, the bar is

lighting cues or the bass drop—they remember

excellence, every single time. What grounds me

how you made them feel. That shifted how I

is remembering why I do what I do: to create

approach every project from that point forward.

something honest, intentional, and transformative. I never sacrifice authenticity.

DM: What do you feel is a misconception

Instead, I find creative ways to align my vision

people have when it comes to turning a

with the artist’s voice. It’s a collaboration, not a

passion or art form into a business? How do

compromise.

you separate the two?

TRILL

CREATOR FOCUS

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DM: What’s a creative decision you made that felt risky but changed the trajectory of your work?

T: A few years ago, I produced a beat that I ended up using as a dance break for a show with Kelly Rowland in Sydney. I didn’t know how it would land—I just knew it felt right.

When she loved it, that moment gave me the clarity and confidence I needed to stop hiding behind the scenes and start injecting my personality unapologetically into everything I touch (no matter what position I play). With the right context and respect for the artist’s vision, I realized I could bring my full creative T: The biggest misconception is that passion

voice to the table—and that changed

alone is enough. Passion lights the spark, but

everything for me.

structure keeps the fire burning. The truth is, art becomes sustainable when it's treated like

DM: What’s been your greatest

a business. I don’t separate the two—I integrate

accomplishment to date? And what do you

them. Creativity fuels my business decisions,

hope to accomplish in the future?

and discipline shapes my creative ones. You need both. One without the other leads to

T: Honestly, my greatest accomplishment has

burnout or missed opportunities.

been building a reputation rooted in trust, excellence, and creativity. The artists, teams,

DM: You’ve built shows that move people.

and brands I work with know that I care

What’s the difference between a good tour

deeply about the work and the people

and an unforgettable one?

involved. Looking forward, I want to create platforms and opportunities for the next

T: A good tour entertains. An unforgettable

generation, whether that’s through education,

one transforms. The difference is intention.

mentorship, or developing a place where

When every element—the setlist, transitions,

visionaries can thrive. My goal is legacy, not just

lighting, wardrobe, even the silence between

success.

moments—tells a cohesive story, the audience doesn’t just watch it, they feel it. You can’t fake

DM: When you look at the next generation

that. An unforgettable tour has soul, purpose,

of creatives, what do you hope they do

and precision.

differently than we did?

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TRILL

T: I hope they don’t wait for permission. I

DM: Lastly, what’s the best advice you’ve

hope they build their own tables instead of

ever been given?

begging for a seat. And most importantly, I hope they take care of themselves—mentally,

T: The best advice came from my parents. My

spiritually, financially. Our generation carried

dad and my late mom always told me, “Keep

a lot of weight in silence. The next wave has

God first, and everything else will fall into place.”

a chance to create with freedom and

That wisdom comes straight from Matthew 6:33

wellness at the center.

—“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added

DM: If you could go back and change one

to you.” My dad is still here to see this journey

thing you’ve done in your career, is there

unfold, and I’m grateful for that.

anything you’d change?

My mom passed before I really started T: Honestly, all my mistakes and failures have

producing, but I carry her words and spirit with

molded me in the best ways. However, if I

me every single day. That foundation is why I

knew better early on I would’ve protected

move the way I move. It’s bigger than me.

my time and energy more. In the beginning, I said yes to everything—out of hunger, out of fear, out of obligation. Now I understand the power of a strategic “no.” Not every opportunity is aligned, and not every door leads where you want to go. I’ve learned to move with more clarity.

DM: What’s one habit or ritual that anchors you when life on the road or in the studio gets too loud?

T: My walk with God is what keeps me grounded. Before anything else—before the calls, the mixes, the deadlines—I make time for prayer and reflection. That time reconnects me with who I am beyond the titles and responsibilities. Whether I’m home or traveling, that routine helps me stay clear, stay grateful, and move with peace in the middle of the chaos.

TRILL

CREATOR FOCUS

trill

Visionary - Producer - Music Director - Tour Director

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CREATOR FOCUS Marketing & Visibility Strategist sofia aguilar DM: Thank you so much for joining us!

To start things off, do you mind telling us about yourself?

SA: Of course! I’m Sofia Aguilar—a content strategist, speaker, and storyteller at heart.

I’m also a woman of faith, a proud big sister and auntie, and someone who deeply believes in the power of showing up fully and authentically. I’ve been in the creative and entrepreneurship space for over 10 years now, helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs and brands not just look good online—but actually connect with their audience. My journey has been far from linear, but everything I’ve walked through—from founding my first business at 18 to building a marketing agency rooted in storytelling—has led me to this moment DM: You’ve built an incredible following and community online. How did you get into this industry and starting your own business?

SA: Honestly? It started from a place of necessity and vision.

IG: SAGUILAR_ SOFIAAGUILAR.CA

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SOFIA AGUILAR

I didn’t see anyone that looked like me doing

SA: I always say, stories are our most powerful

what I knew I was being called to do. I

currency. Growing up in a Colombian household,

launched my first business during a time

I was surrounded by culture, community, and a

when social media was still figuring itself out.

deep sense of pride in where we came from.

I was self-taught, self-funded, and running on pure passion.

I was raised by both of my parents, who eventually separated—and through that, I learned

What began as a dance studio I opened at 18

the importance of identity, adaptability, and

evolved into me helping other creatives and

emotional honesty. But it wasn’t until I began

business owners with their digital presence,

working closely with other women that I realized

and eventually building an agency. I had to

how often we’re taught to shrink ourselves—to be

learn how to market myself to survive—and in

palatable instead of powerful.

doing so, I discovered how to help others be seen and heard too.

That’s when it clicked for me: I didn’t just want to help people “show up” online, I wanted to help

DM: You’ve helped women build brands

them take up space. Personal branding isn’t

that don’t just show up online, but take up

about curating a version of yourself—it’s about

space. What originally sparked your

remembering who you are and reflecting that

passion for personal branding and

boldly in everything you do, online and offline.

storytelling?

SOFIA AGUILAR

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SA: One of the biggest ones? Thinking they have to be everything to everyone. Personal branding isn’t about pleasing everyone—it’s about being real with the people you’re called to serve. I also see a lot of entrepreneurs getting stuck in perfectionism or mimicking trends instead of leading with their own voice. My advice? Get clear on your story, your values, and the transformation you offer. Then show up consistently and imperfectly—that’s what people connect with.

DM: In a world that’s saturated with noise, what does it really take to stand out today?

DM: You talk a lot about the link between

SA: Honestly? Depth. We don’t need more

storytelling and overcoming imposter

content; we need more connection. People

syndrome. Why do you think telling your

don’t remember you because of the graphics

story is such a powerful antidote to doubt?

you posted—they remember how you made

SA: Because storytelling brings you back to your truth. Imposter syndrome thrives in silence. It wants you to forget what you’ve overcome and who you’ve become. But the moment you start reflecting on your own journey—what you’ve walked through, what you’ve built, how far you’ve come—it reminds you of your authority. Sharing your story isn’t just about brand building—it’s about reclaiming your narrative. It’s saying: “This is who I am, and I belong here.”

them feel. Stand out by being clear in your message, rooted in your values, and intentional with your presence. And stop worrying about being viral—focus on being valuable.

Consistency, authenticity, and heart-led strategy will always cut through the noise.

DM: What’s been your greatest accomplishment to date? And what do you hope to accomplish in the future?

SA: My greatest accomplishment is building a business that’s both spirit-led and strategy-

DM: What are some common mistakes you

driven—one that has allowed me to serve

see entrepreneurs make when trying to

hundreds of entrepreneurs around the world

build a personal brand and how can they

while staying grounded in my faith.

course-correct?

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Also, the emails and DMs I get from women

DM: What’s your response to someone who

saying, “You helped me believe in myself

says, “I don’t have a story worth sharing”?

again”—those are the real wins. As for the future? I’d love to continue growing The

SA: You do—you just haven’t taken the time to

Visibility Suite and expand into more in-

look at it from the outside. Your lived

person experiences globally. I want to keep

experience is valuable. The things you’ve

helping women realize that their voice is

overcome, the lessons you’ve learned, even the

their power.

mistakes you’ve made—they all make up your story. And someone out there needs to hear it

DM: When you look at the next

in the exact way only you can say it. Don’t

generation of creatives, what do you

underestimate the power of your becoming.

hope they do differently than we did?

DM: Lastly, what’s the best advice you’ve SA: I hope they stop waiting for permission. I

ever been given?

hope they value wellness as much as ambition. And I hope they understand that

SA: The best advice I’ve ever been given is:

going viral doesn’t mean you’ve made it—

“Your only job is to keep showing up as

impact does. I want them to build with

yourself.” That’s it. Not to impress, not to

longevity in mind, not just hype. I also hope

perform, not to fit into someone else’s version

they ask better questions, take better care of

of success—but to show up fully, boldly, and

their mental health, and never forget that

authentically as the person God created you to

their authenticity is their competitive edge.

be.

DM: If you could go back and change one

It sounds simple, but it’s been the most

thing you’ve done in your career, is there

freeing and powerful thing for me. Because

anything you’d change?

the truth is, people don’t connect with perfection—they connect with presence. They

SA: I would’ve started building systems and

connect with you. And when you show up in

asking for help way sooner. I wore the “do it

your fullness, even when you’re figuring it out,

all” badge with pride for far too long, and it

even when it’s messy, you give others

burned me out. I also spent a lot of time

permission to do the same.

over-delivering out of fear that I wasn’t enough, instead of trusting that my

That advice changed how I live, how I lead,

presence and purpose were already more

and how I build. It reminds me that I don’t

than enough. But every season taught me

need to wait until I feel “ready”—I just need to

something—and I’m grateful for it all.

be real. That’s where the impact lives.

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sofia aguilar marketing + visibility strategist

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Delaun oshea 85

CREATOR FOCUS designer + founder, merci Delaun oshea

DM: Thank you so much for joining us!

To start things off, do you mind telling us about yourself?

DO: Thank you for having me! For starters, my name is DeLaun, born and raised in Oxnard, CA - currently living in San Diego. I played basketball at Concordia UniversityIrvine, where I received my BA in business marketing. When I'm not designing for my brand or working on unfinished projects, I’m at the gym or painting, which has become a big hobby of mine as of late.

DM: Your brand Merci feels incredibly relevant but timeless. How did you get into this industry and starting your own brand?

DO: I’ve always had a love for clothing. I was the kid that had my outfit ironed and laid out across my bed every night before school. Any time I would buy clothes, I always felt like something was missing from the design or pattern - and often found myself reconstructing or adding something to it that made it more “me”.

IG: @MERCILO MERCILO.COM

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I thought to myself, “Why don’t I just start making

DM: Streetwear’s more than just clothes, it’s

my own clothes?” My first experience designing

culture, energy, and identity. What does your

shirts was in 5th grade. I spray painted t-shirts

brand stand for at its core?

with stencils that I made out of cardboard.

DO: It’s a culmination of so many different facets.

DM: What was the first idea, sketch, or phrase

Growing up playing basketball and

that made you say, “This could be a brand”?

skateboarding, and playing guitar hero, and listening to everything from NWA to The Misfits

DO: The very first design I made was on a black

has really made MERCI something that is

hoodie. I’m a big fan of oversized prints/texts, so I

relatable - you can see a little bit of everything in

blasted the back of a it in old english font

it. MERCI is grunge, hip-hop, blue-collar, metal,

reading, “Kill a King, You’ll Really Feel the Power”

classic, faith-based, expressive, and overall

- and the front had a small center chest piece

something I would consider unique because it’s

reading “merci” in lowercase old english as well.

my ideas presented through the medium of clothing.

Something about this quote resonated with me and kind of gave the brand its image. That

DM: What’s a non-negotiable when it comes

hoodie ended up selling out in 2 days. I was so

to your creative process, something you

eager to get them out that I drove around hand

refuse to compromise on?

delivering them myself.

DO: When inspiration hits, drop everything and run full speed with it.

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DM: The streetwear space is loud. How do you carve out your own lane and keep your edge?

DO: I try to experience life in its entirety as much as possible. Through being in new spaces and stepping outside of your bubble brings forth a new perspective that you as a creative can really benefit from. With these new spaces comes new faces and conversations that can open your mind to a whole new world. You can learn a lot from talking to a stranger or two.

DM: What’s been your greatest accomplishment to date? And what do you It’s such a fleeting experience and you never

hope to accomplish in the future?

know when it’s going to hit again. When you sit on an idea for too long, the energy behind it

DO: Realizing how rewarding it is to be your true,

slowly starts to dissipate and eventually gets

authentic self. I’ve always been the black sheep of

added to the graveyard of ideas that never saw

the family, so creating this path and finding

life. The other non-negotiable is being by

success in this unorthodox way has shown them

myself when I’m making things. Solitude is my

what can come from believing in yourself and

best friend in this case.

going for all that you believe in. As for the future, I aim to continue to break the generational curses

DM: How do you stay inspired without

set upon me and bring every good idea that

getting lost in trends or looking like every

crosses my mind to life. When I’m 99 years old I

other brand on the ‘gram?

pray the ideas are still flowing just as much.

DO: Understanding that there are others who

DM: When you look at the next generation of

are inspired by me and what I'm doing. I also

creatives, what do you hope they do differently

do my best to keep my eyes on my own work.

than we did?

Making something just to make it look like everything else defeats the entire purpose of a

DO: I hope they learn from our mistakes and use us

brand. The demographic of people that buy

as an example to get started ASAP! There’s no

MERCI don't like it because it looks like

better time than right now, if you feel it in your

Supreme or Stussy, they like it because it has its

bones, make it happen by any means. I feel like our

own identity and style - so that tells me that I’m

generation was more focused on getting that one

doing something right by sticking to my guns.

job that mom and dad wanted us to get so we’re secure.

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I think it’s more important to walk to the beat of your own drum; those jobs will always be there.

DM: If you could go back and change one thing you’ve done in your career, is there anything you’d change?

DO: Not a single thing! Everything happens for a reason, good and bad - and it’s all a part of God’s divine timing. I wouldn't be who I am today without all of my highs and lows, and I love how things are turning out for me.

DM: What’s the legacy you’re building, what do you want your brand to mean five, ten, twenty years from now?

DO: I’ve always wanted MERCI to be a conglomerate, like an umbrella to a multifaceted creative entity. But at the end of the day, I want it to be whatever it is supposed to be. We immortalize ourselves through our shared work - 20 years from now, I hope some young kid comes across some of my pieces at the thrift store, and it sparks his/her imagination to go do something dope!

DM: Lastly, what’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

DO: Never feel bad for prioritizing yourself. If the cost is compromising your well-being, it’s too expensive.

DELAUN OSHEA

DELAUN OSHEA

CREATOR FOCUS

Delaun oshea Designer + founder merci

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monique hutson 91

CREATOR FOCUS monique hutson founder of dom productions + the stu DM: Thank you so much for joining us! To start things off, do you mind telling us about yourself?

MH: Hey! I’m Monique — a proud Toronto-based entrepreneur (shoutout to Canada). I’m the founder of Dom Productions Inc., a media production agency that’s all about helping brands, businesses, and fellow entrepreneurs shine through stunning photography and video content.

We’ve also got a cool little sister called The Stu — a photo studio and event space made for creatives, photographers, and event planners. It’s where we shoot a ton of our client content and throw dope community events for the girlies, like speed networking, coworking days, game nights and nail painting parties.

I’m super passionate about mental health and creating space for women — especially women of colour — to thrive. One of my biggest goals is to help close the racial and gender gaps in the workplace and build more inclusive, supportive communities.

@DOMPRODUCTIONS.CA DOMPRODUCTIONS.CA @THESTU.TO THESTU.CA

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DM: What sparked Dom Productions? Was

DM: Toronto’s a city full of energy and

there a moment when you realized content

expression. How has the city shaped your

wasn’t just creative, it was power?

creative eye or the way you tell stories through content?

MH: Content really is power. There’s something vulnerable and empowering about sharing your

MH: Funny enough, I used to hate Toronto

story and perspective with the world. I started

growing up — thought it was trying too hard to

the business after hitting a breaking point in

be a fake NYC. I visited New York a lot as a kid

December 2017. I was two years into corporate,

and always thought I’d live there.

stuck in a toxic environment, unhappy, and

But as I’ve gotten older (and watched the U.S.

exhausted. Quitting felt like the only way

shift politically), I’ve really come to love Toronto.

forward — I knew I had to bet on myself.

It’s shaped not just my work, but who I am.

That job taught me valuable storytelling skills,

The city’s diversity has exposed me to so many

but I was never going to grow there. Since I was

cultures and stories — it’s deepened my empathy

a teen, I dreamed of producing reality TV. I’ve

and fueled my creativity. From the visuals I

always loved cameras, media, and creating.

create to how I connect with people, it all ties

That early passion led me to journalism, then

back to this city.And honestly? Toronto’s full of

behind the scenes.

inspiration. One of my biggest creative tips: go

But once I got into the industry, I noticed the

outside, explore, talk to people. Inspiration’s

lack of people like me in creative control. I

everywhere — you just have to look.

knew I had to build my own lane — not just for me, but for other women of colour. If I can help

DM: Dom isn’t just about pretty visuals, it’s

shift who’s shaping the narrative, that’s the

about strategy. How do you strike that

dream.

balance between aesthetic and intention?

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MH: A lot of producers forget that entrepreneurs aren’t trained on-camera talent — they’re business owners. Sometimes, they just need a little coaching and support to show up confidently. I can be awkward on camera too, so I always aim to make our clients feel at ease.

Hearing “You made me feel so comfortable!” after a shoot? Best feeling ever. What also sets Dom Productions apart is the prep. I noticed early on there’s a big gap between freelancer and agency experiences — especially when it MH: Ohh, I’m a Type A girly DOWN. Virgo

comes to preproduction. The strategy, scripting,

levels of organization. Give me a color-coded

mood boards, brand deep dives — that’s where

spreadsheet or a to-do list and I am in heaven.

the magic starts.

I’ve never met a checklist I didn’t like. I have like three different calendars for different

That’s why every Dom Productions package

purposes. And I’m always the one planning

includes a pre-shoot strategy call. Whether

the group vacation itinerary.

you’re a new founder or an established brand, we want to know your audience, vision, and

I’ve always been like this. Back in elementary

goals before we ever hit record. No guesswork —

school, we’d get those little student agendas

just intentional, on-brand content that actually

at the start of the year, and while most kids

connects.

doodled in theirs, I was out here mapping out my life — when to do my homework, what

DM: As a woman leading in a high-

snacks I’d eat after school, assignment due

production, often male-dominated space,

dates, friends’ birthdays... everything was in

what have been some of your biggest lessons

that agenda. It’s funny being super Type A but

in owning your seat at the table?

also having a creative brain. It’s a chaotic combo sometimes, but I make it work. For

MH: Never let society tell you that you’re “too

me, it means actually scheduling actual time

much.” As women, we hear it constantly — too

to be creative — whether that’s working on

loud, too bossy, too emotional. But really, we’re

passion projects, coming up with random

just being honest and assertive in spaces that

ideas, or brainstorming content for socials.

were never built for us. When I started in marketing at 21, I had to fight hard just to be

DM: What’s one behind-the-scenes part of

heard. I was dismissed left and right — not just

production people totally underestimate or

because I was young, but because I didn’t “look

overlook?

the part.”

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Let’s be real: a young Black woman with braids

DM: What’s been your greatest

down to her butt and long lashes? People assume

accomplishment to date? And what do you

you’re vain, unprofessional, or “ghetto.” Not

hope to accomplish in the future?

brilliant. Not creative. Not someone worth listening to. I’ve had men tell me I’m too

MH: One of my proudest moments was

opinionated, too sensitive. I’ve even been told I

shooting a nationwide billboard campaign —

should be in front of the camera because I “look

seeing our work across the country was surreal.

like a model.” Like… thanks? But also, what?

Another huge milestone? Opening our first

And the “too emotional” thing? Please. Men get

studio. When I launched the biz in 2019, I said

angry way faster than we do — but we’re the

I’d open a space within five years. By the end of

dramatic ones? Make it make sense.

2023, an opportunity came up to acquire an

Now? If I’m not offered a seat at the table, I’ll build

existing studio — and I went for it. We took over

my own. My vulnerability and empathy aren’t

in May 2024 and rebranded it as The Stu in

weaknesses. They’re my superpowers.

September.

DM: For creators who want to level up their

We’re still in the messy middle, so it’s hard to

content game, what’s one move they could

fully process. But the acquisition was one of the

make today that would instantly elevate their

hardest things I’ve ever done… and I did that.

presence?

What really gets me emotional, though, is MH: One of the most important things you can do

seeing the women I’ve hired and paid since

as a creative is get clear on your value prop —

2021. That part hits different. Because the goal

what actually sets you apart? What makes your

has always been this: women at the table —

perspective different from everyone else out here?

paid well, respected, and in power.

(Also, side note: I kind of hate the word “creative.”

It lowkey makes me cringe. Maybe I’m just being

Looking ahead? I want to scale into a full-blown

a hater.) But once you figure out what makes you

production agency with offices in Montreal,

you, everything starts flowing. For Dom

Miami, NYC, Vancouver, and London.

Productions, our edge is blending humor with honesty — showing the real, messy, funny parts of

Campaigns for brands like Fila, WNBA, Cécred,

entrepreneurship.

Disney.

That’s why our content leans into empathetic

Hundreds of women on payroll. That’s the

marketing, mental health, and the ridiculousness

dream.

of being a business owner. People vibe with it because it’s real — and that’s what makes them want to work with us.

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monique hutson content producer + 2x business owner

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jeremiah mckibbins 97

CREATOR FOCUS photographer jeremiah mckibbins

DM: Thank you so much for joining us! To start things off, do you mind telling us about yourself?

JM: I’m a photographer, production assistant, associate producer, and I’ve recently stepped back into streaming games again. My work is rooted in collaboration and creativity. Whether I’m on set or behind a camera, I’m most at home helping bring ideas to life and making sure people feel confident in the process. I believe everyone has a story, and that story is important.

Whether it’s told through a photo, a stream, a short film, or just how someone shows up in the world. I care about creating space for it to be seen and respected. I’m drawn to people who are building, creating, and evolving.

Watching someone step into their own lane, express themselves, and actually feel good doing it; that’s the kind of energy I want to be around.

I don’t need to be center stage. I prefer being the one helping others shine. Making the vision clearer, the voice louder, the story stronger.

IG: @KIBSSSTUDIOS

KIBSSTUDIOS.COM

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DM:How did you first get into photography?

Those reactions, the way people saw

What’s been a catalyst moment in your career

themselves differently, that’s when it clicked.

that you feel like made it clear you found your

That’s when I realized I wasn’t just taking

calling?

photos. I was holding up a mirror and showing them something real. From there, it stopped

JM: It all started in 2020. I bought a Canon T7i

being about just taking pictures. It became

thinking I was gonna use it to stream games and

about connection. About helping people see

that was the plan. But after a few months, the

their own light and sometimes for the first time.

hype faded, the streams stopped, and the

I have enjoyed my artistic journey and looking

camera just sat there collecting dust.

forward to what else life brings.

One day, on a whim, I picked it up. No plan, no purpose, and just started snapping shots of

DM: How has photography transformed you

random stuff around the house. Didn’t think

as a human being? Do you feel like this art

much of it at first. But something shifted. There is

form impacts you in other areas of your life?

a sense of peace in between each shot that I became addicted to. A sense of calmness and

JM: Photography has taught me to pay

rhythm. I found myself getting lost in the angles,

attention to the details; the small moments that

the lighting, the little details. I realized this wasn’t

often go unnoticed. It’s made me realize that

just a leftover hobby. It was doing something to

the little things really matter. In street

me.

photography, I discovered a kind of calm in the

Then I started shooting portraits. And man…

chaos. It’s an art form that invites you to slow

that’s when it hit different. People would look at

down and be present, yet it also pushes me to

the photos and say things like, “I look so

be adventurous, to step outside my comfort

beautiful,” or “This is the coolest I’ve ever looked.”

zone and explore the world, its cultures, and the people who inhabit it.

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But when it’s time for business, I flip the switch and go into that structured, analytical mode. I’m still learning how to juggle the two, but for now, I find that keeping them distinct works for me.

DM: What do you feel like you bring to your industry that’s lacking? What do you hope to bring in the future that’s needed?

JM: There are a lot of phenomenal photographers across different mediums, but over the last decade, we’ve seen the rise of video content overshadow many forms of photography. With that shift, there's been a decrease in the appreciation and opportunities for photographers in the The camera is more than just a tool; it’s a way of seeing and connecting. I’ve learned how the lens can bring out a person’s personality; capturing a side of them they may not even see in themselves. And that shift, that moment of clarity, has influenced the way I approach life in general: more observant, more open, and always ready to learn something new.

DM: Being a multi-disciplinary, how do you balance the structure of working in marketing with the liberation of photography? Do you find it hard to turn your analytical brain off when creating?

JM: To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve found a perfect balance. I tend to keep them in separate boxes. When it’s time to create, it’s all about being in that headspace just flowing and focusing on the art.

entertainment industry.

What I hope to bring to the table is a renewed sense of value for all forms of art. I want to help create spaces where the beauty of photography, and all art forms, can be celebrated and recognized for their own unique power. Moving forward, I aim to foster environments where creative minds — whether they work behind the camera, in front of it, or in other artistic realms — have the chance to thrive. It's not just about making art; it's about making space for it to be seen, appreciated, and given the platform it deserves.

DM: If there was one thing you could change about your industry, what would it be?

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JM: If there was one thing I could change

DM: Do you feel like the future of

about the industry, it would be to address the

photography is at jeopardy with AI being

lack of accountability for unprofessional

pushed so heavily?

behavior.

JM: Yes and no. AI is an incredibly powerful As a PA, I’ve worked with many different crews

tool, and there’s no denying that it will affect

and environments, and it’s disheartening to

all industries, with artists being some of the

see poor behavior go unchecked. We work in

most impacted. However, AI is just a tool. It’s

an incredible industry, and it’s a privilege to be

important for everyone, especially artists, to

a part of it. I believe we’d accomplish so much

learn how to use it to their advantage. It’s

more if we held ourselves and others

human nature to prefer efficiency and easier

accountable, fostering an environment of

solutions, and those who understand AI will

respect and professionalism where

likely replace those who don’t.

collaboration thrives, and toxic behavior doesn’t have a place.

That’s the direction I see things moving in, and the key will be adapting and integrating AI

DM: What’s been your greatest

into our creative processes rather than letting

accomplishment to date? And what do you

it take over entirely.

hope to accomplish in the future?

DM: What advice would you give to anyone JM: My greatest accomplishment to date was

looking to build a visual identity primarily

completing the LA Marathon. It felt

through brand photos?

monumental because I never thought I’d be able to run 26.2 miles. Showing up for myself every day during training, especially through

JM: My advice for building a visual identity

the mental and physical challenges, proved to

through brand photos is to communicate

me that I can overcome anything. The most

clearly. Take the time to sit down, think about

difficult part of the race was the final 6.2 miles.

who you are, and define that clearly. Write it

Years ago, I had knee surgery, and during the

out, talk about it, and make sure the vision is

race, my knee swelled and locked, making it

well-understood. It’s essential that both sides,

nearly impossible to bend.

the creator and the audience, are on the same page.

On top of that, it began to rain. Despite the pain and mental barriers, I pushed through

Communication is a two-way street: it’s about

and crossed that finish line. It was one of the

delivering the message, but also making sure

most rewarding moments of my life.

it’s received and understood.

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DM: What imprint do you want to leave

DM: How do you stay inspired? What

within your industry?

industries or things outside of photography influence your creativity?

JM: The imprint I want to leave in my industry is simple: I want people to know I treat them with love and respect. I lead with

JM: I stay inspired by stepping outside of

empathy, always striving to connect on a

photography and letting life feed my creativity.

human level.

Sometimes that means picking up a coloring book, diving into a video game, watching a film

To me, collaboration and teamwork are

that hits different, or pulling up to a local show

everything. I’m not here to push my opinions;

just to soak in the energy. I think trying new

I’m here to gather ideas, hear others out, and

things, even the small stuff, shakes something

find the best path for the project. It’s about

loose creatively.

building a community where everyone’s voice matters, where we come together to

Nature’s a big one too. Take a walk, sit by water,

create something bigger than ourselves.

just be still for a second. Inspiration doesn’t always scream at you, sometimes it just whispers

DM: What’s been one of the hardest parts

when you give yourself space to listen. Life’s

about building up your business and

already hard enough, so I try to make it easier by

managing the demands of that growth?

leaning into joy and curiosity wherever I can find it.

JM: One of the hardest parts right now is navigating the reality of the current recession.

People don’t have the same ability to spend, and naturally, that affects business. Work slows down, opportunities shrink, but the bills don’t stop coming. I’ve had to dig into my own pocket to keep the business afloat while still handling my personal responsibilities.

Managing finances in this kind of market is hands down the biggest challenge. It’s a constant balancing act between keeping the vision alive and just staying afloat.

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DM: Lastly, what’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

JM: The best advice that’s found its way back to me recently is this: don’t take life too seriously. And that wisdom has come to me in a few different ways, but one moment stuck with me. I was having a random conversation with an elderly lady. I complimented her makeup or her dress, something simple, and we ended up talking.

I told her how stressed life had been feeling, and she just looked at me and said, “Don’t worry so much.” That doesn’t mean float through life without purpose — you still need direction. But it reminded me to enjoy it while I’m in it.

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jeremiah mckibbins photographer for dtld magazine + more

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C U L T U R E

There’s a reason people on the West Coast keep circling back to Downtown LA. Even when they say they’ve “outgrown it.”

Even when they’ve moved to Silver Lake or Venice, or packed up entirely for Portland, Oakland, or Mexico City, there’s still something magnetic about DTLA. Something you can’t find anywhere else on the coast, no matter how polished the neighborhood or how curated the creative scene.

Because Downtown LA isn’t built on hype.

It’s built on grit.

And it’s teaching West Coasters something a lot of us forgot: you don’t need to be trending to be timeless.

A Shift You Can Feel What’s happening in DTLA right now isn’t a boom. It’s not a rebrand. It’s not a return to “cool” like the early 2010s, It’s a slow, intentional reclaiming, by the people, for the people.

T H E N E W C O O L : WHY DTLA’S CULTURE SHIFT MATTERS FOR THE WEST COAST CREATIVE IDENTITY | DTLD STAFF WRITER |

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Walk down 6th, or turn the corner onto Industrial, and you’ll see it. Pop-ups happening in defunct loading docks. DJ sets run off car batteries. A poetry night in a former dentist's office. You won’t find Eventbrite links or sponsorships. It’s quiet, grassroots, deeply personal.

And that matters, especially on the West Coast, where so much creative energy has become outsourced to algorithms, venture capital, and platforms that prioritize visibility over soul.

DTLA is proof that creativity doesn’t need a marketing strategy. It just needs space, and people who believe in it enough to show up without asking for credit.

A New Model for the West For years, LA was cast as the more superficial sibling to New York, London, even Berlin, cities with “serious” cultural scenes and deeper creative legacies.

The West Coast? We got tagged with sunshine, surf, and screenplays. But Downtown LA breaks that stereotype.

This is the part of the city where contradiction thrives. Where a concrete jungle meets ancestral memory.

Where first-gen creators, BIPOC collectives, and queer artists are building new forms of expression, unpolished, unfiltered, and unbothered by traditional art world rules.

It’s not just aesthetics.

It’s not just rebellion.

It’s identity-building.

The DIY movement here isn't about making do with what you have. It’s about making space for what was never allowed.

For stories that don’t fit into an influencer campaign. For work that won’t get gallery placement or studio backing, but still holds weight.

In a culture obsessed with optimization, DTLA is a living reminder that sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is create without an end goal.

Just for the sake of community. Just for the sake of truth.

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What This Means for West Coast Creatives If you’re a West Coast artist, entrepreneur, or creative, especially one trying to find your footing outside the algorithm, it’s time to look at what DTLA is doing, not because it’s trendy, but because it’s real.

DTLA shows us what it looks like to: Build without waiting for approval Collaborate without gatekeepers Prioritize process over perfection Value intimacy over virality It also challenges us to decentralize “success” from institutions. If you’ve ever felt disillusioned by the influencer economy, the gallery scene, the audition pipeline, or the fundraising grind, Downtown is showing us another way.

A way where culture can still live off the grid.

Where authenticity can be a strategy.

Where belonging is earned, not bought.

Not a Moment - A Model Here’s the thing: what’s happening in Downtown LA right now isn’t a cultural moment. It’s a model, one that the rest of the West Coast (and honestly, anywhere else that’s tired of manufactured creativity) needs to pay attention to.

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This isn’t just a quirky underground scene that will get co-opted into a Netflix documentary or sold back to us in the form of a $300 “artsy” hoodie.

It’s a blueprint for what sustainable, soulrooted, community-led creativity can actually look like, without needing to be palatable to the mainstream.

Because let’s be real, on the West Coast, we’ve been sold a very specific dream about what it means to be “creative.” You know the one: Get noticed. Get signed. Get sponsored.

Grow your platform. Secure the collab. Build your brand.

Then maybe, just maybe, if you’re lucky… get your real work seen.

But DTLA is flipping that model on its head.

In Downtown, people are doing it the other way around.

They’re starting with the work.

They’re starting with the community.

They’re starting with the why, and letting the rest follow, if it ever does at all.

There’s something radical about that.

Especially now, when every piece of art, every idea, every movement is expected to scale, to become monetizable, pitchable, optimized for the next grant, investor, or algorithm.

ART + CULTURE

DTLA says: what if it doesn’t need to scale?

What if it just needs to matter?

What if your event only happens once, and that’s enough?

What if your poem is printed on a zine run of 50, and it moves someone to tears?

What if your music never hits Spotify, but it fills a room with joy on a Thursday night in a warehouse full of strangers who become family?

That’s the model: art for impact, not just output. Culture as ecosystem, not competition. Creative practice as a way of life, not a performance for clout.

This is the kind of model that can survive the algorithm collapse. The kind of model that doesn’t need venture funding to thrive.

The kind of model that keeps culture alive when the brands and the buzz move on.

It’s not perfect. It’s not polished. But it’s real.

And in 2025, that might be the most revolutionary thing of all. Downtown LA is showing us that creativity doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful. It doesn’t need to be seen by millions to be felt. It doesn’t need a logo or a launch plan to make an impact.

This isn’t a trend.

It’s a return to truth.

And for the West Coast, where identity, expression, and experimentation have always been part of the DNA, this might just be the reminder we all needed: We don’t have to follow the path.

We can make our own.

DTLA already is.

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W H Y T H E H I S T O R Y O F D T L A S T I L L S H A P E S T H E C U L T U R E W E ’ R E C R E A T I N G N O W

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| SHOSHANNA MIRIAM |

Downtown LA is a city that remembers, even when no one asks it to.

It remembers in the way the light hits old marquee signs at dusk, in the cracks of century-old brick buildings that once held jazz clubs, newsrooms, garment shops, and radical bookstores, in faded signage in Spanish and Korean, in the art deco bones of forgotten theaters, and in staircases that led somewhere else in another era.

But DTLA doesn’t just remember for the sake of nostalgia. It remembers to anchor us, because in a city obsessed with reinvention, that anchor is rare. And right now, it matters more than ever.

A Living Archive in Steel and Stone Most people walk past Downtown LA’s architecture like it's just background noise, charming, maybe, but nothing more. But if you stop and listen, really listen, these buildings talk back.

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They carry stories.

Like the Broadway Theater District, once home to the largest concentration of movie palaces in the world. Now, many of those historic theaters sit dormant, beautiful, weathered relics that once hosted Spanish-language films, live performances, and entire communities that came alive under their chandeliers.

Or the Los Angeles Times building, once the hub of journalism on the West Coast, now quietly empty, waiting for someone to decide if it’s worth preserving or profiting from.

Even the alleyways hold memory. You can almost hear the echoes of garment workers on a cigarette break, poets selling chapbooks, organizers planning a march. These aren’t just buildings. They’re witnesses.

And what we choose to do with them now, reuse them, erase them, reimagine them, says everything about what we value.

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Reclamation, Not Just Preservation Let’s be honest: Downtown doesn’t need more luxury lofts with exposed brick and ironic neon signs.

What it does need, and what it’s starting to reclaim, is purpose.

Preservation in DTLA isn’t about keeping things “cute” for tourists or retro for design magazines. It’s about reclaiming space for the people and stories that shaped this city in the first place.

That’s what makes this era of Downtown special. There’s a new generation of creators, many of them Black, brown, queer, and working-class, who aren’t just using these spaces as aesthetic backdrops. They’re reviving them.

Honoring the history while using it to birth something new...

A punk show in a shuttered ballroom.

A drag performance in an old textile warehouse.

A Black-led film screening inside what used to be a bank vault.

A pop-up mercado where a department store once stood. This isn’t restoration. It’s cultural resurrection.

Why This Matters Now As cities across the West Coast are swallowed up by tech capital, branding fatigue, and fast-growth gentrification, DTLA reminds us of a slower, more intentional kind of creativity, one rooted in story, community, and place.

What’s happening Downtown challenges the idea that “new” is always better.

It says: what if what’s already here is enough?

What if we treated our city’s bones not as obstacles, but as collaborators? In a time when culture is being flattened for profit, remembering our physical history is an act of resistance.

Because every mural that gets painted over, every venue that gets turned into a Starbucks, every rent hike that forces out a community space, that’s not just real estate.

That’s erasure. And yet… Downtown refuses to be erased.

The Blueprint Is Already Here So what if we stopped asking how to “revive” DTLA, and started listening to what it’s already telling us?

Because the blueprint is already here.

It’s in the artists hosting underground residencies in abandoned offices.

It’s in the organizers creating immersive exhibits about displacement and memory.

It’s in the poets who write about street corners like they’re sacred, because they are.

It’s in the immigrant families who’ve been here for decades, still running the same shops their grandparents opened, through every boom and bust.

This isn’t a past to move on from. It’s a foundation to build on.

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Downtown LA shows us that we don’t have to choose between old and new. We can create something layered, something living, something that honors both.

We can say: yes, we remember. Yes, we are still here. Yes, we are making it ours again.

This Is More Than Preservation. It’s Legacy in Motion.

The architecture of DTLA doesn’t belong behind glass. It belongs in use, alive with noise and energy, and contradiction. Not because we’re afraid to change—but because we know where we came from.

In a world that wants everything fast, new, and optimized, Downtown LA whispers something radical: Take your time. Honor the story. Build something that lasts.

That’s what culture really is.

And Downtown’s been doing it all along.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: KIBBS STUDIOS

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SETTECENTO DTLA

700 W 5TH ST, LOS ANGELES Nestled in the heart of DTLA, Settecento brings Italian soul to a moody, minimalist hideaway. With curated cocktails, shareable plates, and vinyl spinning late, it’s where downtown comes to slow down. @settecentodtla | settecentodtla.com

CABRA LOS ANGELES 1060 S BROADWAY, LOS ANGELES Perched atop The Hoxton in Downtown LA, Cabra infuses Peruvian zest into the city's skyline. Helmed

by Chef Stephanie Izard, this vibrant rooftop spot offers bold, shareable plates against panoramic views. @abralosangeles | cabralosangeles.com

DAMA FASHION DISTRICT 612 E 11TH ST, LOS ANGELES

Tucked in the Fashion District, DAMA serves Latininspired plates and cocktails in a lush, Havanameets-DTLA setting. A go-to for golden hour drinks and late-night flavor. @damafashiondistrict | damafashiondistrict.com

NORMA 3515 WILSHIRE BLVD, LOS ANGELES Tucked in West Hollywood, Norma brings laid-back elegance and coastal flavors to the table. It’s the kind of spot where dinner turns into your whole night. @normaweho | norma631.com

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LOST DTLA

718 S HILL ST, LOS ANGELES ​ ost DTLA brings Mexico City vibes to the Los L Angeles skyline. This rooftop oasis offers inventive cocktails, flavorful tacos, and live music, creating an ambiance where the city's energy meets elevated relaxation. @getlostdtla

JAZZ ECLECTIC LA 1541 WILCOX AVE, LOS ANGELES ​ very Tuesday night, Jazz Eclectic LA transforms Bar E Lis at the Thompson Hollywood into a vibrant jazz haven. Experience top-tier live performances in a chic rooftop setting reminiscent of the French Riviera. @azzeclecticla | azzeclecticla.com

BLIND BARBER LA

5715 N FIGUEROA ST, LOS ANGELES Hidden behind a working barbershop in Highland Park, Blind Barber flips f rom f resh fades to latenight vibes with cocktails, grilled cheese, and DJ sets. Low-key iconic. @blindbarber_la | blindbarber.com

ANDY’S WEHO 9077 SANTA MONICA BLVD, WEST HOLLYWOOD A groovy hideout in West Hollywood, Andy’s blends ' 70s soul with live jazz, killer cocktails, and late-night bites. Think velvet, vinyl, and vibes curated by Anderson .Paak himself. @andys_weho | andysweho.com

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DTLD NETWORKING MIXER APRIL 19 @ 8PM | WAX ON HI-FI

Join DTLD Magazine for their Networking Launch Party on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at WAX ON HI-FI in Los Angeles. Connect with industry professionals and celebrate the magazine's debut. @dtldmag | dtldmag.com

ARTNIGHT EVERY FIRST THURSDAY | DOWNTOWN LA ​ n the f irst Thursday of each month, DTLA ArtNight O transforms Downtown Los Angeles into a vibrant art walk, with over 25 galleries unveiling new exhibitions f rom local and international artists. @dtlaartnight | dtlaartnight.com

LA PRIDE IN THE PARK JUNE 8, 2025 | LOS ANGELES

LA Pride in the Park takes over LA State Historic Park with 20 acres of music, celebration, and unapologetic joy. This year’s theme, “Power in Pride,” honors the strength and resilience of living out loud. @lapride | lapride.org

JAZZ AT LACMA MAY - OCTOBER | LACMA MUSEUM Celebrate L.A.’s f inest jazz musicians with Jazz at LACMA, presented Friday evenings f rom May through October. Kick off the season with us! @lacma | lacma.org

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HAYLEIGH HAYHURST

FOUNDER: ESPRESSO PODCAST PRODUCTION Helping entrepreneurs and creatives launch binge-worthy podcasts that grow their brand and business—through expert production, strategy, and consulting. @espressopodcastproduction | espressopodcastproduction.com

JESS KWASNY

BUSINESS COACH: JESS KWASNY COACHING Turning unclear, intangible messaging into bold, bankable words that make your audience stop, binge, and buy. Where we unlock messaging that creates an influx of leads + high-ticket sales. @iamjewsskwasny | jess@ jesskwasny.com

ELIZABETH A.D. KAWACHI

COPYWRITER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR: MAD HEIRESS Mad Heiress is a creative estate specializing in seductive identity and artful execution for brands with bite. With a focus on presence, tension, and emotional clarity, the studio builds brands that move with intention, settle into memory, and go straight for the heart. @madheiress | themadheiress.com

MORGAN SPECHT

BRAND STRATEGIST + WEB DESIGNER: SPECHT & CO. CREATIVE STUDIO We help online service providers show up with more conf idence and book more clients through personalized, strategic branding and Squarespace and Kajabi website design. @spechtand.co | spechtand.co

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SHANNON MARIE

MAGNETIC BRAND + EMPOWERMENT COACH: SHANNON MARIE COACHING I help rebellious women build bold, unforgettable personal brands rooted in authenticity, conf idence, and self-expression. Through a blend of leadership coaching and creative brand development, I help you show up clearly, conf idently, and fully as yourself. @xoxoshannonmarie | shannonmarie.co

JILLIAN STORIE

FRACTIONAL CFO: THE INTUITIVE OBM Turning unclear, intangible messaging into bold, bankable words that make your audience stop, binge, and buy. Where we unlock messaging that creates an influx of leads + high-ticket sales. @theintuitiveobm | theintuitiveobm.com

KELLY ADAMS

BUSINESS + MINDSET COACH: KELLY ADAMS COACHING I fast-track million-dollar breakthroughs with mental rewiring so you can dominate your business, your life & every room you walk into. @kellyadamscoaching | kellyadamscoach.com

MELISSA BROWN

CEO + FOUNDER: COPPER SKY SOCIAL MEDIA Your vision, amplif ied. Transforming social presence through social storytelling. @copperskysocialmedia | copperskysocialmedia.com

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BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Empowering Brands to Shoot Their Shot Through Strategy, Design & Creativity

P OW E R F U L M A R K E T I N G S T R AT E GY A N D B O L D D E S I G N S F O R N E X T L E V E L B U S I N E S S E S R E A DY TO P E R F E C T T H E I R A I M S O C I A L M E D I A M A R K E T I N G , B R A N D C O N S U LT I N G , W E B D E S I G N , G R A P H I C D E S I G N , C R E AT I V E D I R E C T I O N A N D M O R E

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