I’m expecting my first baby this summer, and somewhere between planning maternity leave and researching sleep training, I started thinking about sustainability in a new way—especially in my business.

For me, ‘sustainability’ really just means efficiency.

Essentially, I want to spent my working hours on what makes impact for my community and income for my family.

The most efficient (and profitable) small businesses tend to come back to a two-branch business model: nurture content and premium work.

I created this brand because I see so many talented creators stuck on the Instagram content wheel. It’s easy to assume more content, more topics, and more brand partnerships is the only way to grow.

But when you start by clarifying your brand, you can create less content that has a bigger impact on the people who actually value what you do.

Over the years, I’ve watched countless creators repeat the same pattern. They’d pour enormous time, energy, and money into ideas that simply can’t survive today’s market. And the problem was rarely their effort level; it was choosing a path that looks exciting but isn't actually profitable.

When I first started my design studio, I thought there was only one “real” path to growth: build an agency, hire a team, and eventually spend my days managing people instead of doing the creative work I actually loved.

But pretty quickly, I realized… I didn’t want that. I wanted to grow, yes—but not at the expense of freedom, creativity, or sanity.

In the past, small businesses were locally-based and only had to compete with a handful of similar businesses in their town. At the time, it made sense to offer as much as possible so that they could serve their customers well.

Today, online businesses are competing with hundreds ( if not thousands ) of similar businesses in their industry. 

This market saturation means you need to get specific.

As small business owners, we love to say yes:

Why? Partly because it feels good to be wanted. It’s easy to believe we should jump at every opportunity while it’s there.