Top 5 Foundations For A Successful Startup Branding Agency

Success in branding requires strategy, clarity, boundaries, and mindset.

Creating a highly successful startup branding agency isn’t as easy as it sounds. According to the latest data, about 90% of startups fail. While that statistic may seem daunting, I like defying odds and want my dream of making HolisticFit Branding, my health, fitness, and sports branding agency, skyrocket to the top. HolisticFit Branding makes health, fitness, and sports brands look and sound good with creative copy and compelling designs for websites, LinkedIn, and blogs.

HolisticFit Branding is my third entrepreneurial venture, after owning and operating Mazzy Marketing for ten years and being a co-founder of an online magazine called Her Campus Saint Michael’s College (SMCVT), which was hosted via Her Campus, the #1 college magazine written by gen z, for gen z.

I went into creating HolisticFit Branding with a totally different mindset and approach than before, which helped me discover what’s truly necessary to create a successful branding agency for health, fitness, and sports brands.

Here are my top five foundations to start a successful branding agency:

1. A detailed business strategy

Through trial and error, I learned that without a detailed strategy, you fall into the trap of not being able to identify who your target audience is. You get stuck in this trap of sounding the same, marketing to the wrong people, and losing out on customers. Think of a strategy as simple as defining who your business is for, what potential clients and current referral partnerships should know about you, and what value you bring to your ideal clients.

You get stuck in this trap of sounding the same, marketing to the wrong people, and losing out on customers.

2. Defined services and processes

I’ll never forget the advice I received to ignore creating processes and go with the flow. This advice created bumps in my onboarding processes that affected business. Without a smooth process, you leave your clients wondering how to work with you, and you, as a business owner, find it challenging to guide your potential clients through the process. Unclear services confuse

both you and your potential clients. Focus on what you do best and offer that.

3. A business website

When building HolisticFit Branding, I knew I wanted it larger than my previous business, where I primarily got business through referrals and applying to part-time contract jobs through Indeed and LinkedIn. I wanted a robust website fully optimized for Google and other search engines in every single way.

Your website can be a huge driver of traffic and leads, when optimized correctly. With website design, search engine optimization (SEO), and website content writing being some of HolisticFit Branding’s offers, here are a few tips that can help you out with your website:

● Prioritize local SEO

● Integrate keywords into your alt text image descriptions for better visibility and

accessibility

● Avoid linking to website pages with high-spam-score sites

● Make it simple for people to navigate through your website with clear call-to-actions,

headers, and navigation menu titles

● Include keywords in meta titles, meta descriptions, and in the first sentence of each

paragraph on your website

● Be clear on what you do, who you serve, and the value your business brings to others

4. Good boundaries

Boundaries are critical in personal and professional life. Without boundaries in business, you can experience a lot of scope creep. Pro tips? Get everything in writing, stick to what’s in the contract, and stay firm in your no’s.

It’s easier said than done, but it gets easier over time. The guilt of saying no fades away and you find yourself becoming more confident in your decisions and more aligned with what works best for you and your business.

The guilt of saying no fades away and you find yourself becoming more confident in your decisions...

5. The right mindset

Starting HolisticFit Branding happened at a really pivotal, yet challenging time in my life. I faced a lot of grief, burnout, and chronic health issues. I had to go in and out of pursuing this big dream I have for HolisticFit Branding to take care of myself more than I ever have before. I worked with a few hypnotherapists who helped me rebuild confidence and overcome some deep-rooted fears, committed to doing Tai Chi and yoga regularly to keep my mental health in check, and went all in with working with my functional medicine doctor to heal more holistically.

If you’re thinking about starting up your own business, please consider these tips. Check out HolisticFit Branding to see how we bring health, fitness, and sports brands to life on their website, LinkedIn, and blog.

Lauren Mazzoleni — Founder of HolisticFit Branding

Meet the expert:

Lauren Mazzoleni is the founder of HolisticFit Branding, a branding agency helping established health, fitness, and sports brands elevate their presence through websites, LinkedIn, and blogs. With 10+ years of experience spanning federal health communications, athletics, and holistic wellness, Lauren blends expertise and passion to craft impactful content and designs that captivate audiences and strengthen brand messaging.

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