Alina Krasnozhon - Rebrand & Redesign of My Business

Compete Website Redesign & Rebranding for my new website design business

How Everything started

Before I even started my first business as a French language mentor, I was working different “normal jobs”. Back then I knew nothing about online business, website design or branding. My whole life I have been listening to others about what is ” the right thing to do”, and what ”the successful career path” should look like. I subconsciously gave the power to others and let them choose what I should be doing in this life. Then I wondered why I felt unhappy and dead inside when I was working jobs I chose accordingly to somebody else’s standards. But I guess that I wasn’t conscious enough of everything that was happening around me back then. My limiting beliefs held me back a lot and didn’t let me see the perspectives of what is possible.

I had an inner feeling that I want more freedom, more creativity, more flexibility and enjoying more my everyday life, instead of waiting for weekends and vacations to live. I felt like something was lacking, but I couldn’t articulate what exactly just yet. I felt like there were something more to life than just spending 8h per day in the office with people I didn’t even like that much. By the way, I’m totally okay with people who love working in the corporate environment and who want security, it’s just not for me and has never been. I guess I let my intuition guide me and that’s how I started to discover some self-development staff.

I was devouring self-development books, podcasts, and videos. I become kind of obsessed with all this. I started to realize that choosing a meaningful career path is one of the most important things that I can do for myself now. It’s not possible to think about higher staff, when the basic needs are not met and when you’re unsatisfied with what you do 8h per day, every single day.

Language Mentoring

I started to consider all possible options of what I could do as a potential job or business. I have several degrees in teaching foreign languages and I have already done it in the past, so the option to start a foreign language teaching business came to me naturally. I made a lot of research, and bought a lot of courses and books to help me to start, cause I had no idea what I was doing back then. Everything was new and hard.

I didn’t know how to deal with my emotions, fears and insecurities that didn’t let me move forward. I put too much pressure on myself and compared myself to others who were in business for years. There was so much noise around me and listened to it, instead of watching inside and finding all the answers. So if you feel the same, don’t feel guilty cut out the noise, meditate, and stop following people who make you feel miserable. Keep asking hard questions, even if you don’t have answers yet. Believe that you will be able to figure everything out on your way. The path can only be made by walking.

Being trapped in your head and overthinking everything will keep you in the same place you were a year before. Ask yourself what you can do NOW so that you could become the person you would like to be in one year. Everything we have is the present moment, and the things you do now at this moment will determine where you will be in several years.

In the beginning, I was left alone trying to figure out everything by myself: marketing, website design, searching for clients, mindset, and the process of working with clients. I was doing busy and trivial work because I was too afraid to do the “scary part”. I was afraid to reach out to people first, I was afraid to have real conversations, and be rejected, and I was afraid to put myself out there.

So as you might guess it was hard to get new clients, and it was hard to work and serve my clients best. I was always worried about what I will do next, and couldn’t be in the present moment, doing my work the best.

Work with a Branding Coach

One day when I was having really hard times emotionally because I desperately wanted to make everything work, I found a personal branding coach to help me. It was a bit too pricey, to be honest, but I still decided to go for it. During our work together I learned a lot. I had my branding and website as a French language mentor ready when we finished working together.

Although, I didn’t have more courage, readiness, or more willingness to show up online. I was worried as before about people judging me. Doing the work every day felt like drudgery. I felt so much resistance inside, I didn’t enjoy what I was doing.

When you do your work with this kind of energy of constant fear, lack and resistance, it’s not possible to be creative, not possible to serve your clients best, and not possible to attract new ones. That’s when I started to ask myself hard questions if I really would like to continue teaching. I started to dig deeper and deeper inside myself even more.

The work that I did before wasn’t deep enough, it was kind of on the surface. There was no clarity about me as a person. I didn’t know what I was standing for, or what my values were. I didn’t ask what I really won’t be doing, what brings me joy.

It is exactly when I discovered “an ultimate life purpose course”. It was very affordable and packed with value ( which is proof once again that you don’t need to invest thousands of dollars in the beginning when you don’t have it). I started to rediscover myself, read good books, do a lot of exercises, to meditate.

I gave myself space, let myself be, and let myself dream big. It started to open my mind to new possibilities. At the same time, I decided to keep showing up without any pressure. I was speaking about the topics that I cared deeply about, shared my journey, and my story, experimented, had fun, and let myself be creative.

Even if there was no clarity yet about where I would like to go or what I want to do, I still decided to keep taking action.

It made me more relaxed, and more courageous, and let me start discovering what I enjoy and finding my authentic style, and voice. So if you’re not sure too what you would like to do, just start showing up, speaking to people, building a community, and speaking to like-minded people. It’s important not to feel alone on this journey.

Discovering web design & branding

Thanks to my inner work, and self-reflection I seemed to start to have some clarity. There was one thought that kept returning again and again – doing website design professionally. I even remembered that I had this thought before, but my limiting beliefs didn’t let me see back then that it was possible to do it without any degree. I didn’t believe that I could actually learn it and build skills around it.

But building my own website made me see that it’s possible. I found several first clients by reaching out to people first. I met some really amazing people. It gave me the possibility to work on real projects, build my skills, make some money and see if it’s really something that I enjoy. It’s the best way to try and see for yourself instead of imagining it in your head if you enjoy doing something.

With all my previous experience and self-discovery work, I decided to mix website design, with branding in a more deep sense. Branding isn’t just about your offer and your brand message and who your ideal client is. It’s also about you, your unique story and experiences, your values, your energy and your voice.

When you discover all these things about yourself, it gives you the courage to be yourself, to be vulnerable, and not be ashamed of your story. You don’t need to pretend to be perfect. Your real, authentic energy is reflected in the way you show up, and serve your clients, and in the things you create, and it’s like a magnet that attracts the right people for your business.

Mixed with a website that feels like you, strategic web copy, and services that solve your audience’s problems you can’t help, but succeed. You can’t help but enjoy every day of your work, even if it’s hard work. Because even when you find what you enjoy, there still will be a lot of hard days, days when you’re afraid, lost, or anxious, but you will still decide to stick to what you do.

You will carve your own path, you will create your rules and run your business on your own terms.

New website, new branding

It took me almost a year to come up with my new messaging, new visual identity, and new website. It wasn’t easy, I won’t lie. It takes time and hard work to really craft your message, to make it clear and concise. It takes time and hard work to craft your website copy, and your story, to find the visual style that you enjoy and that feels like you.

I created a website copy that is strategic and that speaks from my heart to my target audience. The website that you see now is just a visual reflection of all this.

I absolutely love the vibe of my brand and website. It turned out to be light, with pastel colours, natural elements, and fonts I adore. I spent a lot of time choosing and curating the right images, layout and overall structure. I’m really thankful to my friend who took great photos of me outdoors that I used all over my website.