We know how frustrating it can be to pay someone to create a logo or a website and have it be nice, but not quite right. Something about it feels off but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Maybe it’s too bright, or not colourful enough. Maybe it feels too stark or lacks personality.
you wish
there was a better way
We’ve heard countless clients tell us all about their experience prior to working with us, and trust us when we say, we’ve been there, and do what we do now because of it!
In the summer of 2011, I (Ash) was sitting in an un-airconditioned hotel conference room in Indianapolis, 8 months pregnant, feeling ALL KINDS of yucky listening to a panel of middle-aged, balding white men instruct the room on how they planned to market a product designed for moms with their fancy-schmancy R&D (research and development for non-corporate-marketing folks).
I had been gifted certification in graphic design through a publishing company I was contracted with at the time, and this was a seminar on marketing. Up to this point, I was really enjoying learning about all the amazing things the Adobe suite could do, and was expanding the somewhat basic skills I had gathered googling how-to’s for my previous job as an ad writer for a national newspaper.
The way these rotund executives were describing their “marketing genius” left me sick to my stomach. Everything about their methods made me feel manipulated and coerced into buying this product, as they proudly proclaimed their sales targets and revenues.
manipulated
marketing
It was then that I realized that this was how all marketing was being conducted around the globe, with testing groups and surveys around a specific solution (product) for a specific demographic, all in an attempt to get inside the heads of who they were trying to sell to.
My business brain made sense of it, but my intuition was throwing red flags left and right.
These men, who had no real understanding of what it FELT like to be a mother, live as a mother, and make decisions about what products mothers choose to support themselves, their children or their households, were cashing in on a product (which I felt completely disinterested in as a mother) simply because they twisted their marketing language AND scarcity to sell it.
Why am I telling you all of this?
These marketing strategies are how brands are built EVERYWHERE, and the online business industry is no different.
Google “how to create a brand” and read pretty much any article you find and the tactics around formulating an avatar.
← Take this infographic as an example. This research and data collection has been conducted to understand who they should be targeting in their messaging.
It’s not altogether WRONG per se, but how comfortable does it make you to realize that you’re really just a number on some market research document sitting on a boardroom table somewhere while a marketing team attempts poke you until they find your pain and then use it against you to get you to buy what they’re selling?
your brand
is more than a logo
Your brand is a distinct composition of your logo, fonts, colours, imagery, copywriting, other graphic elements like icons, line drawings, textures, patterns, etc.
In the 13 years we’ve been self-employed, we’ve started over 10 businesses and supported nearly 400 others brand and launch. In that time, we’ve continued to tweak our process to efficiently (and deeply) connect the authentic identity of businesses (and the visionaries behind them) to bring you the Identity Alignment Model™ (or I AM for short).
It’s a method that helps you revisit and reconnect with aspects of yourself you may not have thought about in a while. We use that information to channel your unique anchor words, visualize them into imagery, gather colours, fonts, textures and more.
Why is that important? Because at the end of the day, I’m sure you genuinely want to help others, otherwise you wouldn’t still be on this page.
Having an aligned brand means you’re being honest and transparent about who you are, what you offer and WHY, so that it helps the people who are looking for someone LIKE YOU.
who we are
our story
We’re two moms who saw a need and felt guided to meet it. When we met in 2015, the friendship sparks flew! Ash was working in finance and Jess had just went on maternity leave from an administrative position, both with babies only a few months old.
Over the course of 3 years we worked together in a variety of ways until we finally decided to link arms and build a company that combined our skills, talents and passions while solving a huge need in the online business space; a process for entrepreneurs to showcase and highlight the honest to goodness TRUTH about themselves. And mecca branding lab was born!
And it’s gained mega traction since we launched in 2018! We’ve been featured on over 100 podcasts, interviews, guest trainings, media and more:
the process
the course
if you are…
• an aspiring entrepreneur or in the beginning stages of launching an online business,
• a coach who supports others in launching online businesses,
• an online service provider or practitioner looking to add branding support to your toolbox, or
• a graphic designer looking to uplevel how you connect with your clients to develop lasting brands that transcend trends!
we created this course to help you translate the most authentic and genuine aspects of YOU into your brand
what’s inside
the course
There are 7 instructional videos to walk you through the I AM method, where we share our screen and literally walk you through how to do each step.
We share the tools, resources, templates and links to make it as easy as possible to follow along and create your very own aligned brand assets, including:
✓ your 7 unique Brand Anchors™,
✓ an inspired image library,
✓ a deeply connected Mood Board,
✓ your intuitive Colour Palette,
✓ totally aligned Font choices, AND
✓ how to put it all together!
There are agencies and designer who charge anywhere from $2,500 to $25,000 just to identify the base elements of a brand.
In this course, not only will you be able to connect with who you are on a deep level, you’ll learn how to translate it effictively to speak directly to your ideal customer.
included
you get
step by step
If you’ve gone through the branding process before, this will be NOTHING like your previous experience. If you haven’t, we’re super excited for you to go through our method and tap into the spiritual side of you and your business.
printable workbook + template
We’ve created a fillable workbook to help you with the Brand Anchors™ exercise, as well as an easy-to-use Canva template for your Mood Board and colour palette. Each step of the way, we’re providing easy-access links to free resources like image databases, a colour code finder and more.
private facebook community
Throughout our journey we’ve worked with A LOT of other entrepreneurs and business owners who have experienced our process first hand; many of which are in this group along with our group program graduates from 2019, workshop attendees and overall awesome people! Any questions you have about your progress can be asked here, as well as positive and helpful feedback.
skip the line
and do it yourself
you get:
✓ 7 Guided Videos to walk you through our entire Identity Alignment Model™ process
✓ A Printable/Fillable Workbook to help you work through our unique Brand Anchors™ exercise
✓ An Easy-to-Use Template to build your mood board, experiment with your colour palette
✓ Extra Links + Resources to free tools online you can leverage to source high quality images + colours
✓ Access to our Private Facebook Community to share your progress, ask questions, receive productive feedback and connect!
faq
can I do the course on my phone?
Yes and no. You can access the videos with your mobile phone, however the building aspects of the course demand either a laptop or desktop computer.
what if I have no design experience?
No problem! In working with so many new online entrepreneurs over the last 4 years, we know many are in the beginning stages of learning how to brand and market themselves. We’ve made this course as simple as possible using free online tools wherever possible.
do I have to use Canva?
No! If you are more advanced and are comfortable using InDesign, Photoshop or other apps, you can absolutely apply the same principles and apply them in alternative platforms. We only use Canva so that beginners can participate in the simplest way possible.
do you offer a payment plan?
No, not at this time. We may consider that option in the future.
what if I don't have a paypal account?
No problem – you can pay via credit card without needing a PayPal account. If you a Canadian customer and would prefer to eTransfer, please send to hello@meccabrandinglab.com and you will receive your receipt and course access within 1 business day.
what's next?
Once you’ve completed the I AM DIY course, you can continue to experiment with your newly created brand assets in Canva, PicMonkey or other design apps, or hire us to help! We’d love to see your finished mood board and palette and any creations you make from your aligned collateral in our Facebook Group too! Coming soon will be a much more expanded version and advanced course to become I AM™ Certified – if you’d like to get on the waitlist list for that, please contact us to let us know 🙂
still not sure?
We invite you to hop into our Facebook Group and download the Brand Anchors™ Exercise workbook to get a taste for what we’re all about 🙂
you could definitely hire someone to help you create your brand
Places like Fiverr, Upwork or design agencies are chock full of designers near and far are charging top dollar (us included!) to work with you one-on-one to create your brand, but we know that’s not always feasible for everyone.
That’s why we created the I AM™ DIY course for new entrepreneurs, businesses just starting out, or established companies that haven’t allocated a budget for rebranding (even though they might DESPERATELY need one)!
If you’re sick and tired of throwing money at your brand because no one has quite matched your vision, this course is DEFINITELY for you.
Have a question we didn’t answer? Email us at help@meccabrandinglab.com