Fleurish Co
Fleurish Co
Services: Brand Identity, Photography, Video, Graphic Assets, Marketing Deep Dive
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story can make all the difference.
Lainey’s story of her powerful and comprehensive rebrand by Embolden that increased her sales by 400%.
From Lainey’s lips / fingertips:
“A testimonial of my experience with Natalie & Nina?? Hold my coffee! I can talk about these two for hours. My business started as a hobby that slowly grew while I worked full-time in sales roles helping other companies grow. I had all of the boxes (or so I thought) checked off- knowledge of my product, passion for the brand, aesthetics on point, and a general idea of business and sales structure.
Because of my multiple sales positions I worked in the past, I know sales strategy, processes, procedures, projections, etc. I used that knowledge to scale my business to be successful enough to be my sole source of income. It had grown so big that it finally needed my full-time attention in order to move to the next level. I was climbing metaphorical stairs up floor, after floor, after floor, checking off my goals with a beaming smile each time I hit a new landing point.What I didn’t know though, was that I could have been taking the elevator.
“I was climbing metaphorical stairs up floor after floor after floor […] what I didn’t know though, was that I could have been taking the elevator.”
“When I first met with Natalie & Nina, they asked questions that I didn’t even know were questions I should know the answers to. Things no one had asked me yet. I realized at that moment that I didn’t even know what I didn't know. I felt like ‘wait a minute, had there been an elevator in this building the whole time?’ They read my confused face like her favorite book and reached out to take my hand. “We can help, you’ve got this!”
Natalie helped me to explain my brand story & mission statement (plus so many other valuable components) each with perfectly on-brand wording throughout. When I wrote my bio originally, I thought it was good and explained the brand well, but I also knew that it didn’t feel quite right yet. I didn’t want to shout it from the rooftops or turn it into a billboard, but more so tuck it quietly away in a tab on my website. Natalie and I did fun exercises to bring out my words in such an organic way- it also took a very therapeutic turn that I wasn’t expecting and was oh-so-very-much needed.
After the brand story & mission were written, I squealed, I cried, I (only half) joked about turning it into wallpaper for my walls. It felt like ME and it was all of the words in my brain that I couldn’t get out before. *googles billboard rental prices in the area*
“After the brand story & mission were written, I squealed, cried, I (only half) joked about turning it into wallpaper for my walls. It felt like ME and it was all of the words in my brain that I couldn’t get out before.”
For every hurdle I told them I was facing, came a well-thought out, practical, on point solution. I’m in a position now to go full steam ahead in the business I always dreamed of and I truly and literally couldn’t be where I am today without Embolden. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking this elevator to the penthouse ;)”
- Lainey Schmidt, founder and CEO of Fleurish, Co.
Featured Element // Wholesale Product Guide:
The Problem: Lainey was starting to attract wholesale clients (yay!), but didn’t feel that she was converting them like she should be. The conversations were convoluted, and would usually result in analysis paralysis for both parties due to the amount of back-and-forth questions. Her limited (4 page) guide showed the vessels and labels available, but provided no real detail for the viewer, especially about her brand story.
The Solution: Wholesale Product Guide (design, photography, copy). This finished guide has all of the information a wholesale client would want in order to make an informed purchasing decision. It is infused with her brand values, and communicates how and why Fleurish Co. is different (i.e. better) than competing products. It is now something Lainey will use to cold-pitch prospective clients she wants to work with. We created the photography and design in conjunction, allowing us to leverage both forms of communication to the fullest.
Featured Element // Product + Portrait Photography
Problem: Lainey had some great product photos from a few years ago, however her photographer moved out of state, and she didn’t have anyone to create updated imagery. She also did not have any professional photos of herself (ladies… we see you).
Solution: Nina took lead the charge on creating an entire suite of images for Fleurish, Co. She photographed the products individually for the e-commerce site and wholesale catalog, beautiful photos of Lainey (and her baby girl and husband!), the shop, and some stunning product groupings + flat lays.
New problem: There are too many photos to choose from.
Here are some highlights:
Featured element // About Page copy
Problem: The copy on the About page was factually accurate, but lacked an emotional connection, did not have Lainey at it’s center, and did not advance the brand story.
About page copy before:
Fleurish Co. is a candle company founded in Rochester, NY by its owner, Lainey. Our candles are made by hand in our Rochester, NY studio. We focus on quality and detail to provide you with candles that are not only beautiful in scent and appearance, but made with high quality ingredients as well. We use natural wax & wicks and make sure the oils we use meet all the health and safety standards. We are proud to say that we use essential oils in our scents as well.
Solution: Natalie’s brand identity session with Lainey resulted not only in a Brand Values document, but also revealed Fleurish Co.’s true brand story, with Lainey’s personal connection to the work she creates at it’s core.
After:
12-year-old me in rural (read: cornfield) Illinois always dreamed of making her mark, and creating her own brand - her own world. I always knew it would be called Fleurish, a word steeped in my namesake French roots, with floral ties and a spirit of growth and abundance. From the moment I saw the word, I knew one day it would be mine.
As someone who has suffered from an acute form of occupational asthma from my time working in a bakery (baker’s lung, it’s a real thing, look it up), lighting candles in my home was a rare indulgence, one that I knew would come at the cost of coughing and wheezing. Sometimes the symptoms were worth it, a trade for the calm and tranquil setting I could instantly create with one single match. As a serial crafter since childhood, and always needing at least one (or 5?!) creative outlets at any given time, I decided to make the perfect candle with clean ingredients, one I knew I could burn in my home without it stirring up a host of allergic reactions. One trip to Hobby Lobby later had me hacking chips off an economy block of wax with my kitchen knife, into the double boiler I assembled with my trusty mac-and-cheese pot and a pyrex bowl from the back of my cupboard, ultimately poured into a small glass jar. My first candle wasn’t pretty, but after I made it, I felt like I could do anything. I obtained a chemistry laden science degree many moons ago, and the alchemy of candle making captivated me. A little more this, a little bit of that, faster, slower. Magic. From my kitchen, to my basement, up to our attic, and ultimately into our commercial retail and production space, Fleurish Co. has arrived.
I create candles so people can always create a safe space, a reprieve away from the troubles of the world. As someone who moved around frequently growing up, I know that the idea of “home” can take many forms. For some people, it’s a house. For me, it’s a feeling. Whenever I burn my Desert Flower candle, I feel like I’m home. I inhale an instant sigh of relief. It makes me teary eyed knowing my little girl will be able to light the very same candle wherever her adult life takes her, and be instantly enveloped in a warm hug of love. It will take her home.
From our family to yours, may our candles light your way home.