I have had incredibly packed years running the studio without a day off and other years that felt like time was standing still for months on end. Even with careful planning, the day-to-day has been hard to predict. Through it all, here are the top six lessons I have learned as a founder.
Consistency outlasts inspiration
Creativity on its own is not a business model. The work that actually built Branch happened on the most ordinary days where there wasn’t a big creative spark. I showed up anyway and did the next right thing for a client and that led to the next right thing. Baby steps, day after day built and kept the momentum.
Your rates are a reflection of your standards
For a long time, pricing felt like a challenge moreso than a back-and-forth conversation. That’s shifted as Branch grew and I grew alongside the business, setting more clear boundaries. The value of the work doesn’t change because a client pushes back on the number or questions the time it will take to complete. Holding a rate with confidence, even when it’s uncomfortable, has taught me more about running a business than almost anything else. The people who are meant to move forward will do exactly that. I’ve learned to trust my gut (and the universe) on this one.
The slow years teach you things the good years can’t
I always look at the silver lining of more challenging years. As you start building a business and your client base and pricing begins to evolve, the reality is that not every year is going to be profitable or memorable. Some years require you to dig in, get resourceful and rebuild your foundation. Those are the years that reveal what you’re actually made of and they’re often the years that set up whatever comes next.
Original thinking can’t be automated
The design world has changed enormously since 2013 and it’s shifting again right now. The tools of the moment come and go. What doesn’t go out of style is a clear, ownable point of view. The clients who come back year after year are paying for a perspective they can’t get anywhere else. That’s something worth protecting and continuing to sharpen.
Boundaries are part of the brand
Along the way, I started realizing how much time a lack of boundaries was costing me. Voxer messages would stack up in the middle of the day when a simple redirect to send an email could have accomplished the same task. Being more clear around preferred lines of communication and updating our expectations of what’s appropriate (we will not work with client-submitted AI mockups or assets) has set clearer standards, saved time and created a more balanced dynamic.
Reinvention isn’t optional
Branch today doesn’t look like Branch when we launched in 2013. It has evolved, the positioning has sharpened and this new site reflects a year of work to get that right. If a business isn’t willing to look honestly at itself and change, it stalls out over time. Staying relevant means that you have to be willing to rebuild the parts that no longer fit.
Thirteen years in, I’m still just getting started. This relaunch is a new chapter built on everything the last thirteen years taught me, and I’m feeling more energized about where Branch is headed than I’ve been in a long time.
Thank you to every client who trusted us with their brand, every collaborator who pushed us to make the work better and everyone who has followed along. Here’s to the next chapter! —Shauna
