When you started using your brand, you had a sweet, fresh look you were pretty proud of. You were pumped about the colors you chose, and the logo was like, “Hey, look what I made!” You even found a couple of layout templates for your social media posts to use on repeat.



But now, you can’t even post on Instagram or write a marketing email without it taking a lot of time and excessive effort, not to mention overthinking.

Implementing the branding in your biz used to be fun, but now it’s exhausting.

Well, don’t lose hope, friend. This post is for the small business owners who are worn out of trying to stay on-brand. But I’m here to help!

Before you get ready to create that next piece of branded content when nothing really feels consistent, your colors are kind of all over, and your messaging is a straight copy/paste from ChatGPT, let’s stop! Shall we?

👆👆👆👆 THAT RIGHT THERE is a sign of burnout. 

Branding burnout has nothing to do with not being creative enough.

If your last few posts didn’t get much engagement, your website hasn't been touched in months and you're kind of embarrassed to send people there, here is a list of reasons that could be holding you back.

You’re Just Freaking Tired

We’re small business owners. OF COURSE we’re tired! Burnout isn’t always branding-specific, ya know? When you’re running a business, managing people on the daily, and also having a life outside of work, it makes sense that branding will feel just as exhausting as all the other demands of life. 

You’re Trying to Be Too Creative

You’re pouring energy and time into ideas for posts, reels, and other marketing, but either they don’t make it to “publish,” or they’re not seeing results. Understandably, you overcomplicate or get excited about the creativity, only to come up with a million more ideas and then never get them fully executed and out into the world. You feel defeated, and that disconnect with your audience kills your motivation fast.

You’re Trying to Be "On Trend" Instead of On Brand

You’re following all the design trends you know about, using trending sounds, changing up your style to “keep up” and look like you know what you’re doing, but it never feels quite right. It might look neat for a short time, and you think it’s relevant to your people, but the fact is, it’s likely just looking like you copied someone else. It’s NOT YOU, or your brand, and you’re always chasing the next trend. 

You’re Stuck in Compare-Mode

Good old impostor syndrome is a beast, and it could be dragging you down and making you feel defeated. If you’re constantly looking at what others are doing and seeing if you measure up, it can keep you on the burnout hamster wheel forever. Relying on contentment in branding is often difficult because you feel you could be doing more.

You Don’t Have a Guide or System to Follow

Every time you sit down to design a flyer, write a caption, or plan your next promo, it feels like you’re starting from scratch. Why? Because you’ve got no real brand system. You’re expending way too much time and energy, and reinventing your brand each time.

How to Find the Spark Again

Let’s strip away what doesn’t need to weigh you down and give yourself the opportunity to like your brand again. There are several mindset shifts or exercises that can help you get that spark back. 

Revisit your WHY

It’s easy to forget the whole reason why you started this business. Remind yourself of what lights you up when you know you're helping a customer. The heart of your business is where it all began. 

Grab a blank document (only for your eyes) and just start writing out the true reason for starting your business in the first place. Think about the amazing people you get to serve and write about the positive experiences you’ve had with them. This can help reframe your messaging to reestablish the emotional connection with your brand.

Stop Listening to the “Experts”

As a branding expert, I find it hard to say, but everywhere you look, you are getting advice from random people on the internet. It can make you feel like you have no idea what you’re doing, even though most of the so-called experts out there have absolutely nothing to back their all-knowing intelligence. And to top it off, ChatGPT is being misused to make the expertise sound highly credible. 

Do yourself a favor and stop consuming more content that will add to more confusion. Find a couple of good, credible human-led experts you can trust.

Set Mini Goals

If you’re anything like me, there are always lots of ideas. Too many. The execution (which is the hard part) can feel absolutely debilitating at times. You don’t have to get EVERYTHING back on track at the same time. Mini goals can help you feel less overwhelmed and can motivate you to get to the next one faster.

Here is how you can set a mini goal for yourself when you're overwhelmed.

How to Set a Mini Goal (When You're Overwhelmed)

1. Name the stuck spot.  Pick the most pressing thing that’s causing you burnout.

2. Pick one problem area. Decide what problem in that pressing area you can work on.

3. Make it tiny + clear.  Write down a simple statement to help you focus on that one thing.

4. Set boundaries. Don’t veer into other branding things. Stick with that one thing.

5. Celebrate it.  Once you’ve completed that task, definitely celebrate it, and then start the process over again. 

Small steps make a big difference over time.

Repeatable Habits

You’ve certainly heard this before. Do less, more consistently. It goes back to those systems I mentioned earlier. But what does that actually look like? What I’ve found works for me is to set aside a theme day each week for my business. A CEO day, if you will. This is where I review things like my social calendar, posts, upcoming blogs, and marketing emails. Maybe that can work for you too!

Create a Mini Brand Guide

Having a “true north” for your brand can help you stay accountable and stay on track and consistent. 

• Your logos
• 3-5 Brand Colors with the Hex Codes
• Primary font + paragraph font
• A sampling of photography

Need a quick way to create yours? Don’t start from scratch. Snag my mini style guide Canva template.

Set up Your Files & Folders for Easy Access

Access to what you need is half the battle, but you can make life easier with quick access. Here are a few I’ve found helpful.

• A Canva Brand Kit Setup that includes your saved colors, fonts, and frequently used templates
• A Google Doc with your brand messaging cheat sheet with key phrases or captions/testimonials for easy copy/paste using your voice. 

Your ✨spark✨ is still in there 

Just because you feel burned out doesn’t mean your brand is a failure. See it as a sign that you care deeply and want to do things right. That takes a lot of energy! Trust me, I know from experience!

Tiny tweaks can make a big difference over time, though.

Keep working at it, even if you set a 15-minute timer each day.

Your spark will come back. In the meantime, if you want help getting back on-brand faster, with a consistent branding system to keep burnout at bay, my signature brand strategypackage for small business owners like you will provide guidance on what to say to your audience and the visuals you need to knock their socks off, so you don’t have to do it all by yourself.

Your designer friend always,