We were lucky to catch up with Ioana Stoica recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ioana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

The journey from thought to thing, vision to reality, idea to execution… This subject is a BIG deal.
It’s why we keep expanding, innovating, coming up with solutions to problems, and ultimately why our lives have become increasingly easier in many regards. It’s one of my favorite things to talk about.

I must be one of the slowest travelers on this journey. My ideas, visions, and insights have always been abundant, but so have my thoughts of discouragement, overwhelm, and inadequacy. My most successful pursuits have always been a result of executing faster than I can talk myself out of it.

The story of how I started my business is not any different in that regard. It’s been a journey of both: long periods of paralysis interspersed with exciting ideas that I managed to act upon quickly enough.

Once I had the idea that this was what I wanted to do, I got excited. And then I stalled.

I had no clue how to go about any of it.. starting an “online” business, finding clients, the processes behind it, and being successful… so I waited a little longer.

I did, however, start playing with the idea, taking on small design jobs online and creating websites for my friends in exchange for testimonials. Those times in the very beginning were valuable because I got to gain some “real-life” experience in terms of working with a client and understanding the processes that have to be in place for that to be a smooth experience. I got a little clearer on who I loved working with, and I also got in touch with what I now refer to as the “resentment scale” for pricing a project as an artist or creative. I became more aware of my strengths and noticed what I still had to work on. I gained positive feedback from the people I designed websites for and I started building my portfolio.

I didn’t fully pursue this idea, though, until around 2020, when the vision dropped again, clearer than ever, and I finally committed to it. I registered my business, rebranded and rebuilt my website, and started showing up online.

I had a huge resistance to “traditional” marketing so this part was really tough for me to figure out. I was very specific about the way I wanted my business to feel, and none of the old-school marketing strategies felt good to me. On top of that, having an online business and working with personal brands such as individuals in the coaching industry meant I was constantly exposed to and “bombarded” with theories and advice – what everyone thought was the “key” to success and more clients.

Luckily, a lot of my clients came through referrals in the early days. Since then, I’ve made peace with marketing and have found strategies that align with my strengths and my business goals.

You quickly learn that there’s no real proven path to success and that the definition of success itself is incredibly subjective. No rules apply to everyone and to every situation. I had to turn the volume of the “online noise” way down and check in with myself, again and again. I looked for people who were doing business the way I wanted to do business and started learning from them. I invested in courses and got “in the room” with entrepreneurs who were a couple of steps ahead of me. Ultimately, I learned how to get inspired by other people’s journeys while always staying in touch with the only expert on me, my life, and my business: me. I built my trust in the intelligence behind life and designated it to be my business and marketing advisor. The advice I get is always sound, but it takes me a while to act on it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a brand identity and website designer, visual artist, and multi-passionate creative.
I got into graphic design somewhat by accident. I had always been an artist at heart, yet I went to study Computer Science because 1. my high-school teacher did a terrific job of making me fall in love with coding and 2. it looked like the safest option for me at that time.

During university, we often had to build apps for homework, and one day, I noticed I almost always spent the majority of the time making them look good and they almost always ended up being the prettiest among all the other apps my classmates were building. I started playing around with the idea of being a designer, working on made-up projects, and getting great feedback on my work.

I joined a course for designers which enhanced my confidence in my skills, and started participating in design contests. My current business is a natural result of letting those two parts of me coexist: the logical mind of a programmer and the creative heart of an artist.

At Golden Glimpses (currently undergoing a rebrand), we design authentic brands and websites for the storytellers, creatives, visionaries, adventurers, and all businesses that live as an extension of one’s heart and creative spark.

My highest joy is helping creatives show up online in a way that feels good and supports them in reaching their goals with integrity and authenticity.  I love that the branding I create for my clients often evokes emotional responses: happy tears, feeling seen, understood, and more in love with their businesses than ever before.

There’s often a moment when my clients give themselves permission to step into that truer version of themselves and show up for their businesses more confidently as a result of going through the branding experience. I find it fascinating how little things like branding and website design can be so transformative and have such a huge emotional impact.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

My favorite part about being an artist is getting to be surprised and delighted by the creative process and the end result, each and every time I say yes to the co-creative dance.

I think the process is co-creative in nature because I’m never really alone, and the final piece is never truly 100% my own. It’s a result of everything I’ve ever been impacted by and the skills I’ve amassed all masterfully arranged and enlightened by something that is WAY greater than me.

Most artists experience this – through thrilling insights, revelations, …visions. The paintbrush moving almost by itself, the words pouring out faster than you can write them. The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is witnessing this process.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I tend to think resources don’t have a fixed, predetermined value or promise, but they can generate tremendous change when you interact with them at the right time. Lately, what’s been really impactful for me is being part of communities created by entrepreneurs I admire and look up to. Michael Neill is one of my favorite people in the world and the creator of my favorite space on the internet, and Bonnie Christine and Susie Moore are both inspiring creatives I resonate with who have created amazing resources and communities around their passions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://goldenglimpses.co/