Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Lang

Caitlin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

My path as an entrepreneur has been far from linear. After quitting a hectic graphic design job in my 20s, I unintentionally started a business with a few branding jobs that fell in my lap.

In the beginning, I wasted a lot of time letting my business happen to me, instead of making intentional choices that propelled it forward.

It wasn’t until about ten years in that I took the first steps to formalize my business, getting a business license and setting up a dedicated bank account. It was interesting to see how these small changes boosted my confidence, which helped me attract more clients.

After my son was born, I found it challenging to balance work and parenthood. I had steady work, which felt exciting, but I was drowning. When my son entered kindergarten, I made the difficult decision to step back from my business to focus on parenting.

This hiatus was personally and professionally difficult. I felt adrift without my professional identity and resentful of my situation (and my husband). In 2018, when my son was in 5th grade, I realized I might want to get divorced. But it was terrifying—I hadn’t made money in years and I wasn’t sure that I could.

A goal-setting workshop in early 2019 marked a turning point. I set what seemed like an impossible financial target for the year. Remarkably, by mid-year, I was on track to exceed this goal, which gave me the confidence to end my unhappy marriage and fully recommit to my business.

My business grew with a couple of long-term retainers, but I hit another rough patch in the spring of 2023 when I lost a big client. After a few slow months, I took another leap and invested in a coaching program to revamp my branding agency. I threw out everything I thought I knew about running a design business and adopted the program’s business model, which was unlike anything I’d seen before in the branding world. Despite the risk, it paid off.

After 20+ years, my business is finally where I want it to be. Focusing on branding and websites for women-owned service businesses has made me more in-demand than ever. I’m now doing work I love with my ideal clients—a truly sweet spot to be.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

A smooth road? What’s that?!

Like a lot of entrepreneurs, the biggest obstacle I’ve faced wasn’t something external—it was my own mindset.

For years, I was stuck thinking my husband was the breadwinner, and I was… well, not. I had to challenge some deep-seated, gendered beliefs around what I could earn and what I was worth.

Fear was another major roadblock. I recently found a list of fears I’d written a few months before I asked for a divorce—fears like messing up my son’s life or never making enough money to support myself. You know, little things.

Interestingly, some of my fears actually came true. But here’s the twist: I survived. Not only survived, but thrived in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

Looking back, I can see how much I let fear call the shots, causing me to miss out on opportunities. Now, I’m doing things that would have seemed impossible a few years ago. Just the other week, I was rock climbing in Yosemite with my boyfriend. Five years ago, the idea of being happily divorced with a successful business, let alone hanging off a mountain, would have seemed absurd.

The ups and downs of the past few years have shown me that I can do hard things. And those scary moments? That’s where the good stuff happens. I’m now confident in my ability to learn from almost any challenge and keep moving forward. I understand clearly the value in taking risks. And I know that growth and success, however you define it, are often waiting for you on the other side of discomfort.

As you know, we’re big fans of Liquid Form Design. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?

I design scroll-stopping brands and websites for ambitious women. Many of my clients come to me feeling embarrassed by their current website and unsure how to attract new clients. I love turning that around for them by designing beautiful, strategic branding that gives them the confidence to crush it in their own businesses.

What sets me apart is a dialed-in, two-step process:

1) Branding Roadmap: I begin with a 90-minute deep dive into my client’s business, ensuring I fully understand their identity, target audience, and goals. This crucial foundation allows me to craft messaging and branding that resonates with their ideal clients.

2) Brand Build: My signature 2-day design intensive brings their brand to life. I create their logo, website, and copy using just 2 days of their time.

I’m a branding and web designer, but I’m really a hypewoman for other female entrepreneurs. I exclusively work with women because I intimately understand their unique challenges and goals. It really lights me up to help other women build premium brands that attract high-paying clients that value their expertise. There’s nothing better than watching other women step into their own confidence.

How do you define success?

In defining success, I look at my life holistically—not just my business. Success for me isn’t about building a million-dollar company or accumulating wealth for its own sake. Instead, it’s about creating a sustainable, profitable business that allows me to live comfortably, while providing value to my clients.

For me, success means enjoying life now, not postponing happiness for some future date. I’ve seen how focusing solely on work can lead to later regrets. I love my work, but I also love that it enables me to have a full and fulfilling life beyond it. I’ve built my life so I have time to spend with my boyfriend and friends and I have the flexibility to drop everything if my son needs me or just wants to spend a little time with me (he’s a teenager, so I need to be available for those VERY rare moments).

I define success as achieving “enough”—a calculated amount that supports my desired lifestyle without excess. Success isn’t constant grinding. It’s about working towards clear goals, but also knowing when to feel satisfied.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.liquidformdesign.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-lang-designer/

Image Credits

All images can be credited to me, Caitlin Lang