Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samantha La Deaux. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Samantha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?
A while back, I was in a kickoff meeting with a corporate client who had just spent a significant amount of money on their brand-new website. It was shiny, full of bells and whistles, and honestly looked great. The problem? Nobody was using it.
I asked how they defined success for the project, and the room went quiet. Finally, someone spoke up: “Well, we just wanted it to look modern.”
That moment stuck with me, because it’s exactly what I see over and over again in my industry. Corporate America gets so caught up in appearances, deadlines, and big systems that they miss the stuff that actually makes a website work.
Here are some examples of what I feel they get wrong:
Creativity gets treated like a commodity. Too often, creative work is viewed as a deliverable on a checklist: logo, website, campaign, done. But creativity isn’t about filling orders — it’s about solving problems. A beautiful logo or website without a strategy behind it is just decoration, it should have a job to do and most dont think this way.
Bigger budgets don’t mean better outcomes. There’s this assumption that more money = more success. But I’ve seen small, focused projects outperform massive campaigns because they had clarity and purpose. Bigger usually just means more complicated, not more effective. Sometimes the simplest of strategies yields the best results.
Speed over strategy. Everything is always “needed yesterday.” And sure, speed has its place, but when you skip strategy, you end up with something that looks good but doesn’t connect. Fast isn’t the same thing as effective.
Accessibility and user experience are an afterthought. This one drives me nuts. A website can be gorgeous, but if people can’t actually use it — if it isn’t accessible — then what’s the point? Accessibility isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s part of doing good business. The cleaner and more organized the better! Navigation should be simple to use ALWAYS.
The human touch gets lost. Corporate messaging loves jargon and buzzwords. But people don’t connect with jargon. They connect with stories, real experiences, and actual personality. That’s why smaller businesses often feel more relatable — they’re not afraid to sound human. Hiring a strong copywriter is so overlooked, and creatives are supposed to wear several hats to meet budget restrictions that arent in their expertise, which isn’t ideal.
Believing scale solves everything. Big teams, big systems, big tools… and yet, somehow, less flexibility. The bigger the machine, the harder it is to pivot. Smaller teams can test, experiment, and adjust faster — and often see better results.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I like to say that creativity has been the throughline of my entire life. Before I ever touched a branding project or built a website, I was immersed in music. From a young age, music wasn’t just a hobby — it was my first language of storytelling and expression. That journey taught me how to connect with people on an emotional level, how to translate feelings into something others could experience, and how powerful creativity can be when it’s rooted in authenticity.
That same love for storytelling eventually pulled me into the world of design and marketing. For the past two decades, I’ve worked with associations, nonprofits, and small businesses, helping them find their voice and share it with the world in a way that actually resonates. I started my own company, Nolen Creative, because I saw too many organizations struggling with the same problems: unclear messaging, websites that looked nice but didn’t work well, and marketing that felt scattered instead of strategic.
Today, my work is all about bringing clarity and connection back into the process. I create branding, websites, and marketing strategies that help organizations stand out, communicate with confidence, and attract the right people. Some days that means building a fresh visual identity from the ground up. Other days, it’s reworking a website so it’s not only beautiful, but also functional, accessible, and SEO-friendly. And sometimes, it’s stepping in as a fractional CMO, helping leadership teams align their marketing so it stops feeling like busywork and starts driving results.
What sets me apart isn’t just the deliverables — it’s the way I approach the work. I believe design should feel personal, not corporate. Strategy should be simple, not overwhelming. And marketing should make you feel more connected to your audience, not buried under jargon and endless “to-dos.” My clients trust me to cut through the noise, simplify the process, and guide them toward solutions that actually work for their business and their people.
I’m most proud of the fact that my work gives leaders breathing room. When an association executive or a small business owner tells me, “You’ve made this so much clearer and easier for me” — that’s when I know I’ve done my job.
At the heart of it all, I want potential clients and collaborators to know this: Nolen Creative isn’t just about building websites or designing logos. It’s about giving you tools, strategies, and confidence so you can share your story, connect with your audience, and grow without second-guessing your every move.
Because whether it’s through music, design, or marketing, my goal has always been the same: to make creativity work in a way that moves people.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, the most rewarding part of being a creative is seeing that spark of recognition in someone else — that moment when something I’ve designed or built actually connects.
It goes back to my music roots. When I was performing, the best part wasn’t hitting the right notes; it was seeing someone in the audience moved by a song, feeling like it spoke directly to them. That same magic happens in branding and design. A client sees their new website and says, “This finally feels like us.” Or they watch their audience engage with their message in a way that never happened before.
Those moments remind me why I do this. Creativity, at its best, makes people feel seen and understood. And knowing I get to help businesses and organizations experience that — and then pass it on to their communities — that’s incredibly rewarding.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
A story that really illustrates my resilience goes back to my music journey. I grew up surrounded by music, and for a long time, I thought that was going to be my forever path. But the reality of the industry hit me hard — long hours, rejections, and the constant pressure to prove yourself. There were times when it felt like doors kept closing no matter how hard I pushed.
Instead of letting that break me, I used it as fuel. Music taught me discipline, creativity, and how to keep showing up even when things don’t go according to plan. And when it became clear that music wasn’t going to be my only chapter, I didn’t see it as failure — I saw it as redirection.
That pivot is what led me into design and marketing. Starting a business wasn’t easy either. There were late nights, client projects that didn’t go the way I’d hoped, and plenty of moments where I questioned myself. But every time, I came back to the same mindset I had as a musician: keep going, keep learning, and keep creating.
Looking back, I realize that resilience for me isn’t about “toughing it out.” It’s about adapting, trusting the process, and being willing to reinvent myself when the situation calls for it. That’s what’s carried me from music to business ownership — and what continues to shape how I show up for my clients today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nolencreative.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nolencreative/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nolencreative
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-la-deaux-09483536/
Image Credits
Colleen Neel Photography