We were lucky to catch up with Sasha Cohen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sasha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

One of the things I love most about owning my small business is the accessible marketing I provide and the deep connections I build with every brand I work with. I spend 45 minutes a week with every single client, something I’m sure most in this space don’t do. I want to understand the why behind each business.

After 15 years in corporate, I finally get to break away from industry norms and do things differently. That’s exactly what Sasha Claire Growth & Brand Management is all about—helping businesses stand out by leaning into what makes them unique. Instead of pushing generic marketing strategies or cookie-cutter branding and social media, I focus on storytelling, personality, and building real connections. People don’t just buy products or services anymore, they buy into the “WHY?” behind them. They buy into the person behind the brand. And that’s where the magic happens.

Take fitted., for example—an intimate apparel fitting business founded by Laura Burke in Larchmont. It started as Fit x Burke for the last 5+ years, but the name didn’t fully reflect what it was. It sounded more like an activewear or workout brand than an intimate apparel experience. And let’s be honest, when people hear “bra fitting,” they think it’s all about cup sizes and tape measures. So I got the pleasure of working on rebranding it because fitted. is so much more than that.

It’s about confidence, feeling seen and heard, and how someone shows up in the world. It’s about an incredible, relatable, and truly inspiring founder who created a space where women can laugh, learn, and embrace their bodies exactly as they are. That’s why humor, education, and storytelling became such a huge part of the brand and the social media. The goal isn’t to push products or services—it’s to connect with people in a way that feels real, fun, and empowering. Because when people feel a connection, they buy into something bigger than just a product.

Another good example is Build4life, a local business designed to empower and inspire kids through a variety of programs and camps, all rooted in confidence building, social skills, and kindness. Instead of simply promoting schools out camps or after school classes (which was of course still a piece of the larger pie), I had the honor of working with the incredible Founder, Claudine, to tell the story of how it’s shaping the next generation of children. We shared the excitement of the unique and passionate learning experience, focused on relatable and meaningful classes, collaborations with other local founders, and highlighting the real-day to day impact the brand strives to create. By making the experience feel personal, through social media, a website revamp, and carefully curated branding, we shifted the narrative from just another educational service to a community-building, future-shaping initiative. This approach created stronger visibility and loyalty, making Build4life stand out in a somewhat crowded space.

Sasha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Sasha Kravetz Cohen, the proud Founder of Sasha Claire Growth & Brand Management.

After 15 years in corporate media and advertising sales in NYC, and a move to the suburbs, a major life change led me to rethink my career. A health scare made me realize I no longer wanted to commute to the city or work for larger brands. As I started exploring more local businesses, I fell in love with so many of them, only to see some struggling or even shutting down. I quickly realized a major gap: local businesses had few marketing options. They either had no marketing at all or were stuck with expensive NYC agencies that weren’t built to serve them.

That’s why I took a leap and launched Sasha Claire Growth & Brand Management. I help local businesses in Westchester and surrounding areas grow their visibility and thrive by providing affordable, strategic marketing solutions. From brand mission development, to full social media management, content creation, launch promotions, collaborations and a recent 2 part Social Media 101 course I personally curated—I take the stress of marketing off business owners’ plates so they can focus on running their businesses.

I grew up with a Mom who made us say “power women” at the dinner table. At the time, I didn’t fully understand it. She was a true trailblazer—leading an all-male TV sales team in the ‘80s—showing me firsthand what strength and leadership look like. Now, I want my two little girls to grow up knowing they can do anything.

I often hear, “We just don’t have the budget for marketing.” But if a tree falls and no one hears it, did it even happen? If a brand exists but no one knows about it, does it really exist? Marketing is at the root of business success, and I’m honored to support so many local brands across industries, from children’s programs and education, to fashion, jewelry, health, fitness, restaurants, travel, storefronts and more.

I love what I do, and I’m passionate about helping local businesses tell their stories authentically—without relying on big agencies that aren’t built for them. When people ask what it’s been like starting my own business, I always say:
“It’s the best and hardest thing I’ve ever done.” And that remains true.

As entrepreneurs, we’re often told to find balance and set boundaries, all while building a startup from the ground up. Don’t work too hard, but don’t work too little. It’s a never-ending push and pull. It’s learning as you go, adapting every day to new challenges and opportunities. It’s unpredictable, exhilarating, and exhausting—all at once.

And the best part? It’s 1,000% the people I’ve met along the way. They inspire me daily and are my biggest cheerleaders. I never, ever feel alone. The wildest part? You can’t always predict what tomorrow will bring.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As I slowly learned that what makes a brand truly unique is its story, I also started learning to share parts of mine, even when they were painful. A major part of why I started my business stems from what happened between the end of my corporate journey and my launch. I got really sick.

For a long time, I didn’t want to mention this part of my story. But it’s a pivotal one, and as someone who pushes my clients to be real, it’s only fair I do the same. When I finally got some answers, my entire mindset shifted. It forced me to rethink everything: How did I want to spend my days? What kind of work truly fulfilled me?

I knew that whatever I did next had to be something I truly loved, something that mattered, and something that would connect me with my community and with others. Because when you’re passionate about what you do, even the hard days feel purposeful. And I knew there would still be hard days. But I wanted to show up fully; not just for myself but for the people who matter most. My family, my friends, my clients. I have so many roles I am grateful for —a daughter, wife, mother, sister, cousin, niece, friend, and now business owner. I love them all.

That meant creating a life and career that aligned with who I was and who I wanted to become. I wanted to take control of writing my own “book”—every chapter of it. Even if that meant sometimes writing, deleting, and rewriting along the way.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Starting this business, leaving behind the stability and infrastructure of the corporate world, was a complete career pivot. Yes, in some ways, there was overlap, but they are wildly different. After 15 years in the only career I had ever known, stepping out on my own wasn’t just a career change, it was a life pivot. No office, no co-workers, no set schedule. I had to learn how to create all of that for myself. And the best way I knew how to do it… was to just do it.

I knew that if I spent hours, days, weeks, or months overthinking it, I might never take the chance. So once I decided this was my future path, I went for it.

That doesn’t mean there haven’t been lessons and bumps in the road because there absolutely have. Success is not linear, and neither is entrepreneurship. That’s what makes it both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

This wasn’t just a huge change for me—it was and still is, a huge change in general. Figuring out how to balance working fully from home while also being present for my kids, husband, and those I deeply love, continues to be challenging. The constant push and pull of wanting to be with them but also wanting to build something for myself is a real learning curve. Through it all, I’ve learned that growth happens in the discomfort, and sometimes, the only way forward is to bet on yourself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sashaclairemanagement