Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Victoria Marcouillier. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Victoria, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
The mission of BrandWell is to help women show up confident online so that they can stand out and sell more.
I came up with this mission a few years ago when I realized that the brands and websites we were designing for people were doing so much more than helping them get inquiries. They were giving our clients confidence. Better yet, the designs we created were giving these incredible women the courage they needed to finally start marketing their business. As a result, people noticed. They started to stand out from their competition, and when you’re able to stand out, you’re able to sell.
I was listening in on a sales call that my COO was having with a prospective customer the other day and she said something that hit home… “We won’t let you walk away until you have a design you’re obsessed with and one that we’re proud to put our name on.”
We have found this to be true over and over again, that when you have a brand and website that accurately showcases the quality of what you have to offer, your business will explode. Our aim is to help women ditch the DIY embarrassment and give them the confidence that comes with custom.
Victoria, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m known for owning BrandWell and hosting my podcast but at my core, I’m a mom to two girls, a wife to an incredible guy named James, and I secretly blast worship music in my car and sing at the top of my lungs when I don’t have a baby in the backseat. About 5 years ago, I needed to scratch my entrepreneurial itch so I began freelancing website design on the side of my full time job at a marketing firm.
It didn’t take long for me to realize I had found my niche. Fast forward one year and I had purchased my LLC, created an Instagram account, and secured my first several paying customers.
Little did I know that BrandWell would become what it is today. A design agency, featured in Forbes, with a team of 6 talented designers. Nor did I think I’d be able to accomplish all of this while getting pregnant with and having 2 babies in a 3 year span…
Has it been easy? No.
This balance of working motherhood is one that continually has me at a loss. Some weeks, I find that the scale has been tipped too much towards work and others, towards my kids, and I’ve accepted that life will forever be a see-saw of figuring out how to be a present mother while also being a good steward of my business.
What I think has contributed to our success (outside of God’s absolute grace and kindness) is the fact that I haven’t tried to hide the struggle of running a business from home with small children. I invite my kids into my work with me and I also invite my clients/followers in to see what it looks like. MESSY!
I have countless video calls with a baby on my lap or with Cocomelon playing in the other room to entertain my toddler. I schedule meetings during nap hours and often respond to emails late in the evening once everyone has finally gone to bed.
What I didn’t expect to find when I started BrandWell was a community of other working moms who relate to me on a level that even some of my closest friends can’t. Getting to help these women (who are already doing the most – raising children!), show up online confident and build a business that supports their family and their dreams is the absolute greatest thing about what I do.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Nothing makes you pivot in business like having a baby! When I first found out I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, Maia, I knew I had to figure out a way to get help with BrandWell.
At the time, BrandWell was my baby and I gave it everything I had but I knew with a real baby on the way, my priorities would likely shift. And that they did! During that pregnancy, I hired my first contracted designers.
Fast forward a couple of years to my second pregnancy, BrandWell was no longer in its infancy but a thriving design agency with hundreds of clients. I knew once again that things would need to change so I brought on 2 full-time employees, promoted people on my team to management level and spent the duration of my pregnancy training my team on how to run the business with or without me.
I now get to stay home with my kids most days of the week without sacrificing the opportunity to continue scaling BrandWell. An incredibly influential book in my career growth has been “Who Not How” by Dan Sullivan. I’ve recognized that hiring the right people will always help you reach your goals faster than always trying to do things yourself.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
At BrandWell, we put a heavy focus on client experience. Unlike some service-based businesses, our client relationships can last months. Our best seller is our branding and website design bundle which has us collaborating with a client for sometimes up to 12 weeks. Because of this, we know experience matters. One of our core values is to have client-designer relationships that outlast project duration. We truly want these women to come as a client and leave as a friend. When you make your customer’s experience exceptional, they can’t help but market your business for you. I am so grateful for my design team and their commitment to making each client feel like they’re the only client. In doing so, we’ve built an amazing network of creative women who happily refer clients to us on a weekly basis.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brandwelldesigns.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandwelldesigns/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandwelldesigns/
Image Credits
Keely Askew Photography https://keelyaskewphotography.net/