144: Erin Ollila on Marketing for Women Solopreneurs (Words First, Pretty Graphics Later)

I used to think that if my branding didn’t look polished enough, nobody would take me seriously. Then I had copywriter Erin Ollila on the podcast, and she enlightened me about marketing for women solopreneurs.

“Copy always drives design. The message comes first.”

I’ve been building businesses since I was 19, and I still needed to hear that out loud. Here’s what matters for every woman trying to market herself without a design team, a brand strategist, or a shelf full of self-confidence she doesn’t currently have.

Originally aired: November 8, 2022
This post has been updated and republished as part of rebuilding the Gratitude Geek podcast archive. Some references (offers, links, or tools) may have changed since the recording.

Your Visuals Can’t Tell Anyone What You Actually Do

Here’s the test Erin gave me, and I want you to try it right now. Picture the Target logo — that red bullseye — with zero words around it. No tagline. No product descriptions. Nothing. Could you tell me what that company sells? Probably not. You might guess an archery range. Maybe an eye doctor. The logo only means something because the brand message was built first, over years, through consistent words and story.

For women solopreneurs marketing on our own with real-life bandwidth, this is actually great news. It means you don’t need the perfect color palette before you start. You need to be able to say, clearly and in plain language: who you help, what you do, and why you’re the right person for it. That’s your brand. The fonts come later.

Authentic Beats Polished. Every. Single Time.

Erin and I both arrived at this by noticing who we actually hired. My business coach never wore makeup in her videos. Her hair was always flying around in the wind. She filmed outside in natural light and looked like a real human person and I hired her because that’s who I wanted to learn from.

When you try to show up as a more polished, more put-together version of yourself, it’s not just exhausting (though it absolutely is). It’s also a magnet for the wrong clients. The people who are right for you need to be able to see the real you first. As Erin says, being consistent with who you actually are is what makes a brand recognizable over time. Not the color scheme. Not the Canva template. You.

But What If People Won’t Take Me Seriously Without a “Real” Brand?

This is the pushback I hear most often, and I get it — especially for women who’ve spent a lifetime being told they need to prove themselves before they earn a seat at the table. Honestly, the people who need polished visuals to trust you aren’t your people.

Erin said it directly — repelling the wrong clients isn’t a failure of your marketing. It’s your marketing working exactly as it should. If you show up as yourself and someone doesn’t hire you for it, you just saved yourself a friction-filled client relationship that would have drained you. That’s not rejection. That’s the filter doing its job.

So Where Do You Actually Start?

You start with one sentence — or even just one decision. Erin suggested opening a blank Google Doc and writing down a single thing that’s true about how you show up: We don’t use emojis or I always talk about coffee or I will never do a pointing-and-dancing Reel. That’s your first brand guideline. Then you add to it over time, as you learn more about what feels natural and what doesn’t.

You figure out your message — who you help, what you do, why it matters — before you invest a single dollar in design. And if you’re ready to experiment with what that actually looks like in practice, the Lab is a good place to do that work alongside other women who are building the same way: one next right thing at a time.

About Erin Ollila

Erin Ollila is a conversion copywriter, copy coach, and the host of the Takj Copy to Me podcast. She holds an MFA in creative writing and spent over a decade in the mental health and addictions field before pivoting to marketing — which means she brings an unusually deep understanding of what makes people tick to her copywriting work.

She’s worked with Fortune 100 companies and one-person businesses alike, and by the time of this conversation, had clearly landed where she belongs: working closely with small business owners who care about doing things right, not just doing things big.

Connect with Erin Ollila

Note: Some of the links here are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you, if you choose to purchase.

• Website: ErinOllila.com
• LinkedIn: @ErinOllila
• Podcast: Talk Copy to Me
• Gift: 4 Types of Testimonials
• Course: Testimonial Toolbox
  

Also Mentioned in This Episode

• Spry Literary Journal
• The Next Right Thing music video from the movie Frozen II
• Neil DeGrasse Tyson
• 141: Ivan Misner on the Future of Modern Networking
• Trevor Noah

Want to Keep Experimenting?

If this episode gave you permission to stop waiting until your brand is “ready” and start showing up with your message instead, that’s exactly the kind of work we do inside the Gratitude Geek Lab. Every month, Lab Live sessions give you a place to test what’s working, drop what isn’t, and build your business in a way that fits your actual life. Because the next right thing is always more doable with people around you who get it.

👉 Join the Gratitude Geek Lab at kandasrodarte.com/lab

A community for Gen X women solopreneurs doing real, sustainable business — without the hustle.

Stay Groovy!

Gratitude Geek Podcast is made possible by:
MacKenzie Circle, Goddess Approach, Marketing Podcast Network, HoneyBook, SendOutCards, The Super Patch Co., Riverside.FM, Podmatch
and listeners like you.