65. The Art of Authentic Branding with Amanda Hofman

Branded merchandise is often treated as an afterthought—but it can be a powerful reflection of leadership, culture, and values.

In this episode of I’m joined by Amanda Hofman, founder of Go To>Market, to explore how print on demand is reshaping the way brands connect with their people. Amanda shares her journey from corporate burnout to building a values-driven business, and why authenticity matters in branding, leadership, and community building.

We talk about why traditional swag often misses the mark, how personalized and sustainable merchandise can boost connection and morale, and what leaders should consider when defining their brand both internally to their teams and externally to the public. This conversation offers a fresh perspective on using creativity and intention to lead more effectively.

Perfect for leaders, entrepreneurs, and marketers who want to move beyond one-size-fits-all branding and create something that actually reflects who they are.

Let’s keep the conversation going—connect with me on Instagram and LinkedIn, subscribe to my Sunday newsletter, or reach out at sara@leadintoitco. 

Excited to be with you!

Transcript

Sara Greco (00:00)
You're listening to episode 65 of the Lead Into a Podcast.

Sara Greco (00:08)
Hello and welcome to another episode of Lead Into It. I'm your host, Sarah Greco.

Sara Greco (00:13)
It seems like most companies are sitting on a huge leadership opportunity and it's probably collecting dust in a storage closet somewhere. Branded merchandise is often treated as an afterthought, generic, outdated, and totally disconnected from the to represent. But when leaders get intentional about how they show up internally and externally, even something as simple as a t-shirt can become a powerful signal of culture, values, and even belonging. In this episode, I'm joined by Amanda Hoffman.

founder of GoToMarketStudio. She talks about how print on demand is changing the way brands communicate, empower their teams, and even stand out in a crowded marketplace. Amanda shares her journey from corporate dissatisfaction to building a vibrant and values-driven business, what that transition taught her about leadership, authenticity, and creating work that actually means something. We dig into why traditional swag often misses the mark.

How personalized and sustainable merchandise can strengthen connection and even morale, and what it looks like to use branding as a leadership tool rather than just a checkbox. Amanda walks us through her for creating purpose-driven merchandise that reflects who you really are, whether you're leading a team, growing a business, or shaping a community. We also talk about the leadership side of innovation, how to get clear on your identity, the questions leaders should ask before putting anything out in the world.

and how to navigate resistance, especially in larger organizations when you're trying to do something different. Amanda shares stories of her clients who went from cautious to confident once they embraced their true voice isn't just a branding choice. It's a leadership practice. If you're tired of one size fits all swag and leadership curious about how small choices reflect big values,

This conversation will change the way you think about branded merchandise and leadership. This episode is an invitation to rethink what's possible when leadership, creativity, and culture actually align. Hope you enjoy.

Sara Greco (02:00)
Welcome. Thank you so much for joining me on the show today. It's so nice to have you. Great chatting with you over the course of the past several months since we met back in March 2025. And I love watching your journey. today.

Amanda Hofman (02:14)
So

I'm excited to talk to you today.

Sara Greco (02:16)
So I would love to just kind of start from the beginning. Can you kind of share your entrepreneurial journey? Because it is really interesting to hear what you've started with and where you are now. Maybe highlight some of those defining moments for us and bring us along the journey.

Amanda Hofman (02:32)
So I guess it started with like...

When I was, I worked in a corporate job after I graduated and I can't describe how much I hated it. And it was not because like I worked for anyone bad or my coworkers were bad or it was like particularly restrictive. I just hated it. Like it, it just like, I was bristling constantly and it was really upsetting because I always thought I wanted to be like a big executive. I was an econ major undergrad and I always worked really hard in school. I was like, I'm going to follow the path.

Sara Greco (02:41)
Mm.

Amanda Hofman (03:03)
and like become really big and I was looking at the executives at the places I was working and I'm like I don't want to be like them. Yeah but it was it was really upsetting because it was like

Sara Greco (03:11)
Sorry, I love that so much. Like, yes, what a great recognition.

Amanda Hofman (03:17)
Where am I going? I'm not going there, what am I doing here? And so I just felt really helpless for like a whole bunch of years when I was like working, feeling unfulfilled. I felt bored all the time. I felt the restriction. I mean, this isn't as much of a thing today now that where there's like hybrid working, like there was the feeling that I had to sit at my desk from nine to five, regardless of how much work I had to do, just went against like, it was like wearing an uncomfortable sweater. Like it was just not,

right for me, for my personality. I didn't know what to do. I met with every career coach. I read every career book. I know what color my parachute is. I took all the career tests. I did everything I could to try to figure it out. And then I met with one career coach who was like, I was running a knitting group at the time. she was like, I was like, this is the only thing that brings me joy. And she helped me build, transition that.

into this networking group that I built over six years called Urban Girl Squad, my first business. And we ran events for women in their 20s and 30s all over New York City. We did volunteer days and community service, also pole dancing and how to do your makeup and singles nights and all kinds of fun stuff. But the idea was for women to meet each other in a non-business card exchangey sort of way, to have real experiences.

Sara Greco (04:36)
Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (04:38)
and to focus on authenticity. And I loved running that business. I felt alive. I felt happy. I felt challenged. It was just really joyful, even when it wasn't. So I knew that entrepreneurship was the right fit for me because even when it was hard, my hardest day in entrepreneurship was still light years better than my best day in a corporate job. And I sold that business just before my second child was born.

Sara Greco (05:00)
Yeah.

Amanda Hofman (05:05)
So

I ran it through having my first kid and really stretched myself very, very, very thin I really wanted to be full-time home with my kid and full-time running my business. So I just like had all the hour. I just used every hour. And then when I was pregnant with my second, it was like, oh, that's not going to work anymore. Like that is going to just run out fully. And so I sold the business and then I was home with my kids until my younger one went to kindergarten.

really like itchy to start another business by then. I had one start and stop which I'm happy to go into more if you're interested in. But I wanted to do something not event-based. I wanted to do something that would fill more like what my life looked like.

then and now, which is like, you know, I'm the mom of two kids. My business is no longer my full life. I don't my full I should say it like this. My full identity was not defined by the job that I had in a way that it was before. So right now I have a branded merchandise company. We focus on really beautiful designs and doing everything sustainably in a print on demand format. And when I learned about print on demand, like a huge light bulb went off.

And I was like, oh, this is what everyone, this is what every company needs. And it's not new technology, but somehow like corporations are still printing branded merchandise like it's 1990. And I don't get it. And most people are really.

Sara Greco (06:18)
Mm-hmm.

Notebooks for everyone.

Amanda Hofman (06:28)
Most people are really frustrated by it. They just really don't think there's another way. So I'm ⁓ on my soapbox every day teaching companies that there really is another way. You can be creative, you can be fun, it can be a very joyful part of your business and very meaningful to your team members and your fans while not breaking the bank, while not filling landfills, and while just becoming a really powerful sales and marketing tool.

Sara Greco (06:29)
Mm-hmm.

love this journey and I love that it's funny how you're in branding now, but it's like you've always been trying to find your own brand throughout entire journey. So first you're like, well, this brand doesn't fit me, the corporate life that I thought would fit me and it doesn't. And then you kind of dipped your toe into what you really started to enjoy and build that brand for you, but it was almost overpowering.

Amanda Hofman (07:01)
Mm-hmm.

Sara Greco (07:18)
your whole self. And so then you decided, okay, what fits into my brand? And you built it around it. I love that. That's incredible.

Amanda Hofman (07:26)
Yeah,

and that's also just maturity, right? Like when I started my first business, was like, everything's on the line. I have to prove myself. This has to be successful. I've associated this with my name. I'm telling everybody about it. Like, it better work. Like, I will make it work. And, you know, at that time in my life, in the stage that I was in, I wanted to be working around the clock.

Sara Greco (07:29)
Right.

Mm-hmm.

you

Amanda Hofman (07:48)
Like that was exactly what I needed at the time. then, know, priorities change, which is a good thing.

Sara Greco (07:51)
Mm-hmm.

because you had your children and your like family life is where it's becoming priority for you.

Amanda Hofman (07:58)
I had three children,

but it's not just about being a mom. It's also like understanding that like really understanding that my value can have more than my job title or where I'm working or what, you know, any of the, it was, it was an evolution from I am defined by these external factors to like, have value whether or not I'm running a company, but I really do love running a company. So like, what does that look like?

Sara Greco (08:19)
Mm-hmm.

Right.

That's really cool. Well, congratulations on where you've gotten today. Super impressive see what you've been able to build. you found out about the print on demand, what about it specifically drew you to it? You talk a little bit about how you've seen swag at events and everyone seems to kind of do the same kind of things and you saw how you could do it differently. Was that what drew you in or was there something more?

Amanda Hofman (08:47)
Well, I always wanted to have branded merchandise and swag for my first company for Urban Girl Squad. And like, I dreamed of it. I wanted it. Like, I had all of these visions. And every time I went to do it, I hit a roadblock. And that roadblock was like, where am I going to keep all this? Like, I live in Manhattan. Where am I going to keep all of this stuff? And like, what kind of sizes do people want? And like, what kind of styles do people want? And like, just there are too many t-shirt options. And it was so, like, expensive, overwhelming. There were too many

and every time I looked into it, I aborted mission. truly, so I ended up making, like, stickers, which was fine, but, the opportunity, given that I was in a local market to make really trendy Q pieces that, the thousands of women that were coming out to my events, like, I could have started a fashion movement with them having everyone wear Urban Girl Squad stuff, and I just, like, couldn't get it done because if I had print-on-demand, if I knew about print-on-demand and,

Sara Greco (09:20)
Yeah.

Mm.

Amanda Hofman (09:45)
the technology was available as it is now. I mean, the possibilities. I'm excited. I almost want to go back in time and be like...

think about how much bigger I could have been, like how much cooler that would have been. And I also just like, through that experience, know the entrepreneurial world and the small business world so well. And it's like, I'm not the only business person who struggled with that. This is something that up again and again and again and again. And I really wanted to become an evangelist for this.

Sara Greco (09:57)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah,

well, and it sounds like the struggles that you encountered, they stuck with you enough to where you're like, actually, I think I could solve it. Yeah.

Amanda Hofman (10:22)
Yeah.

Yeah,

and I think that the I can't emphasize enough that like this is not new technology. This is around, right? We just don't do it like as companies because we're like, well, it's always been done this way. We always make pens. We always make notepads. We always just print our logo on stuff. And it's like that is not what the world wants or how the world thinks at all anymore. And yet companies are still doing this. They're still making stress balls. They're still like giving everyone the same size t-shirt. It's like this is not reflective or the

Sara Greco (10:27)
Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (10:52)
or they think they know better, and they're like, we'll just get everyone's size. It's like, guess what? Not everyone wants to tell HR their t-shirt size. And even if you do have the size, it doesn't mean that they want to wear your message or that cut of t-shirt suits them or suits their needs or their body. There's a lot of minefields, like a lot of...

Sara Greco (11:03)
Yup.

Amanda Hofman (11:15)
roadblocks that are super easily solved by going print on demand.

Sara Greco (11:19)
And it's

interesting how it's like creating an individualized experience for the people who you're branding for and the people who are getting the actual item. And it's creating that connection, which you've talked about before, creating that connection

Amanda Hofman (11:29)
Exactly.

Yeah, yeah, like you don't want to exclude people because of like their body size or their preference or whatever it is or just the fact that like they would rather have a mug or somebody would rather have a t-shirt as opposed to a mug. It's like if you let people choose what they get, you're creating a efficiency, like a market efficiency where people are getting what they want and they're not getting what they don't want and you're not paying for things that people don't want and you are paying for things that people do want.

Sara Greco (11:48)
ahead.

Amanda Hofman (12:02)
which is the total point of branded merchandise. Branded merchandise, the whole point of it is to deepen the relationship between the brand and the person who's receiving it. And if your item is not doing that, don't print it.

Sara Greco (12:14)
Yes, I mean, why do it if it's not going to make that connection?

Amanda Hofman (12:17)
Right.

Right. Like we're not handing out flyers anymore. Like this idea that, you know, if you just print your name on enough things, you know, it'll be fine. Or like you'll get brand recognition. It's like, that's not how the world works anymore. And it's not an effective use of your

Sara Greco (12:34)
Yeah.

when you talk about these types of situations, do you have like an anecdote where you've worked with a company that was like, I've only printing on stress balls for however many years, were met with resistance of some sort of them trying to change it.

Amanda Hofman (12:49)
Oh yeah, I mean,

there are a lot of companies who, I think a problem that I run into, especially with larger companies, is that the people who want the change are not the people who are ordering the branded merchandise. The people who are ordering the branded merchandise want to do what they've done for the past year, 10 years, 20 years, because...

Sara Greco (12:57)
Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (13:09)
just hit reorder, right? But the people who are interested in creative change are like, you know, I talk about this with lawyers all the time. If you know, like the summer, like the summer programs for lawyers, when they're recruiting people, like they're printing the law firm name on like a fleece vest on as quarters, you know, zip up on the tote bag and on a hat, everyone gets the exact same thing. They do it every year. And it's like snooze. It's just all the same stuff.

Sara Greco (13:10)
Right.

Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (13:35)
and over again and like those people would so much rather see something more creative and interesting but the people who are ordering it are not.

matched up with that. So I see the most success when I work with smaller companies where the founders are like really jazzed about doing something different and then instigate that change going down. companies are much more set in their ways that have been around for a really long time that like don't have a lot of flexibility in their like branding and their legal and all of that. Like that's where I, that's where I see resistance, most of them. Yeah.

Sara Greco (14:06)
So interesting.

it's almost like when you're trying to, you figured out the path forward for yourself and for your company of not necessarily the path of least resistance, but ones that are going to embrace your style and what you're offering much more.

Amanda Hofman (14:21)
Yeah, yeah. I mean, you have to do something like this, especially like with our style. Like we approach businesses and we're like, what is the creative thing that you can say on your branded merchandise that reflects the vibe and values of your brand? And we like to push the envelope. We don't have to do this for all of our clients. But like if you want to do something like edgier or sassier or funnier, that people are people like to be delighted, right? They like joy. So why not take the most joyful

parts of your brand and reflect that in your branded merchandise, like it's a low stakes thing that will make people feel really connected to what you're doing and part of your community and part of your identity. that being said, of course we print more like...

you know, less edgy, sassy stuff as well, right? we match what's happening in the company's brand. And we do work with a lot of nonprofits, which things are like, they're not funny at all. no joking matter, but then you can still make something beautiful, right? Like you can create art that reflects what your company is doing without just, you know, screaming that something's wrong.

Sara Greco (15:07)
Mm-hmm.

You can match like you can match what the need is and as you're talking obviously, this is a leadership podcast I'm just hearing all of these overlaps with leadership when it comes to branding like creating connection Finding your values and aligning your values with your brand you kind of speak to that connection and what you've seen over the course of the time and kind of talk about branding as a leadership trade leadership characteristic

Amanda Hofman (15:29)
Yes.

Most companies are just dropping their logo onto things. It's like, here's our logo on a hat. Here's our logo on a sweatshirt. Here's a logo on a t-shirt and like we're done. Right. But your logo doesn't express your community, your values and your culture. one thing we like to do for internal team stuff is like print an inside joke in the company. Right. So like we worked with this dog supplement brand called woofs and like the joke is like, everyone mispronounces the name. So like we made the shirt that's like, it says woofs,

on the wrong pronunciation crossed out. And it's like, it's not public facing in that like their customers wouldn't wear that, but like for their team, it's really fun. We also work with a therapy group and we have similar, we have like some designs that are just for the internal team. And it's like, inside jokes for therapists. And it really helps, it helps reflect what the culture in the community is of your company, but also reinforce it, right?

Sara Greco (16:22)
Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (16:42)
and say like, this is something we're okay joking about. This is something that ⁓ we can poke fun at ourselves about, or we can be edgy about this. Or we have an anti-diet nutritionist who we work with and we made her a shirt that says BMI is BS, but it's not that. I don't know if you want cursing on your podcast.

Sara Greco (16:50)
Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (17:00)
And like that's really provocative. mean, she's a team of one, so that's not as much related to the culture, but it's leading with your values as opposed to staying safe in your logo. And it really, really works for her. She draws in a huge crowd of people who are drawn to somebody who's really standing up for what they believe in and, ⁓ you know, not being provocative just for the sake of being provocative, but like standing behind what you actually believe.

Sara Greco (17:26)
Thank

It's an intentional thing. So it's creating the world in which you want to live in. And I love that when you talk about the internal culture of a company, yes, it is going to be different when you're working with employees, the internal type of communication, including that inside joke. It's not going to work for your clients or your customers on an outward facing model. And understanding the difference in that communication style is so huge. And it sounds like you're branding.

Amanda Hofman (17:30)
Yes.

Sara Greco (17:55)
does do that and it enforces that type of communication, which is really cute. I think that's fun.

Amanda Hofman (18:01)
Yeah, it is, it is. So it's something that we really take a lot of joy from.

Sara Greco (18:06)
Do you how your clients react when you kind of build up these brainstorming sessions of coming up with those t-shirts?

Amanda Hofman (18:12)
⁓ they-

They light

up the absolute most. They're like screaming on our calls. Because we show up to our first call, we have up to 50 ideas for our clients when they first start working with us. And we're like, what about this? What about this? And sometimes we take them, they're like, OK, that's too far. Edgy direction is like, OK, well, don't, that's too far in the sassy direction. But this is just right. And it's like, that's the idea of showing so many ideas to be like, what are the boundaries of what we're doing here? Which of these feels like the sweet spot?

Sara Greco (18:20)
No.

Right.

Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (18:42)
go deep into that sweet spot, which is really fun.

Sara Greco (18:45)
And

again, there's so much overlap when it comes to leadership. I love hearing all of these things because you're talking about the sweet spot. Yes, when you learn about your leadership style or your communication style, you're going to have to test out a bunch of different ways in order to figure out what works for you and your team and then kind of build it from there. So it's going to take some trial and error or some presentations of ideas to see what actually sticks the best.

Amanda Hofman (19:07)
Yeah.

Sara Greco (19:08)
as you've kind of built up this business and you had your experience from the Urban Girl Squad and you built it for the go-to market and then you also have your corporate experience. How have you kind of built your leadership brand yourself over the course of this career that you've created?

Amanda Hofman (19:15)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, well, I think, like in terms of management or in terms of just like running a company.

Sara Greco (19:29)
Both.

Amanda Hofman (19:29)
Yeah, well, I think it's like not a coincidence that the one that feels the most right and the most comfortable and the one that I can sustain the longest happens in my 40s, right? I think that it just takes personal development and maturity and like personal reflection to get to a place where you can lead with authenticity. Like I know that one, when I was running Urban Girl Squad and I was hiring for the first time, I made

many mistakes. Like I often hired people who I just really liked, who seemed like they would be a good fit, but like I think it's, I mean I will admit I'm still not great at hiring, although I have a magnificent team. I also have a business partner now who helps me with it and perspective, but when it was all for me,

You know, you have to learn how to, and I think this was the hardest thing for me, take away just a desire to be liked.

Sara Greco (20:22)
Hmm.

Amanda Hofman (20:23)
desire to lead properly. this also goes into parenting, right? Like you don't just want to be your kids buddy all the time. Sometimes you have to tell them to go to bed and they're going to be pissed off at you and you need to be okay with that because ultimately, you know that it's best for them to go to sleep. That is the same thing for the business. you got you have to do. I think now I'm more comfortable doing the uncomfortable things. Whereas before I would get really hung up on like, my God, this person's not going to like me or it's going to take down my business or you know, I would

Sara Greco (20:46)
Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (20:53)
and do a lot of hand wringing over it, whereas I don't need to do that as much. I can't say it's like comfortable, but it's a lot of progress.

Sara Greco (20:55)
Yeah.

Yeah, you know it's important.

So you kind of, you figure out what's the long-term goal. Yeah.

Amanda Hofman (21:07)
I see the

bigger picture. think that everything really stems from the fact that I'm just more comfortable with myself as a human. if go-to-market were to go away tomorrow, which would be devastating, and I love this business so much, I would be OK, in the sense that I...

Sara Greco (21:15)
Mm-hmm.

you

Amanda Hofman (21:28)
it's not my whole identity, whereas if Urban Girl somehow what like if God forbid I was running that business during COVID and like it was all in-person events and like suddenly it went away I think it would have been ⁓ disastrous for my...

I think it would have taken me a dramatic amount of time to recover from that emotionally. And I think I'm a much better leader because of it, because it's like what you don't want the stakes to feel so high. You don't make good decisions when the stakes are so high and like your identity is all wrapped up in what's going on. Now I can make a decision about like what is actually best for the business without getting like my own, you know, insecurities or whatever.

Sara Greco (21:47)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (22:09)
involved in the decision.

Sara Greco (22:09)
That's so interesting.

And would you say that having a business partner has really helped you with that? Or did you feel like...

Amanda Hofman (22:16)
I mean, in everything, it's just perspective, right? Like when you're running at this by yourself, it's really hard to be like, wait, am I the asshole? Are they the asshole? Like, am I the asshole? Are they the asshole? And now I can call my business partner and be like, help me understand what's going on here. And she could be like,

Sara Greco (22:28)
you

Amanda Hofman (22:34)
And together we can say, here's where we fucked up, here's where they fucked up. And it's like, OK. Just have a clear insight without pride of what actually happened here and understanding the stories of these things. so yeah, I'm grateful literally every day to have that.

Sara Greco (22:46)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, well it's nice because

you can share the thoughts and what you're feeling too and be like, okay, bring me back to reality. What is real? What is true? And you have that to counterbalance whatever's actually happening. So that's a nice, it sounds like you and your business partner have a really good relationship.

Amanda Hofman (23:02)
Yeah.

Yeah, and we have very, very, very different interests and we have very, different skill sets. And so it's just like, she doesn't want to do the stuff that I'm doing and I don't want to do the stuff that she's doing. She's not able to do the stuff that I'm doing. I'm not able to do the stuff that she is doing. And so it is like, we have a distance and a respect that is really, I think, ideal. Like, I wouldn't do anything about it.

Sara Greco (23:25)
Yeah.

a great balance. So when you were just talking about Urban Girl Squad and how that was a lot of your identity and how it was a lot of your life and then moving forward now go to market is an aspect of your life that you love greatly, but it's not your whole life. Well, what would you say is your branding now like in your current state

Amanda Hofman (23:35)
It truly is.

That's right.

Sara Greco (23:55)
when you have your branding as a person, it seems like lot of people do put their whole worth into a role, a job, the situation that they're in. And it's so refreshing to hear somebody who's like, yes, I love this aspect of my life and it is a part of me, but it's not my whole me. And I think that's so important to emphasize.

Amanda Hofman (24:17)
Yeah, well, also, I live in New York City where most people who you meet are like, hi, what's your name? What do do? Hi, what's your name? What do you do? And so I have always bristled against that from the very beginning, because I hated my corporate job. And when I was running Urban Girl Squad, it very fully bled into my personal life because I was obviously in the demographic of who I was designing for. almost everyone I met was a potential customer in a way.

I don't want at times. I felt a little icky about but like

For the most part, I loved it because it was like the business was me and I was the business and like I fully stood behind it. It also meant that I could never get away from it. So like a dinner out with friends or like anything was always coming back to it because first of all, I was doing it all the time. And second, everyone was a potential client or person. Now, when I am in my distinct worlds, when I'm being, you know, when I'm doing mom stuff or when I'm doing dog stuff or when I'm like,

⁓ doing fitness stuff, I'm kind of like all into those things and with those people I actually don't really talk about work and I try not to not as like an avoidance technique, but as a like Really like putting money in the bank of my different the different parts of my identity To say like yeah, we're just talking about dogs here like we're talking about dogs for the entire hour that I'm standing here or like we're talking about like New York City public schools while we're here or we're talking about like

teen moodiness right now, you know? And it's like, you we get to, one thing I really appreciate is that I think a lot of people in New York now have that same attitude, whereas like the other dog people in the dog park, like they're not getting into it with like.

what their work is. Like that's like a 10th question or like a 20th question. Like sometimes I'll see people over the course of a month before I find out what they do. And so I really appreciate finding that balance.

Sara Greco (26:12)
Yeah, well, and it helps you stay present. And instead of worrying about like, there's this email that I need to do. There's this, like, as you're talking about work, when you're at the dog park or hanging out with at the school, it's like, if you're present in the moment, it creates such a good vibe for how you're building that world around you in that moment.

Amanda Hofman (26:33)
It's also for me, it's just perspective, right? Every single one provides perspective on the other, right? Like, the dog people don't care about human kids, the human friends don't care about dogs, and the business people don't want to talk about human. You know, it's like, I can just go fully in on those things and kind of go deep and then pull back from it.

Sara Greco (26:36)
Thank you.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (26:55)
when I like transition between those places and it's, I've found that that's been really healthy for me as like a whole person.

Sara Greco (27:02)
Yeah.

How have you kind of created this identity or brand for yourself when you're coming into, like, how did you figure out that you really enjoyed being around dogs or you do biking, right? You do cycling. Like, how did you kind of come to this conclusion of, want this to be a part of my identity and when I'm in this space, I'm going to be present.

Amanda Hofman (27:13)
Yes. Yeah.

I mean, these are just the things that I love so much. It's like, I don't even feel like I chose them. feel like this is how it is. Like we got a dog a few years ago and I instantly became like crazy dog mom. No regrets. I just love it. It's been like such a joyful part of my life. And obviously my kids are very important to me. I've always been very active in parent, parent like engagement sorts of things. And fitness has been a part of my life, you know, ever since I was, you know, in high school.

Sara Greco (27:42)
Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (27:51)
And I love it so much and I went deep into the racing community for a while and I really loved that. Had some injuries, came back from it, but like I just I think it comes down to like I really love connecting with people and it doesn't really matter what it is as long as it's authentic and I actually really enjoy observing from the outside like really super niche worlds. Like there is a place that opened up around the corner

Sara Greco (28:15)
Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (28:18)
for me that's like a trading place like baseball cards. It's not really baseball cards or like Pokemon or I don't even know the language to say about like what they are trading in there. But the people in there are like so intense and it's always packed and I'm like good for them. They found a thing that they love so much or like whether it's like board games or like vintage cars or whatever it is, you get like a peek down that rabbit hole of like how deep somebody can go into it. And it's like, wow, that is I'm so happy.

Sara Greco (28:22)
Cool. Yeah.

Amanda Hofman (28:44)
for those people that they like have each other and they have this like world that's like you know and I'm sure if you've stumbled into it yourself like I did with like the the racing world and my is in the Ironman world it's like you show up to those events and it's like everyone's speaking a completely different language they're living a very different life than most people and it's and it's like I love it it's fascinating

Sara Greco (28:45)
Yeah.

Yeah.

That's so interesting because a lot of this is about authenticity. Even when you're coming to like branding stuff, you're like, well, what feels authentic to you and your company? Let's just not throw an image. It is all about authentically, what is the identity? What is the brand that you want to bring to the table and bring to the forefront? So whether it's yourself or your company, it's like, what's authentic?

Amanda Hofman (29:13)
Mm-hmm.

That's right.

That's right.

Actually,

that is something I talk to my clients all the time about. the thing that I promise our clients is like, what we build for you cannot and should not be interchangeable with anyone else in your field. So if you're a life coach, like the stuff we make for you should not be able to be like, ⁓ is it this person or is it that person? It's like, it should be obvious. And that is our goal, right? So like if you're an author, if you're a podcaster, if you're a financial planner, if you're an accountant, if you're a lawyer, like

Sara Greco (29:32)
Yeah.

Right.

Amanda Hofman (29:57)
whatever we make for you should feel so unique to you that it's unmistakable for people who are in your world.

Sara Greco (30:04)
I love that so much and it's such an interesting concept to think of. Like, okay, so I'm my unique person. How can I bring this out into my business? And I'll apply it to leadership too how am I unique as myself? I love this because, and I'll go into a really quick story, but as a leader in the military, we all wear uniforms. And so we're all supposed to be the same.

Amanda Hofman (30:11)
Mm-hmm.

Sara Greco (30:28)
Well, when I when I became out of active duty and went to the reserve life, I got to be a little bit more of myself. I saw myself out of uniform more. And then I went into uniform and I was like, screw this, I'm gonna bring my whole self into uniform instead. And it became so much more fun and interesting. And I think I did better in my career because of it, because I started to bring my whole self instead of being like a robot. I was a little bit quirky yes, I'm in a uniform, I'm professional, all of the things.

but I'm gonna be a little bit goofy and that's okay. And I have more fun and I think other people have more fun too. So whether you embrace that as company with your branding or as a person, figuring out what you align with and are authentically you, bringing that into perspective and seeing how that works for you is such a good practice. It's good exercise. So what would you?

Amanda Hofman (31:17)
That's a great story. love it.

Sara Greco (31:21)
And since we're kind of overlapping leadership and branding, I'd love to hear what questions you ask your clients as they're coming up with the branding. I wonder if some of these questions could overlap with kind of who you are, because you just talked about for your business. Like, how are you unique? You want to make you. So.

Amanda Hofman (31:39)
That's right. So

one question I ask is like, I look at their website with them and I'm like, is this who you are? Right? Because it's not always reflective. Some people are like, yeah, I have that made, but it doesn't really feel like me. And I'm like, okay, where is it wrong? Like, are you more colorful than this? Are you more sassy than this? Like a lot of people also, have a client now who

Sara Greco (31:44)
Yeah.

Amanda Hofman (32:02)
has a very professional website and when I spoke to her she is like really colorful like in her language and in how she coaches her clients and I'm like okay people are hiring you because of this not because of this like really buttoned up website and your merchandise should reflect you not your website then right so like that is what I'm trying to get at I also ask people who have I'm gonna say generic language and I hope you know what I mean that like you know if somebody's a coach for example

Sara Greco (32:27)
Okay.

Amanda Hofman (32:29)
that they're like using coach language and it's like all the coach language is indistinguishable from other coach language. I was gonna say for better or worse but it's definitely for worse right because it's just harder for us to distinguish who's doing what like all the financial accountants are saying the exact same thing all the SEO people are saying the exact same thing. what makes you different from other people in your field and it's like well I focus on like this particular thing or I get to know the whole person or I am

really interested in like teaching my clients how to do SEO, not to hire us forever. Or like we have ⁓ an accountant who like her whole thing is like, I don't do tax. So like we made her a big sure that's like, no, I don't do taxes. Right. And it's like, that's funny. That's like her, like, you know, it's funny that like, you know, a lot about her from her leading with like, no, I don't do that. And that is what I want to get at when I meet with a client, like what is the

Sara Greco (33:10)
I love that.

Amanda Hofman (33:25)
the that is weirdest about you? What is the thing that is drawing people in to your brand, to your company? You know, we work with a of food companies and we work with a bar and their whole thing is like natural flavors. When you see natural flavors on ⁓ a bar, like very often they're not natural at all. And their bars are actually natural flavors. So we made them a shirt that says, ask me about natural flavors. And it's like in quotes and it's like,

Sara Greco (33:40)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (33:50)
funny. So that's what we're trying to do.

Sara Greco (33:54)
is figure out the uniqueness and bring that to the forefront.

Amanda Hofman (33:56)
Yeah, especially if it's not present in their branding.

Sara Greco (33:59)
I love that. What would you say would be like a good question to ask yourself as you're kind of looking into building that brand?

Amanda Hofman (34:05)
I would say just when

you look at your website and your LinkedIn or Instagram, whatever social media you're using, is it you? A lot of the times it's not. It's the version that you think people want to see. But if you are the salesperson, they're actually hiring you. They're getting to know the pieces that you think you're hiding, right?

Sara Greco (34:22)
Yeah.

Amanda Hofman (34:23)
I would invite people to show up online as they are. If that's a little messy, be a little messy. I don't know. I just think there's this idea that we need to show up a certain way. We need to show up buttoned up and we need to look really clean and professional, but that's not actually who we hire.

Sara Greco (34:42)
Right? Or who we want to be around, to be completely honest.

So what would you say is next for you and your entrepreneurial journey and go-to market?

Amanda Hofman (34:51)
Well, I've been thinking about this a lot because we just hired third, well, it's our fifth team member, counting me and my business partner. And you know, we're at this point of like, how much do we want to hire? much do we want to grow? And how much do we want to hold onto? And like, how big do we want to be? And I had a meeting with my business partner yesterday and it's like, we're really actually happy, more or less, where we have gotten to. We're now six years in. We're like, this is a good crew.

cruising

altitude. Like we are happy here. Bigger is not always better. Like we want to show up for our clients. We want to do a great job. I don't want to outsource the work that I do. She doesn't want to outsource the work that she does. So like that's kind of cool. Like I think 2026 is going to be the year that we are like going to be trying to maintain where we are instead of grow, grow, push, push, push, push, push. And that I'm really excited about that.

Sara Greco (35:39)
Yeah.

That is really cool to be at the realization of where you are is good. You're like, okay, well, this is actually the level of which I'm super happy with. Because you don't always have to grow. Yeah.

Amanda Hofman (35:49)
Yeah.

Yeah, and I mean, we'll see. We'll see what that looks like. I

hesitate always to be like, know, assuming that things are going to stay as they are, because I think that's ⁓ a joke, actually. Of course they're not. But to sort of have in mind, just to switch the mindset from like foot fully loaded on the gas pedal to just like, hey, we're just like gonna, we're gonna.

Sara Greco (36:06)
Mm-hmm.

Amanda Hofman (36:19)
hold and be steady and like work as hard as we are have been working but not like with you know stop sweating so much I think. Thank you. Thank you.

Sara Greco (36:27)
Right, congratulations, that's such a cool thing.

I like to close my interviews now with rapid fire, questions. Are you open and willing to participate? Okay, first one, coffee or tea? Ooh, what kind of tea?

Amanda Hofman (36:34)
Okay.

I am, I am, I'm ready.

tea.

I have been, so I don't have caffeine, because it gives me like panic attacks. So fun fact about me, caffeine gives me panic attacks. So I like a decaf vanilla or like a like rooibos that's like chocolate flavored. ⁓ And it's, mean, I drink tea all day. I love it. Yeah.

Sara Greco (36:47)
Yeah

Thank you.

That sounds good.

Delish. What is your favorite piece of swag?

Amanda Hofman (37:03)
Oh my God, that's not rapid. Do you have an hour? My favorite piece of swag, I have so many. I mean, I love the shirt that I'm wearing. I'll go with what I'm wearing now. I'm wearing Merch is Fun. It's off the shoulder. It's just really trendy and cute and fun. And I feel trendy and cute and fun in it. It gives me good energy. So I'm gonna go with this.

Sara Greco (37:21)
Is there any fun sayings or logos that you're super proud of that you worked with company on?

Amanda Hofman (37:27)
I mean, that's also, yes, of course there are hundreds. I love so much of what we made for our clients. There's one that, okay, can I tell you two? I'll say them fast. One is for that anti-diet nutritionist, the one that did PMI's BS, we made her...

Sara Greco (37:36)
Yeah, go for it.

Amanda Hofman (37:43)
a shirt that says eat carbs and it's written like the thank you bag and so it's like eat carbs repeated all the way down and I just love it so much. I just really really love it.

Sara Greco (37:51)
I kind of want that shirt. Perfect.

Amanda Hofman (37:53)
I can send you the link. It's a shirt.

It's as a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and a mug, because it's all print on demand. So it's all available. And the other one we made was that I really, really love is it's a t-shirt for a financial and bookkeeping company that wanted to stand out at trade shows. And on the front, says is BS. And on the back, it says value-based pricing is BA. And BA is the name of their company.

Sara Greco (38:16)
Smart. I love that. So clever.

Amanda Hofman (38:18)
And it's just like,

it's just a conversation starter, right? It's like a, I want to talk to these people. What does that mean?

Sara Greco (38:23)
Right? Super

fun. And I lied, I have four questions. I added that last one in. For anyone who is embracing their entrepreneurial or kind of leading a new trend or initiative like you have, what's the best advice that you would give them?

Amanda Hofman (38:28)
Okay.

for anyone starting out in entrepreneurship, think that, I mean, I think the best and the worst thing about entrepreneurship is that like all of your wins are yours and all of your losses are also yours. So like it is your fault when it goes good and it is your fault when it goes bad. And it's like, try to...

Enjoy the journey without having it like destroy you like just know that that is coming and like you're gonna mess up I actually found a lot of release in knowing that like I messed up because it's like that is unambiguously my fault and The only way to continue is to learn from it and grow and not like, you know shrink, right? You got to move on so

Sara Greco (39:14)
Mm-hmm.

Build from there.

Amanda Hofman (39:22)
Yeah, just like anticipate that. And what I would say is like...

If it feels awful all the way through, like don't do entrepreneurship. Like entrepreneurship is not inherently better than other career paths. Even though it's like made to look very like sexy online, is not truly, it is not inherently better. It's just better for some people and some personality types. And so if it is not your personality type, if it's not what's right for you, there's nothing wrong with that. Just don't do it. It's not the only way.

Sara Greco (39:53)
Right. Well, it

Amanda Hofman (39:54)
What are you?

Sara Greco (39:55)
makes sense. Corporate wasn't for you. You found that out and you're like, well, I'm going to go entrepreneur. Corporate didn't feel good to you, so you went a different path. If entrepreneurship doesn't feel good find a different path or something for everyone.

Amanda Hofman (40:06)
Yeah, it's not the easiest way to go.

Sara Greco (40:08)
Yeah.

Well, thank you so much for joining me today. I loved our conversation. We definitely could go on for another hour or so because I could just continue to ask questions. But where could our listeners find out more about you and your business?

Amanda Hofman (40:12)
person.

Yeah, our website is gotomarket.studio. I'm always on LinkedIn. You can find me there. Amanda Hoffman, Hoffman with one F. On Instagram, are gotomarketstudio. If you reach out to me, I will respond. So I hope to hear from your listeners.

Sara Greco (40:34)
⁓ Thank you so much. I appreciate