Ready Set Coach Podcast

How to Think About Branding as a Coach with Visual Brand Strategist Calvina Nguyen

• Emily Merrell and Lexie Smith • Season 2 • Episode 97

Share episode

In this episode, Emily Merrell and branding expert Calvina Nguyen dive deep into the branding essentials for coaches. They discuss common pitfalls, emphasizing that the foundation of effective branding lies in understanding your messaging, audience, and industry positioning before getting lost in visual elements like logos and colors. Calvina stresses that many coaches need to prioritize their logo and design over the core aspects of their brand, which can lead to wasted time and ineffective outreach. Instead, she encourages coaches to focus on refining their message and understanding their audience first, allowing for a more authentic connection that translates into successful branding.

As they explore practical branding tools, Calvina highlights the benefits of using Canva, particularly its Pro account features that streamline the branding process. She advocates for building a brand kit within Canva to ensure consistency across marketing materials, which saves time and enhances professional presentation. The discussion underscores the importance of leveraging design tools and strategic planning to create a brand that resonates with your audience. Whether you're just starting or looking to refine your brand, this episode provides invaluable insights and actionable advice for coaches at any stage of their journey.


Here’s what you’ll learn: 

  • Understand the significance of articulating your brand message before focusing on visual elements.
  • Prioritize getting to know your ideal audience to create authentic connections.
  • Assess where you fit within your industry to tailor your branding approach better.
  • Don’t get sidetracked by designing a logo or choosing colors initially; these should come later.
  • Establish a solid brand foundation that can be revisited and refined over time.
  • Recognize when it’s the right time to invest in professional design, typically after gaining traction in your business.
  • Leverage Canvas Pro account features, including the brand kit, to streamline your branding efforts.
  • Keep your initial branding efforts simple; don’t overcomplicate your design process.
  • Use AI features within Canva to generate designs quickly and efficiently based on your brand elements.
  • Regularly revisit and update your brand strategy to reflect growth and changes in your business.



Listener Links: 

Website: https://calvinaphotography.com/about-me/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourbrandspark/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinanguyen/



Emily Merrell  00:02

Emily calvina, I am so excited to have you on the Ready Set coach podcast today.


Calvina Nguyen  00:07

Thank you so much, Emily. I love it. I love you. I love our this whole community. It's been so amazing for me to connect with so many amazing people in our community. So yeah, so thank you for having me. Of


Emily Merrell  00:19

course, will it's been it's funny. So I have my own podcast, and this podcast Lex and I do together, and the podcast I host is more like a version of how I built this and interviewing people their questions, where, if you've listened to this podcast before, it's a lot of times just Lex and I making fun of each other and then giving you some valuable advice. So you're going to be my Lex today. But don't worry, I won't make fun of you.


Calvina Nguyen  00:43

You can. You can.


Emily Merrell  00:47

Well, so calvina Nguyen, where before we jump in, we're going to have a really fun conversation today about building a brand for coaches and some big mistakes that coaches make. But before we dive in, can you give us just a little background of who you are and where you're based? Yeah, well,


Calvina Nguyen  01:06

first of all, I'm based in California, in Sacramento, specifically. So it's very hot and very dry here, and it gets very cold here. I mean, I'm not cold in compared to some other parts of the country, but it's kind of a Yeah, it's probably one of the more extreme parts of California. And so I have had about 20 years of experience in the creative field. I started off my training and my background is in graphic design. I started off in the agency world doing, you know, doing all of the things. Actually, I was really lucky to start in a really small firm. So I was able to, you know, have wear a lot of different hats, as in, I did my specialty was, was logo design, and that was my favorite logo, I feel like is one of the hardest things to design, and so, but I loved it. Not everyone loved it. I did packaging, I did websites, I did, you know, brochures, like printed stuff. And so I, I loved it, and then, and then I I evolved to actually my first love, which is photography. So I own my own photography company for 15 years. So over the course of the pandemic, I I knew, I knew photography wasn't like the final step for me, and I had wanted to kind of pivot out of that and but, you know, it's one of those things you stay so busy that you just don't, you know, you don't, you don't take that time. So pandemic happens, and it was a blessing, because it gave me that time, because nobody can go out a lot of, you know, sessions, you can't go out doing photography, and then so that perfect opportunity for me to really sit down and evaluate everything. And I knew, since my my my photography, I was working with small businesses and doing branding. And so I feel like my background, I've had things from both sides, like, you know, being the designer, and then now doing photography and working with creative directors and like, you know, being able to hear about their vision and then convey the vision with of creative directors to make sure that the photography is on brand, and, you know, all of that stuff. And then now, in a place where I really want to put all of that together into branding, and I feel like this is why I wanted to do branding is because branding is so important in design. And when you are a designer, a lot of time you are not paying attention to the overall business and the marketing aspect. And so, you know a designer is you're trained to do make things beautiful. You're a problem solver, so you already got the problem there, and then you're solving it so, so that's why where I am now. It's about like bridging the gap, right of the design, like the implementation, and getting the business and then, like, making sure all of that stuff is working cohesively, to make sure that you're getting your return investment in your design. Yeah, well,


Emily Merrell  04:00

I, I want to even back up. I love the fact that you started your career designing logos. And you know, when you started your when you started your career, what was the software that was being used at the time?


Calvina Nguyen  04:12

What was soft? Oh, Adobe. Adobe, all the way, always Adobe. I mean, it's been basically in college. It's what I learned. Adobe, Adobe, Adobe. There's never been a change. It's still Adobe. I mean, like when it comes to the I still think that is the top for creating the final design. There is still no better replacement for that and but Canva has come and now taken the place of it doesn't take the place of Adobe, by any means, but it has taken the place of helping people who are not designers be able to utilize and create a voice for them, right? And then so there needs to still. Be Adobe, right, and then for the original, bespoke feel. But Canva is really like a mind blowing, like game changer for small businesses.


Emily Merrell  05:14

It really is like you think, even when I started my business, I think Canva is was relatively new. That was like 2016 and I always felt so limited because I didn't, I didn't know how to drive Adobe or in design, and it can be daunting to your point, even about like brand and designers, I don't have a designer eye in terms of, I don't have that perfectionism, fortunately and unfortunately all at once. But there is that aspect of like, you want to build a brand, but it can feel so overwhelming with where to start, or what if I don't like these colors in a month, or how do like? How do you commit to something for a foreseeable future? So I'm curious to hear your thoughts about coaches and some let's start with mistakes first, like some mistakes that you've seen coaches make when building a brand or starting a business.


Calvina Nguyen  06:08

Yeah, I think the first thing that comes to mind when I think about, like, say, mistakes or is is not getting the messaging now and not knowing how to articulate yourself, to connect with the perfect audience, and I feel like that's always the first place to start. And to be quite honest, this design is the very last thing you want to think about, and it's not the first thing you think about. And so in the mistake, another mistake is to think about the logo first, to think about all the colors and get obsessed with that, because that's going to waste a lot of time. That's not where you want to go and and you're going to spend all of the time creating a bunch of mishmash things that like doesn't at all convey who you are. And then, so I think it's really important to lay a foundation first to understand your industry, like, you know, like, so where are you positioned in your industry? You want to understand what is your own voice like. How do you want to communicate what is authentic to you? But most importantly is to truly, truly get into the heart of your audience and to know them to at because without knowing this, then you're basically throwing spaghetti at the wall. And you know you're not like, you're not nailing it. So you're gonna be creating these designs that are just random, and it looks good, but it's really not landing and so, yeah, and so I think so those three things is like, know your industry, know who you're talking to, know your own message. Know it really well, when to say it, how to say it, you know, like timing too,


Emily Merrell  07:47

1,000% and I'm with you on the the distraction piece of obsessing over the colors or obsessing over the logo or so I know so many people that will they will delay launching their business until their brand is perfect and and I get it, if you were a high luxury fashion brand, maybe it's different. But I think as a coach, oftentimes we were, we're scared of testing what is possible, or like trying out our offerings first, before even making the website, this the most perfect thing ever,


Calvina Nguyen  08:26

100% and I work with like, like, I work with coaches. I sort of, I also work with some service based businesses. I work with product based businesses. And so there's actually like differences between these industries, right, like, and coaches, especially. And I'm going to, like, warn coaches, right? Like, last thing you want to do is obsess over your logo and because, as coaches, your name is the most important thing, and so just go with that for now. And you know, seriously, don't obsess about that. There will come at high I mean, I'm gonna, I'm like, and I'm gonna be honest, there will come a time in your career where having that logo is going to be a really good thing, and it's going to be one of the best investments, but it's about again, timing and then like so and when you're in the beginning, don't waste your time on that, and don't even waste your time on the on the color. So you know, I mean, like, so that's why I feel like it's really important to set your foundations and your brand foundations, which is the first step before you get to, you know, all of the visuals. And I'm not like, and that's the thing is that I'm like, am I shooting myself in the foot? No, like, I do think that. And this is like, coming from somebody who's like, bread and butter is the design. So I am truly being honest, and that there is a time when you need a designer, you know, and that's, and your investment will, you know, you will have a great investment in your, you know, a return in your investment at some point, right? It's that is when you have. Taken traction. You have, you know, massaged your offers. You have gotten a sense of what is making sense. You are making the money, and you are, you know, all of that stuff, and you are able to, like to really create that because now at that next level is where you're ready to make that investment. But at all, like in all of this, though, there needs to be a brand foundation that is started no matter where you are, like, and I feel like this brand foundation can be revisited over and over again, because it changes over time. Like, where your brand foundation is in the beginning, where your brand benefit, like, every year, I feel like I need to do this with my clients. It's like, okay, where are you now? Let's set your new like, let's, let's, let's figure out where you're, where you are now and then. So that way, you know, there's a roadmap. Like, I love to create roadmaps for people, because that roadmap sometimes can include the design, but a lot of time is like massaging your voice, figuring out what is like, what's landing, what's what's not, and then when you are able to figure out what's landing, man, like, you can get to that design. And then like, that'll skyrocket you to the next level. Because, you know, the whole thing with like visuals is that like it speaks for you before you can speak. And that's why it's powerful. That's why the investment is important, is that you don't want to look like a hack. And you know, the presentation means something. That's why we have style. We have our sense of style. We invest in clothing because we don't go out, you know, wearing rags, and because that impression does something for us. But it's about the timing. It's


Emily Merrell  11:37

so true. I will share my first logo my bless it. Bless my roommate. But my roommate was, was a designer, is a designer. She's now so much farther up than she was then. But I said to her, I want my logo to feel like a warm hug, and I wanted it just to be a type font like I wanted it just written out. I didn't need it to be over complicated. I didn't want it to be like a sexy, you know, sexy icon or whatnot. And she just picked a font. She gave me a few fonts. She's like, What do you think I picked the font? Bada, bing, bada, boom. I had a logo, and it cost me $0 and I even, I heard an interview with James clear, and he talked about that too, like he is a multi, best selling author, and his very first logo was something that he put in in like a Google Doc and then saved as, and that was his logo. Yeah. So, you know, just over complication of things, if we can simplify, that's a great way to start. Yep, calvina, you are such a genius you, I mean, you obviously speak Adobe fluently, but you are such an advocate for for people to understand Canva and to leverage Canva, especially small businesses. What advice do you have for people who are are attempting to build this brand and they're using Canva as a resource?


Calvina Nguyen  13:00

So I think one of the most important things to okay, my first advice is to go ahead and invest in the pro account. Yes, oh, yes. So use a free account, you know, because the pro account has so much to offer. And so just like, bite the bullet and do it. And then the second of all is that the pro account gives you access to the brand kit and and this brand kit saves you so much time, right? Like it is, you know, like, whatever you have of your logo, stick it in there, whatever you have of your your colors, stick it in there, your fonts. And then you can constantly tweak it if you want to, if you haven't figured it out and then so. But it just allows you to just, oh my gosh, because AI and Canva is like, next level, and it's getting better and better and better that, like, sometimes you can throw all that stuff in there, if you have a branding done, right? And this is, and again, you know, like you do still. This is why you do want your logo. You do want your colors, because you do. You do still need it. I'm not saying you don't need it at all, but like, having all that stuff, because you have to make marketing materials at the end of the day. You do like, you have to make the, you know, you know, you gotta create Phoebe's. You gotta, you gotta create your workbooks. You've got to create your social media posts, or even, like, the header or two, like, or, you know, if you have, like, a free workshop, you got to create something for that. And so you don't want to obsess over, like, creating over things over and over again. So, like, getting that brand kit done there is going to be so good. And actually, you've done load my free my like, I can share that with, yeah, we can link it. We can link it. We can link it in the notes. We can link it, yeah. And then so like, so it's so you can get that set up. So I walk you through, literally step by step on how to get that set up. And then, so from there, there's so much AI that kind of like, you're like, I need to make a social media post. And you can click on like, it'll just automatically generate a design for you based on your brand. It. It's


Emily Merrell  15:01

incredible. It's incredible what AI can do. And it's also incredible how to what you mentioned. Like how sophisticated Canva has gotten, especially for the person, which I'll say, I'm like an ideal user. I don't identify as being a creative I get really overwhelmed. So like, the templates that they have the the tools in which they make it really plug and play are truly a game changer and and save you a buck so so much money then versus, my gosh, I think back to, like my fashion days, and we needed to create an invite, an invite, and it would go through three rounds of approval, even though it was templatized in Adobe to get sent back to us


Calvina Nguyen  15:44

exactly. That's the world I basically grew up in. That's the world I grew up in. And that's why I was delighted with Canva. And it's so funny because, you know, like a lot of designers, still, basically, you know, like, and I was, I, let me, let me be honest. I was one of the snotty designers, like, snobby that said Canva, you know, like, it's so amateur. And so I was there too, to be honest. And then so there's, like, this, this point when I was like, This is amazing. And, you know, and when you recognize that this is not made for, you know, it's like, yeah, it's, it's made for non designers, and then so it's like, it's made for my clients. Yes, when I am able to put myself aside and like my design ego aside, and then I need to do what's best for my clients and help them set that and then now integrating this amazing tool for what is best for them, and creating like in an integrating that into a strategy as I continue to build a brand for them, that was the game changer. So I still use Adobe to create the bespoke brands that I do, yeah, but I am creating also a system for my does my for my Canva, I mean, for my clients in Canva so that they're not going through the three rounds of approval. Like, like, what that


Emily Merrell  17:05

you just told you? Oh, my God, it was awful, awful. It's funny. My, my husband's the head of design at a company, and, you know, he's, he's like, You, He pushed poshes at Canva, and even he did my, my recent logo, and I think he did it in, I don't know, figma. Can you design in figma?


Calvina Nguyen  17:22

I think so. Yeah,


Emily Merrell  17:24

well versed, Yeah, me neither. I'm like, I don't know. I think he gave it to me somehow, in a way that I'm still like, what format is this in? Thank you so much. But he always complains how, like, the marketing people will kind of go behind his back and just use Canva, yeah, to do, to send like evites and things like that. So I know there's definitely that discrepancy, like internally at certain companies, is faster, but also, is it what the design team standards are? So I empathize on both ends for because I've seen both, and I have been to both, but yeah, oh God, it would drive me bonkers. I was like, there's a typo, and then like, 24 hours later I'd get it back. And I was like, the events tomorrow at this point versus how quickly we produce things at this moment in time, just like batch sending and creating on Canva. So very grateful for that. So calvina, I am curious what is the best way for people to find out more, to learn about working with you, to learn about the incredible resources you provide, just to learn more about, like your perspective of branding, and get into your head and world.


Calvina Nguyen  18:39

I'm pretty active on social media. And so, you know, Instagram, it's your brand Spark, Tiktok at your brand spark. And then I think that if I am such a huge like, like I mentioned, I feel like the foundation is the most important thing. So I if you want to work with me, like, I'm inviting you just to book a call with me, because that foundation and right currently, I mean, it's a free call. I just like, I want people to have that foundation so so much. This is the most important thing when it comes to your business. I feel like this is critical. It is mission critical to have that foundation, because that foundation is a roadmap to your like, even, even in terms of like, where you want to go in your marketing, because where do you want to put your efforts? You know, because when it comes to branding, it's all about like, connecting all the dots and pieces. So if you go to my my website, actually, any of these, like my website, is also your brand spark all over. So, so yeah, look for just book that call, because I would love to be able to to talk to you. That's something that's interesting. If you're curious about your your where your foundation is, who you're talking to, your positioning and all of that stuff. Um. Yeah, that's what I want to that's my heart, the heart of what I want to do.


Emily Merrell  20:04

I love it. Well, I am so grateful for you and for your advice, and also for what you're doing and empowering people in their branding and making it that much more approachable wherever they are in their journey. So thank you for the work that you bring you. Yeah, and with that, we will see you the next time on The Ready Set coach podcast. Thanks for coming. Nina,


Calvina Nguyen  20:27

thank you. Emily, bye.