The Reluctant Marketer And What Helps Them Move Forward
At the beginning of the summer, Johanna took our Branding For Beginners book to a local market. It wasn’t an official signing. Just a table, lemons & lights for atmosphere, and excitement that the right people would find their way over.
A handful of books were sold that day. As thrilling as that part was, what mattered just as much were the conversations Johanna had with the buyers. One conversation that stood out was the founder and maker of small-batch bone broth… He had a deep passion for what he makes, but was stuck in getting his product out there.
He was, in many ways, a reluctant marketer.
He cares deeply about what he makes, he knows who it is for, and why it mattered... he said he knew the story, but he just didn't know how to communicate it.
And that’s when the conversation shifted.
Because the real question isn’t: How do I market this?
It’s: What’s the story underneath this?
Not just the functional details, but the part that connects. The part that carries your voice and reveals what you care about. The part that shows a customer what vision they’re buying into, not just what they’re buying.
For the founder of the bone broth business, it was not only about his own health journey, but also inspiration of the ancient cultures that used bone both for fuel and as medicine.
Their story wasn’t in their packaging or their websites. But when they shared it, just standing there at the table, something clicked. You could see it in the way people leaned in. Not to be sold to, but to connect.
That’s the thing reluctant marketers often forget:
You’re not just building a brand, you’re building a relationship. That starts with having clarity about why what you do matters. That’s what your Origin Story holds.
The small batch business owners who bought our book that day weren’t looking for a shortcut, they were looking for a starting point.
And maybe, in their own way, they were saying: I don’t want to shout. I just want to be understood.
That’s what we’re here for.
If you’re in that same spot — if you’ve built something that matters but still feel stuck in how to talk about it — we’ve opened up a few spots for a 90-minute Origin Story Sprint.
It’s not a brand overhaul or a done-for-you copy package.
It’s a guided, collaborative session to pull the story out of your head, shape it into something you can actually use, and give you the language to start showing up with more clarity, consistency, and calm.
You don’t have to shout – you just have to start with your Origin Story.
