Owning a small business takes courage—and a whole lot of self-awareness. As we reflect National Small Business Week and Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re honoring the highs, challenges, and very real emotional load of entrepreneurship.
At Concetti, we believe design is about more than just aesthetics—it’s about alignment. When your brand reflects who you are, it can bring clarity, confidence, and calm to the often chaotic world of small business ownership. That’s why our collaboration with Sam Schmuck, owner of Revived Living and stress management coach, is so meaningful.Together, we created a brand identity in Phase 1 and graphic design assets in Phase 2 that are grounded, human, and aligned with her mission.
But the relationship didn’t stop there. As Sam was investing in her brand, Concetti was investing in our team—bringing her on as our wellness coach. Working with her over the past few years has been a game-changer for our internal culture, and for how we show up for the small business community we serve.
To explore the connection between mental health and brand clarity, we sat down with Sam (for a second time) and Rachel, our CEO, for a candid Q&A. Let’s dive in.
Hi Sam! We’re excited to catch up with you today. Let’s start with: How does a strong brand identity impact your mental health as a small business owner?
Sam: It gives me so much mental peace and saves a ton of time when trying to create new graphics. I love that I have so much more clarity and confidence knowing that my brand is speaking to my values and the feelings I want to convey when new clients are finding me. It's so easy to see different templates in Canva and choose a different style every time and now I don't have to worry about that!
We’re so happy we could help provide that clarity and confidence. How do you see your new brand impacting the success of your business and the experience your clients have?
Sam: Besides having more confidence to share my digital assets and grow a bigger online presence, it gives my clients a cohesive experience and taste of what they will feel like working with me even before they book a service or join a program. Plus, a clearer brand identity will be helpful for attracting more aligned collaborations.
Why should small businesses invest in branding?
Sam: Because it is a part of your business! Brand is not something just for big corporations. No matter the size of your business it's that step beyond what you sell that creates connection with your customers and long-time raving fans.
Rachel, we’d love to start this conversation off with the same question we asked Sam – how does a strong brand identity impact your mental health as a small business owner?
Rachel: Wow! I love this question! We all want to feel seen and heard and the same goes for our business. A strong brand identity captures your brand persona and translates it into verbal and visual expressions. So often as a business owner, we are so caught up in the passion for industry, and speak in jargon that we often can't see the trees through the forest. It all feels so important to us that we need to work with a brand partner who can reflect back to us what they are hearing. It is a soulful experience. Having gone through a rebrand for Concetti it means everything. And having worked with many small business owners on their brand, it's a very powerful experience. To sit there and hear and see your brand come to life, the things you’ve been trying to say, the messages you’ve been trying to get across, the feeling you want people to feel, to see it come together in front of your eyes is incredible! Remember your brand is an extension of YOU!
How has investing in a wellness coach impacted your mental health as a business owner?
Rachel: Your business is an extension of yourself because it is your vision and your passion. So anything you are doing for yourself is going to show up in the business. I would say the biggest impact it has had is the ability to regulate my nervous system. It is so easy to slip into fight and flight mode when you are making big decisions daily. Building an awareness around what my body is feeling has empowered me to regulate my nervous system. Feeling the rush of emotions, letting it pass and then making a decision from a grounded place, instead of a reactive one, is a game changer.
How does it impact your team?
Rachel: Having Sam work with the team has been a dream come true. The fact is we spend so much of our lives working, so to have it be a place where we can be our full selves is important to me. Having come from many years of being in the performing arts, teamwork is ingrained in my DNA. I love when a group of people can come together to achieve great things. One of the things that I realized through working with Sam was that I was still treating life like I was preparing for world championships that never came. I am so grateful and proud of my work ethic and realized that it is equally important to pause and reflect on successes as a team and set intentions for the next quarter to create camaraderie and focus. No one wants to feel like there’s an endless to do list that never gets done, you will burn out. Sam works with the team on a quarterly basis where we either have a VIP day or a Concetti retreat. It is something the team looks forward to. And I love hearing how the work we do together is positively impacting their personal lives as well.
How does this culture approach allow your team to better serve your clients and other small businesses in the community?
Rachel: I think we’ve all heard the saying you can’t pour from an empty cup. It all starts with taking care of yourself first, taking care of the team, so we can show up fully for our clients and other professional partners. We talk a lot about having an empathetic journey, everyone’s experiences valid. And it is our responsibility to be self reflective and how we are showing up, doing what we say we’re going to do, and not stop until we’re proud of the work we’re doing. Because when we can all be ourselves, more good goes out into the world. It is a ripple effect that can surely be felt.
Ready to feel more aligned and less overwhelmed in your business? Let’s create a brand that supports your goals and your mental well-being—schedule a call with our team to get started.