After nearly 30 years in marketing, branding, and creative direction—from billion-dollar corporations clawing for incremental gains to independent retailers thriving on values and service—I’ve come to this conclusion: most people are focused on the wrong part of the build.

We get pulled toward the visual. The branding. The logo. The colours. It’s tangible. You can check it off. It feels like progress. But it’s not the real work.

I love my life. I’m fortunate in more ways than I can count—travel, a lifestyle full of creativity, and a family that means the world to me. But even in the middle of all that, mental health doesn’t play favourites. Some days hit harder than others. And it’s not just bad coffee and long meetings—the internal weight sneaks in uninvited.

I have a lot of great conversations over the course of a day, triggered by various things. One today was on the lines of when starting a service-based business, one of the first steps you'll take is choosing a name—and, along with it, a URL. It might be tempting (and let's face it, it feels logical) to buy a domain that's simply your name. It's easy to remember, personal, and—if you're the face of the brand—it makes sense, right?