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FAQs

Answering lots (and lots) of questions.

The foundations course

  • This is our signature course and it provides the foundational knowledge you will build off for the life of your brand. Learn the three fundamentals — strategy, creative, and marketing. In these three parts, we cover everything you need to know to grow a brand so you can see the big picture, how all the pieces fit, and beat the overwhelm of not knowing what to do next .

  • Most courses teach you how to hustle harder, sell louder, or chase trends. We take the opposite approach: we show you how to create rich experiences around your business so that sales happen naturally. The world is full of options but is short on thoughtful experiences. When you are small brand and doing things you care about, this experience is your superpower.

  • This course is designed to be self-paced so it really fits into your life. Most video lessons are short and focused, under 10 minutes a piece. Expect to spend more time in the workbook than you spend watching each lesson. The more time you have to give, the faster you will complete the course. But you can make meaningful progress in as little as 1–2 hours a week. If you have more time, you can go deeper — but slow and steady works perfectly here.

  • The core course is self-paced — you can move through it whenever it fits your schedule.

  • After our time together, you will leave with:

    • A clear voice and story for your brand

    • A brand identity that feels like you

    • A customized brand map to guide decision making

    • A plan for creating experiences customers love

    • A simple marketing approach that doesn’t feel salesy

    • An approach to brand building you will return to again and again

  • The course is a subscription. As long as you’re a member, you’ll have access to all lessons in The Foundations Course plus all updates, new materials, Q&As, and subscriber exclusives we add along the way. You can cancel anytime.

  • We use the term experience to explain the feeling people get when they encounter your brand. Most interactions with brands are sterile and disconnected. But we lean into your strengths as a small brand and build from that place of experience. The experience framework guides you in creating a brand so genuine and thoughtful, that the selling takes care of itself. Perfect for those who dread feeling salesy in their business.

  • Every video lesson pairs with a workbook full of exercises, examples, guidance, and templates you can apply right away. It’s step-by-step guidance without being cookie-cutter, instead helping you get to your own unique tools and takeaways.

  • There are a total of 48 video lessons in three parts: strategy, creative, and marketing.

  • Each video lesson is paired with workbook exercises, activities, and deep dives to help you develop your own tools and takeaways. There are three workbooks for this course totaling over 200 pages.

  • Both the video lessons and workbooks are designed to be uniquely useful. However they are designed to be paired together — this is the magic alchemy where you get the most out of the course.

Why trust the Thoughtful Brand co.

  • The Thoughtful Brand Co. was created by Ben and Ella — long time business partners and husband and wife. We’ve spent years helping businesses grow authentically through storytelling, brand-building strategy, and creative content creation. We built this course because we wanted to give cottage-industry businesses a way to grow by leaning into their soul instead of selling their soul. Visit our ABOUT page to learn more.

  • We hear you — there are too many “business courses” out there that recycle the same hustle-heavy advice. Or that is all marketing but the content is shockingly lacking. We’ve experience both. And this isn’t that. The Thoughtful Brand Co. is built on a simple, experience-based framework that fits the way cottage businesses naturally grow. It’s practical, human, and built for the long term — not just a quick fix.

  • We understand. We learned the slow way that we like being a small brand and helping small brands. We know what we’re talking about because we’re a small brand too. We’re just out in front of you. So we know what it’s like to juggle your craft, your customers, and your life all under one roof. This course is designed with that reality in mind: clear steps, no fluff, and a pace that works for busy people. It’s not theory — it’s the best of what we’ve seen actually work for small, homegrown businesses.

  • Yes, we want you to feel confident and excited when you opt for a membership which is why we offer a FREE LESSON from the strategy part of The Foundations Course. Watch a video lesson, download the accompanying workbook pages and get a feel for everything before you sign up.

  • More than anything, we believe in experience. The world is full of options, but short on thoughtful experiences. And that is where you come in. To learn more about what we believe, visit our PHILOSOPHY page.

who is this class for

  • The Thoughtful Brand Co. exists to serve cottage industry brands:

    • home-based businesses

    • small batch producers

    • creative entreprenuers

    The cottage industry is both a business philosophy and a way life. As a business approach, it leans into the humanity of the people behind the brands. And as a way of life, it seeks to suit our work to our life, not the other way around.

  • We created the education we wish we’d had when starting our first business. When just starting out, this knowledge and perspective can save you years of frustration and trial-and-error. You may not have an answer for everything we cover in The Foundations Course, but it gives you the jumping off point to find those answers for yourself.

  • The Foundations Course was designed for young brands — from pre-launch through the early years. The benefit of being in business for years is that many of the answers and insights will come much easier to you. If you do not yet have a solid brand strategy, if you struggle knowing what to post, or if you feel overwhelmed with all you have to do — you get a lot of structure and value from this course.

  • Absolutely. Whether you sell at farmers markets, pop-ups, or online, the same experience principles apply. The course covers both in-person and online customer experiences.

  • You don’t need fancy skills or expensive software. We’ll show you simple ways to create a brand experience using what you already have — and when it makes sense to hire help.

Cost + Value

  • The course is $100/month. There’s no long-term commitment, and you can cancel anytime. You will have instant access to all new materials, courses, Q&As, and subscriber-exclusive content without an increase in price. We aim to be your brand building companion and invite you to be a part of The Thoughtful Brand Co. for as long as it’s providing useful education and inspiration for you.

  • For this level of knowledge and production value, similar courses are priced from $1500 to $6500. From the start of building this course, we knew we wanted to do it different. Rather than charge a high ticket price to a few brands you can afford it, we wanted to provide the information to as many authentic-brand-building people like you for a crazy value. We built this deliberately to be the best course for cottage industry brands for the best price.

  • Two reasons. First, it allows us to charge drastically less than we have for brand building consulting in the past. And second, because building a thoughtful brand isn’t a one-and-done task. A subscription allows us to keep updating the course, adding resources, and supporting you in new and useful ways as your business grows.

  • Most people feel immediate clarity and excitement after the first lessons. For others though, it builds steadily as you continually apply what you learn. Think of it like tending a garden: with patience and care, the growth will shows up. It’s natural and inevitable. Be diligent about doing the workbook activities — seeing the insights stack up quickly is both incredibly gratifying and motivating.

  • Yes — but in a way that feels natural. Instead of forcing sales or building funnels, you’ll learn how to create experiences that make customers want to come back and tell their friends. That’s how real, sustainable growth happens.

  • While we do not offer a free trial, we do offer a FREE LESSON so you can preview video lessons and workbook pages. And rather than charging a high price one-time payment that is not refundable, we opted for a subscription. This allows us to continue adding content without increasing the price. And if it doesn’t feel like the right fit, you can cancel anytime. Use it for a month or 12 months or indefinitely, up to you.

  • We’re here to make sure you don’t feel alone in the process. Launching soon, we’ll be posting Q&As to address common sticking points to guide your through it with examples from real brands. Plus you’ll get unlimited access to subscriber only workshops & resources to keep you moving forward. If you ever get stuck, please send us an email at hey@thethoughtfulbrand.co with your lesson and sticking point.