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Happy New Year, lovely readers!

I’m so happy I made it to 2025—I’m so ready for this! Because, let me tell you, December was mèh. After playing supermom during exam season (the kids did well!), I got sick over the holidays, and to top it off, I spent the first day of the year in the emergency room with one of those mini-me’s. So, hello 2025! I feel great (again), I feel energized, and I’m ready for a year that’s exciting and filled with (hopefully, mostly positive) surprises. I hope you are too?

The bright side of my chaotic December? I had time to think. And I’m again taking steps closer to the story I really want to share with the world. That’s why I’ve updated the subtitle of this newsletter:

The Newsletter that Helps You Build a Brand People Trust and Loooove

You like it? I hope so, because that will be the focus here: learning how to build a strong brand that stops competing on product features or prices. Instead, it’s about building connections that keep people coming back. It’s better for sales (let’s not rely completely on paid ads), easier for marketing (customers will want to come back), creates stronger teams… The advantages really are endless.

In short: with his free newsletter, I’m here to help you humanize your brand and give it a soul and a heart. That’s so important in this age of AI, where standing out in the noise is harder than ever. Plus, Gen Z buyers are far more likely to buy from brands they’re fans of than from random ones. Plus, people buy from people, right?

There are so many reasons to focus on building a strong brand, and I’m here to guide you through it. Are you in? Just stick around—it’s 👏 going 👏 to 👏 be 👏 great! 👏👏

➡️ Brandlove : All I want …

… are great ads.

I’m so happy Christmas is behind us again. This ad for Apple headphones says it perfectly: “All I want for Christmas is not to hear this song.”

Simple, powerful, and instantly relatable. That’s the magic of a great ad—it grabs your attention and makes you feel something.

BTW, I’m a big fan of the genius agency behind this ad : The Ad Professor. They’re masters at creating ads that stick.

➡️ Copywriting : about that tagline

Remember I changed the tagline of this newsletter into:
The Newsletter that Helps You Build a Brand People Trust and Loooove

Did I also tell you that creating a tagline is deceptively hard?
You not only want it to grab attention, it has to say everything that matters, and still be short enough to stick. And I’m not really short in words (more of a longread writer here 👋) But Albert Einstein once said: “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough 🤷‍♀️
So I went through countless versions.
Some felt too vague, others too specific.
And then there’s the constant nagging thought: Is this the one?

This was the number one rule I kept in mind
Focus on the effect, not just the action.
A tagline isn’t about what you do, it’s about the transformation you bring.

I used frameworks like:
“I help [my audience] achieve [a concrete goal]” 
or “I guide [my audience] toward [a clear outcome] without [a common frustration].” Eventually, I landed on something that felt true:
The Newsletter that Helps You Build a Brand People Trust and Loooove

Even now, I’m not 100% convinced it’s perfect, but that’s the beauty of copywriting: it evolves.

What’s your tagline? Have you nailed it yet? 😊

➡️ Life is a cycle of problems

With everyone wishing each other a happy new year (and mine starting with the kid in the hospital), it made me grab back to a visual I published here earlier.

I had some people saying: “Oh, your year isn’t starting well,” or “That promises a lot for 2025 if this is how it begins.” Well, Alexander Hormozi has this theory about life being a cycle of problems… and solutions, of course. That’s what makes us grow.
Don’t chase a problem-free life, because that doesn’t exist. You will always have some ‘problems,’ big ones and small ones. Chasing solutions is what makes life your life.
That idea always comforts me and helps me put things into perspective.

You know what they say: “Heaven is the road to heaven,” and I couldn’t agree more.
The journey, the process, the how - that’s where the magic happens!

➡️ How can you work with me

Speaking of the how, here’s how you can work with me:
(Thank you, holidays, for giving me the headspace to outline and clarify my products and offers!)

1. Brand & Beyond Mentorship
   For entrepreneurs who need a strategic partner and fresh perspectives to solve challenges and grow.

2. Humanizing Your Brand
   Helping companies connect with people by building brands they feel, not just see.

3. Personal Branding
   For individuals looking to build a presence people trust, love, and remember.

P.S. I’m opening space for a long-term project (2 days/week), because deep dives into brands are my sweet spot. It’s a rare chance to work closely and make real impact. Agenda’s are ruthless, let’s talk before it’s gone! :-)

➡️ To read

1. Go read the book(s) of Hormozi if you haven’t already. Seriously, don’t miss them!

2. I read a lot of nonsense novels during the holidays, just to clear my head. My only tip: everyone should do this once in a while. Step back, do something different, it clears your mind and opens the door to fresh perspectives.

3. Recently, I subscribed to Medium. OMG, so much info! But I love it. These days, I read fewer newspapers and more Medium articles. They give me energy and insights instead of anger and disappointment.

4. The business book I’m currently reading is De Ritchie Story by founder Jan Verlinden. I haven’t finished it yet, but what stands out is the passion you feel through the story. Sure, it could’ve been written a bit smoother, but seeing someone launch a second career as an entrepreneur after a successful corporate life? That’s inspiring. A great reminder: anything is possible if you keep cracking the cycle of problems!

Happy New Year & see you next week!

x Ingrid