[00:00:00] If you are a health of a Life coach who wants to understand more about how to brand your business, then the guest that I have on the whole Heart of Business short this week is perfect for you.

I’m talking to Aiza from Studio Coya, she is a brand expert, someone who knows everything about brand and businesses, but also about brand and offers. This is such a great conversation. Let’s dive in. 

Laura: So welcome Aiza to the whole Heart of Business Show. It’s really lovely to have you here.

I’m very excited to talk about all things, Brandon. And I’ve looked at your website and it’s amazing and I’ll be, we’ll be telling everyone Yeah. Website address at the end, they’ll go and check you out. But just before we get started, I’d love for you just to share a bit more about yourself, who you are, what your business is about.

Aiza: Yeah. Amazing. Well, thank you for having me first of all. I’m excited to be here too and have a nice little chat about everything. So I’m Aiza I call myself the brand chef. So I’m a brand designer and I own Studio Koya, branding studio, and I basically whip up creme de la creme branding for service providers, coaches who want their signature [00:01:00] offers to sell.

So. I don’t just brand businesses, I also brand offers. And the reason I do both is because I feel like through my own experience and through my clients and everything that branding your offer means that your offer becomes more credible and branding your business means you’re nurturing your overall audience.

So they’re slightly. Two different things and has two different roles. So those are the two things that I basically offer. A little bit more about me. I was born and grew up in Hong Kong and then I moved to the UK for 20 years and then actually moved to Seoul two years ago now. Yeah. So I’m based in Seoul and.

And, and I love it. I love food. So you can see, you know, with my, some of my language and if you check out my website and things like that, I talk about food a lot and I use a lot of food analogies, so I’ll probably sprinkle some in within this interview as well. So, yeah. 

Laura: Yeah, I love that. And I mean, you definitely need to go and check out AAA’s [00:02:00] website ’cause it is, it is wonderful.

I just smiled as soon as I saw it and that, and I love that. And again, I think what’s really great about your website for anyone who goes and visits, I mean, I’ve already got some ideas actually from my website. I’m just looking at yours Amazing though. It’s like really, I, I just think that’s something about seeing.

Seeing how you’ve put all that together and the, and the brand language that you use as well. I think that, which is, which is wonderful, but we’ll come comment on that in a second. But just to get into it for, for, for anyone who’s listening or watching who isn’t super familiar with Brandon, and I think most people kind get like colors, fonts, logos and things.

But I’d love for you to talk a bit more about, you know, what branding actually is when it comes to particularly like coaches and Yeah. Kind of why, why should we be thinking about our branding? 

Aiza: Yeah, I think for coaches there’s that fine line, or I guess mix and blend between having a personal brand versus a business brand.

And I think nowadays it’s mostly going to be a blend because everything’s all about [00:03:00] connection and having a personal touch. So even my own brand has that, right? So in a nutshell, a brand is what other people’s perception of you is. So branding, essentially, I are the things that you do to influence people’s perception.

So of course you can’t tell people what to think and what to say about you, but you can influence it. So in different ways, through visuals, through language, through communication, all of that stuff contributes to your branding, which then helps people see you as a brand. Yeah. 

Laura: Yeah, yeah. Love that. That is such a, a, a great explanation of that.

So obviously we, we wanna be thinking about this because it can have a big impact on a massive impact, really, when, when we’re thinking about how potential clients and people are seeing your business and, and, and, and what they’re taking from the stuff that you’ve put now. So obviously it’s kind of, [00:04:00] kind of, kind of an important thing that we wanna be thinking about when it comes with branding as well.

You know, how do you see it, the role in terms of helping people stand out? ’cause I, I think at the moment a lot of coaches feel like there’s a lot of other coaches that the, you know, that the market is a little bit saturated and, you know, I’m, I’m guessing that Brandon can help with that, but I’d love to get your take on, on how Brandon intentionally can help with that.

Aiza: Yeah. So I see it as like when you’re walking along a street. You pass some restaurants, your branding is almost, it can act as the storefront. Yeah. So when someone walks by and they’re like, Ooh, this restaurant looks good. They’re not seeing the actual food that’s coming out, you know, that’s being delivered to your table or what, what’s cooking?

Cooking up? They’re just like forming that first impression. So branding is really important for that first impression. It informs what. A client can expect [00:05:00] from you. Yeah. Just by looking at you, you know? Yeah. When you walk past a shop, you’re gonna be like, oh yeah, I think it will be like kind of like this.

And there’s no right or wrong way to do it. It’s more understanding what you wanna say and how you want to come across. Having that foundational understanding will really help you know how to show up in terms of your visuals and your brand. 

Laura: Yeah. No, that’s brilliant. Yeah. And, and and yeah, I love that analogy of the, of the store fund.

’cause I think that’s exactly how it is, isn’t it? And it all, I suppose as well, another element of branding that’s just popped into my head is that it’s probably a good way to call in the right fit people and pel people who are not the right fit as well. 

Aiza: Exactly. And then just to continue that analogy.

Yeah. Like when someone walks across and sees your storefront and they’re like, oh, this is interesting. I want to try it. The inside, whatever you serve, like your offer. And your coaching, whatever you’re offering Yeah. Should align and how you even, how you offer it and you know, how you [00:06:00] onboard them or like what’s included in your package and off board and all of that, and you know, and every touch point that they come across.

Should be cohesive and consistent. 

Laura: Yeah. 

Aiza: Because you don’t want your storefront, your branding to be misleading. And then when they come and experience things with you, it’s like, oh, there’s that disconnect. That’s where trust gets broken. Yes. And ideally we want the branding to build the trust. Right. We, we think of branding a lot of times as an external thing because it’s like, oh, marketing like posts and designing visuals on your website and things like that.

And I. Think it’s also really important to carry it through throughout your whole process, end to end as well. Maybe it’s not as overt when it comes to delivering things, but there are little nuances or things to think about. So again, like having that initial understanding 

Laura: Yeah. 

Aiza: Will help you be able to like sprinkle those things throughout your whole 

business and what you [00:07:00] offer. 

Laura: Yeah. No, I love that. I think that’s really good. And I think you’ve, you’ve partly answered this question, I think with, with that because the next thing I was gonna ask you about is kind of at what point. Should you be really thinking about? And, and, and I think most coaches, you know, when they start the businesses, do, you know, certainly when they have a website, they do start to think a little bit about Brandon.

So they might think about like a logo and colors and fonts, you know, like that kind of thing. And I think it, that initial starting point, you know, a lot of it’s di wide or a lot of it’s camera and things, but I’m really interested on your take in terms of what, what kind of, what would be happening in someone’s business or what.

Would you be identifying as like, actually now’s a really good time to start to look at my branding a bit more intentionally or a bit more seriously and maybe investing more in it or, or going through a process and really thinking more about it. What would be the things that would indicate to you for someone’s business that it was a good time to do that?

Aiza: So I like to think about it in from two angles. One is from the coaches, like your own. So if you are [00:08:00] thinking there’s a disconnect, I don’t like it. It’s not reflecting who I am or what I offer or what I do. That’s one of the big red flags. Caveat is here, some people might get bored of their branding or, you know, it is just like, oh, I just wanna Cheunge, like shiny object syndrome.

Yeah. I wanna Cheunge something because. Something else isn’t working and I think the visuals will help, but a lot of times it’s that gut feeling of I’ve outgrown my branding. It’s not looking and feeling similar to how I show up or how I offer or what I offer. That’s really important to have that alignment.

And then the other angle is from your client’s point of view. So like you said earlier, right, if they are passing your storefront and your ideal clients aren’t coming in, that means there’s something that’s not quite grabbing their attention or their attention is elsewhere and they’re not gravitating towards you, even though you know that [00:09:00] what you’re offering is really aligned with what they need.

So again, it’s finding. It’s understanding if there’s a disconnect. And if there is, then that’s the point where you start looking at what’s missing. And a really important thing here is also to. Figure out what you, you want your branding to do for you. Yeah. I would say like, it’s, it’s really important for your branding to have a job.

Laura: Yeah. 

Aiza: Because otherwise it, it’s just pretty, like, we, we want branding to, whether it’s connect with clients more or you feel more confident to show up, you know, you’re not like, oh, I’m embarrassed to share my website. Like, let, let’s not do that. Yeah. Or, or keep apologizing every time. Or, you know, you, you wanna call in the right clients.

You, you want the experience to be better so that you can charge higher prices. There’s always a reason for having certain types of, or building branding. And then there’s different ways to look at it and achieve those [00:10:00] types of goals. 

Laura: Yeah, no, no, I think that makes loads of sense. Definitely. And I was really interested what you mentioned earlier on, ’cause it’s one of those things that.

’cause I’m so into the world of coaches, but I kind of forget about the difference between like a business band and a personal brand. And as you say, I think for most coaches that is very, very porous. But I’d, I’d love to know what your thoughts are on whether or not you think it’s, it’s a blend or should people be, or, or what would be the decision making process? I think for most coaches because of connection, there does need to be a lot of them in there. And I think it goes into what you were saying there about that, that, the branding feeling consistent.

’cause I think ultimately people are having that experience with you, aren’t there, but I mean, have you got any, any thoughts for, for people around kind of helping them. Think about that process intentionally. ’cause I think what a lot of people, what a lot of coaches do is they think more about the business brand because it’s a bit scary and vulnerable to kind of put themselves into that.

And then they down the line, they be, they feel this kind of disconnect or, or maybe they think more about the branding in terms of what [00:11:00] other people think rather than how it feels to them. 

Aiza: Yeah. I think, for a coach. The integration needs to be there, like you said. Yeah. Because especially if you’re the one coaching your clients.

Yeah. Then that makes sense to have your personality in there. And if you work with a brand designer, yeah. They should know that. Your own individual personality and bringing that out in the branding is super important. I, I think, I like to think of it as dials. So like how much of the per personal side do you wanna dial up versus dial down?

Yeah. And then how much of a business quote unquote business you want to dial up and dial down. And I think it really depends on. You know what type of coach you are. Yeah. I think some people are like, okay, I, I’m here to serve my clients. Like my personality doesn’t come into play. So I’d rather showcase myself as a business to help you.

Other people, you know, they, they wanna come across as, I’m the connection here. I’m here to [00:12:00] help and I’m the individual that can help you. Yeah. So being personable, having your personality really helps. You connect with your clients. Yeah. So you need to bring that out in your branding. For example, like myself, I dial up the personal because I find it fun and I’m the one designing your branding.

Yeah. So I don’t see the a reason to. Dial that down, because actually that’s an asset for me. Yeah. And if that’s an asset for you as a coach, then you could use that to your 

advantage. 

Laura: Yeah, yeah. No, absolutely. Yeah, and I think, again, like people get worried about how much of themselves are put in, but my advice has always been around, you know, people like for clients and, and, and with.

You know, when they are thinking about who to work with or, you know, sometimes they don’t even think that they’re actually looking for a coach, it’s just that they form that connection with someone. And I think Brandon’s such an important way to be available for that to happen. So I think it’s, it’s a great process.

And, and then I know that a lot of coaches, [00:13:00] you know, obviously that they’re getting to their coaching and the great amazing coaches, but then they get into the business stuff and it’s like, oh my God, this is all kind of like wheel of my head. And one of the things I often hear from my clients is that they’re not particularly.

Visual or, or they wouldn’t call themselves creative. I always think that everyone’s creative in some way, shape, or form, but they wouldn’t kind of see themselves as being creative. So when it comes to thinking about the branding intentionally, they really don’t know where to 

start or what kind of questions they should be asking themselves.

With any of it. Have you got any advice for people if, you know, perhaps they are just starting to think bit more, bit more intentionally about the branding, but they’ve got no idea where they should even start with that? 

Again. Coming back to the Venn diagram. 

Yeah. 

Aiza: It’s about you and about your clients.

Yeah. So I like to uncover any and all stories behind both the business and the coach and the brand and, and the person behind the business. And I, when I talk to my clients and I, I always do a strategy session first. Yeah. Because I wanna understand what’s underneath everything. [00:14:00] And I guess the key here is to try and find.

Through lines. Or personalities that you want to dial up. Yes. So it’s like, oh, thi this little nugget here. Like, I like this. Yeah. So maybe I can run with it or I have this thought or this hot take or this part of my story Yeah. That I really wanna bring out. So. There are key things that you can pick out.

So, you know, I always say like, just if you want write, get a notebook out. Write down your whole journey, your whole stories, ups and downs, all of it. Yeah. And then get a highlighter and start highlighting things and see if there’s any patterns in there. And then do that for your clients as well. Yeah.

What are your favorite clients? What do they love doing? Like what’s their story? 

And then highlight that as well. And then, and then compare the two. There might be fun things that you can see that it’s like, oh. Is the same for me and my client. And then yeah, that’s where the connection point comes in.

Yeah. And then you can reveal that and bring that out more in [00:15:00] your branding. 

For example, most of my clients love food. 

Laura: Yeah. Yeah. And again, it’s one of those things, isn’t it? About looking at your branding and thinking you are naturally gonna attract. There’s, you know, you can kind of see. That there’s gonna be certain people who are attracted to your work because of the way that you’re branded.

And I, and I think that, that, that’s like the takeaway, isn’t it? I mean, one of the big takeaways for branding for me is I think that you’ve got a real opportunity to like call in the right people with what it is that you put out there, but, but not by having to necessarily like manufacture something that isn’t who you are as well.

It’s kind of a weird, isn’t it? Yeah, 

Aiza: it’s definitely about who you are and also what you’re comfortable with sharing. ’cause sometimes there might be something really compelling in your story that you’re like, you know, I know this will connect, but I’m not comfortable sharing that side of me.

And, and if you’re not, then you, you’ll always hold back or, you know, you, you won’t wanna show up or you . You’d step back and, and, you know, just be a little bit [00:16:00] guarded. 

My goal with working with clients is to always have them feel good. Really love their branding. 

So that they can do their job.

then the branding is just there to help them. Yeah. And to facilitate any conversations or you know, anything that they do. Any communication. Yeah. ’cause it’s ultimately helping you communicate with your audience and with your clients. Yeah. 

Laura: Yeah. 

And also I think these days as well, in terms of like your visual branding.

It’s so it’s everywhere, isn’t it? When you think about how visual all of these platforms are from, from your Instagram content to your YouTube thumbnails, to your obviously to your website, like it, it kind of goes into everything, doesn’t it? So, you know, it’s, it’s just one of those things that’s so prevalent and I think you know, when I think about the branding for my business and just how much stuff is branded, like, you know, I, I, I think it just goes to show, like, being intentional with your brand and, and being prepared to invest in that can be really, really powerful because it is in so many touch points of your [00:17:00] business.

Aiza: Yeah. And I also think that, you know, a lot of people, like you said earlier have an idea of what branding is. It’s like color palette, fonts, and like these types of imagery. And I have to stick to them like, so that I can be super, super consistent. But there are ways and I guess it depends on the platform.

Yeah. It depends on the way of you, your communication, whether it’s via email or via reel or via TikTok like. You can put as much or as little in there as long as there is something in there. I think, you know, whether it’s like a typeface or even some words that you use, like sometimes I have content that is just me talking and you know, there’s no visuals around it.

I have a podcast too, so it’s like, well, no one can see any of my branding, but the things that I talk about links back to. What my brand is about and, and has those kind of, I guess, undertones and that foundation there. Yeah. So that’s why I mentioned earlier that [00:18:00] knowing your foundation is super important.

Yeah. ’cause you’ll then find it a lot easier to integrate things in. And, and then your creativity will come out. Yeah. Like you said, right. Like you can creatively insert things everywhere. 

Laura: Yes. 

Aiza: And that takes practice. 

Too. Like for me it was always like, oh, can’t copyright. I hate writing copy. And it’s just like, over time it’s like, yeah, I know.

I just need to do it more and then it’ll get better and better. 

Laura: Yeah. Is that the way? So many things. 

Aiza: Yeah. 

Laura: Yeah. It’s, yeah. It’s yeah, but I think, I think that that’s a good a good little takeaway there, isn’t it? It gets easy when you do it. So anything that people are putting off, you know, it just get easier the more you do it.

But I really wanted to talk as well, ’cause I know that you talked about kind of like the business branding and the signature offer branding, and I know a lot of coaches do develop like signature systems and methods, signature group program, signature coaching packages. So I’d love to hear a bit more, I know you were saying there about the differences between the two.

I’d love [00:19:00] to you just talk a bit more about what that looks like, what you should be thinking about with each one and how they connect as well. 

Aiza: Yeah, so I see. Branding your business as a nurture tool, like I said before. Yeah. So, and then your offer is the thing that you sell.

Yes. So you wanna brand it so that you can talk about it, show it off, and have a visual difference. So when you’re launching or when you’re talking about your package, something in your audience’s head is like, oh, she’s talking about. Her actual offer, like how to work with this person? 

Laura: Yeah. 

Aiza: Instead of just like, oh, here are, you know, my, my thought leadership things or like, things you can think about and here’s what my brand is about and you know, these are the types of people that, you know, resonate with me.

Yeah. So that’s the difference there. The analogy that I like to use, it’s like going to Disney World. Then you have all the different lands Yeah. In there. 

Laura: Yeah. 

Aiza: So they’re [00:20:00] all branded differently. Yeah. Look at them as like their own little thing. They can be siloed and be by themselves, but then you know, when you’re in Disneyland that everything in there is Disneyland.

Yeah. 

Laura: Yeah. I love 

Aiza: that. So that’s how I think about offers. And obviously Disneyland has a lot of them, but I think I normally say brand one signature offer. At least to start. Yeah. Because that then builds your muscle and also you, you start knowing like, oh, what constitutes as a signature offer? 

Laura: Yeah.

Aiza: And if, if that’s the key thing that you sell, if you have a signature group program, or Yeah. A, a one-to-one package, then. That’s probably your key thing. Yeah. Like either it’s the thing that makes you the most money or the thing that you know is your front facing offer. Yeah. That you offer most people that come.

Yeah. 

Laura: Yeah. Yeah. No, I think that’s great. And I, and I love the analogy with Disneyland because I think that the thing, isn’t it, so [00:21:00] we we’re kind of talking about it being distinctive from the rest of your brand, but not like in another universe. 

Aiza: Yes, exactly. Yeah, exactly. Like you can, you know, call them sister brands or, 

Laura: yes.

Aiza: I like to see it as like. Umbrella. Yeah. Like your, your business brand is the umbrella and then your, your offer kind of sits underneath it or sits next to it. And it’s still related. There are things that you can still see that are Okay. Yeah. That’s related to, you know, your main brand and you can see the link.

Yeah. So like my example for my own signature offer which is the offer oven. 

Laura: Yeah. 

Aiza: It’s all. Oven themed and bread and baking bread themed. Yes. So I have a framework called Rise. I, I use the bread emoji whenever I talk about oven. 

Laura: Yeah. 

Aiza: Like, you know, I have little merch type things that have oven gloves and aprons and stuff, whereas my overall business brand is about food.

Like that’s what I [00:22:00] talk about. And, and the analogies that I’ve used. So that’s kind of stands alone, but then it’s also linked back to my main brand. Yeah. And I think that’s a, that’s a nice way to have a tie in. It doesn’t have to be like a theme or something. Yeah. It can be your visuals that are slightly different.

One of my clients Rachel Emma wearing, she’s, she’s a sales consultant. And her brand is all about. Light. But then her signature offer about launching, luminous launching is other worldly. So the things that we Cheunged are more like a, a color difference. Yeah. So you can immediately tell that she’s talking about something different.

Yeah. But there are elements that are still the same between the main brand and the offer brand as well. So many different ways to do it, but that’s basically how I would look at it. 

Laura: No, that’s really interesting. It’s not something that I thought about much actually, about that difference and about how using that [00:23:00] distinctiveness with your signature offer and is a way to kind of get people to know that this is like, oh, we’re talking about this now.

This is different. We’re in, we’re in this launch. Or we’re, you know, she’s talking about this. And I think that’s a really great reminder about, about being able to do that and using that as a tool, using the visuals as a tool and that and that. 

Aiza: Yeah, exactly. It’s using it as a tool. Yeah. Right. You don’t wanna just brand your offer for.

For branding its sake again. It’s like it needs a reason to be there. Yeah. And the reason for it is to help you sell. Yeah. And the, the main reason to brand the offer is actually it’ll help you talk about it a lot easier. You can create assets a lot easier ’cause it has its own look and feel. 

Laura: Yeah. 

Aiza: And then once you do it more, your clients will then start recognizing it.

And it’s almost like a inside insider thing that like, oh, we know about it. Like good feeling as well. I 

Laura: absolutely love that. And, and just to say as well, the, you, they having an emoji for your, for your, for your, for your offers. I’ve got that for one of mine that I always use the same emoji for one of my [00:24:00] offers.

But yes, I love that. So we about emoji and audience will recognize it, right? Yeah. Like, oh, we should put that emoji as. Like, okay. Yeah, I know she’s talking about that. Yeah. Yeah. So there we go. Tip, use emojis, use emoji. But thank you so much Aizaac for today. This has been really, really fascinating.

And and like I say, everyone has got to go and check out your website because it’s wonderful and it’s a really great example of a lot of the things that we’ve talked about actually right there. So, would you like to tell people where they can find you online and how they can learn more about you and your work?

Aiza: Yeah, definitely. So I’m Studio Koya, CoyaA everywhere. So I’m mostly on Instagram threads as well. And my website is studio koya.com. And yeah, I, I love chatting all things branding. So. If you have any questions or wanna talk about anything further, like definitely just pop me a DM and also anything food related as well.

I’m always up for that. And I also have a free quiz. 

Laura: Yeah. 

Aiza: As well. If you wanted to take it. It’s basically a. Figuring out [00:25:00] where you are on your branding journey so you can see like what are the next steps you might wanna take. So that might be a good next step. 

Laura: Brilliant. And we’ll make sure that the link for that is all in the description and show notes for everyone to go and check out.

But yes, please do go and check out Eyes’ stuff ’cause it is brilliant. It’s been really inspiring to me. Have a look at and it’s just so much fun. It’s like, again, I think, you know, sometimes we kind of like lose the fun in business and I think it’s like a branding is such a, yeah. Creative like way to just bring in some fun back if, if that’s it, if that’s your vibe, you know?

But I think for most people, 

Aiza: yeah, exactly. It’s all about bringing your personality into it, whatever it may be. And, you know, I I, I hate the using the word authentic because it means so many different things, but it’s, it’s bringing. A side of you out that you want to showcase. 

Laura: Yeah. 

Aiza: And then to create that connection.

That’s all. That’s all it is. It’s, it’s another way for people to connect with you and if it genuinely [00:26:00] reflects who you are, it really helps with calling in the right people. Yeah. 

Laura: Yeah. I love that. Thank you. So thank you so much for being on the short. It’s been wonderful. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks 

Aiza: for having me.