Freelancer to Founder: Building a Brand with Personality and Purpose

When Cara Chatellier launched Bubbly Creative, she wasn’t chasing buzzwords—she was building a brand rooted in identity, intuition, and intention. On a recent episode of My Weekly Marketing with Janice Hostager, Cara pulled back the curtain on what it means to scale a boutique agency while staying true to your voice and why that voice matters now more than ever.

“If you are starting a business, you have a compelling story because it’s badass to start a business. It’s cool as hell.”

From freelancing in Madrid to leading a women-powered team, Cara’s journey has been anything but traditional. But her path highlights something all business owners should hear: your personality is your brand’s superpower.

Leading with Values, Not Templates

For Cara, working with women-led service brands is more than a niche—it’s personal. Raised in a strong matriarchal family, she naturally gravitated toward supporting women in business.

“You realize these unique struggles and unique powers we have as women. So, wanting to connect with women who own their own businesses and help push their messages forward.”

She shared how many female founders face imposter syndrome that can cloud their branding efforts, and how Bubbly Creative helps them pull clarity from the chaos.

“We ask like a million questions when we get started working with people because sometimes women tend to feel imposter syndrome a little bit more than men do. And as a result, we’re not always as confident in our brand and who we are.”

Turning Strategy Into Connection

Cara’s team uses storytelling to make brands feel personal and trustworthy, especially in industries where things can feel sterile or overly clinical. One standout example? Rebranding a large OB-GYN practice with 30 all-female providers.

“Their website is saying clinical, copy and paste. You’re delivering a baby. That is incredibly vulnerable, and you need someone you can trust. We really need to push that not only are these expert doctors, but they are also people. And they care. And they’re worthy of your trust.”

With a custom strategy including candid photo shoots and personal provider bios, Bubbly Creative helped transform a brand that once felt generic into something deeply human.

“The most important thing about a brand is how you make people feel.”

Personal Brand, Professional Impact

For solopreneurs or small teams wondering how to show up online, Cara had practical advice:

“Take a couple of hours and sit down and talk through: who are we? Why are we doing this? What are the things that matter to us? How do we want people to feel when they interact with our content?”

And for those hesitant to show their face?

“It’s really hard to put yourself out there, but it gets easier and you get better at it. And you might look back in five years and be like, oh my God, remember when I did that? But at least you started.”

Her recommendation? Start small. Use behind-the-scenes moments, lean on storytelling, or even have someone interview you to pull out those golden nuggets.

The Takeaway

Your brand doesn’t need to be loud or polished; it needs to be real. Whether you’re leading a team or going solo, staying rooted in your values and your voice is the key to resonating with your audience.

“You don’t need 10 million followers. You could get 100 followers of people who really support you and who really resonate with your message, and that’s amazing.”

🎧 Listen to the full episode of My Weekly Marketing with Cara Chatellier here:https://myweeklymarketing.com/118