SAVVY's first year: what I learned about building from identity

“By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it.”

— Franz Kafka

Building a business is like tending a garden. Cliché? Maybe. But also: true. And 2025 taught me why.

When I started SAVVY at the beginning of this year, I had a vision. A conviction. A belief that we need new ways of building businesses in the creative industry — businesses rooted in identity, not industrial logic.

But I didn’t have proof. I didn’t have clients. I didn’t even have a fully formed product yet.

What I had was a seed. And the willingness to plant it.

You can’t pull on the grass

In the first months, I prepared the soil. I built the brand before the product. Tonality. Identity. Mood. The world SAVVY would live in. It felt backward — building a container before I knew exactly what would go inside. But I trusted it.

In March, I launched a first version of my website. A smoke test. More vision than concept. The resonance was quiet. But it was there. Like the first green shoots breaking through soil. And that was enough to keep going.

Then came the hard work. Writing the SAVVY Guide — the framework for The Quiet Revolution. Draft after draft. Wrestling with what I actually believed. Until at some point, it flowed. Like it had been there the whole time. Waiting to be born.

In August, the first cohort started. Three clients. A handful of followers on social media. Everything felt fragile. Like I was learning to trust myself all over again. But I kept watering. Posting. Refining. Showing up. Even when nothing seemed to be happening.

And then — slowly, so slowly I almost didn’t notice — something grew.

What grows in a garden

By the end of the year, I had worked with clients who built Signature Businesses from the ground up. Among them:

A consultancy that found its voice in "New Seriousness" — turning their perspective into thought leadership.

A leadership coach who built her first framework — giving her business a signature that felt unmistakably hers.

A creative publishing project that sharpened its vision into a platform.

Each one different. But the pattern was the same: from scattered to signature. From exhaustion to energy.

And I learned: you can’t force this work. You can’t pull on the grass to make it grow faster. You have to water it. Tend it. Trust the rhythm. Believe in it — even when you can’t see it yet.

That’s what a garden teaches you. Patience. Presence. Trust.

And it’s more rewarding than I ever thought it would be.

Your garden

Our industry is wild right now. The big factories are optimizing with AI. Machines talking to machines. The human factor disappearing. Many are frustrated, insecure about what comes next.

But here’s what I know: 2026 is the time to plant your own garden.

Not to compete with the factories. Not to build faster, louder, bigger. But to build something that’s yours. Something rooted in who you are. Something that grows from identity, not from industrial logic.

A Signature Business.

It won’t happen overnight. You can’t force it. But if you prepare the soil — if you get clear on your identity, your value, your coherence — and if you water it consistently, something will grow. Something bigger than yourself. Something that lasts.

You don’t need a factory. You don’t need a big team. You need clarity. You need coherence. And you need to believe passionately in something that doesn’t exist yet — so you can create it.

Tend your garden in 2026

I’m letting go of the cohort system next year. My work was always 1:1 strategic work — deep, ongoing, rooted. So: no more cohorts. Rolling start. You book when you’re ready.

If you’re ready to plant your garden in 2026 — to build your Signature Business from the ground up — let’s talk. This work matters. And I believe more people will understand why in 2026.

Until then: enjoy the time between the years. Look back. Look forward.

And water your garden.

 Warmly,