Meet Alexa Wells

We were lucky to catch up with Alexa Wells recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexa, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is not necessarily something that I have figured out how to overcome. I feel like it’s such a constant ebb and flow. The more I grow and experience new things, the more I feel it. There are days when I truly feel like a fraud, and then there are days when I am so confident in my work and what I’m doing.

It’s so incredibly hard to feel the doubt. Constantly comparing yourself to others. There are so many businesses I look up to as I’m working to grow mine. And I think, “Will I ever be as good as them? My work sucks compared to theirs,” etc.

Aside from just the work, I have parental responsibilities that creep in, and the natural guilt that comes with that. So many people work and parent at the same time. It’s HARD, and I know that. But on days when it’s really, really hard, why do I feel like I’m the only one who struggles, or even worse, like I’m the only one who can’t handle it?

(Side note: attempting to scale a business while parenting an infant was a wild choice. But that’s a whole other thing to unpack).

When I do feel the doubt creep in, I have one solid way that I’ve learned to deal. And this is all due to my friend, Leslie Randolph. She is a confidence coach and has really inspired me in the world of imposter syndrome.

I have a sticky note on my monitor that’s been there for almost two years now. It reads, “Your sentences are optional thoughts in your brain.” When I’m feeling it, like REALLY feeling it, this note helps. It’s a reminder that my thoughts are created by me, and only me. No one else is saying, “man, she’s really sucking at this right now.” That’s just me. So when I feel the thoughts creep in, I look at the note, and I remember that because I’m the one who created the thought, I’m also the one that can fix it. I challenge the thought by reminding myself that I am worthy and I am capable. I succeed because I trust myself.

Recognizing the thought and then challenging it is what has given me confidence to move forward in my daily life.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m a brand designer, with a studio called Very Sunny Day. I work with small-medium sized businesses, help them uncover their core purpose, and then put that out into the world creatively. I’ve been designing and branding my whole career. I am not new to the craft, but I am new to business ownership, with Very Sunny Day turning 2 this October.

For the majority of VSD’s existence, I have either been pregnant or parenting our almost 1-year-old. The timing of everything has been kind of wild and intertwined, with VSD and parenting not really existing without each other.

I set out on my own because I wanted to make meaningful things for like-minded clients. I really jive with and find meaning when working with clients who share the same values as me, like putting good work into the world for good reason. I have spent a lot of time and am still learning the art of branding. And I’ve been figuring out over the years how to give back to the world in a way that I can. I know I’m not performing life-saving surgery, but if I’m helping improve the livelihood of a meaningful business? Well, that’s enough for me.

Now that I am a parent, putting work into the world has a new meaning. I care about the world we live in, and that passion has strengthened ever since my daughter came into it. I think having my business constantly intertwined with parenthood has given me a whole new level of, “wow, this really matters.” It’s a really exciting feeling, and my hope is that my clients feel that same energy when working together.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The best advice I ever got was something like, “If you feel that you have more to learn, it’s worth sticking around.” At the time, I was contemplating whether or not to stay at a job or look for a new opportunity. Looking back, it seems like kind of a simple thing. But it has actually informed so many of my work-based decisions.

It’s also kind of driven this realization that one of the most impactful qualities in my journey so far has been a thirst for knowledge. It’s so important to never stop learning, and never assume you know everything. There are nuggets of wisdom everywhere you look, from the obvious places you may seek inspiration to the random moments that just hit you during the day. This has served me so well in accruing the skills I have today, and in finding like-minded clients and partners to surround myself with.

That’s actually a good lead in to the second quality, which is knowing what’s important to you. I didn’t know this right away when starting my business, but it’s become more and more clear as time passes. I get the most joy out of my work when I am working with clients who are also trying to put good into the world. Who are purpose-led. Who care about other humans. Knowing what gets me out of bed in the morning is so crucial to being able to provide really quality work. And keeping that practice has also led me to more and more like-minded clients and partners.

The last quality is empathy. That’s just in life, really, not just in work. We should all strive to be empathetic humans. But from a work perspective, I like to think of myself / my work as an extension of my client. Channeling their passion for their craft is crucial to making sure their brand is put into the world in an authentic way, and you can’t do that if you don’t put yourself in their shoes (or at least try to). Really listen to what they’re trying to tell you, and do your best to execute on that.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I once worked with a team who practiced the “inch wide, mile deep” theory. Meaning, instead of having really base line knowledge on a lot of things, you are the unequivocal expert in these one or two areas. We knew what our strengths were as a team, and we won a lot of business with that mentality.

I think owning a specific strength is something special. Because even if you are an expert in your field, the learning doesn’t stop.

When I first started Very Sunny Day, I wanted the business to be all of the things that I liked. Why not make a profit out of my hobbies, and things I had tried a few times? In addition to branding, I wanted to be able to sell my paintings and promote myself as an artist. I also wanted to expand my experience in wedding invitation and event design because the experiential element of design work has always been fascinating to me.

But I found out very quickly that if you do too much, people don’t know what to latch on to. If you have too many primary concepts, consumers get confused. I preach this idea to every client when we work on their brand. If you can identify the thing that matters most in a brand, and communicate that one thing, you will see success.

So now, I focus on branding with VSD, and I have been on a really fulfilling path this way. It also allows me to really focus on my craft as a designer, and seek out partnerships to fill in the gaps where I am not as skilled, like strategy and copywriting. I love partnering with other experts as a way to produce better work for my clients, instead of trying to do it all myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.verysunnyday.com/
• Instagram: @verysunnyday_studio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/very-sunny-day/