Meet Emily Paulsen: Founder of Electric Collab
We want to know about you! Tell us about your background.
I have over a decade of brand development & digital marketing experience with a range of brands including Abercrombie & Fitch, The Wendy’s Company & scrappy-to-successful start-ups. As a Brand Strategist, Brand Manager, Visual Designer, Marketing Director & certified UX Designer, (brag) I've spent over 14 years honing the ability to unify brands, decipher owner problems, articulate value & whip words into magnetic messages. TLDR: I help entrepreneurs build authentic brands that deeply connect with clients.
Tell us about your business! Give us your 30-second pitch
Translating your unique expertise into a cohesive brand you feel wildly proud of. After over a decade in the brand & marketing industry, I founded Electric Collab in the spring of 2021 to help talented entrepreneurs expand their business potential with a brand that matches the incredible quality of their work. Consider this a one-stop shop for a powerful brand that feels like you - where design, words & websites meet.
What made you decide to start a business?
My name is Emily, and I’d rather be dead than vanilla. (!) That’s a tad dramatic, but I do distain the idea of being just like everyone else. I’m not sure where I get off wanting to be so original, yet it feels of the utmost importance. Considering this aversion to conformity, with the exception of canned vanilla frosting, I really started Electric Collab to amplify the original, interesting entrepreneurs building businesses that deserve to last. We’ve been living in the workplace age of watering down women’s words for a while, (forever?) & I’m ready to unravel the professional veil that often blocks our boldest ideas. You have something to offer that somebody really needs, & you don’t have to morph into someone else to share that brilliance, profitably.
What advice would you give to a new entrepreneur?
Staying curious & inquisitive is more important than being strategic.
What has been the most challenging part of running a business?
Maintaining an even balance, devoting the right amount of time to every necessary task without becoming "obsessed" with one piece of the business while others slip into the background. There's always more that could be done, so it can be challenging to keep everything moving simultaneously.
What about your business makes you most excited? What is your biggest accomplishment to date?
The endless potential feels endlessly exciting! My favorite thing about owning a business is the reality that the possibilities are limitless. The number of people we can serve, depth of impact we can have, amount of money we can make...it's thrilling to think about.
What is a common misconception about your work?
That I make logos all day. :) Design grabs attention, strategy helps you stand out, messaging moves people to buy. They all need to work together. A cohesive brand, rooted in who you are, specifically designed to resonate with the clients you want, is the key to attracting perfect-match people, on repeat....which requires much more than pretty art.
What podcasts are you listening to?
The Rich Roll Podcast, HN Haus Podcast, The Spiritual Investor, The Great Indoors.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Watching 90's teen dramas in the background while doing creative work.
How can we follow you?
Want to Be Featured Too?
Thanks so much, Emily, for sharing your story! Want to share yours as well? Feel free to reach out! We’d love to meet you.