Living your life according to what you are and believe it’s not a piece of cake, never has been and will never be, regardless of what gurus say. Authenticity is the new black. Following your intuition to make your dreams happen and being your most genuine and raw self can be terrible. You struggle within, your private team of naysayers is pointing at you to make you stop. You are challenged by your family and friends who say: Are you crazy or something? Yeah, or something …

All of these things happened to me when I made the decision of quitting my academic job to pursue my passion for making people feel and look stunning, and authentic through online branding. But, what choice do youhave but to keep going? The journey hasn’t been easy, but I’m grateful for the support of my hubby, friends and a few coaches.

Along the journey, someone wise said to me one day: your life is your message. You’re showing your kid (and others), with actions, that if he wants and decides, he can be and do whatever he wants. No one needs to be stuck in a place of unhappiness; you can change your destiny, even if you fail, rise and rise again.

These are my words to you to too: Your life is your message and the only one worth living. It’s not about living in la-la land; you must feel right about it, do the work and live up to the responsibilities. Even if you feel awkward, imperfect, have that hot mess feeling of not knowing what you’re doing – the imperfect legacy!

So, tell me, beautiful, what was a major life change you’ve been through? What are your best supporters? Let’s support each other’s dreams and spread gratitude for the ones that love you for what you are.

How do you take your coffee? Expresso, Latte, Bica, Pingado, Cappuccino, Cortado, Carajillo, Café con leche? I found interesting that coffee blends and the ways we name them around the world represent different languages, cultures, and heritages. 

So with so many coffee brands out there, how do you make your choice? Meet C2-interiors.com, not your everyday-coffee-brand! And, here’s why.

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style” ― Maya Angelou. When the About page starts a quote like that, you know you’re off to a great start! A good quote is an excellent way to infuse personality — it resonates with your beliefs, shows the owner’s vision on the brand’s personality, and how they want you to make you feel when working with them. In a nutshell: it tells their story.  

Connecting with an audience begins with piquing their fascination with your brand.  Get them sucked into your story and visuals so they can’t stop reading your website, page after page. Once you connect and nurturing it on your social media, for instance, and other brand touching points, sooner or later, they’ll buy from you. If engagement isn’t made within seconds of the first contact, readers click on something else and most probably never come back. Harsh, but true! Back to C2-interiors.com, the more you learn about them, the more you’re going to love them! 

C2-interiors.com’ story is simple: it was born from Eddie Corner vision, who has a passion for coffee and interior design. She took her love and combined with their business and branding know-how, and C2-interiors.com was born! 

Like all good businesses, C2-interiors.com has grown and evolved over the years, from a lovely brick and mortar coffee shop to an online store. She managed all of this while raising both kids and dogs, so brave! Eddie brought their life experiences into their brand and created an unforgettable experience for everyone that buys from them. The power of creative minds!

How does she manage to make that experience just so memorable? C2-interiors.com is more than just an online coffee shop, and more than just another interior design company, it takes aspects of both and comes up with a unique idea. You’re not buying just their coffee. Yes, the coffee is organic, local and tasty, but with C2-interiors.com, you’re buying the experience of sipping delicious coffee in a beautifully designed home. C2-interiors.com elevates the experience of drinking a regular coffee in the morning before dropping the kids off at school into something truly special. A comfortably designed home with pieces you love, the beautiful paint you look at while drinking the coffee, the cups and accessories you make the coffee. Isn’t it real world magic? 

Those experiences are priceless; we feel good, it feels right, we start the day inspired and relaxed, and want to keep that feeling for us and share it with everyone we connect with throughout the day.  By helping you source out small design pieces for your home decor, remake your whole house, or even host events, C2-interiors.com brings a spark to your everyday life. At the end of the day, life is about experiences; the ones we share with others,  they make us who we are.

So the next time you need a quick coffee fix at Starbucks, consider the local coffee shop down the road or the online business going against the grain and offering different alternatives. You can make a difference as a client, and the connection you establish is powerful and long lasting.

Think before making a decision, even if it’s a simple one, like buying coffee. What does the local company differently? Is it the coffee quality, the customer service, the air of warmth? Is their vision aligned with yours? Such as, do they provide environmental friendly coffee? Is this important to you too, caring and being part of the whole?  Define what’s important and what appeals to you, then get it. Helping people impacts our world in a big way; it makes the days and years to come more valuable and meaningful. And remember, meaningful doesn’t always mean big, sometimes the most significant, magical things come in the smallest of packages, like a piping hot, well-brewed cup of coffee.

Wishing you love, shine on!

XX, Olga

Illustrations by Eddie Corner @ C2-Interiors.com

Who knew coffee would become so famous and a much-needed part of everyday life in the modern world! I don’t survive on coffee nor does my motivation depend on it but I do like coffee a lot, it’s my favorite morning drink.

You see, the reason I love coffee is not the coffee itself, but the infectious memories associated with it. It brings out my romantic side as you can feel throughout this post! 🙂

While growing up, it was so good to spend a significant part of my holidays with my grandparents. It was an unspoken rule; they would give me everything to which my parents would typically say: absolutely not!

They had a garden with lots of flowers, a backyard with vegetables and herbs and trees, dogs, chickens, as well as rabbits that I could pet and feed. I always felt on top of the world with them!

Going back to the coffee story. My grandfather usually woke up before everyone else, and the very first thing he made was coffee. It was a ritual for him; no fancy machines were used, just good coffee from Brazil or Africa made the old-fashioned way.

Thanks to that, I link coffee’ heady, intoxicating aroma to waking up to a world wrapped in warmth, sweet and kind eyes, welcoming me to the new day, telling me that I’m loved for who I am. I was filled with joy to be alive back then, and I still am. And that’s what I want to share every day.

At the time, I had no idea I was going to end up helping people develop online brands, especially not after an academic career as a biologist! There wasn’t an “online world” back then anyway (yes, I’m that old :)) and the ocean of opportunities that it brings for those who decide to embrace it with elegance and vision.

Branding is a difficult concept to grasp; it’s all about emotions, feelings, perceptions, it almost feels impossible to control. However, you can control your business branding by creating a personality based on your story. The only option is to own who you are, your story, the good moments and the bad that shape what you feel and do throughout the years. Like my grandfather did for me. Till this day the best thing I can ever offer is the warm, welcoming feeling of being loved. All wrapped up in flowers, raw, no-BS, me, naked.

I urge you to be YOU, even if it scares you, even if you don’t have the whole story together just yet. That’s life, the journey, embracing possibilities and as Brene Brown says, “daring greatly,” with your vulnerabilities makes us humans, approachable.

If you currently have some “things” on your website that don’t resonate with you, replace them with something meaningful to you. Maybe you have an annoying pop-up just because they are trendy, which have words that are part of someone else’s story. Why not try one less intrusive with the message that connects with your clients. Less annoying pop-ups are a must, especially on the mobile version.

Your website must be pleasant, a beautiful experience for the users, making “big Google” happy too. That blue/yellow color combo? Drop it, stinks of 90’s  style marketing. Replace it with colors that speak to you. Maybe an amethyst inspires you, or white flowers, or a dog because it reminds you of those unique moments that only you can offer to your clients. These need to come out.

Can you please do it, for yourself? The more you share what you are, the more you attract the people you crave; they feel you, they get you and love you, with your past, present, and future. Isn’t it marvelous, aren’t YOU marvelous?