Never for any brand shoot have I had the privilege to photograph so many amazing products made by so many amazing women from different businesses in the Pittsburgh area. Brand shoots typically involve one business with products or services so why was this branding session so different?
It's all thanks to Miranda and Taylor of Locally.Us!
With their love for travel and a desire to support local female-owned businesses, Miranda and Taylor set out to make it easier for women to support women.
Through thoughtful consideration, they came up with the idea to create seasonal curated boxes filled with local handcrafted goodies made by female-owned businesses.
Each season they pick a new city to feature in the box and for Spring 2020, they picked the beautiful city of bridges, Pittsburgh.
What prompted you to start your business?
We started our business as a result of a few life situations! The first was truly the 9-5 jobs that were leaving us feeling unfulfilled and like we could be doing more!
The second was our love for travel and connecting with new people. And the third was our dream to own our business and use it to help others also accomplish their dreams of turning an idea into a business.
Our seasonal travel boxes allowed us to combine all of these areas of our life that we loved or felt were lacking in a totally fulfilling brand!
At the end of the day, what impact do you want to have on the world as a business & person?
At the end of the day,we just want to offer a place and platform for emerging women-owned brands
Whether that be through our boxes, events, or one of the many other ideas we have on how to pivot our business, our ultimate goal is to showcase the products and tell the stories of the incredible women behind them to make shopping local easier and more accessible than ever!
We also hope to connect women through our platform, we see it happen all the time at our events and it truly has become our favorite part.
We are better together, and anything is possible when badass women come together.
What's the biggest mindset shift you have had to make as a business owner?
Overnight success is not real - it takes time, flexibility, and hard, consistent work.
There are so many things that have changed since we launched our brand a little over a year ago, but having a flexible mindset to deal with ambiguity and just roll with the punches is such an important part of being a business owner!
You have to adjust to what your customers need and be willing to take risks. You also have to know that establishing a brand and customer base takes time and setting realistic goals is an absolute must.
At the end of the day, as a business owner, you will never know everything and businesses are ever-changing, the key is to remember why you started and what your goals are!
Oh and being authentic!!
We always thought our brand needed to be focused on just products/our boxes but what people are actually interested in is us, and our passion for our brand!
We have had to adjust our mindset to include more of us and be sure to keep it real!
What advice do you have for other women who may be facing the same struggles as you once did?
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and find friends/fellow business owners to talk about your struggles over with.
We wish we could say the struggles won't last but the truth is when one struggle ends there is always another waiting around the corner - this is just the nature of owning a business!
That is why it is so important to surround yourself with others who can relate and make you understand you are not alone.
What you are doing is important and valuable - the struggles will always teach you something that helps pull your brand to the next level!
We are lucky in that we have each other to lean on, but so many people are solopreneurs and don't have that so we definitely recommend attending events or seeking out other business owners in your community!
Where do you see your business in 5 years?
So many places! Right now we are really embracing the concept of pivoting.
We have so many ideas of how we want to grow our business and reach even more women through increased events, storefronts, and collaborations.
Although we love our travel box product offering, it does limit us to a certain amount of brands we can feature in each box.
We are exploring ways that we can increase the amount of women-owned brands we partner with outside of our travel boxes such as operating as "the middle-women" to connect brands together for collaborations, special events, or even sourcing more local and handmade products for restaurants, boutiques, and hotels to feature!
We don't know exactly what it looks like yet, but that is kinda how we like it - it would be boring if the path was clear!
What have been game-changers for you when it comes to running your business?
Our events! These were not part of our original business plan, but rather a spur of the moment add-in when we realized we wanted to meet the women making the products and give them the opportunity to share their experiences!
Our events have brought so many inspiring and accomplished women into our lives and taught us so much as a result.
We are actually trying to increase the number of events we host because we have received such an overwhelming amount of support and interest in them!
So many of the women we meet have been in our exact shoes and it is so helpful to hear their stories and advice.
Where can people find you online?
Locallyus is a traveling, seasonal subscription box that celebrates handmade products, women entrepreneurship, and that magical feeling of receiving a surprise at your doorstep.
You can find all information related to locallyus including our travel box offerings, upcoming events, and our story via our website locallyus.com.
Also be sure to follow along and see the amazing photos LeeAnn captured of our brand on our
IG: @locally_us
FB & Pinterest: locallyus
You can find the Pittsburgh box here !
Hey there, I'm LeeAnn!
I'm a Pittsburgh based brand photographer helping savvy female entrepreneurs create crafted brand images that allow them to show up in their business as the women they are.
Prior to following my dream of owning a business I worked full-time as an Elementary Art Teacher.
After the death of my mother in 2016, I realized that something drastic needed to change if I was going to live a richer more fulfilling life.
In 2018, I took the leap and started my photography business.
When I'm not photographing clients, I'm educating on branding or writing blogs like this one featuring and sharing my client's own amazing story.
If you love reading stories of how other women made their dreams become a reality and you love learning then you'll want to sign up for my newsletter (you'll receive a quick tip guide on branding as a thanks)!
I send out a newsletter 1-2x a month, hope to see you soon in my inbox :)
Much love,
LeeAnn
