TELL YOUR FOUNDHER-STORYFoundHer Story
LET YOUR BRAND BE DISCOVERED
12 FoundHers. Every week for 12 weeks, one story at a time.
Starting October 1st, I’ll be featuring four FoundHer Stories per month, with one new story published each week, and a goal of reaching 12 by the holidays anticipating a holiday gift guide people can shop with the brands featured and an affiliate code in anticipation of partnerships established with these beautiful brands.
We’ll sit down for a conversation about you, your brand, the creative point of view, what you’re building, why you care about it, and the story behind the products people see.
You don't have to know exactly how to tell your story.
That's what we’re here for.
My team will take what we uncover together and turn it into a definitive FoundHer Story, a definitive way to tell your story and an interview Q&A article that you can share with your community, network, customers, potential retail partners, markets, and future collaborators.
From October through the holiday season, the goal is to create a living, breathing discovery guide featuring YOU and YOUR BRAND!
Every week:
A new woman.
A new story.
A new brand to discover.
By bringing these women together as a collective, we create more opportunities for audiences to discover, follow, share, and shop the brands being featured.
Because it’s not just about 1 story. It’s about creating a safe space where our collective communities can cross-polinate and discover each other.
THE FOUNDHER OFFER
FOUNDHER STORY + CONTENT SHOOT — $495
Save $55 when you book both services together.FOUNDHER STORY — $250
We’ll sit down for an interview focused on you and help you write your story.
Your beginnings.
Your creative perspective.
Your WHY.
What you’re building.
What you believe in.
And the story behind the products people see.
From our conversation, I’ll create a polished written Founder Story that introduces you and your brand to a wider audience.
Your story will be published through the FoundHer Story series and can be shared across your own channels, with links back to your website and social platforms.
CONTENT SHOOT — $300
Add a 2-hour content shoot designed around your brand.
We can create fresh imagery of your products, your style, your process, or you wearing and representing what you've created.
Your content can be used for:
Social media
Website content
Lifestyle marketing
Holiday campaigns
PR
Pop-ups and markets
Retail opportunities
Future collaborations
This content can also become part of how I represent your brand when we work together on future creative direction, pop-ups, markets, retail placements, or other opportunities.
TOGETHER: $495 FOR OCTOBER
Your story + fresh content = a stronger introduction to your brand.
FoundHer Story
An opportunity to tell “herstory,” the voice, hearts and hands behind the brand.
Someone that buys a product is also buying the story behind it.
We ask questions like,
Why did you start?
What’s the vision behind the brand?
What are you building?
Why should people know about it?
This is an editorial series called FoundHer Story created by Valerie Jana to introduce the women behind the brands, the stories they're building, and the reasons their work deserves to be discovered.
Aubrey Medina from Golden Bones. Shop her collection now https://goldenbones.ca/
WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE WITH YOUR FoundHer Story
A written founder feature based on our interview, crafted to clearly communicate your story, your perspective, and the heart behind your brand.
Your story can be published on our D2C channels, Locals World, Locals Closet (If Fashion) and shared across your own channels, with links back to your website and social platforms.
Editorial Exposure
Your story becomes part of a growing collection of women-owned brands and creative businesses being discovered through my platform and network and each others.
The goal is simple:
12 women.
12 stories
12 brands worth discovering.
WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID ABOUT WORKING WITH ME
“Valerie is an exceptional partner for anyone looking to bring their vision to life and develop a strong, impactful brand. Her expertise and intuitive understanding are superb. She goes above and beyond to ensure that every detail aligns with the bigger picture, making the process inspiring.”
— Lianna W., Retreat East Co. “What I appreciate most is that she's both incredibly creative and incredibly organized—a combination that's hard to find. She communicates clearly, follows through on every detail, and somehow makes everyone involved feel welcome and valued.”
— Brooke Savona, Flora Vintage“Working with Valerie Smith has been one of the best investments I've made for my business. She completely transformed my brand by developing a cohesive visual identity and providing exceptional creative direction that brought every aspect of the business together.”
— Jaqueline T., Domaine Casa Del Sol
It wasn’t until I sat down with my life coach, Tessa Frommer, for a one-on-one session about how I could get my services out there that she asked me a simple question:
“What’s your message?”
We got down to my WHY.
I realized that growing up in a small town made me want to carry that energy with me no matter where life took me. I’ve always cared about knowing the people behind what I buy: where my food comes from, who made my clothes, and what stories are behind the things I bring into my life.
Even while living in big cities, I’ve found myself gravitating toward farmers markets, flea markets, artist districts, small gatherings, and curated markets. I’ve even created my own small, curated gatherings back in my hometown, creating events that bring play and purpose back into the way we shop.
As I get more comfortable sharing my own story, which you can read more about on my About page, I’ve realized that I’ve always wanted to know the stories behind the brands I discover.
My grandfather was an artisan who got sick after the doors closed on his dreams. I’ve always been a dreamer, thanks in part to being a Pisces, but I’ve also learned that many of my dreams have manifested. By sharing my visions with others, I’ve been able to meet people I never would have met if I hadn’t taken big Leaps.
A lot of the people behind the brands I’ve worked with have become some of my closest friends. They are my network. My hive.
And as brands develop their own paths, I’ve realized that I’m really good at bringing a personal aspect to a brand so that it can stand out in a sea of people.
My common enemy is, indeed, big corporations. I’ve boycotted shopping at malls, and while I understand that clothing can be affordable at franchises, I’d much rather create my own local style through the brands I shop and root my lifestyle in local culture, wherever I am.
If I’m in Miami, you’ll find me wearing the local style, like a onesie that lets me bike the boardwalk, swim in the ocean, play soccer on the beach, and do acroyoga at sunset at South Pointe Park.
On Sundays, I’ll head to Vizcaya Farmers Market to shop for my favorite spices, say hello to my local cacao sellers, and walk away with a week of inspiration before heading back to work.
If I’m in New York, you’ll find me at a farmers market, attending a local event, speaking about circular fashion on Earth Day, volunteering with Women’s Wolf Pack for their clothing swap cleanup, or at Katonah Art Walk with a paintbrush and canvas, asking people to paint.
If someone interviewed me, I would tell them that I love to live in flow. I go where I am inspired.
A huge part of my work and purpose is making designers and women-owned small businesses more widely known. With my background in PR and hospitality, that manifests through curated events, retail introductions, and my favorite: full-on productions and photoshoots.
FoundHer Story
My vision for the next four months is to launch the FoundHer Story series with 12 founders, starting October 1st, one per week.
I want to finally publish the women who are leading industries in their own way. The woman curating vintage finds from the South of France. The founder bringing authentic salts from Italy into our kitchens. The designer transforming upcycled denim into something you’re bound to get a compliment on walking down the street. The maker creating DIY friendship bracelets that bring good energy, become friendship bracelets between our community, and turn into a fashion memory of the time we made them together.
And so on.
I hope to eventually build a trusted network of partners large enough that I can become a platform for shining a light on each person’s story and brand.
Bringing light to the women who are creating the new way.
Herstory is a reclamation.
It’s about stepping fully into our power and discovering a collection of stories that allow new audiences to find the same brands that become part of our routines, rituals, closets, meals with loved ones, and ultimately, pieces of our identities.
The brands that are healing.
The brands asking for our worth.
The brands opening their hearts and creations to the world.
Locals World.
Locals Closet.
And Herstory.
by Valerie Jana
TELLING HERSTORY, ON HER TERMS.
FoundHer Story starts with a simple idea:
Your story deserves to be told in the way you want it told.
Why you’re creating what you create.
Why you get up every morning.
Why you keep showing up at the market every weekend.
Why you believe in your product.
Why your brand is different.
Why the right people should discover you.
My goal is to curate an environment where the brands I love and admire across New York, Connecticut, the Hudson Valley, and the Tri-State can be discovered.
I want to shine a light on the women, artisans, designers, makers, and founders who are putting their hearts and hands into what they create.
MAKING BRANDS THE DESTINATION.
Because the brands that embody the creativity, character, and values of where we live are meant to be discovered.
MEET THE NEXT FOUNDHERS
I’m looking for four October FoundHers to begin this series.
If you're building something with a point of view, I'd love to hear your story.
FEATURED STORIES
AUBREY MEDINA
Golden Bones
Designer and Founder
A look inside Aubrey's closet, creative world and the story behind Golden Bones.
Read Her Story below
Together, we'll explore:
• What shaped you and the business you're building
• Why you created it in the first place
• What makes your perspective different
• How you want people to experience your brand
• Where you're ready to take it next
FOUNDHERSTORY SESSION
You’ll leave with:
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Your Brand Story
A clear articulation of the story and purpose behind your brand.
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Creative Direction Notes
Ideas for translating your story into the way your brand looks, feels and shows up.
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Personalized Vision Board
A visual direction inspired by your story and where you're headed.
