Our Work: What Happens When Strategy Meets Insider Knowledge
We don't write copy for businesses we don't understand. We work with clients in four industries where we've spent years on the inside: hospitality, tennis, education, and cultural institutions.
This isn't research. This is lived experience turned into strategic positioning.
The businesses below had real expertise, committed teams, and genuine value to offer. But they were communicating it poorly - or not at all. They were competing on price when they should have been competing on differentiation. They were using their digital channels like bulletin boards when they should have been building relationships.
We helped them articulate what they were already doing well, eliminate what was undermining their positioning, and communicate their value in ways that resonated with the right customers.
The results: higher prices, better customers, stronger businesses that reflect what they actually deliver.
Boutique Hotel: From Generic to Distinctive
The Challenge
A boutique hotel's website wasn't converting browsers into bookers. Generic copy could describe any small-town hotel. Critical selling points - pet-friendly rooms, complimentary breakfast, proximity to local university - were buried or missing. No About Us page meant no story, no personality, no differentiation from chain competitors.
The website failed to answer: Why here? Why now?
What We Did
We repositioned the property around what matters to guests - experience, feeling, and practical details that turn consideration into commitment.
We led with emotional benefits while integrating selling points. We created sense of place connecting the property to its location. We addressed multiple guest segments (university families, business travelers, outdoor enthusiasts) simultaneously.
We filled strategic content gaps, including creating an About Us page that explained the property's unique story and positioned them as a boutique alternative to chain hotels.
The Result
Complete website transformation with clear positioning, messaging that serves multiple guest segments, and a consistent voice reflecting warm, professional hospitality.
Why This Worked
Maricruz spent 25 years in international hospitality across eight countries spanning Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. She understands travelers from the inside - what they need, what resonates, what rings false. She knows how to create sense of place, position boutique properties against chains, and communicate authentic hospitality without generic "luxury" speak.
Music Education Studio: From $20 Lessons to Premium Program
The Challenge
A music school with four locations had credentialed instructors and genuine expertise. But their website opened with: "$20 PRIVATE LESSONS - LIMITED TIME OFFER"
They were competing on price, attracting families who quit after a few months. Their social media was a bulletin board with zero educational value.
What We Did
We helped them double their lesson prices and shift to value-based positioning.
We created messaging leading with what they actually sell: neuroscience-backed cognitive development, emotional intelligence training, discipline-building.
We built a value delivery system: onboarding materials, instructor profiles with methodology, video lesson recordings, curated learning resources, educational content about music's brain benefits.
We trained instructors to capture breakthrough moments for social media - the visual, emotional content that music education naturally provides.
The Result
Enrollment nearly doubled in one year at twice the price. Better student retention, more committed families, improved student quality.
Why This Worked
Ryan taught cello and bass at this studio. He knows $20 pricing destroys perceived value and attracts the wrong families. We helped them articulate what they already delivered and build systems making that value tangible to parents.
Contemporary Art Gallery: From Museum-Speak to Artist Stories
The Challenge
A gallery championing emerging artists had boring online presence working against them.
Artist bios were pure chronology: "came from [city], attended [school], lived in NYC..." Exhibition descriptions used dense museum-speak. Social media was a bulletin board.
The gallery centered itself - its interpretations, its schedule. Artists were supporting characters.
What We Recommended
We repositioned the gallery's role from intellectual authority to host and facilitator. The gallery creates the space where artists and collectors discover each other.
We recommended letting artists speak for themselves: studio videos (one with his grandmother, one cooking, one playing piano), genuine answers about their work instead of curator interpretation.
We suggested building an email list (they had none) with artist studio visits and behind-the-scenes stories. Social media should focus on artists: their stories, quotes, inspiration.
Why This Approach Works
Ryan studied painting and received an art award from the Honolulu Museum of Art. He writes about art, understands what emerging artists need to build careers, and knows the difference between galleries that create genuine artist-collector connections versus those that are either too transactional or too pretentious. He brings business insight that many galleries lack - understanding that sustainable cultural businesses require valuing both artists and collectors equally.
Elite Tennis Academy: From Cliché to Clarity
The Challenge
Their website opened with: "Play. Train. Dominate."
A competitive junior tennis academy had exceptional coaching and a track record of placing players at top university programs. But their website was generic promises and aggressive taglines. They had a bare list of colleges with no names, no stories, no proof.
Their digital channels functioned as a bulletin board: schedules, cancellations, administrative updates.
What We Did
We tracked down former players now competing at universities and interviewed them. Real names, real journeys, real outcomes. We turned a meaningless list into documented evidence.
We transformed their channels from bulletin boards to strategic communication demonstrating their philosophy: mental skills training, holistic athlete development, tennis/school/family balance.
We highlighted what they already did but hadn't articulated: building camaraderie alongside competition, developing resilient competitors not just ranked players.
The Result
Player profiles generated significant attention and inquiries. Parents could finally see documented evidence of player development from enrollment through college placement.
Why This Worked
Ryan played D1 tennis at Brown, coached aspiring juniors, and served as a D3 collegiate coach. He knows what separates sustainable development from burnout - and how to communicate that to parents making $30,000+ academy decisions.
-
Instagram
Philip Guston’s Lost Mural, Morelia
Virtually unknown and buried behind a wall for decades, this 1934 mural was censored for its anti-fascist imagery and nudes. I wrote copy highlighting its history, controversy, and quiet return.
-
Landing Page
Wrote and designed this opt-in page for a tennis academy to drive email signups in exchange for a helpful guide to junior tennis. An excerpt of this guide follows on the next page.
