Alumni stories: veronica fossa
This month, we've got 21 questions for Brand The Change Academy alum Veronica Fossa. In 2020 Veronica closed her ‘food at work’ company WE Factory. Not because the pandemic ended physical gatherings around food, but because it created a whole new need to come together. At the start of 2021, she joined our programme to build the brand for her new practice as an expert in the art of gathering. Here are 21 peeks into her journey.
WG: WHAT'S THE STORY OF YOUR NAME?
VF: My new company name is my own name. I ran my previous company, WE Factory, as a solopreneur for seven years. Unfortunately, people misspelt my company name or remembered my name instead of my company name. I was my company's face, but I felt that a company name was limiting me in many ways. Plus, I never knew if I had to use "we" or "I" in my copy (I can't tell you how many times I switched between the two). That's why when I did my rebranding, going for a personal brand was a no-brainer.
WG: NAME ONE THING THAT YOU LOVE ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE YOU LIVE
VF: I currently live in my hometown, a small town called Zanè. It's located near the Prealps, in the North East of Italy. What I love about it is that it allows me to be close to my parents.
WG: WHAT PROBLEM IN THE WORLD KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?
VF: I never resonated much with this question. I always wondered, why would one want to keep up at night? If I don't sleep, my brain won't function the next day. And I won't be able to help anyone––starting from myself. So a good night's sleep has a holy status in my world.
Usually, if I can't sleep, it's because something bothers me so much, so my brain keeps ruminating. Or I haven't been able to use up all my energy during the day. Learning (and continuing learning) about my dosha in Ayurveda and type in Human Design in the past few years has been instrumental to my wellbeing.
WG: WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO GET OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING?
VF: My cats begging for breakfast.
Jokes aside, I don't think much in the morning. I follow the Ayurvedic routine (dinacharya)––I scrape my tongue, brush my teeth, apply oil to my ears, eyes, nose, drink warm water, practice yoga, and then prepare and eat breakfast. It's grounding and nourishing and sets me up best for the day.
Last autumn/winter, when I was undecided about my career, I decided to read The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron's seminal book about creativity. To write my morning pages, one of the pillars of a fulfilling creative life according to Cameron, I woke up at 5 am for three months. I've never felt as energetic and creative as during that time.
The idea of my Closing Well workshop spurred from my morning pages. Plus, I surprised myself since I never thought I'd be able to wake up that early and stick to it. Once I'm done with breakfast, I'm ready to tackle anything that's on my to-do list. As a long-time business owner, I've learned to appreciate and enjoy every task that's on my plate, even those that feel tiresome.
WG: WHAT IS THE BIG CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD?
VF: As we're reconnecting and re-gathering in person, I'd love to see many of the connecting behaviours we've seen during the first months of lockdown stick. Think about people singing and playing instruments in their balconies.
We've seen that we can create proximity and closeness even by being apart. As we gather again, I wonder (I've wondered that for the last ten years) if we're ready for real connection by being close to one another. There are plenty of books about the need for restoring proximity and community in a hyperconnected, yet increasingly lonely world.
Esther Perel uses the term "social atrophy." Yet, I think we need to talk less and act more. I believe in making small changes every day; I've always said that it can start from something as simple as gathering around a table and over a meal.
WG: HOW ARE YOU WORKING TOWARDS THAT CHANGE IN YOUR OWN WAY?
VF: My mission is to bring people together one table at a time through food, design, and facilitation. My services range from keynotes for companies and business and design events and conferences to one-day workshops, gathering consulting for creative conferences, movements, and communities, and concept design for more permanent spaces like restaurants and community spaces.
Of course, I do some talking. That's usually how people learn about my work. But I'm most interested in doing togetherness––teaming up with leaders to help them bring to life gatherings and experiences that are memorable and transformative.
WG: If you were a car brand, which brand would you be?
VF: The Italian premium car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. It might be more of an aspirational answer than a realistic one.😉 Alfa Romeo, for me it's the quintessential Italian brand: stylish, distinctive, exclusive, passionate, heritage (founded in 1910) without forgetting road feedback, comfort, and exquisite engine (told to me by a friend who drives one).
Plus, Alfa Romeo cars have an incredibly unique design language that's eye-catching. In many countries, they are still rare compared to the vast number of German and American rivals on the streets. So anyone who wants something unique and distinctive will appreciate it.
Fun fact: the Italian restaurateur and the chef patron of Osteria Francescana, a three-Michelin-star restaurant based in Modena, Massimo Bottura drives an Alfa Romeo Stelvio.
WG: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST BRANDING MISTAKE YOU EVER MADE?
VF: Too many to name just one, from commissioning a logo and set of illustrations without working the strategy first to not asking the right questions to collaborators, the confusion between using "we" and "I" in my copy, or not protecting my assets. In hindsight, it's easy to list all the mistakes I made. Apparently, I've learned something along the way. 😉
WG: WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST BRANDING SUCCESS?
It's funny because I think that one of my biggest branding mistakes could also be considered a success from another point of view. When I decided to niche and rebrand as a "workplace eating designer" in 2017—auditing, designing, and doing marketing and communication for food programs and events in the workplace, and later producing my podcast The Nourishing Workplace—it was such a specific, unique field. People not only were curious to know what that entailed but quickly identified me as the professional working with "food at work," referring me for work and opportunities.
The downside was that it was too niche, and when the pandemic hit, I lost all my work within a week. I think there's a fine balance between owning your niche and creating enough diversification in your business to face any challenge thrown at you, especially if you're in it for the long-term (all your life?). It's something I ask myself every day.
WG: WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO THINK AND FEEL ABOUT YOUR BRAND?
VF: Imagine walking into an antique store, a perfumery, or a food market. It's a feast of smells, colours, and shape, and your only job is to delight yourselves in this spectacular mix of joy.
You're excited like a kid. You notice that so much care has been put into every packaging and label as you look around. No detail is insignificant. You want to smell every perfume. There are intoxicating scents of bergamot, musk, and vetiver in the air, instantly taking you to far-away lands. You want to soak every colour. No yellow is like any other. You feel so good in your own skin. Possibilities open up inside of you.
You feel as if someone has thought this through. As you walk through the first hall, wondering what else is there for you to discover, you step into a dining room. There's a round table in the centre bursting up with colour and pattern, serving up another feast for your eyes. People are convening around it, chatting and sharing food. There's a chair for you and one for anyone walking into that antique store, perfumery, or food market. You feel special, but you know that it's not just about you. By sitting at that table, you're creating the same opportunity for someone else.
If you're familiar with archetypes, and if I've been good enough at writing this story, you'd probably recognize a combination of the explorer, lover, and caregiver archetypes.
WG: WHAT WAS THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON YOU TOOK AWAY FROM THE BRAND THE CHANGE ACADEMY?
VF: Before starting the Brand The Change Academy, I knew what branding was, but I didn't have the whole picture. By attending the Academy, I realized that for many years I've been shortsighted. I was unable to see how all the pieces of a brand come together. The Academy has offered me a birds-eye view of the entire brand development process from strategy to implementation.
The process wasn't easy. Anne didn't promise it would be. But it has been the most rewarding project that I've done so far this year. Not only because I decided to shift my focus on my personal brand halfway through the Academy. So I had to work harder to catch up. But also because it required deep self-reflection and asking myself some hard questions. Finally, I realized that I didn't need to create a brand-new business: my deep passion for designing and gatherings was still there. But I had to reconnect and re-ignite it, and most of all, align it to who I had become.
I'm also grateful to my fellow classmates of class 2 for pointing me in the right direction and helping me see things that I couldn't see because I was too close to my work.
Now, I have a framework that I can go back to anytime and tweak and some wonderful, talented people worldwide. I can share brand challenges and wins and keep growing with them.
WG: WHAT IS YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF A BRAND?
VF: When the first interaction happens through a screen, I'd say the visual identity. I'm much more interested in touch and smell, though. Those senses are so powerful and much more memorable than sight. I believe this brings so many opportunities for brand strategists and designers to imagine how to engage the other senses and create multi-sensory brand experiences. There's so much to learn from food and hospitality brands.
WG: WHICH BRAND IS TOTALLY OVERRATED?
VF: Apple
WG: WHAT BRAND SHOULD FINALLY GET THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES?
VF: Haircare brand Davines. For their mission, vision, packaging, choice of ingredients, campaigns with Slow Food, care for the environment (they’ve planted a kilometre of trees along the highway where they’re based near Parma) and attention to the wellbeing of their employees.
WG: WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST CHANGEMAKER HERO?
VF: My mum and dad and every mother and father in the world who're supporting and cheering for their daughters to start a business in a field that doesn't exist.
They may not get their ideas, but they trust them. They trust the future they want to create. If you think about it, that's a relatively new phenomenon in many cultures. So to me, that's one way of being a changemaker, as in someone who enables cultural change.
WG: BUSINESS IS/CAN BE A FORCE FOR GOOD. AGREE OR DISAGREE?
VF: Of course, I agreed! Is there any other way?! Our society is broken in too many aspects to neglect that change is needed and needs to happen at all levels.
WG: IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE PERSON BE YOUR BRAND AMBASSADOR FOR A DAY, WHO WOULD IT BE?
VF: Iris Apfel. She's a bomb of energy and a role model for me. Who else turns at a hundred years old and keeps signing contracts as a brand ambassador with major fashion brands? Her motto, "More is more and less is a bore" (which made it to my mood board).
It’s an invitation to not take yourself too seriously. To keep creating no matter your age, and that no colour or pattern is too much in your life. Colours can only make life more joyful and abundant.
WG: IF YOU COULD GIVE SOMEONE ONE MILLION DOLLARS IN SERVICES FROM THE BEST BRAND BUILDERS IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD YOU GIVE IT TO, AND WHAT WOULD YOU WANT THEM TO DO WITH IT?
VF: I'll answer your question in another way. I'd love the best brand builders to offer give-back programs for companies and individuals with potential who can't afford brand services. I believe that with determination and dedication (and a lot of time), you can learn anything, from how to design a logo to writing the copy of your website.
Still, I don't think you can learn brand strategy by watching videos or taking courses. Oh, wait, unless you take the Brand The Change Academy! 😊
WG: WE ALWAYS SAY IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO BUILD A BRAND. WHO IS IN YOUR VILLAGE - WHO IS SUPPORTING YOU?
VF: First, my parents and brother Damiano, who's also my web developer and partner in our giving back project What Women Say. Too many people support me regularly, to name them all here, from my clients, friends, mastermind ladies, the communities I'm part of, including BTC, my peers, extended network, and authors of books who become mentors.
This rebranding process has taught me that I and my business aren't an island but an archipelago. I realized that we're all interconnected. Everything is interconnected. Sometimes, if I can't find a solution to an issue, I let it go, trusting that the answer or a hint in the right direction will appear.
And it usually does appear. Whether it's through a conversation I have, a book I read, an opportunity to connect to someone who could help, or something else. It's magical, and it removes any unnecessary pressure on each of us.
WG: IF YOU AND YOUR CO-FOUNDER SPLIT UP, AND A JUDGE ORDERED ONE OF YOU TO KEEP THE PRODUCT AND ONE OF YOU TO KEEP THE BRAND, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
VF: Good question! Maybe that's why I never had a co-founder. ;)
WG: WHERE DO WE GO TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WORK?
VF: The first stop is my brand-new website. If you want to get simple ideas to transform your meetings, events, and spaces through food and design, you can sign up for my newsletter. Find me also on Linkedin and Instagram.