Case:
Black Barn Financial
Brand Strategy +
Visual Brand Identity +
Positioning and Messaging +
Investor Pitch Deck
A Female-Led Brand—Breaking Barriers and Empowering Women
Black Barn Financial is a leader in financial empowerment for women and underrepresented groups. Their mission is to remove institutional barriers and enable women to feel confident in their finances. Together, we refreshed their branding and provided the resources to expand their team to improve client support. Building on founder Sara Glakas' farming roots, we developed a unique methodology fusing her agricultural heritage with an approach that clarifies complex financial concepts, uplifting clients to make goal-aligned decisions.
An Inspirational Leader
With 20 years in finance, Sara Glakas founded Black Barn in 2011 to address the industry's male-centric bias and empower women financially. Previously involved in community financial literacy, Sara recognized a gap in services for women. Black Barn offers personalized financial guidance rooted in a deep understanding of each client's challenges and goals, giving them peace of mind and real-time results.
A Bold Vision
Sara came to us with a clear vision: to expand Black Barn’s reach and cultivate a team of experts to serve the financial goals of women and underrepresented groups. To achieve her goals, she underscored the value of rebranding the business to present it as more professional and approachable.
Our team guided her through this process, helping her to craft a compelling story that combined her journey with Black Barn's vision and objectives for serving the financial needs of women.
Discovery and Brand Strategy
We began collaborating with Black Barn after assessing the alignment between Sara's goals and our expertise. Our joint efforts focused on comprehensive rebranding and brand strategy, always staying true to Sara's vision. Using farming as a metaphor, we developed a relatable financial advice framework that promotes a sense of safety among clients. We've helped position Black Barn from a startup to a junior business, gaining trust and loyalty both locally and beyond, thereby setting a strong foundation for future growth.
Design and Deeper Work
We built brand affinity for Black Barn by incorporating farming visuals like barns and wheat, guided by mood boards that aligned with their brand message. Focused on empowering women through inclusive financial planning, we tackled industry biases and developed tailored financial strategies for diverse needs.
When Sara was approached for a New York Times interview, we assisted her in seizing the opportunity to nationally showcase her dedication, leadership, and commitment to empowering women and underrepresented groups financially, while providing tools to articulate her career story in alignment with her brand.
Results
Our rebranding for Black Barn not only helped Sara bring in a skilled new partner but also doubled the business size and diversified the leadership team. The rebrand extends to various marketing assets and has even supported Sara's successful podcast launch. Emphasizing Sara's unique blend of brilliance and humility, our rebrand and content strategy equip Black Barn to engage their audience effectively and support ongoing growth.
“Collaborating with Found was a transformative experience for my company. Vesy and Steve not only understood my vision but also breathed life into it. Fast forward three years, and our team, which has expanded significantly, still derives inspiration from the invaluable process we undertook with Found. We are constantly building upon the solid foundation they helped us create.”
– Sara Glakas, Founder, Black Barn Financial
