Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: [00:00:00] there was this moment when we were filming her at Watson Falls here in Oregon, and she was photographing a couple beneath the waterfall and I was just sitting there in the distance filming what was happening with my camera just surrounded by the sun and the mist and the forest and everything in that moment really resonated with me. It wasn't until that point that I realized that we had stopped being passionate about a lot of the work we were doing. Even though we both love small businesses with how many projects we had taken on, it had become drudgery. But working with Sam and being outdoors. And being in all these beautiful locations in Oregon finally reignited that passion for storytelling and video production in us again.

Alishia: Hey friend. Welcome back to In The EllaMents. I am Alishia [00:01:00] Egenhoff digital ad strategist, mentor, and the Heart behind Social EllaMents Marketing. Around here we talk about marketing motherhood and what it really looks like to build a business while also being a human with limited time, energy, and capacity.

Alishia: Have you ever felt like your business is successful on paper, but something just feels, off? Like maybe the work you're doing isn't the work you're meant to be doing. I'm so excited that today I get to talk to Sierra, a videographer who had the courage to completely rebrand her entire business after a single project showed her what was possible.

Alishia: And if you've been feeling that tug towards something different, but you are absolutely terrified to make the leap because you've already built something that is working. This conversation is going to give you the [00:02:00] permission to follow that pull. Okay, I'm so excited to have Sierra founder of Caravan Content here today.

Alishia: Sierra, welcome to In The EllaMents.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Thank you. I'm excited to be here.

Alishia: Glad to have you. So tell us about Caravan Content and what you do and who you serve now.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yes, so I'm the founder of Caravan Content, which is a video production agency serving tourism, adventure, and hospitality brands here in the Pacific Northwest.

Alishia: For anyone who knew you before your rebrand, how is what you're doing now different than where you started?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: So when I started three years ago versus where I am now, it just, it looks drastically different. When I started, I did not have very much clarity. I was only running it part-time as a side hustle. I was doing product photography, [00:03:00] corporate portraits, branding sessions. Um, it was very much content focused, but more from a social media content creator, vantage and not necessarily as a cinematographer, which is what I've rebranded to recently. I think under Matriarch Marketing, we had a lot of projects I was proud of, but with the direction we're going now, it's just so much better than what it was previously.

Alishia: So take me back. Take us back to when you first started your business. What did it look like? What kind of work were you doing? What was working really well for you during that phase, and what did you enjoy about that work?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: So before the rebrand as Matriarch Marketing, it was all content focused, but it was kind of, all across the board for all these different industries. So we were doing product [00:04:00] photography, corporate portraits, branding sessions, and it was all videography and photography focused but it wasn't toward any clear small business client. And what worked well for me and was that we, we stayed booked. We never had issues getting leads, especially because a lot of people know my partner Isaiah Miller from his media business that he's been running for 10 years as well. 

Alishia: When did you start feeling like something was off like that? Maybe that wasn't the forever version of your business?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yes. So in 2024, I resigned from my nine to five marketing role to finally commit full-time hours to my company. Before the rebrand, my business was known as Matriarch Marketing. I was only doing it [00:05:00] part-time, and even though I was only focusing on videography and photography services for small businesses, uh, within that first full-time year, it was obvious something wasn't right. I was working over 40 hours a week. I wasn't being paid very much. I was booked for that entire year after I resigned, and it was with clients from so many different industries. Like dentistry, detailing, construction, restaurants. When you looked at my Instagram grid or portfolio at that time, it was just this patchwork quilt of random projects and clients and there was no cohesion, standardization, or strategy. And it's actually kind of embarrassing when I look back. At what the brand before it evolved to Caravan Content.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Like, ugh, to me anyway, and just, just seeing the evolution of it. It's a night and day difference.

Alishia: I feel like so many people can relate to that because they had, [00:06:00] you have to start somewhere and like I look, I look back at some of the first things that I posted for my business and I'm like, oh my gosh, that's cringey. But we have to start somewhere you know, and I think that's the whole point of this episode is like you finding your, you know, your passion and where, um, where you wanna go.

Alishia: So I'm curious because for me, transitions are hard and scary, and I'm curious for you, when you made the decision to switch over from Matriarch to Caravan Content, did you have any like fears or guilt around that?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yes, there, there was definitely guilt. When you're running a small business, you can have an existential crisis because there are times when self-employed doesn't always feel worth it. Before the rebrand, my partner I, [00:07:00] were overworked and underpaid. We were pushing seven days a week to hit our business goals. And the turning point came last year when I saw just a sheer exhaustion on his face and realized. That this business like had to become sustainable because seeing him stressed out and burnt out on top of my own exhaustion was just a reminder that I had to make this venture worthy of our shared sacrifices, or there was no point to any of it. And that was when I started taking those small steps toward the rebrand. But there wasn't a clear direction yet at that time on what parts of it needed to change.

Alishia: I love that you shared that so much because I think that a lot of us entrepreneurs who are, you know, either solopreneurs or we have a very small team, we feel that burnout a lot. And it's, it's hard to know the direction to go, but that you realized and [00:08:00] saw it I wanna get into, and I know, because I know you, that there was a specific project that actually really shifted and provided some clarity for you.

Alishia: Can you tell us more about that project that kind of like opened your eyes?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yes, I'd love to. So it was summer of 2025 and we were hired by our friend Sam Starns, and she is a phenomenal adventure elopement photographer. , 

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: For 

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: people unfamiliar with adventure elopements, it's for couples who want a more intimate experience beyond a traditional wedding ceremony, you are eloping in a gorgeous remote setting. There can be hiking, kayaking, or any outdoor activity involved, and it was producing these commercials for Sam that made me realize that I needed to make serious changes in the business.

Alishia: I love that. What about that project specifically lit you up differently than other [00:09:00] projects?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Up until Sam Starns had hired us we were almost always filming in, in these really cramped indoor commercial spaces where we barely had any room to set up our equipment. So with Sam, there was this moment when we were filming her at Watson Falls here in Oregon, and she was photographing a couple beneath the waterfall and I was just sitting there in the distance filming what was happening with my camera just surrounded by the sun and the mist and the forest and everything in that moment really resonated with me. It wasn't until that point that I realized that we had stopped being passionate about a lot of the work we were doing. Even though we both love small businesses with how many projects we had taken on, it had become drudgery. But working with [00:10:00] Sam and being outdoors. And being in all these beautiful locations in Oregon finally reignited that passion for storytelling and video production in us again.

Alishia: That's so beautiful. I'm curious though, did you, in that moment, did you say, okay, this is the direction I wanna go? Or was it something more gradual that you kind of like, were guided towards, like through her project and then maybe some other projects you were doing, or was it , this is what I'm doing, this is what I'm gonna focus on. 

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yeah, so that outdoor film day we had with Sam, we, I was wearing a Fitbit at the time, so I was tracking my steps. So we had walked about 10 miles that day in all these different

Alishia: Oh my gosh.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: 10 miles carrying a lot of heavy video gear. Um, it was, it was a workout and then her content session ended that day. We were all on top of this [00:11:00] mountain watching the sunset, and it was so, it was so beautiful. And then I just recall this moment when Isaiah and I were just walking back to our car, you know, still carrying all our equipment. We were sweaty, we were tired, but Isaiah and I just like looked at each other and I could see he was experiencing like kind of the same thought process and I finally turned to him and said, we need more clients like this. And that, it was that conversation that basically kickstarted the entire rebranding process where I needed to identify my new target markets, pricing, and business strategy.

Alishia: So like, such a beautiful moment for you guys. Like, just like complete clarity, you know, and, and probably one of the most beautiful places in Oregon, the same time,

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yes,

Alishia: that's amazing.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: and the fact that

Alishia: Um, so.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: aligned on it, it wasn't

Alishia: Yeah. Like[00:12:00] 

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: I had to

Alishia: completely in sync. Yeah. Like how does that, you know, it was just meant, sounds like it was just absolutely meant to be like one of those moments you cannot ignore.

Alishia: So I wanna ask you though, what fears came up for you? And this is like a little bit more vulnerable, but like, what fears came up for you when you decided to go for this rebrand?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yeah, so the timing of this was interesting because right before we started the rebrand, our main monthly client, Electric Rose Detailing, ended up relocating and just leaving the state and moving to a different area, she was our biggest client at the time. So the timing with that client wise worked out for us, but, my biggest fears were around my new project rates. There is very little transparency [00:13:00] around videography prices, and I discovered at some point that I was only charging one third or less of my competitors' rates.

Alishia: Oh gosh.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Uh, it was horrible. So instead of estimating and guessing what my rates should be, I finally got several business coaches.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Did a lot, a lot of research. And finally calculated like real figures of my general cost to operate billable hours, revenue goals, like all, all of it.

Alishia: That's a big, move too. And I'm sure that was scary. 'cause anytime I increase prices, which it's like, normal. That's what businesses do, right? That's what the economy does. But yeah, yeah, there's anxiety around it. I will come to clients that I've had for years that, you know, trust me so much and just to raise my rates.

Alishia: Any bit fills terrifying! Even though I have a great relationship with them. So Yeah, I, I [00:14:00] feel that, I'm sure other people can feel that too. So I wanna get in a little bit about like the actual practical part of you making this happen. I know you mentioned already that you went to your pricing and kind of reevaluated that.

Alishia: But for anybody listening and who's thinking like, this is what I want to do, I want more clarity around my business and my brand, like where did, where do you even start with something like that? What was step one for you?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: So, as a marketer, you know that every rebrand has to start with a business plan and a strategy. It's not enough to just make a new website, social media accounts, and a fresh logo, or you'll basically just repeat the same mistakes. So every. Every, basically at the premise, like every brand should be strategic in attracting your ideal client. So for me, the first step was really focusing on [00:15:00] who, who would we serve under the rebrand, it took a lot of research and identifying my new target clients and how to approach each client type. Which sounds simple in theory, but it also involved , eliminating a lot of my old services and messaging that weren't relevant to these new clients, coming up an entirely different offer and pitch, and then several months researching what specific industries I would niche down to and understanding their needs, problems, and solutions for each one, which sounds organized and simple, but I have so many documents where I was just constantly brainstorming, jotting everything down every week until I finally had a viable plan.

Alishia: I, cannot say how much I love your rebrand because it's so. It's, I just, I love it. It feels so happy. So I wanna talk a little [00:16:00] bit about your visual rebrand with the name, the logo, the website. I feel like you were very, very intentional with those choices. Can you tell me more about, how you went through that process?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yeah, so once I identified who we would target, the next essential stage of the rebrand was the brand itself. Have you ever read Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller?

Alishia: I have not, but Isaiah, your husband actually told me that I should read that and it's, it's in my, um, it's in my list for my audiobook, so I will get around to it one day.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Well, it's, it's a, it's a really great read. So just really briefly, chapter four of Building a StoryBrand talks about the seven criteria for a good brand name. Just to summarize that really quickly, the seven criteria are one distinctiveness. Does the name stand out in its category. Two. Brevity. Is a name [00:17:00] short and easy to understand? Three. Appropriate. Does it fit the purpose of the brand? Four. Easy spelling and pronunciation. Five. Likability. Do people enjoy saying it? Six extendability does a name suggest a visual or have other creative interpretations? And then seven Ownability is a name available and can it be trademarked? So

Alishia: That's so many things.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: it is so many things.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: So like those seven criteria gave me a lot to think about. My old name Matriarch marketing broke multiple, multiple roles, uh, based on those seven criteria from that book. It was not easy for people to remember, say, or spell. A lot of times people would say Matriarch marketing or Monarch marketing. And so under the rebrand, I spent months researching business names to avoid trademark or copyright [00:18:00] infringement, and then spent even more time developing the visual identity. When I did a competitor analysis, I found that almost every high end video production company is basically faceless and very corporate. With the rebrand, it was my intention for it to like convey warmth, personality, and authenticity so people can begin to form a connection before they even meet us in person. I love that you said that. It's so warm and happy because that, that's exactly what I want it to convey as soon as people see the branding or the website or any of our projects. I mean, those are definitely the emotions I'm, I'm hoping to evoke in people when they see we're doing.

Alishia: Well, for anybody who's seen your website and or your social media feeds, like, uh, yeah, it's very , I don't know, just sparks this like joy in you, makes me happy, the colors, everything. So yeah, you [00:19:00] did an excellent job there. Did you keep anything from Matriarch or did you just like completely scrap everything?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: So, yeah, I, I pretty much completly scrapped. Yeah, My old brand was still focused on content, but it was more from a social media content creator standpoint and not as a cinematographer. Now, since I'm more focused on larger commercial campaigns for B2B and B2G, I completely phased out corporate portrait sessions, standalone social reels and product photography. And instead of focusing on volume, I'm focusing on complexity and larger scale projects. Now. But yeah, the

Alishia: Yeah, that's all

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: everything, the messaging, our old client types, I kind of completely threw out the window.

Alishia: You know, sometimes that's the best way to do it, is just like completely, you know, start over. Just like you [00:20:00] knew the direction you wanted to go and who you wanted to talk to, and you just. You, you went with that and I think it's working for you. I, I mean, I can't speak for you, but yeah, it looks like it's going well.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yeah. Oh yeah. It's definitely working. I mean, the first month I started working on the rebrand we landed our largest, contract within that same month, and I had just sunk a lot of money into buying, , a lot of equipment and made major equipment purchases. And as soon as we started making that shift, like we immediately saw a return on what we were doing, which is always a good sign.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: 'Cause it's, it's kind of horrible when you make a lot of changes and then you're like, this isn't going the way I expected. But, thankfully, for us, it's been very positive.

Alishia: It sounds like it was completely in alignment. It, it was exactly what your ideal client needed. I do wanna ask you, how did [00:21:00] you, um, because I know anybody that's going through a transition is probably wondering this too, how did you communicate this change to your existing clientele and audience, and what did that conversation look like?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yes. So I communicated this change by, I did a soft launch presentation to my local networking group and funny enough, it was this very same woman in business meeting that you were also the main speaker of that day, which is great. I also did multiple social media posts, a lot of emails, and had just had a lot of in-person conversations with people to communicate all the changes. And then it probably also helps that I created a permanent redirect from the old website to the new one, so all the traffic is going to the right place.

Alishia: For sure.

Alishia: Was there, any challenges through the rebrand process that like caught you off guard or was it like pretty seamless for you guys?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: The scope [00:22:00] of the rebrand, it was, it was definitely a lot of work. I, to some extent, had expected it would be a big process, but then there, there's just, so many little things that come up that you don't expect. For example, like even just changing your accounts over to your new business name and getting everything updated.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: I, I keep still finding things where I'm like, oh, okay. I have to go in there and I have to update the profile picture. I have to update the login, I have to update all the passwords, like it just.

Alishia: Nothing dies on the internet.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: No, exactly!, Like when you've been doing something for a few years, you just find that what seems like a simple task is usually just made up of a million small tasks that, takes you a long time to get through as one person.

Alishia: Oh my gosh, that's so true. [00:23:00] So like the crumbs that you leave behind that you have to go clean up

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Right. And you're like, oh,

Alishia: is what it sounds like.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: all of these crumbs already, but oh, there's still more.

Alishia: Here's another one. Yeah. So you've done the rebrand, you've rebuilt your visual identity, you've communicated that change. So now that you're on the other side, what does life look like for you guys?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: So right now life looks really good for us. I'm really optimistic. We have great clients. We have a steady flux of more people who wanna work with us. And overall, I guess like mentally, I just see so much more growth potential and optimism under this rebrand than I did. I think I, I think Matriarch Marketing was limited before, but with this, [00:24:00] I just feel like the limit is so much higher, if that makes any sense.

Alishia: Yeah, like you don't have a ceiling that you're gonna hit and then you just can't do it anymore. You have room to grow is kind of what it sounds like you're saying.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yes. I guess I just feel like when you're a business owner and you've been operating for a few years, by the time you get to that second or you're third year, you just have so much more clarity than where you started. You know, the problems of your old brand. 

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: You can see what's gonna work for the new brand. And at that point then you just, you have better tools than you did before. You have a better mindset. You're more known than you were before, this ultimately, I'm just, I, I've been, I'm really thrilled where everything is going now.

Alishia: That's amazing. So, looking towards the future, what does the [00:25:00] success of Caravan Content look like moving forward? And what are you guys building toward? Do you wanna share?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yes. I mean, my next biggest thing is getting a production van. 'cause now we have a lot of equipment. We're planning on traveling a lot more for different projects. It just would be incredibly convenient to have a utility van convert it to a video production van. And I, I think that's going to bring a lot more value to our clients and it's gonna make our jobs a lot easier.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: And then I'm also working toward, scaling, I would love to eventually hire a production assistant. I would love to have editors. I would love to just create opportunities for people just outside of myself. That's always been kind of one of my long-term [00:26:00] goals.

Alishia: I love that so much for you guys. It's so much opportunity and I know you guys would be amazing to work with. So, if someone right now is listening and they're in that phase where they know that something needs to change within their business, but they're, they're scared to make that leap, what would you say to them?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: I would tell them that it's okay to let go of what no longer serves you. Dreams change, ideas shift. You gain new experiences and insights, if you have clarity on how your brand should evolve, then start that journey. For me, it was stressful, but it was also cathartic to tear away everything that wasn't working to rebuild it with a solid foundation. And I don't

Alishia: Mm-hmm.

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: regret any of it. I mean, all the hours, energy and sweat equity were worth it.

Alishia: It's amazing. Sierra, thank you so much for sharing your story. I think you've shown that rebranding [00:27:00] isn't. You know, it's about refining what you've built and pointing it toward work that actually lights you up. And the fears that come along with it is usually just fear, not reality. And this also ties back to a lot of things that I bring up on this podcast.

Alishia: And saying no to things that no longer fit and saying yes to things that are more aligned for you. And I think your rebrand and your story is such a perfect example of that. I know that there are people listening right now who are in the travel and tourism space who may need exactly what you offer.

Alishia: So where should they go to connect with you?

Sierra Miller - Caravan Content: Yeah, so my website is caravan-content.com and my Instagram is caravan dot content. Uh, you can see our work, our case studies, our portfolio. Yeah, all of that.

Alishia: Awesome. I'll also link those in the show [00:28:00] notes for anybody who is interested. 

Alishia: Thank you again, Sierra, for spending this time with me In The EllaMents.

Alishia: If this conversation resonated with you and you want to stay connected, I'd love to have you on my email list. I send two to four emails a month with honest thoughts on marketing, motherhood, and building a business that fits your real life. Plus, I always let you know when a new episode drops. The link is in the show notes if you'd like to join those conversations.

Alishia: And if you found value in this episode, the best thing you can do is share it with another business owner who might need to hear Sierra's story. Send them a link, post it, uh, text it to a friend. Whatever you do to share, I'd love it if you could send it over to a friend who maybe has been feeling stuck and could use a little encouragement.

Alishia: You can also find me [00:29:00] on Instagram. @socialellaments where I continue these conversations. Thank you for spending time with me In The EllaMents. Until next time, keep building with intention and give yourself grace as you grow.