I'm back.

And I realized things while away.

I’ve returned from my +2-week stint through Maryland (wedding #1), New York, Lisbon, Comporta, San Sebastián and Biarritz (wedding #2).

It feels good to be back — on Substack, in slow and sunny Los Angeles, at my perfect home, with my perfect(ly bitchy) dog, eating and exercising like a normal person, building, plotting, etcetera.

That said I did not realize how badly I needed this time away. I won’t pretend I disconnected entirely — I checked emails and indulged in >1 work-related thing/day. C’est la vie (the irony isn’t lost on me that I’m using a French phrase to justify working during August holiday). But I did work a lot less than usual. I did get my flip flops custom-pierced at the Havaianas store.

First and last free foot pic.

More critically (debatable), I realized things while consuming pounds of pata negra in my blinged out flip flops.

I need more than a week away to reset.

We were away for more than two weeks total, which my boyfriend said was too long. I disagree! For me, it takes a week to adjust to vacation mode. Week two is where the magic happens — where I almost feel the bliss of being part of the 95% of the world that wouldn’t know a Graza or Rhode if it head them on the head. Counterintuitively, when I realize my world is a bubble, I’m able to have more fun with it and do better work as a result.

I have a complicated relationship with Brand Person.

Frankly, I started this newsletter because I was sick of 99% of the content out there about brand-building, marketing, creative etc. On one end of the spectrum it’s all CAC and data and growth hacks. On the other end it’s all brand campaigns and stunts and activations. Neither encompass the art, science, passion and resilience of creating and building an enduring brand from the ground up.

That said, while I’m Brand Person, I’m also just a Person who has a complicated relationship with capitalism. I, like many of you, also get sick of thinking and talking about brand-building all the time, as much as I love what I do.

As I develop my own brand, I’m also thinking about how I can leverage this platform to resonate with consumers as well as builders. I’m both of those things, and it’s critical to approach brand-building through both lenses. Brand imitates life.

I want to widen the lens of Brand Person.

If capitalism is all-pervasive, does that make Brand Person…Person? From that perspective, I’m able to widen the aperture on Brand Person significantly while remaining clear and focused. I’m still mulling over it, but here’s what I currently have in my notes:

(Brand) Person: A newsletter on all things creating and consuming brands by Jess Eggert — marketer, creative, consumer, (critical) capitalist.

I want to take Substack more seriously.

Like I said, I started this as an outlet. I didn’t have a plan. At the time I just knew the last thing I needed was to get stuck in strategy paralysis.

As always, I’ve gained clarity through execution (followed by an extended vacation) — and it’s clear that I want to invest in this thing, grow it to be something I’m wholeheartedly proud of, that represents the full breadth of the (Brand) Person POV.

I need help.

I pride myself on following my own advice, and my advice to my ambitious friends is always: get help. I know I won’t continue to grow if I manage everything myself, so I’m in the market for a part-time Executive Assistant to support me across initiatives.

If you think you or someone you know could be the right fit, hit me up with a resume and a cute note: hi@jess-eggert.com.