Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Tyler.
Hi Rachel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey has been full of twists and turns, but looking back, I’m grateful for every opportunity that led me here. Today, I’m a Brand Strategist and Founder of Rachel Tyler Consulting, where I help businesses take their brand from unclear to unstoppable.
What began as a small side hustle grew into a business I genuinely love showing up for every day. It all stemmed from a unique personal story. In my early post-college years, I went through several job transitions in an attempt to uncover the right career path. In Dallas, a city full of opportunity and competition, I quickly realized that standing out in this crazy job market required more than the skills to fulfill the job description. You had to do the extra work: define your message, refine your perceived value, and build your network.
Interview after interview, I felt the pressure to clearly and confidently communicate who I was and what I had to offer to companies, yet I lacked a method to do so. That changed when I began to uncover the power of branding, which is the art of shaping perception and creating the right signals in the mind of your audience.
I remember immersing myself in brand strategy books, courses, and conversations with people I admired in the field. I was truly fascinated by how brand strategy and design could work together to shift perception and highlight strengths.
After delving into months of learning about branding, I was at a networking event when a woman noticed the way I clearly introduced myself and what I did. She approached me afterward and asked me to help her create a polished pitch that told her story clearly. I helped her, and she insisted on paying me. As a result of our work together, she landed her dream job and referred me to her network. This led to another referral, and another—and from this, my side business was born.
Around the same time, I accepted a role at a global marketing agency, where I gained invaluable experience and grew under some of the best strategists in the industry. While working full time in digital strategy, I continued helping individuals brand themselves because I could deeply empathize with them. I knew the feeling of being overlooked, that feeling of having something to offer but struggling to get others to see it.
Sometimes, it just takes a partner to ask the right questions and bring your strengths to light and put them into a strategy and words—that’s where I came in for my clients.
Several years down the road when I had my first daughter, I felt a calling to make a change based on some life circumstances at the time. There was a natural shift anyway in becoming a parent, and while I stepped away from the standard W2 role, I knew there was something deep down inside of me that wanted to take this side hustle business full-on.
With the right support by my side, I took the leap and launched my LLC. Today, I focus on helping small and mid-sized businesses build brand strategies that help them connect with their audiences, communicate their value, and position the company to scale.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
You know those moments when a door opens and stepping through feels right? That’s exactly what starting my business felt like. Yes, it was definitely a leap into the deep end, but it was incredible to see how God aligned opportunities and connections at just the right time.
Of course, the journey hasn’t been completely smooth. I definitely had fear of failure in those beginning months. Every business has its challenges, and every founder will face a learning curve at some point.
My first year in business certainly came with its share of tough lessons. But one of my dad’s favorite sayings stuck with me in this particular season: “You don’t learn from experience—you learn from evaluated experience.”
As a former B52 pilot in the Air Force, he knew a thing or two about how to perfect a skill. That perspective changed everything for me in business. You don’t learn more from simply doing the same thing repeatedly. You learn from the evaluation of what you did, and how to adjust moving forward.
Through reflection and refinement, I’ve gained clarity about who I can best serve, when to say no, and when to redirect someone to another expert. I’ve come to believe we never truly “arrive.” We’re all evolving, and those with a growth mindset move forward more effectively by applying what they’ve learned in real time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Q: What should we know? What do you do, what do you specialize in / what are you known for?
My business specializes in providing robust brand strategies to help clients unearth clarity.
If you’re unsure what “brand strategy” means, you’re not alone. It can often be a misused phrase in the marketing world. I define it as a method to shape precipitation and create the right signals in the mind of your audience. The brand strategy deliverable is a comprehensive playbook that defines your brand’s why, who, how, and what, while also capturing key elements such as differentiation, core messaging, and a storytelling framework.
I work with a variety of organizations: ones who desire to rebrand and ones who don’t have a brand strategy to begin with. Oftentimes, my clients don’t directly approach me saying “I need a brand strategy for my business”, rather, I hear statements like:
-“Revenue and engagement are down.”
-“Our branding feels outdated.”
-“The competition is outpacing us.”
-“We need to scale our fundraising efforts.”
-“We’re ready to take our brand to the next level.”
Behind each of these challenges is (often) an underlying thread, a deeper issue: a misaligned, outdated or underdeveloped brand strategy.
I think about brand strategy like wiring behind walls. While it’s not always visible to the public, it’s a necessary component to power electricity for your building. In the same way, brand strategy can ignite relevance and trust across every part of your organization (if executed correctly of course).
Your business strategy is vital because it defines where you’re headed, but your brand strategy clarifies why people should care. It also builds equity, along with the internal and external alignment your organization needs to grow with confidence.
In addition to brand strategy creation, I also partner with creative talent to collaborate on design for companies’ refreshed visual identities (logos, fonts, colors, collateral, look and feel, etc.) as a part two of the project. Lastly, I offer consulting packages to clients and partake in educating audiences through public speaking engagements.
Q. What are you most proud of, brand wise?
One of the most rewarding parts of my work is witnessing the moment my clients light up when their brand vision is finally articulated with clarity, grounded in data, and communicated in a way others instantly understand. Brand strategy gives them undeniable clarity, and with clarity comes power.
As a Brand Strategist, my role isn’t to “reinvent” companies, rather, to uncover and elevate the essence of their brand—bringing it forward in a way that feels both authentic and fresh.
I take pride in seeing clients gain a true competitive edge to scale their businesses with cohesion, differentiation, and relevance—all made possible by the deep, intentional work we’ve done together.
Q: What sets you apart from others?
There are two key elements that I believe set me apart.
First, my diverse experience. Throughout my career I’ve gained exposure to a wide range of industries, business models, and marketing strategies. I’ve led large-scale projects while also rolling up my sleeves to innovate alongside startups. This variety has been invaluable in branding, as it helps with both linear and lateral perspectives across industries and strengthens strategic thinking. My experience has spanned nonprofits, executive coaching, healthcare, technology, and personal brands, and I thrive on the challenge of learning something new with each engagement. Beyond industries, I’ve experienced marketing from every angle, on the company side, the agency side, and as a business owner, equipping me with a 360-degree view of how brands succeed in different environments.
Second, my philosophy of brand. I see the process of building a brand much like the journey of a diamond. I believe the journey of creating a successful brand parallels the process a diamond must undergo for consumers to experience its value. Its brilliance is there all along under the earth, but its potential remains untapped until it undergoes the process of refinement. This process of refinement takes time, deep work and investment.
Too often, I see companies spend heavily on advertising or quick-fix rebranding gimmicks, only to find their efforts fall flat because the brand’s true strategy was never clarified. Real impact doesn’t come from cookie-cutter solutions. It comes from deep research, craftsmanship, and a thoughtful strategy.
That’s why I focus on depth. I bring my clients a rigorous process that includes research, qualitative customer interviews, competitor analysis, and leadership insights, ensuring their brand not only reflects their vision but also resonates with the market and customer needs.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Dallas is a city bursting with opportunities. It’s a wonderful place to grow professionally and expand your business network. I enjoy the career-minded aspirational culture, and the chance to build a business where brand services are high in demand.
What I miss, however, is the outdoor scenery and adventure. I’m an avid hiker and beach lover, so while Dallas excels with its shopping and dining scene, I often wish there were more accessible outdoor escapes without having to travel so far from the city.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.racheltylerconsulting.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-tyler/
Image Credits
Brittany Hansen
