When Our Founder Almost Died,

She Learned This About Your Brand’s Growth

Katie Wight | March 14, 2023

My white knuckles clutched the seat as I forced myself to breathe. Yianni strangled the steering wheel with both hands as the two of us leaned all the way forward like it would increase our chances of getting up the mountain.

“I need to pull over and get these chains on right now,” he said.
“It’s only 400 fucking more meters!” The snow was accumulating so fast, I thought we’d be at greater risk if we stopped.

We had arrived in Switzerland 45 minutes earlier after a 3-day road trip through Portugal, Spain, and France. We were headed to Caux, Switzerland, a mountain town sitting 1,000 meters above Lake Geneva. The road to our place was 20 minutes of narrow switchbacks punctuated by sharp cliffs with no margin for error. With a lot of snow in the forecast, we decided to stop for tire chains along the way. Just in case.

Halfway up the mountain, the rain turned to a blizzard. It was dumping. We were almost there when our tires spun out and we lost our last bit of traction.

When Yianni got out of the car to get the chains, we started sliding down – backward – straight for a cliff that looked like where people in movies go to die. I pulled the brake to no effect and screamed. In the nick of time, he managed to lodge two sticks of wood behind the back tires to keep us from rolling off the edge.

The next 30 minutes looked like a narrowly avoided panic attack, my husband performing exceptionally well under pressure, and the tire chains doing their job. When we spoke with the owner of the house, he was surprised and said he’s never had any issues on that road, no matter the weather. We’re mountain people with winter driving skills, so the whole thing didn’t add up.

Turns out, our rental car had summer tires – something of a foreign object to a girl from the Green Mountain State. Later that night, Google told us about what can happen when summer tires meet snow, and how we were lucky to be alive.

It made me think.

It was day three of a four-month excursion including winter in the Alps. A lot goes into a trip like this – enough planning and logistical details to fill part-time job hours for the past year. Lucky for me, my friend Heidi lives over here, so I had some extra help.

Based on her local knowledge, Heidi helped me choose a long-term apartment, assured me that my dog Muddy would be warmly welcomed, answered hundreds of questions about the tiniest details, and even helped me get my Visa. I’d venture to guess she saved me at least 20 extra hours of research, gave me peace of mind and confidence that I wouldn’t be a victim of my own blind spots, and helped me settle in more quickly.

Earlier that morning, Heidi answered a question: “Where do you think is the best place to buy tire chains in Lyon, France on a Sunday?”

The internet didn’t have this answer for me, but she did.

“The auto shops are closed on Sundays, but they wouldn’t have them anyways. A big grocery store like Carrefour should have them.” We were on a tight schedule for check-in, and I wouldn’t have guessed the grocery store (local knowledge is everything). Without this tip, we would have deferred the chains to the following day.

Think about that.

It’s wild how much consequence there is to having the right information at the right time. The value of having an experienced guide in your corner can save you time and money, accelerate your joy, and protect your wellbeing. What’s more, knowledge is an investment that increases in return over time. What I learned from Heidi this winter about life in the Alps will pay dividends forever.

On the flip side, I had the opportunity to support Heidi in launching a digital arm of her business that’s been living in her head for years. One step at a time: I helped her get clear on her message, tighten up her sales page, simplify her funnel, and brainstorm content for sending traffic to the page. She’s a total badass who's been selling units from day one, and while there’s no shortage of optimization work to do, this will be a brand-scaling asset that she can continue to refine and leverage forever.

Whether you’re:
●   An established brand that knows you can beat your goals with better content and social strategy…
●   A marketing leader who wants my help differentiating your message in the marketplace…
●   A young brand with a proven offer that’s hungry to dial up your growth powerfully and efficiently…