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Trust Your Neighbours, But Brand Your Business: The Birth Of The Branding Pen
- Shelby T Stewart
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Hello, welcome, and pull up a chair—because this is the official introduction to me, Shelby Stewart, and the little spark of an idea that became The Branding Pen. This is the semi-inspiring and moderately embarrassing story of how a black-sheep cowgirl with piercings, guinea pigs (it'll make sense later) and a lifelong love of entrepreneurship ended up building a successful marketing agency for rural, ranch, and farm-based businesses… and why I care so deeply about doing this work.
Who I Am, and How The Branding Pen Was Born
The name The Branding Pen didn’t come to me in some big boardroom moment. Nope. It dropped into my brain—quite literally a divine download (if you will)—while I was sitting in the mall food court with my sister, Hailey, chatting over poke bowls. Which is actually a pretty perfect metaphor for who I am: A country girl who loves the quiet of the ranch, and also the girl who will absolutely go on a shopping spree at Aritzia and then wear such clothes to do the chores. I love the simple life, and the finer things. It's called balance.
So back to the mall and the business debrief taking place over Hula Poke bowls. I looked at my sister and said, “I just downloaded it. I’ve got it. It just came to me. I’m calling my business The Branding Pen.” Branding… as in a cattle branding. But also branding… as in designing the soul, story, and aesthetic of a business.
Incoming: Hailey's big moment. She didn’t even blink. She didn't skip a beat. She said, “That’s so perfect! Your tagline is: Trust your neighbours, but brand your business.” Boom. Mic drop moment from Hailey, right?
And that was it. The Branding Pen was born. We finished our poke bowls chuckling about how clever we are.
A few photos from my friend Alex Callaghan, a couple of marathon website-building days, and suddenly this idea was a real bonafide business with a website, an Instagram and everything. I was up and running, ready to help farmers and ranchers market the heck outta their businesses.
Five or six months later, I resigned from my 9–5 as the Digital Marketing Specialist for the largest Canadian western-wear retailer to go all in on my heart-business, The Branding Pen.
Where I Come From
I have two marketing diplomas and years of experience working with small businesses across North America. But long before I had the credentials, I had the obsession.
I built my first website at 10 years old. It was about my guinea pigs. Yuhp, a whole website all about the cuteness and the fabulousness of my two pet guinea pigs. I built it in our home’s computer room—millennials, you know the one.
Back then, building websites was my little secret hobby, and to be perfectly honest, I was embarrassed by it. While other kids were practicing roping the dummy and competing in the Junior High School Rodeo Association, I was tucked away in the computer room building websites. This was in a time—and a community—where being competitive and athletic was considered cool, and being nerdy definitely wasn’t.
And to top it all off, I wasn’t even nerdy in a way that was working particularly well for me. I didn’t get great grades, and I wasn’t the teacher’s pet, so I wasn’t exactly winning in either arena (no pun intended.) I still remember the sting of embarrassment when my friend’s mom found out about my website project and teased me for it. Oof. You mean to say even adults thought this was a weird hobby for a ten year old? Yes, it would appear so.
I learnt to keep the website builds, ranging from topics such as guinea pigs to DIY face masks, a better secret, (yes mom, that is where all of your honey and egg whites went) but I kept on building them for fun. Here I am, nearly 20 years later, still building websites… except now they’re getting real-deal results for rural entrepreneurs, and I no longer have to commute an hour to work or sit through meetings with men who undermine my expertise and then take credit for my ideas. I'd like to think Hyacinth and Ella, the aforementioned guinea pigs would be proud of this evolution.
I grew up in the Western industry—horse shows, rodeo royalty pageants, 4-H public speaking humiliation rituals, horsemanship clinics, the whole thing. My mom set me up with my first little business before I even hit double digits, selling Wyoming Traders vests and handmade crafts at clinics and markets. Entrepreneurship has been stitched into me since childhood. I have my wonderful mum to thank for sparking my entrepreneur spirit early!
And then there’s Cowboy Campus University—the brand my dad and I built together in 2020 when I was just itching to start an online business. I looked around my surroundings during Covid lockdown. Hmmm... what can I market? What can I sell? Then, my dad walked into my line of vision. Yes, perfect! He'll do.
We grew our Instagram to over 130,000 followers, sold out clinics, sold digital products, landed two magazine covers, speaking events, and so many other incredible opportunities. That platform changed my life and confirmed that rural marketing could be done differently—and done really, really well.
The truth? I’ve invested more into my self-education—courses, coaches, mentors, books—than I ever spent on my two formal diplomas. I’m both traditionally trained and wildly self-taught, and I like it that way.
'Formal education will make you a living but self-education will make you a fortune.' — Jim Rohn
Why I Created The Branding Pen
While I was working my corporate-esque 9–5, I kept noticing the same gap: Western, rural, and ranch-based businesses weren’t getting the same marketing support as urban businesses—not even close.
They were being handed strategies that didn’t fit their world. They were being branded in ways that felt nothing like them. They were told to market like they were something they weren’t.
That didn’t sit right with me. And it also wasn't particularly effective.
Here's what I know for sure, rural businesses deserve marketing that is:
Down-to-earth
Honest
Grounded in tradition
Modern enough to keep up
Never performative or out of character
I wanted to build an agency that got it. An agency that speaks the language of the people who keep this world fed, clothed, and grounded. An agency that could modernize rural businesses without watering them down or sacrificing their traditions and values.
So I built The Branding Pen for rural entrepreneurs who want to grow without losing themselves.
Who I Serve—and Why It Matters
I love working with:
Beef producers
Ranch families
Small-town makers and doers
Farm-to-table operations
Rural service providers
Western lifestyle brands
These people are the heartbeat of so much good in this world. They know hard work, grit, community, craftsmanship, and tradition. But they also deserve to thrive in the modern economy without being forced into marketing strategies that feel fake or flashy. I’m here to bridge that gap—using branding, websites, social media, and grounded strategy that actually works for the rural world.
A Final Note
Entrepreneurship, to me, is personal development on crack. Marketing is the heartbeat of every great business. And helping rural entrepreneurs build something that’s both beautiful and profitable? That’s the joy of my life.
So that’s a little bit of who I am, and what The Branding Pen is all about. If you’re a rural business ready to stand out, build trust, and show up with confidence—welcome. You’re in the right place. Ready to apply this same marketing magic to your business? Book a free discovery call here and let's connect!
Shelby True
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