By Rachael Burgess
After spending years creating different businesses, raising my family, and slowly building Rachael’s DesignaCake into something meaningful for my community, stepping into RB Designa Co felt like entering a completely new stage of my life. It wasn’t the kind of shift where you simply “add another business.” It was the kind where you have to pause, look at everything you’ve built so far, and ask yourself what you actually want the next chapter to represent.
This brand didn’t come from a sudden idea. It came from months of paying attention to what felt right, what didn’t, and what I was naturally drawn to. It came from building quietly in the background while learning new skills, trying new systems, and figuring out what direction made sense for the long term — not just the moment.
As RB Designa Co started forming, I noticed something I didn’t expect. The way I approached this brand was completely different from anything I’d done before. It was slower, more intentional, and more connected to the kind of person I’ve grown into. And the more I created, the more I realised that three mindsets were driving every decision without me even planning it: Inspire, Empower, and Evolve.
They weren’t chosen as “branding words.” They were simply there — the same way they’ve always been in my life. And once I recognised that, everything about the brand finally made sense.
So here’s how those mindsets shaped RB Designa Co from the inside out.
INSPIRE
Where Our Work Truly Begins
Inspiration has been part of my life long before RB Designa Co existed. It was there in my early cake business, in the market stalls, in the late nights baking while my kids slept, and in every new idea I chased even when I wasn’t sure where it would lead. But rebuilding a brand in today’s world made me realise how different inspiration feels when you’re surrounded by constant noise.
When you see people launching new things every day, growing quickly, and succeeding in ways that look effortless, it’s easy to start doubting your own ideas. There were times where I felt that pressure myself — wondering if my designs were good enough, if the direction made sense, and whether I was already too far behind to catch up. And when those thoughts creep in, inspiration doesn’t go away, but it becomes harder to reach.
I had to slow down and remind myself why I create in the first place. Real inspiration doesn’t come from trying to keep up with what everyone else is doing. It comes from the things that feel true to you — the colours you naturally gravitate to, the characters that make you smile, the ideas that show up even when you’re not trying to find them.
Once I pulled back from the noise and focused on what felt right, the brand started to become clearer. It wasn’t about trying to match anyone’s pace or style. It was about building something that actually felt like RB Designa Co — grounded, thoughtful, and aligned with who I’ve grown into.
That’s why Inspire became the first mindset. It reminds me to create with intention, not pressure, and to listen to the ideas that come from within instead of the noise that comes from outside.
EMPOWER
The Quiet Confidence Behind What We Do
If inspiration lights the spark, empowerment is what keeps everything going, especially when the reality of building a business hits. For most of my life, I didn’t think of what I was doing as empowerment. I was just doing what needed to be done. I worked, I created, I rebuilt, and I kept going through seasons that would’ve made sense to step away from.
But rebuilding RB Designa Co opened my eyes to something I hadn’t considered before — how much strength I had built over the years without ever acknowledging it. Running businesses for almost three decades, raising my children while working, facing personal challenges, healing from loss, and restarting more times than I can count — all of that shaped me in ways I didn’t recognise until I started building this brand from the ground up again.
Empowerment didn’t show up as confidence. It showed up as honesty. It showed up when I looked at everything I’d survived and everything I’d built, and realised that I wasn’t stepping into this new chapter empty-handed. I had years of experience, resilience, and creativity behind me — I just needed to trust that I could use them differently this time.
That’s why Empower is the second mindset. It’s the reminder that growth doesn’t always feel bold or fearless. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s uncertain. But it’s always shaped by the experiences that brought you here. And that’s the part that gives the brand its strength — not perfection, but willingness.
EVOLVE
Growing Into the Brand We Are Now
Evolution rarely happens in big, dramatic ways. It usually shows up slowly, through small shifts in direction, new ideas that feel more aligned, or moments where you realise you’ve outgrown things you used to hold onto tightly.
RB Designa Co didn’t evolve overnight. It changed as I changed. It grew as I grew. And the more honest I became about what felt right, the easier it was to let go of old versions of the brand that I no longer connected with. That didn’t mean those earlier versions were wrong — they just belonged to a different season of my life.
Letting go wasn’t about starting from zero. It was about making room for something that made more sense now. New characters, new colours, new creative direction — it all came naturally once I stopped forcing the brand into spaces that didn’t fit anymore.
That’s why Evolve became the third mindset. It helps keep the brand aligned with who I am now, not who I used to be. It reminds me to grow at a pace that feels real, not rushed. And it keeps RB Designa Co moving in a direction that makes sense, even when the path ahead is still unfolding.
And As This Chapter Comes Full Circle…
When I look at RB Designa Co now, I can clearly see how much of my life has shaped this brand — the years of small business experience, the seasons of rebuilding, the mistakes I had to learn from, and the moments where I had to stop and ask myself if the direction I was heading still felt right. This brand didn’t just appear; it grew slowly with me, changed when I needed to change, and became clearer the more honest I was about what I actually wanted to create.
INSPIRE, EMPOWER, and EVOLVE weren’t chosen because they sounded good. They came naturally from the way my life has unfolded over the last 27+ years. They shaped how I worked, how I rebuilt, and how I learned to trust myself even when the path didn’t look clear. Without realising it, those mindsets started guiding every part of this new chapter — the designs, the characters, the storytelling, and the way we show up for the people who support us.
And I’ll be honest — stepping into this industry at the level we’re aiming for is intimidating. The competition is real. There are massive brands out there doing incredible things, and I’m very aware that this space is bigger, faster, and louder than anything I’ve stepped into before. There are days where it scares me, where I wonder if I’m moving too slowly or learning too many things at once. But even with all of that, I’m still choosing to move forward because I believe in what we’re building. I know the heart behind this brand. I know the intention is real. And I know that RB Designa Co is evolving into something I’m proud to take a risk on.
There will always be challenges. There will be systems to learn, decisions that take longer than I expect, and moments where I feel like I’m still figuring things out as I go. But that’s part of building something meaningful — it isn’t perfect, and it isn’t instant. It’s a process. And I’m grateful to be in it, even on the hard days.
What I hope, more than anything, is that people who come across this brand — whether through a design, a story, or even a quick scroll — feel something genuine behind it. Maybe encouragement. Maybe connection. Maybe a reminder that rebuilding or evolving your life or business doesn’t need to happen in one go. You can grow in stages. You can change your mind. You can start again without starting over.
If I could leave you with one piece of advice from everything I’ve lived through, it would be this: don’t rush where you’re going. Take your time. Build something that feels right for you, not something that looks right for others. The small steps matter just as much as the big ones, and sometimes they matter even more.
So here’s a little challenge before you go — take a moment today to think about which part of your life or business is asking for a shift. Maybe it’s something small. Maybe it’s something big. But it’s usually there, quietly waiting for you to notice it.
And now I’ll leave you with this: which step feels right for you to take next?
