Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiera Gray.
Hi Tiera, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always been a creative problem solver and, since high school, have been teaching myself how to use creative-tech tools to make things that tell stories for myself and the people around me. That is what lead me to my professional career as a consultant at a marketing and design agency and where my story really began in 2019.
During my consulting career, I was working with brands, solving problems, and helping companies grow. At the same time, I was looking around at my own community and seeing something that bothered me. I saw a study in 2019 by AMEX that said Black women were starting businesses at higher rates than any other demographic in the country. The same study essentially said our businesses were the least funded and least profitable. (I’m paraphrasing). We were creating, innovating, and building ideas out of both necessity and creativity – people were just using what they knew to make something shake. The talent and vision were there, but so many Black women were unintentionally holding themselves back because they did not understand how much their branding and online presence mattered. And the lack of sustainable success showed.
I kept seeing these women with brilliant business ideas using DIY logos and homemade websites. They were putting everything into their work, but their digital presence did not speak to their excellence. It was painful to watch because one, I saw first-hand how much the other side invests in these things, and two, because I knew what my peers were capable of. I also knew that the outside world makes snap judgments. A business can be strong, but if the branding looks amateur, people count you out before you even enter the conversation.
That realization lit something in me. I wanted Black women to have a level of creative support that matched their ambition and to be able to step into rooms touting brands that reflected our potential.
So I created Bet On My Brand as a small side business. Nothing fancy at first. Just me helping women move from confusion to clarity through clean design and smart strategy. It grew quickly because the need was real. Every time I finished with a client I could tell they felt lighter and so did I.
That feeling kept me going though things became complicated. At the time I was a senior marketing manager at a marketing and design agency. I always think anything we do for our people will ruffle feathers outside our community and that’s definitely what happened. So, when they found out about my side business, they fired me. Losing my job was annoying lol. It was December 2019, right before COVID too – So I was at home even longer than most lol. But it was also the confirmation I did not know I needed. If I was willing to lose something that stable in order to serve my community, then this was bigger than a side project. It was purpose.
Getting fired, followed by the pandemic made me step into my own vision. Tons of people were taking that time to start their own business and wanted to invest in their brand and online presence. Some of my first websites are still up and thriving! I built a studio that combined strategy, clarity, creativity, and cultural understanding – mostly through word of mouth.
Today, I focus on making branding and web design approachable, straightforward, and effective. For new entrepreneurs I help them think strategically and methodically and show up with confidence. And for seasoned business owners I help them level-up and scale.
So that’s basically the story of Bet On My Brand. IDK if it’s even a unique story – I feel like it follows the pattern of lots of women like me…I saw a problem, I cared about who was being impacted. I had the skill set to solve the problem and I committed to building something I’m proud of.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I already mentioned that I was fired soon after launching my business, which added a level of pressure that I didn’t plan for. In those early stages, I did not have the luxury of being selective. I had to take every project that came my way, even when it was not the right fit or the client was not truly ready for the process. That created its own set of challenges.
Over time, my struggles have pretty much fallen into two categories. The first is setting boundaries and creating policies in response to real situations I was running into. The second is time management. I know people say we all have the same twenty four hours as Beyoncé, but I definitely don’t. It has been hard for me to be even a fraction as productive as she seems to be. Balancing client work with real life took me a while to figure out.
I eventually got a new full time job, so growing Bet On My Brand while working a nine to five has been an adventure on its own. And because I built this business for Black women, who I genuinely love, some of those early challenges hit harder. Loving a community does not automatically mean you can work well with every single person in it. Every project taught me something, and over the years I kept adjusting my client experience, my boundaries, and my policies so the work would feel sustainable.
I am much more confident now when it comes to choosing projects that align with how I work and what I can realistically take on. Becoming a mother has also pushed me to be even more intentional. My time became more valuable after having my child, so I am way more selective than I used to be. The road has not been smooth, but the lessons have shaped how I work and led me to where I am today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Bet On My Brand® is a brand and web design studio that combines strategy, structure, and clean visuals to help Black women entrepreneurs show up online with confidence. I created this business because I kept seeing women with strong ideas and real talent being overlooked simply because their branding did not reflect their true value. My studio exists to fix that.
I specialize in brand strategy, visual identity design, and websites that feel organized, professional, and aligned with where my clients want their business to go. I am known for making things clear. My clients come to me overwhelmed, unsure of how to present themselves, and tired of DIY. I help them get focused, understand their brand, and walk away with a polished identity that positions them for the opportunities they deserve.
What sets me apart is my background and my approach. I am a strategist first and a designer second. I care about the foundation just as much as the visuals. I understand Black women entrepreneurs on a cultural level, so my work is not surface level. It is intentional and rooted in how we actually do business. I also build systems that clients can manage long after the project ends, which is something a lot of designers do not think about.
Brand-wise, I am most proud of the transformation my clients experience. Yes, the design is beautiful, but the clarity and confidence they gain is what matters most. I built this studio while working full-time and navigating new motherhood, so the quality and consistency of my work is something I take a lot of pride in. My process is structured, my communication is clear, and my goal is always to make the branding journey feel valuable instead of overwhelming.
At the end of the day, I want your readers to know that Bet On My Brand® is for women who are ready to take their business seriously. It is for the entrepreneur who wants her brand to match her ambition. It is for the woman who is tired of playing small online. I help bring structure, clarity, and premium design to black-female-owned businesses that deserve to be seen.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Good question. I don’t really label it as luck. I’m sure I’m not the first one to say that lol. But I have always felt God’s favor over my life. That doesn’t erase any hardships I’ve faced, but even in the low moments, I can usually look back and see how something was being lined up for me. Getting fired, for example, was for sure the worst timing, but it pushed me fully into my business at a moment when I needed the clarity. Growing up I was never sure motherhood was for me until the journey to becoming a mom got tough. That fight for it taught me how much I did want to be a mom and it ended with the most perfect angel-face baby boy. It’s Divine.
I just think claiming luck feels like the good things or bad things that happen to me are random. I’m never lucky in that sense. Like, I never win raffles or find money on the ground lol. The last size on the rack in the store is almost never mine lol. Things that happen to me feel so much more intentional. The way I met my husband, the way my business started, my journey to motherhood. To me those are stories only God can write. Throughout my life, certain doors have been opened that I didn’t even know to knock on. People have shown up at the exact right moments – and people have exited stage left right on time too. When I look back, the pattern clearly shows that none of it has been luck. It has been alignment.
Pricing:
- Quotes are custom
Contact Info:
- Website: https://betonmybrand.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betonmybrand
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/betonmybrand
Image Credits
Katie Johnson
