FROM ONE CLIENT TO AN AWARD-WINNING STUDIO…
The story behind the visibility studio that is empowering people to share their stories, attract opportunities and make an impact.
The story behind studio self-made
It all started with an idea…
In 2019, whilst studying at University, Emma turned down a fashion internship and decided to go all in on starting her own business.
After experiencing anxiety for over a decade, Emma launched The Calming Club, a mission-driven stationery brand designed to help people make self-care part of their everyday routine.
Over the next 3 years, Emma built the brand, hosting pop-ups in John Lewis and partnering with brands like Tea Pigs and Bullion Chocolate - selling over 10,000 products to over 15 countries.
As part of building The Calming Club’s brand, Emma realised how impactful sharing your own story can be. This was the start of Emma’s journey exploring personal branding as a founder.
Sharing the story…
After celebrating 3 years of growing The Calming Club and working as a brand strategist for a number of 7-figure brands, Emma decided to take on a new challenge - launching Studio Self-Made.
Emma launched a business and branding mentoring programme, working with those who face additional barriers to entrepreneurship.
Studio Self-Made supported over 50 founders and freelancers to help them develop a strategy and market their ideas through authentic storytelling.
As part of social impact work, Emma won the Ingenuity Impact Community Champion Award and Big Education Challenge, endorsed by Virgin.
making an impact…
In 2025, Emma continued to document her founder journey on LinkedIn and has grown her personal brand to over 16,000 followers.
The Studio Self-Made team has grown to a team of 3, expanding further into business and and brand strategy for purpose-driven founders and owners, and custom programme development for brands and organisations who want to impact underrepresented individuals.
Winning the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber Creative Start Up and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2025.
We’re on a mission to help purpose-driven businesses, brands and organisations build highly impactful and authentic brands that attract clients and aligned opportunities.
Award winning marketing studio
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Award winning marketing studio 〰️
Meet the team
emma Redfern
Founder and Lead Brand Strategist
Emma is the award-winning founder of Studio Self-Made, the visibility studio dedicated to helping founders, freelancers, brands and organisations attract the right opportunities and make an impact.
With a passion for storytelling and a strategic approach to branding, she empowers individuals to establish a strong presence in their industries.
With a background in brand strategy and marketing, Emma has worked with 7-figure businesses to develop strategy-driven brand campaigns that effortlessly attract customers and clients.
Her expertise lies in positioning brands for long-term success by combining creative vision with data-driven insights.
In September 2025, Emma won the prestigious UK StartUp Awards title of UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Graeme Tidd
Programme Lead and Content Creator
With over 20 years in enterprise education and experience running his own brand design business, Graeme has helped thousands of people turn ideas into action.
At Sheffield Hallam University, he led the UK’s largest undergraduate entrepreneur placement programme, and he has worked with entrepreneurs like Peter Jones CBE and corporates such as Canon, Jessops and Grant Thornton.
Today, he uses that experience to help founders, creatives and underrepresented individuals build visibility that opens doors.
Graeme’s hybrid approach blends strategic insight with inspiring, actionable content that gets results.
Graeme is also a highly experienced photographer, adding photographic content for deeper impact where required.
Lauren Toulson
Social Media Manager & Content Creator
Lauren is responsible for managing our brand’s social media channels, crafting engaging and strategic content across multiple platforms to enhance brand awareness and connect with our target audience. With a keen eye for digital trends and audience engagement, she ensures our online presence remains dynamic, relevant, and impactful.
As a talented marketer and content creator, Lauren brings creativity and strategic thinking to every project. She specialises in producing design-led content that aligns with our brand identity and resonates with our audience. She plays a crucial role in shaping the brand's digital storytelling, from social media graphics and video content to blog posts and campaign materials.
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