A dream doesn't
become reality overnight.
Our Story
Samantha Nolan was inspired to make a career out of helping others achieve job search success after experiencing her own career trial. In 2002, Samantha lost her dream marketing job when she was six months pregnant. With the financial future of her growing family on the line, she utilized her corporate marketing experience to brand herself and secured a 100% response rate with the resume and portfolio she created. Life then took an unexpected turn when her daughter was born early, so she found herself in the maternity ward instead of on the interviews she had secured.
The “bug” that inspired the company’s first name, Ladybug Design. Samantha is here at the OSU flight school with her nephews.
Samantha just a few days before those interviews were scheduled.
Welcome, little Addison, to the world…a bit early!
Our flights started early! Dad and Addy at the airport.
Now needing a plan C, Samantha tapped into her writing and design skills and began writing resumes for a large dot com. After writing about 1,000 resumes, she decided to launch her own company so that she could support others who found themselves experiencing an unexpected turn on their professional road.
Samantha is now regarded as one of the most accomplished and effective personal branding experts in the U.S., having worked with over 9,000 clients in over 47 states and around the world. Her well-known ‘Dear Sam’ column is published in 20+ newspapers across the country and appears weekly in the L.A. Times, Columbus Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer, San Diego Union-Tribune, The Advocate, the Oklahoman, and others.
Samantha’s children, London and Addy, preparing for flight.
Samantha’s family getting ready for their first family flight!
Samantha’s son, London, sleeping in the back of a Cessna 172 on the way back from a trip.
Samantha’s family getting ready for their first family flight with Dad as the Captain.
Samantha is a devoted mom, a driven entrepreneur, and an expert writer and brand strategist who is driven by helping others succeed. She has been commended for her ability to facilitate a genuine connection with her clients and considers the success of her clients to be the key indicator of her company’s success.
The Journey from Ladybug Design to Nolan Branding
Samantha launched Ladybug Design in 2000 as a corporate design firm — hence the name — but, since 2002 the company has focused exclusively on personal branding through development of resumes, interview and career coaching, and LinkedIn promotion. Changing the name in 2017, “Nolan Branding: Where Careers Take Flight” better reflects the company’s mission of helping clients’ careers take flight through personal branding services.