Selling My Brand “The Omaha Local”
I graduated college in 2018 from The University of Nebraska Lincoln, and moved back to Omaha in the fall of 2019. I was young, curious and eager to re-explore Omaha with fresh eyes. I lived in an adorable historic loft in the Old Market and spent a lot of my free-time trying new places.
After a few months, I had compiled quite a gallery of images from trying all of these local businesses. I had an idea, to create a “city guide” for people like myself who were looking to find the hidden gems, local favorites, small businesses, and stay in the know with upcoming changes around the city.
I went to a coffee shop, got my journal out, and started sketching out ideas for the brand, name, and vision. I was thrilled to find that the domain theomahalocal.com and the instagram handle @theomahalocal were both available. I snagged both and got to work on the concept.
I hired an artist from Brazil to create this illustrated version of me for the logo so that the brand was “all about me” but subtly showed a “character” who was “checking things out.”
Over the next few years, I slowly grew the accounts by authentically sharing high-quality content that helped Omaha citizens and visitors discover new places, romanticize living in Nebraska, support their community, and feel more connected.
Once the accounts grew, I was lucky enough to secure a few brand partnerships that paid for exposure. A few of my favorite collaborations were with the Cottonwood Hotel, Junkstock and Visit Nebraska.
Up until 2024, I continued sharing organically and would weave in collaborative posts as they’d occasionally come.
As my podcast continued to grow, I took over full ownership of 1404 Collective (read all about that here) and had to prioritize freelance clients - it became harder to dedicate any time to The Omaha Local.
Then in summer 2024, I moved abroad (first to Colombia, then to Mexico) which made it even more of a challenge to share about the happenings in Omaha since I was physically so far away.
After almost a year abroad, I finally came to terms with the fact that I wasn’t going to be moving back to Omaha anytime soon, or even if I did, I wouldn’t have the time to put into the brand that it deserved.
I decided to make a “for sale” graphic and posted it on Linked In.
I wasn’t dying to sell it, but I figured if someone who lived in Omaha wanted the opportunity to takeover a blog with a strong base, then that would make me feel good.
Thankfully, I received multiple offers within the first few weeks of posting. After “interviewing” potential buyers, I felt the most aligned with a lovely gal named Devin Owens. She is also a local small business owner, creative genius and committed community member.
I had no doubt that she would take The Omaha Local into a wonderful next era so we negotiated terms, signed the papers, and I transferred the accounts and content over to her.
It’s only been a few weeks since she took over and she’s already come up with new branding, relaunched the website with content packages, relaunched the instagram with a new aesthetic, and I’m sure there’s even more happening behind the scenes.
I am eager to see how it evolves with her and will be supporting from afar!
Instagram: @theomahalocal
Website: theomahalocal.com
