The biggest obstacles we face as business owners are often our own mental blocks. Cari Sekender, founder of Butter Studio, has experienced this first hand.

Butter's Founder Shares What It Really Takes to Build a Studio

Connection is the most valuable tool in your toolbox to drive business success. Why? People need to feel connected — to their communities and the broader culture they live in. It’s an innate need that makes us feel safe, fulfilled, and alive.

How Does Connection Drive Growth?

A key benefit of branding is the confidence it gives YOU as a business leader. A potential client recently shared that she’s embarrassed by her existing brand identity.

How Does Branding Build Your Personal Confidence?

Join me in welcoming to the world, Butter Studio 2.0!

Welcome to the World, Butter Studio 2.0!

This is my favorite print ad of all time.

I love this ad because it captures the culture of ‘place’ in a cheeky, surprising way.

A Recipe for Delicious Marketing

I was recently asked, “what do you look for in a client?” and I answered that the most important thing to me is working with good people.

How team chemistry inspired award-winning design

I procrastinate my marketing efforts allll the time! They’re on my calendar every week, and every week I put them off. I started paying attention to my habits and this is what I found.

Putting Procrastination to Bed

Dive into the intersection of art and sport with Jasmine Maietta, Founder and CEO of Round21. Jasmine's journey from professional athlete to executive at brands like Reebok and Peloton has uniquely positioned her to bring a fresh take to the sports equipment market with her company, Round21.

Shark Tank and Beyond: Round21's Founder on Her Path from Athlete to Entrepreneur

Disposable cameras + the world's favorite sport = a successful business? Yep, indeed it does! And it’s garnering sponsorship from top soccer organizations like FIFA and Adidas and engaging global superstars like the USWNT…

Unveiling Soccer's Soul: Capturing Global Football Stories through Disposable Cameras with Goal Click

Redefining Travel for Runners: Inside Rogue Expeditions with CEO Michael Mazzara

Few can say they were lucky enough to be in the empty locker room postgame as Kobe Bryant quietly celebrated winning his 4th and 5th NBA Championships.

Behind the Scenes of a Sports Revolution

The mindset of an athlete is the same as the mindset of a designer. If we haven’t met yet, I’m Cari Sekendur, founder of Butter Studio, and I’m thrilled to introduce The Spread: Where Sports and Creativity Meet Bottom Line.

Introducing The Spread: Where Sports and Creativity Meet Bottom Line

Liseli Sitali and I had dinner together before the Berlin Marathon — and we discussed something near and dear to our hearts — the impact sports have on fostering connection. Some of our thoughts:

How Do We Connect Over Sports?

Do you know the #1 factor that drives decision-making? 

It’s emotion. Joy. Passion. Surprise. Delight.

Emotion: Our Biggest Influencer

Fueling Endurance: Insights from NEVERSECOND CEO Bill Armstrong

I recenlty spoke with a Founder who knows their look and feel is not up to snuff. But how will an investment in rebranding pay off?

How Much Should You Invest in Rebranding Your Company?

There’s challenge and freedom in letting go of the “right” way to do things. I did a lot of experimentation in the early days of Butter. There were things I did not like about the client/agency process, and I had the itch to do it differently.

I believe that once you’ve been freed from thinking ‘within the box,’ or forced to carve your own path, the opportunities for creative problem-solving are endless.

How I reimagined the creative process to center client needs

We won the internet’s biggest award! The judges cast their ballots, and Butter Studio's website for CITIUS MAG won the Webby for the Best Sports Website of the year! 

Butter Studio and CITIUS Magazine Win Webby Award for Best Sports Website

Would you hire a lawyer or doctor off Craigslist? Some things are not worth sacrificing on quality. The same goes for design. Here’s what a cheap website costs.

What Does a Cheap Website Actually Cost You?

Is being “trendy” a good or a bad thing? Both following trends and breaking from them are successful strategies - when done right! 

Is Being “Trendy” a Good or a Bad Thing?

When I was 9, I marched up to Sports Authority (RIP) with my mom to buy gear for my first ever soccer practice. Every single item I chose had an Adidas logo on it: from the cleats, to the socks, to the shorts, to the t-shirt.

My Journey With Branding Started Young

Finding your stride as an entrepreneur takes years. Mistakes are part of the journey. What counts is how you bounce back.

Building a Brand with Athletic Determination

How does nostalgia influence purchasing decisions? I was a huge Bulls fan in the 90s. (I wish I’d kept that jersey and hat!)

Our current decade worships that which was cool 30 years ago, and this isn’t unique to today. It’s a phenomenon that every generation experiences.

Let’s Get Nostalgic for a Moment

The most comfy shoe brand that I’ve ever put on my feet aren’t from big name brands.

Stepping into Ingenuity: Tim Bartels on Crafting Velous and the Journey from Corporate Exec to Startup Founder

“But what am I supposed to wear?!” – Me (after winning a Webby Award).

What’s the Point of Celebrating?

Most email is a SLOG. These days I’m less on email with clients than I am on WhatsApp… BUT! I still smile when I receive a beautiful email.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not a Newsletter

As queer people, we are breaking the rules just by existing.

Thriving in a system that isn’t designed for us means that we have to create the world we want to live in.

It's Pride: Let's Create The World We Want to Live In

I recently spoke with Nancy Monsarrat, one of the creators of this iconic Nike ad from the 90’s and she shared with me how impactful it was for Nike at the time.



How to Increase Productivity When Resources Are Limited

Set Your Intentions to Benefit the Bottom Line

FIFA banned players from wearing a rainbow armband in support of LGBTQ+ rights at this year’s Women’s World Cup. During the last WWC in 2019, Megan Rapinoe famously said, ‘You can’t win without gay players”, after defeating France in the quarter-final (a match I attended! ). The juxtaposition of the Pride armband ban amidst a record number of out LGBT+ players in this year’s tournament is jarring.

You Can’t Win Without Gay Players

Karen Dobres of Lewes FC shares how she helped to lead this UK football club on their successful mission for gender equity, all the while achieving record sponsorship and bringing in new fans by the droves.


Equality in Sports Business: Lewes FC's Karen Dobres on Breaking Barriers

We dive into the world of sports media entrepreneurship with Chris Chavez, founder of CITIUS MAG. Join us as we explore how creativity fuels the success of CITIUS MAG, making following Track and Field more accessible for all fans of the sport.

Sprinting Beyond Conventions: Track and Field Journalism’s Creative Evolution with CITIUS MAG

Imagine arriving at a dinner party in a Gucci suit vs. your 10-year-old ratty workout clothes. What assumptions would people make about you before you even speak?

Why Appearances Matter

At coffee with Kinsey Wolf this week, she asked me if the Naming process is difficult. An emphatic yes - It is BY FAR the most difficult part of the branding process.

What’s in a Name?

We delve into how the beloved brand, Honey Stinger, has made its mark in sports nutrition with two remarkable guests. Cari Sekendur, your host, sits down with Wendy Mayo, VP of Marketing, and Luke Cherry, Sr. Director of Sports Marketing, for an enlightening conversation that unveils the creative forces propelling Honey Stinger's success.

Stinging Success: Elevating Sports Nutrition with Honey Stinger's Creative Magic

As women, we don’t brag. We’re conditioned to play down achievements so as not to be seen as aggressive...

Women, Please Brag

Liseli Sitali is a visionary leader in both sports marketing and social impact - advocating for women, especially Black women in sport. She has held a series of impressive leadership roles at top sports companies from DAZN to Sky Sports, and now as Director of Football and Music Partnerships at Expedia Group.

Leading with Purpose: Liseli Sitali's Vision for Sport and Empowerment

Early in the WWC '23, New Zealand won their first Women’s World Cup match in 32 years… A few weeks prior, #77-ranked Zambia beat #2 Germany in a pre-tournament friendly match.

How Aesthetics Shaped Culture in the 2023 Women’s World Cup

CITIUS MAG posted Nike’s reveal of the Paris 2024 Olympic track uniforms and the internet blew up with athletes and sports fans calling out the sexism in the design of the women’s track leotard.

2024 Olympic Track Uniforms Spark Sexism Debate

The NWSL is allergic to cool. Meg Linehan agrees, “I’m honestly pretty bummed that none of these prompted me to rate above good.” Me too, Meg!

What Does Cool Have to Do with Sales?

I started Butter Studio 5 years ago - and I had no idea what I was doing.

I want to be honest about the journey of entrepreneurship in the creative industry.

Happy Birthday, Butter Studio!

WordPress is not the secure platform choice in today’s day and age. As digital creatives, we need to build websites that are impossible to hack.

Building Secure Websites: Why Butter Chooses JAMstack Over WordPress

Join us for an engaging conversation with Alana Casner, the SVP of Business Development & Athlete Relations at Parity, a sports marketing and sponsorship platform dedicated to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports.

Invest in Women: Alana Casner on What Female Athletes Bring to Brands

Learn how I and the team at Butter Studio are using an athlete’s mindset to drive business results for our clients. Explained in this beautiful feature by the design magazine Creative...

Cari Sekendur Talks Sports-Inspired Leadership with Megan Williams at Creative Review

Olivia Witherite, Marketing Director for the Webby Awards, shares her experience transitioning from the always-on sports industry, at companies including The Game Day and The Athletic, to her current role, where she’s creating a team culture centered around work-life balance.

Balancing Act: Olivia Witherite on Burnout, Boundaries, and Creativity

My grandmother was the only woman allowed to play with the men on Sundays at her club in Atlanta. One time Mickey Rooney even borrowed her golf shoes! And this was what, 50+ years ago?

It's Time for Women's Pro Events in 2024

As a founder or marketing exec, this is your key to surviving tough markets. The first half of 2023 was radio silence. Marketing budgets were non-existent and “efficiency” was the name of the game.

Your Community Is Still Listening, Even if They’re Not Buying

I was asked that when speaking at a Women in Soccer event.

What Role Does Design Play in Progress?

Grief can push us to grow in ways we wouldn’t have predicted. I had a meaningful conversation with Suzanne McKenzie, founder of high end soccer brand, Able Made, and nonprofit Ucal Breakaway. Her story is tough and inspiring: