As part of the Morning Lazziness series highlighting empowering women who are making a remarkable impact with their ideas, I had the pleasure of interviewing Petra Jelének.
Petra Jelének is a brand strategist, writer, and founder of Brunch Marketing – a boutique agency based in Prague, focused on sustainable and values-driven brands. With over a decade of experience in storytelling, public relations, and creative direction, she brings a unique blend of strategic insight and aesthetic sensibility to her work.
Petra’s journey began at 14, when she launched a lifestyle blog that later evolved into a wider media platform. As her career developed, she moved through roles in agencies, in-house teams, and freelance consulting, before realizing she wanted to build something that truly reflected her own values. That led to the creation of Brunch Marketing: an agency that prioritizes depth over noise, and intention over trend-chasing.
What sets her apart is a curatorial mindset. She treats every project as a composition, aligning visuals, language, and strategy into one coherent narrative. She doesn’t just help brands grow – she helps them grow beautifully, with presence and purpose.
Beyond her agency work, Petra is building a marketing academy for ethical entrepreneurs and writing an e-book on sustainable brand visibility. Her leadership style is rooted in emotional intelligence, structured creativity, and a deep belief in the power of quiet authority.
She sees branding as cultural storytelling and believes that in a world full of noise, the most compelling brands are the ones that speak with intention, not volume.
In this interview, she dives into the challenges, wins, and wisdom she’s gained from over a decade of transforming online businesses.
What inspired you to start your business, and what problem were you passionate about solving?
Brunch Marketing was never meant to be “just” a business. In fact, for a long time, I didn’t even consider it a company in the traditional sense. It grew from a personal need: the desire to tell meaningful stories in a world full of noise.
I started StyleBrunch as a lifestyle blog when I was 14 without a strategy, just a strong instinct to express and create. Over the years, as I moved from copywriting to PR and marketing roles in both agencies and in-house, I realized something was missing. I didn’t want to promote just anything. I wanted to work with brands that stood for something.
So in 2020, Brunch Marketing was born. Not as a traditional agency, but as a curated space where marketing is about connection, impact, and alignment. I wanted to create a place where values come first. A quiet, intentional partner for brands that want to do things differently.
Our mission became clear: help thoughtful, purpose-driven businesses amplify their voice and become leaders in their space. And just like a real brunch (slow, meaningful, and shared with the right people), our work is about depth, not speed. It’s about building a community around beautiful, intentional work.
How has your business evolved since its launch, and what key decisions helped drive that growth?
Brunch Marketing has evolved from a solo freelance endeavor into a multi-dimensional platform that now includes a boutique agency, a cultural magazine, and soon an educational academy for small business owners and creatives.
In the early days, I said yes to almost everything, as many entrepreneurs do. But over time, the most transformative decision was to narrow the focus and build our own framework: working only with brands that align with our core values – sustainability, locality, and aesthetics with purpose. That choice brought clarity not only to the brand but to the types of clients, campaigns, and strategies we pursued.
Another key shift came when I leaned into curation rather than scale. Instead of trying to compete with large agencies, I focused on building depth, strong relationships, and our own media presence, particularly through StyleBrunch, which allowed us to express our voice without asking for permission.
We also began investing in long-term content systems and internal processes, which created space for creative thinking and strategic growth. That shift from reactive work to intentional structure changed everything.
What makes your brand or offering stand out in a crowded market?
We don’t chase trends or play the volume game. What sets us apart is our quiet strength. Brunch Marketing is built on the belief that marketing can be both strategic and beautiful, measured and magnetic.
We focus on working with sustainable and local brands that often feel overlooked by traditional agencies. Instead of loud tactics, we offer intentional storytelling, high-integrity strategy, and a sense of curated presence.
In a world full of noise, we help brands speak with clarity, elegance, and depth-like a thoughtful conversation over brunch, not a shout in a crowded room.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to date, and why do you think it worked so well?
Creating and owning our own media space has been the most powerful move. Especially through StyleBrunch and thought leadership content on LinkedIn. Instead of relying solely on client work to define us, we built our own voice, tone, and community.
This strategy worked because it allowed us to attract, not chase. We didn’t need to convince people we’re experts. We simply shared what we believe, how we think, and what we stand for. The clients and influencers who come to us now already understand our values, and that alignment changes everything.
How do you stay connected to your ideal audience and understand their needs or behaviors?
I stay connected by being part of the world they live in not just observing it from a distance. I read what they read, shop where they shop, follow the same cultural conversations, and often am my ideal audience: creative, values-driven, searching for depth over hype.
I also run educational content and consulting sessions, where I hear real questions and challenges. That direct feedback, combined with cultural intuition, helps me create strategies that truly resonate, not just perform.
What’s one branding move or campaign that helped elevate your business to the next level?
Repositioning StyleBrunch from a personal lifestyle blog to a curated cultural magazine was a turning point. It allowed us to step into a more editorial, elevated voice—and it shifted how people perceived the entire Brunch ecosystem.
Suddenly, we weren’t just a marketing agency. We were a cultural brand with a point of view. That move opened doors to new collaborations, media interest, and stronger alignment with clients who valued not just marketing, but meaning.
What does success look like for you, not just in numbers, but in purpose or impact?
Success, for me, is about alignment. It’s when my work, my values, and the people I collaborate with all point in the same direction.
It’s also personal: having the freedom to design my days, build community, and know that my work contributes to something more than just profit. If I can make the world feel a little more thoughtful, a little more intentional, I consider that success.
Can you share a challenge or setback that ultimately became a turning point for your brand?
In 2022, I hit a breaking point. I was saying yes to everything, working with brands that didn’t reflect my values, and constantly overriding my own boundaries. One client would call me at all hours, even during a Valentine’s dinner with my (now) fiancé. I took the call.
A few days later, I was rushing from meeting to meeting when he called again. As I answered, I tripped crossing tram tracks in Prague and sprained my ankle. That same week, the war in Ukraine broke out and I found myself questioning everything: Why am I promoting luxury skincare from a reseller while people not so far away in Europe are fighting for their lives?
That moment changed me. I finished the client contract (he never even paid me) and decided to completely redefine who I serve, how I work, and what I stand for. It was painful, but it gave me clarity. I now only work with brands whose values I can truly represent. And I protect my time, my voice, and my energy so I can give better work, not just more of it.
What daily habits or rituals keep you focused, creative, and grounded as a leader?
Over the years, I’ve built a system of rituals that help me stay grounded not just as a founder, but as a human being.
Each morning starts with matcha, journaling, and planning. I write by hand, which slows me down and helps me tune into what matters. I also track my daily habits not from a place of control, but from awareness.
I walk every day, often during lunch and to every meeting where it is possible. I also work in structured blocks: deep creative work in the morning, meetings, and execution in the afternoon. I’ve also learned to build in weekly and monthly rhythms – Sundays for planning and reflection, Mondays for content, Fridays for review and learning.
What grounds me most is beauty. I believe in the power of intentional aesthetics. Even something as simple as a clean desk, a handwritten planner, or lighting a candle before writing. These small things bring presence into my day.
And finally, boundaries. After the year of burnout, I now honor working hours, say no without guilt, and give myself permission to rest. I’ve realized that the most powerful leadership often looks quiet and deeply intentional.
How do you approach innovation and risk in your business strategy?
I see innovation as refinement. I’m not chasing the newest trends. I’m asking: What can I simplify? What can I do with more meaning and less noise?
When something feels risky, I look for alignment rather than excitement. I don’t take leaps just to prove I can. I take steps that feel both bold and deeply rooted. Some of my most innovative moves were quiet: launching my own magazine, writing an e-book, and building a slow-content ecosystem instead of relying on algorithms.
In a fast world, I believe true innovation is often found in slowing down and doing things with intention. Less performance, more presence.
What advice would you give to someone starting a business in today’s fast-changing digital world?
Don’t try to be everywhere. Be precise. Build slow if you have to, but build something real. The digital world moves fast, but your brand doesn’t have to chase it. Trends come and goes, and if your brand stands on something deeper than that, uýou usually don’t need them because in the end, people don’t remember trends, they remember feelings they’ve got in touch with your brand.
Start by knowing what you stand for. Your values are your strategy. Be intentional with your time, your voice, and your offers. And don’t be afraid to choose a smaller, more aligned audience over a large, disengaged one. That’s something I advise influencers as well. While working on client campaigns, I don’t need huge influencers, but I need influencers who are clear in their message and align with their audience. Campaigns with those are always more successful than campaigns with the huge ones.
Most importantly: protect your boundaries. Your energy is not infinite, and building something meaningful requires space, not just hustle.
Where can our audience connect with you and learn more about your work or offerings?
You can find me at brunch.marketing, where I share more about our agency, services, and projects. For behind-the-scenes, personal insights, and curated inspiration, you can connect with me on Instagram, and for professional updates, thoughts on branding, and industry reflections, feel free to reach out via LinkedIn.
