Nearly losing her life put author and Seattle-based branding expert Maria Ross on a path toward fulfilling a lifelong dream.

With clients ranging from Silicon Valley start-ups to large companies like Microsoft and Discovery Networks, Ross, who will talk about her life and passion next Monday at Kirkland’s Woodmark Hotel, was on top of her game.

A self proclaimed Type-A personality, she had just started her business Red Slice, a branding and marketing consultancy, when the unimaginable happened — Ross suffered a brain aneurysm and hemorrhage.

“Life just stopped for awhile as I recovered physically and cognitively,” she recalled. “I had to learn a new way to work and realized I might have to run my business differently due to some cognitive impairments.” 

Ross started slowly, taking on limited client work during months of recovery. The lighter workload allowed her to pick up some projects she simply hadn’t had time to pursue, including a personal memoir and a short e-book about branding. 

It was while she was pitching her memoir project that a publisher became interested in Ross’s branding book.

“I completed the full manuscript and got it published in about five months,“ said Ross. “That was one of my greatest recovery achievements because I proved to myself that I still knew my stuff.” 

The result is “Branding Basics for Small Business,” a guidebook to help businesses create an irresistible brand on any budget. Ross will speak at the Woodmark, at Carillon Point, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 24 (RSVP@thewoodmark.com).

“Branding is about communicating your core, your essence, your reputation,” explained Ross. “This is true whether you are a company, a nonprofit or an individual.” 

In the book, Ross covers topics like creating a brand strategy.

“A brand strategy consists of answering questions pertaining to your mission,” she said. “Values, core benefits, key messages, personality attributes, differentiators and idea audience. Once you think through those questions carefully and with precision, you can craft a mission statement that will guide all your other branding efforts.” 

Ross focuses on strategies for small businesses.

“Small businesses help drive local communities. They can foster growth and create jobs," she said. "And they have such an advantage when it comes to branding.

"They are so much closer to their customers than larger companies with a hundred layers of management," she continued. "Enabling them to be in tune with the customer’s needs and adapt and refine their offerings much more nimbly than larger, more bureaucratic companies.” 

Ross’s message: branding is important for all companies.

“Effective branding has nothing to do with size," she said. "It has to do with how clearly and consistently you communicate the right message to the right people in everything you do.”  

In a sense, Ross’s illness gave her the gift of time, allowing her to “rebrand” herself and to write the book.

“I learned that you have to take opportunities when they come. I set out to write a different first book," she said. "But when you have the chance to do something you’ve always wanted (even when it’s not what you thought it would look like) take it, and see where it leads.”