Your Brand Transformation Partner.
ready to get found?
My Entrepreneurial Journey Started Small.
In the midst of the hazy world of motherhood, I had no clue how to take the first steps towards building a business.
One day, a mom came to purchase a baby carrier I had listed on Craigslist.
While at my place, she spotted some of my framed photos from my Himalayan adventure and asked if I could capture images of her baby.
I put my graphic design, web design, photography, and marketing skills to work and started my business, Storyboxart.
AS SEEN IN
Namaste, I’m Alpana!
Your Visual Brand Coach, Photographer, and Storyteller. My mission is simple: to help founders, CEOs, and small business owners like you create brands that captivate and drive sales.
I’m a chai lover and an immigrant who came to the US for my Master’s with two suitcases, my mom’s pressure cooker, and a thousand dollars.
And an entrepreneurial dream.
My superpower? Helping you discover your unique magic—the kind that sets you apart and defines you as the face of your brand..
Like you, for many years I kept
the best parts of myself hidden.
Not Anymore.
It is all about unlocking your hidden potential.
Even though I was a successful photographer, taking pictures of celebrities and Supreme Court judges, I had a tough time being in front of the camera.
When I started working with women entrepreneurs for their brand photos, I saw how much they struggled with feeling “not good enough” when it came to being themselves.
I invested in personal growth and various coaching programs. That’s when it hit me – I could help women transform from the inside out.
Branding isn’t just about the outer image; it starts with who you are on the inside.
It’s my mission to empower women entrepreneurs to become unforgettable online.
Will you be next?
Your Brand Story is your Secret Weapon.
Let me Help You Uncover Yours.
Alpana coached me through a big insecurity and limiting belief that I had been holding onto my entire life.
Supportive, inspiring, and taking the lead in the work of transformation—this is what comes to mind when I think of Alpana and the impact she has had on my life.
This limiting belief was something I had been teased about for many years as a child, and the pain I felt from it lingered into adulthood.
Alpana created a safe container that allowed me to be open and vulnerable and share something that I had never shared with anyone before.
Thanks to her coaching I now no longer hold onto this negative limiting belief and insecurity. I am now able to accept my truth and be the highest version of me!
– Marissa A
Let’s craft your personal brand into an unforgettable story.
Quirky tidbits about me.
Born and raised in Bombay (now Mumbai), I’ve called Chicago and San Francisco home at different points in my life. #citygirlatheart
As a teenager, I discovered my passion for photography while standing on top of the Himalayas during a snowstorm wearing plastic-lined non-waterproof shoes. #callmecrazy
I will walk any distance for a good cup of chai (or coffee). #caffeinesnob
I once found myself in the back of a police car in Cuba. #askmeaboutit
As an inexperienced photographer, I shot Bollywood celebrity Juhi Chawla for the cover of a magazine using borrowed studio lights. #risktaker
Professional Bio
As a personal branding coach, marketing strategist, and photographer, Alpana Aras combines strategy and creativity to help purpose-driven women entrepreneurs, leaders, and professionals become unforgettable through the art of brand storytelling and supercharge their business.
Her experience ranges from top Indian ad agencies, a Masters in Instructional Design, San Francisco’s Academy of Art, and the glass-paned offices of major U.S. corporations.
Her work has been featured in various publications including the New York Times, Instagram, and Apple’s international ad campaign. In addition, her work was exhibited in Catchlight’s Democracy in Focus and ICP (International Center for Photography) In New York.
She also hosted a summit called PowHer Up interviewing 21 business experts to help women feel energized in their businesses and dream bigger. Alpana empowers women to step into their brands boldly and unapologetically through her 1:1 coaching, online courses, and storytelling photo sessions.
As an immigrant and person of color, Alpana is passionate about turning her lens on issues of diversity through her personal and professional photography. Her work with the Everyday Bay Area collective has drawn attention to the untold stories of people on the margins, humanizing those that look different to create acceptance and social change.
