I’ve worked in brand strategy for over 10 years, had my own company for nearly 8 of those. Let me tell you how wrong I got my own brand in those early years.
My business happened almost by accident – a freelance role that gained momentum, attracted opportunity and finding my feet in what I was really good at, it wasn’t so much planned as it was the sensible choice at the time. And I’m glad I went for it, grateful for the opportunities I had at that time and the means to take that leap (mentorship and an interest to build something).
Mistake number 1: When I started the first evolution of the business, Box Creative Ltd, I was tentative, unsure, hiding even – and the branding reflected that: it was bland, too straightforward, nothing exciting, a shopping list of services and a load of corporate speak. It was inoffensive – I didn’t want to ‘scare’ away any work, I was for ‘everyone’.
After a little time in this positioning, I realised something had to change, I was attracting the wrong clients, wasn’t overly enjoying much of the work, I was woefully underpaid. That’s on me – I wasn’t sure of myself, stand out quality, or confident.
So, what did I do?
I got a damn coach, she whipped me into shape, introduced me to the concept of business systems, methodologies and packaging my services in a way I was lacking. I got stuck into it, refreshed my identity and offerings. Done.
Mistake number 2: Not pushing it enough and listening to a bit of a cookie-cutter approach to building out complimentary services: I wasted a LOT of time developing digital courses for the wrong audience that wasn’t going to deliver me any value as clients or revenue. BUT the process got me serious about building a business and seeing what it takes.
I was learning.
My next move was to refresh the identity, again – visual AND verbal this time. And this time I got a copywriter (a rather amazing one) who helped me form my voice (find it first), with bags of personality and cut to the chase when it came to communicating values and outcomes over a self-serving list of ‘I DO THIS’.
I realised I hadn’t gone far enough before, but with another year under my belt and more guidance, I felt comfortable stepping into my voice, new offerings and a fresh identity that felt more ‘me’, at that time.
I was here for a few years, and it felt good – things were finally happening – aligned clients, better price points and value, exciting and challenging work that pushed me further and honing my own methodologies and practices. Great.
That was until I woke up and realised my brand wasn’t reflective of how I was truly working – it was where I was a couple of years previous, stuck. I had realised that my process (tried and now proven) was not reflected in my copy or branding, I realised my best clients probably wouldn’t see themselves in my visual communications. And more to the point, I was (again with a stellar coach) getting clearer and clearer with who I wanted to serve, how I wanted to work and what ‘success’ looked like for me. And it wasn’t in my brand.
Mistake number 3: Staying with that niggle for too long.
What did I do?
I listened.
I listened to myself, my mentors, my coach, my clients, my future self and dug through the common threads, patterns and noticed what needed to change. I came across the story of Boudica in a fabulous Dr. Sharon Blackie book and something clicked – this story resonated so deeply with the people I was working with – impact leaders that felt so passionate about something they dedicated their lives to it, women founders that found it in them to overcome corporate shit shows to stand up on their own, all creating uniting and powerful movements and businesses in service of others, changing the world, quietly sometimes, but powerfully.
So, I changed the company name and ushered in a new way of talking about how I was working that really evoked the true nature of what it’s like to work with me, the outcomes (sometimes surprising) that come from it and that it’s more than OK to have stand out, confident branding for your organisation or business.
It called for a complete new look (although I see it as an evolution, not a revolution) – bold, striking, unexpected at points. It’s a lot, it takes time. Having it done this for so many companies, it’s still not something that can be done with your eyes shut.
The end result is where we are today, or is it?! Having been in this iteration for over 6 months now, I can already see what needs to evolve, how this new brand has attracted more and more aligned clients that seek more than just ‘stuff’, they want understanding, clarity and someone to walk along with them as they discover this for themselves.
I now work more as a guide, a coach and champion than a service provider.
The impact is palpable, tangible and immediate.
The outcomes go beyond visual and verbal branding but allow leaders to reflect on themselves, too, as leaders.
And it’ll no doubt change again in time, evolve into something bigger still.
My own brand building journey has been a lesson in the process that is golden to my work – I know the pain of change, I know the greater pain of not changing and appreciate what energy, time and resource is need throughout.
But the end results go way beyond what many come through the door for – clarity, confidence, self discovery, understanding their core principles, understanding their why, what drives them, how it helps others, how they want to show up in the world and leave people feeling. For some it’s their legacy. For others is impact. Others its changing a broken world.
It’s time to rebrand ‘brand’ to reflect these bigger, bolder, wider reaching, collective, emotional and resonant qualities.
Because we all need to evolve and rebrand sometimes. My next mistake will be staying still.
Who’s in?