2 More Lessons from My Rebrand

Lesson #2 Hire a company that HAS vision and GETS your vision

This was my biggest lesson learned. It was a costly lesson, too, because I had to pull out of my agreement with a previous company and go in a different direction (Dotted Design to the rescue)!

I thought I had hired the right company initially to bring my vision to life but that proved not to be the case. There were red flags I should have given more credence to so consider these tips when choosing a company to help share your story to the world.

a. Visual Appeal — Make sure the company/person you hire can give you the look you’re after. Look at their portfolio. Do you see past projects that resonate with you? Have they worked with other businesses specific to your industry? If so, does their work capture the feel of what you are envisioning? Do you see good artistic instincts? If I was honest with myself when I hired the first company, the answer was no. They designed a beautiful site for a friend who’s in a different industry, and I allowed that to be the deciding factor for hiring them. There was nothing else in their portfolio that resonated with me and the direction I was wanting to take my company. But I hoped for the best in initially choosing them. I didn’t do my due diligence. I was so ready to get a new site and rushed into hiring them when I should have taken my time and researched a few more companies. Hindsight is 20/20 as the saying goes.

b. The Perfect Fit — Working with Dotted Design has been great because of the intersection between three important elements: our personalities work well together, our mindset and vision for my business were aligned, and there was an understanding of where I was trying to take my brand.

c. Develop a Brand Strategy and Use It — Dotted Design made my rebrand process seamless because of her on boarding process, superior project management skills, design skills and artistic vision. She helped me create a brand strategy that was beyond logos, color schemes and themes but also written to ensure there was a distinctive voice and consistent messaging. We outlined who I was, the direction I was taking my company, what I wanted to say and how I want my clients to feel. We referred back to this when choosing colors, fonts, pictures, videos and other design elements so the overall brand story was cohesive.

Lesson #3 Don’t be afraid to walk away

It became clear to me that this was the best thing to do with the first company I hired because the project was not going in the right direction. The project was being poorly managed and the process was very disjointed; there was a lack of understanding of my vision and where I was wanting to take my brand; and I was underwhelmed by the artistic design.

You can’t be afraid to be honest and admit (to yourself and whomever you’re working with) when things aren’t going in the direction you envisioned. Communicate how you feel and insist on update meetings (in person, over the phone or virtually) to make sure everyone is on the same page.

I did that hoping it would get the project on the right track. I had to eventually come to terms with the fact that this company was just not the best company for my rebrand. I should have pulled out from the project much sooner and doing so would have made this a less costly lesson.

Before you hire a company for your rebrand, find out what recourse you have if things don’t work out. I was able to recoup some of my investment but still suffered a financial loss as well as wasted time and energy.

If you are are considering a rebrand, I hope my three lessons learned are insightful and helpful. I will be giving more branding tips and strategies during the the fall cycle of my mentorship program. Let’s connect and see if it’s a good fit for your business.

Be beautiful,
Shauné