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Remote Work & Culture

Rebranding Your Business: 5 Things to Know Before Taking the Leap

The experience of owning a business can often be described as a roller coaster ride. One minute you’re on a high and the next, you’re going straight down into the trenches to battle it out against sales numbers, complicated business tasks (like incorporating and taxes!), marketing, and more.

Some days, it may feel like you’re cruising, and other days, you may walk away with a pit in your stomach wondering, “What’s my next move? Am I making the right decisions? How will I keep the wheels turning?”

Last year, our minds were racing with questions regarding the growth we were facing, and we knew we needed to position ourselves in the market to attract more high-quality customers. That way, we could continue to connect members of our thriving talent community to even more remote teams.

After much reflection, we knew a rebrand was in our near future. So, now that the lengthy, and eye-opening evolution from MadSkills to Instant Teams is in our rearview mirror, we felt it was time to share our experience and learning lessons with our foundation—the military spouse community. And Erica did exactly that during a Networks Live! On Demand event with our friends over at Blue Star Families!

Check out the key takeaways to not only get an inside look into our personal experience, but also help business owners tune in to the right signs that point to a necessary rebrand.

1. Make sure you’re doing it at the right time and for the right reasons.

If you’re a business owner and you’re doing it well, it’s inevitable that you’re going to grow and learn a variety of things. And maybe you recognize your logo doesn’t speak to your true audience because, at the time of inception, you didn’t have any money and just quickly threw something together.

Your brand, however, isn’t something that should be “thrown” together. Because, as one of our mentors once told us, your visual brand (what people first see of you/your business) should always be two years ahead of where you actually are. It should project growth and signify you’re not only in a place of stability, but also scalability.

That said, if you’re feeling stuck with where you’re at or thinking you’re not positioned correctly in your market, it may be time to consider a change, which could very well mean a rebrand.

2. Pause. Don’t rush things. Think it through. 

A rebrand requires a lot of time, thought, energy, and money. It’s an investment across all areas. So, we highly advise you to tread with caution when leaping into this decision. Don’t rush it. Take some time to think about things that may not be working—outside of flipping your brand on its head.

We’re talking about all the things, from your services to price points, voice, and messaging. It’s essential to be thoughtful here and take it as slow as what makes you comfortable. The success of your business depends on it. Hey, it took us about a year to make it all come together in the best way possible!

3. Step outside of the business owner bubble.

As a business owner, you often become so tied up and invested in your vision, ideas, and the day-to-day demands that you lose sight of the bottom line or the entire reason why you started in the first place.

Therefore, step outside of your business owner bubble and analyze your company from a holistic standpoint! What are you doing now? Where are you going? What are the needs you’re trying to satisfy? What are the solutions you’re creating or changing? Ask yourself the tough questions to determine if it’s a YES or a hard NO for a change-up to your brand.

4. If you land on a “YES,” develop a thoughtful, strategic plan.

Did you give yourself the green light for a rebrand? Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to how it should be done. For us, we didn’t need to change up our mission, vision, who we’re serving, or how we’re building and assembling remote teams. Instead, we needed to focus solely on our visual identity and messaging.

The moral of the story is, you might need to focus on revamping various areas we didn’t need to tear apart, and vice versa. So, come up with your own strategic plan that works and puts your business in a better position.

5. Invite your community to join in on the journey.

Don’t wait to let your audience in on the changes you’re making to your business on the day-of. Invite them to come alongside you throughout the process at least six weeks before the big release. Tease various aspects and tell your community “why” so they can get invested in the future of your brand! (Taylor Swift’s path to promoting her new music is a prime example of just how well that works.)

To watch the full Networks Live! On Demand event, click here. Have questions about how Instant Teams can help you scale your business? We’ve got answers and would love to connect with you.