ALJ, LLC is now Thriveology. My excitement is hard to contain (and let’s be honest – I am not really trying to contain it all that hard)! It has been a very interesting and provocative process.
First – it took longer than I thought. I often joke that I am lucky that patience is not the ONLY virtue, but I admit my excitement to get going and see results had me leaning towards impatience more than once. And as it usually turns out, I am glad that it took the path it did. Rebranding is not about just a new name. It is about creating an identity that exudes the essence of your business.
Second – this means you need to figure out the identity you wish to have for your business. What is the tone you want? What personality would you like your name/imagery to convey? What images/feelings would you like people to have when they see your brand? ALJ, LLC did not exude what my business was about. But now when you see Thriveology – people will at least see it has something to do with Thriving.
Third – it was more involved than I thought. Rebranding is not as simple as getting a new name and logo. There were logistical things such as new licensing through the State for the new name, and getting new business cards. But there were also other things to look at with a new ‘eye’. I looked at my blog, which was originally 3 avenues and this format does not match my new brand. So I adjusted that. I looked at my website design. This needed tweaking. I needed to look at all my templates and revise those. Rebranding needs to be a holistic approach.
As I emerge from this process it has been fun to look back and see what I’ve learned.
- My tendency to be impatient is still in me – so that’ll take more management.
- I am SO glad I went through this process as it forced me to look inside my business from a different perspective. I had to look at how my business might be perceived by a potential customer.
- I had to ask for help. My expertise is not in graphic design or coming up with a business name. So I had to ask for help on this aspect of my business. That means I had to see who I really trusted and also find someone who really understood my business. (This meant I had to work through and be able to clearly communicate my business identity).
Now I absolutely love my new name, and my new logo. I get excited when I see it online or in print. I am looking forward to continuing to grow into my new identity. It surely will grow with me.
If you do not look at your branding and get really excited for your business, you may need to evaluate if the current identity matches where you are. You may find out it may not. Another point is that regardless if you change the name of your business, make sure you are reviewing your assets from time to time (blog, logo, website, templates, etc.). It pays off to step outside of the business owner perspective and see your business from the client perspective.