Brand Work is Soul Work

Have you ever worked tirelessly toward a goal, finally achieved it, and then realized it didn’t bring the satisfaction you expected?

Sometimes, this happens in business. Approximately 80% of businesses adjust their operations—often to meet customer demand, but sometimes to align more closely with the owner’s desires. Today, we’ll explore how to make changes in your business while keeping the foundations of your brand.

If you’re an entrepreneur grappling with misalignment between your business offerings and personal aspirations, this is for you.

Entrepreneurship is often portrayed as glamorous—free from bosses and rigid schedules—but in reality, it can be a relentless and emotionally taxing roller coaster. So much so that we sometimes forget we are not our businesses. We are ever-evolving individuals, and it’s perfectly normal to change our minds. Whether you started your business last year and already crave change, or you’ve been in it for a decade or more and feel stuck, your feelings are entirely valid.

So, how does this tie into branding? A well-built brand can evolve alongside you. Brand work is soul work. It’s not just about your offerings or your website’s appearance; it’s about how you want to feel about your company, the experience you provide, and how others feel as a result.

In short, it’s about the essence and impact of your business. And when that essence shifts, your brand must be able to shift with it.
This is why a company can make small changes—such as eliminating a product or service that no longer feels aligned—or big changes, like pivoting from services to products, or from done-for-you services to coaching or consulting.

If you’re feeling out of sync with your business, know that it’s okay to rethink and rebuild. Embrace the change—when you brand for good, your brand can grow and transform with you.

Why would you want to keep the brand you’ve built? Typically, because you’ve already established a reputation for quality, you don’t want to give it up. If you have the opportunity to rebrand rather than start over completely, it’s easier to carry the reputation you’ve built into the new space you want to create.

How do you know if you have a brand foundation that’s strong enough to support change? Start with the name of your business. If your brand is built around you and your name, it’s much easier to make a change. But if your business name clearly spells out your specific offer, you’ll probably need to change it.

Here’s a super-simple example: Recently, a dog grooming business decided to offer doggie day care. This company had built its reputation not on expert grooming—which was expected—but on “grooming without grief.”

They focused on how they made frightened pups feel comfortable throughout the grooming process. When they took over the space next door and added doggie day care, their clients saw it as a natural extension of the business. Who better to provide loving daycare services than the groomer who provided loving grooming services? With the simple addition of three words—“and day care”—they tripled their business.

The next step is to consider your purpose statement or your mission statement. Does it still make sense with the changes you want to make? Does it align with your vision and values? Maybe something doesn’t feel quite right.

Remember: Brand work is soul work—and it requires honesty, reflection, and courage. When done correctly, it not only occupies a unique position in the market—one revealed through research, analysis, and creativity—but also carries an emotional essence based on purpose, values, personality, and relevance.
Sometimes in business, we feel called to something new and are faced with a difficult decision. Sometimes we want to retire a product or service that brings in good revenue but no longer feels aligned. Navigating these decisions—when what’s beneficial for the business isn’t necessarily fulfilling for the business owner—can be a deeply emotional process.

Here are some suggestions to guide you through this process.

First, go back to when you started your business. Hopefully, your professional branding had elements such as purpose, values, personality, and positioning. If not, pull out whatever documents you have that reflect your original vision. Write down how you felt at the time. Do you still feel that way? What’s changed? Is your business what you envisioned?

Next, imagine the ideal version of your business three years from now if you make the changes you want. What would you be doing? How would you be feeling? Where would you be working? Who would be working for you? How many people would you manage? Imagine an ordinary day from start to finish.

Many entrepreneurs are experiencing shifts and evolutions and wondering if it’s normal. Yes—yes, it is. Imagine it. Explore it. And then decide what to do about it. Make your brand work for you.

Only when you allow yourself to imagine a future can you begin to envision the path that will take you there.