New Brand. New Name. Same Message!

Creating a brand, a name, a message is a BIG deal. It’s the cornerstone of how people see you as a business. Redoing your brand after years can seem pretty overwhelming, too, but at some point, you may realize it’s time for a change.

That’s where we ended up. After 22 years as Design Extensions, we had a vision for something new. As of the publishing of this post, we’re now known as Business Builders.

But why redo the brand after over two decades? Won’t we lose brand awareness? Won’t we lose recognition? Won’t we lose SEO placement? What about all the things that say Design Extensions?

Ultimately, it came down to this: I believe that if we’re not growing, we’re dying.

To be clear, I want healthy growth, and it can look very different, but change doesn’t scare me. 

Change drives us forward.

Out with the Old, in with the New

Here’s the thing about the old name...

1. I created it when I was 17 years old. I didn’t really know what I was doing.
2. Most people thought we were either just a design agency, or worse: a hair extensions company. (The fact that we have a barber chair in the office makes that even more confusing.)
3. Design Extensions is a mouthful.
4. It didn’t fully represent where we’re going, who we are, and who we serve.

We wanted clarity with the new name; we wanted it to align with our vision, along with who we are and who we serve.

A little over a year ago, we started planning our first major live event, and we eventually settled on a name for it: Business Builders Live. As we looked at the brand and the materials we were creating for the event, we thought, “Isn’t that who we are? Isn’t that who we serve?”

And it is!

That was the start of the rebrand.

The Logo

We started planning the transition to the new name from there. There’s a lot that goes into redoing a company name. Logo design, messaging, websites, social media, business documents, and more all need to be updated.

We’ve had the anvil mark for quite a few years, so we decided to keep it, but update it. 

Originally, we just picked the anvil because it looked cool. Honestly, that was about it. I know that seems insane, but logo marks don’t always have to have super deep meaning. Since that time, though, we’ve crafted a story around the mark, and it goes like this…

The anvil is an old-world craftsman tool that’s still used today. It’s used to forge other metal against it. To some extent, that’s what we do for businesses. We’re like the anvil on which businesses are forged, or shaped.

The Services

Along with the name change, we’ve clarified our service offerings a bit, too.

Everything fits into one of three main categories: coaching, marketing, or development.

Coaching consists of live events, as well as public and private workshops that help improve teams, leadership, and people while ultimately helping to grow businesses. We found that so many times with business growth, healthy leadership and teams are pivotal before marketing even matters. 

Marketing includes everything needed to get attention and acquire customers. From a detailed plan to a clear message through video, website, and promotion services (like search engine optimization, social media, paid advertising, etc.), these are the things businesses need to grow. 

Development is the custom web application development that helps businesses turn spreadsheets or ideas into more efficient programs to run their business. We also handle ongoing website support and hosting in these areas, too, because keeping everything up-to-date is important.

All three teams work closely together to accomplish one big goal, which is to help others grow. 

A few other things are in the pipeline to be adjusted — including the rebranding and relaunch of the Building a Business that Lasts Podcast as the Business Builders Podcast. We’ll continue to feature long-time successful business leaders as well as some other tactical and helpful content to help you grow.

Many people would discourage a rebrand and rename after over twenty years, but I saw it as the only path forward. Sometimes change is required for better growth. We’re moving into the next decade stronger than ever, more excited than ever, and aligned in values and work.

Are You Ready to Make a Change, Too?

As with most things, getting started is the hardest part. We did our rebrand because we knew it needed to happen. What needs to happen in your business?

Whether you’re a for-profit, non-profit, startup, or business that’s been around for decades, if you know you have areas in your business that could benefit from our services, we can help. 

If you’ve had a part in our 22 years of growth as Design Extensions, THANK YOU! We can’t wait to have you along for the ride for the next 22 years of growth as Business Builders.