Branding commonly gets put on the back-burner in business, and pushed further down the line until you can’t ignore it anymore. But even though I obviously want businesses to prioritize their branding as soon as resources allow, it’s also not something you want to rush into on a whim.

It helps to notice the signs now, plan ahead, and consider what shifts you’re feeling that are driving the decision to rebrand.

Here’s a few big signs to look out for:

1) Your current brand aesthetic feels behind.

Maybe you can just tell that the impression doesn’t reflect the unique, high-level experience your business provides.

This can look like:

• Outgrowing the makeshift branding that was whipped up when you were just starting out. There is zero shame in starting this way, by the way! Everyone needs to start somewhere, and experimenting in the beginning can help you get clearer on how you want your business to operate first, before investing bigger.
• Your business has matured. An older, wiser, more robust, and more detailed version of your business exists, but it’s not getting communicated and seen. Your visuals haven’t kept up with the maturity you’ve gained over recent years.
• It’s just plain outdated, or relied too much on passing trends. It’s not that it was bad at the time, but now you see it all over and you’re sick of it. It feels so 5 years ago and you want something that’s more timeless and original to you.

My own business brand has gone through a couple of massive updates. The first one was a total rebrand, away from the “makeshift branding” I had when I just started out, and taking myself through an earlier version of my signature branding process I do with my custom brand clients (and similar to what I teach to DIY brand students).

The second update was 3 years later, when I gave my website a complete overhaul and slight brand refresh—sticking with the same essence, but solidifying a more matured version of my brand. I’ll be sharing more of a deep dive on these evolutions in future blog posts, so you can learn which particular aspects might matter for your business too!

It got to the point where I no longer wanted people going to my 3-years-old website, which brings me to the next big sign…

2) It feels like your business is in hiding.

Maybe you’ve even been told you’re a hidden gem or a best-kept secret… It’s well-intended, but you know deep down it’s not cutting it long term.

You might be thinking things like:

• Wanting more people to recognize your business. You wish your business had an obvious signature visual identity that’s undeniably, distinctly yours. You’d love to hear someone say, “Hey! I saw this thing and thought of you!”
• Marketing feels more and more like a drag. Which can happen to all business owners at times, even the established brands—but, since you don’t have any clear brand identity to anchor yourself back in, it feels like your grasping at straws.
• Not promoting your website, and using third-party links from sites you don’t own, all because the website you do own just doesn’t represent your business as accurately as you wish it did.

Your service offerings, processes, trainings, coaching programs all deserve to get known and remembered more—But none of them feel unified by an overarching brand identity, and therefore it’s hard to build a cohesive signature identity your business is known for..

These are signs you need more visual unity and creative direction to drive your brand-building journey and decisions.

3) You’ve changed as a business and/or owner.

Maybe you’re in a pivot season. What worked for you before no longer feels right for you now.

This can feel like:

• Your priorities are different now. You’re craving to recenter, but the “center” you’re accustomed to isn’t making sense for you anymore. You’ve done enough to prove yourself in this space, and now you’re craving to bring a new energy to it.
• There’s a core side to you that feels unseen—A deeper side, or bolder side, or softer side, or carefree side. Maybe you can’t quite pinpoint it because it’s been in hiding for so long, but you’re learning to feel safe within yourself to explore it.
• You have more to say, but you feel stuck inside this version of yourself that isn’t used to saying what you’re wanting to say. That need to say and show more is gnawing at you, and you’re actively looking for signs that say, “now is the time.”

If I’m feeling change in the air with my own business, I need to get curious about it and lean into it. Sometimes change is gradual… a subtle tweak here & there. Other times, it needs a bigger shift, a bigger statement, a total rebrand.

Either way, maybe you’ve changed! And that deserves to be known and embraced in some way, shape, or form.

Consider this permission to explore how you’ve evolved—and to treat it as an opportunity to be seen more fully.

And maybe it’s time for your brand to carry these discoveries forward with you.

If you’re feeling like it’s time for your branding to reflect how you’ve changed, I’d love to support you through that in my signature branding service ‘In Your Element’ or my DIY brand-building program, Brand Ed!

We’ll uncover the hidden gems so you can become more known for what’s already brilliant about you.