Why I Decided to Rebrand (And How to Know If It's Your Turn)

For a long time, when someone asked me "so what do you do?" I'd say "I own a marketing agency." And then I'd watch their eyes glaze over, and I'd feel insecure. But I couldn't ever really pinpoint why that was happening.

That answer was technically true. STAK Marketing was real. And I worked really freaking hard to make it successful - and it was!! But the words I was using to describe it were so generic that they did absolutely nothing to make someone lean in.

Honestly, they didn't make me lean in either. And in reality, I felt embarassed which is weird when I am talking about a successful business that I built from the ground up.

That little moment of glazed-over eyes was the first crack. It took me a long time to figure it out, but when I did, I realized I needed a serious rebrand.

Have you ever seen a white peacock before?!

A Rebrand Starts Quietly

Rebrands rarely arrive with a dramatic moment. Mine didn't. There wasn't a single "aha" day. It was a slow (see what I did there) accumulation of feeling like I was talking around my business instead of about it.

I was trying to appeal to too many people. I was leaving out the stuff that actually made working with me different. And I was watering down my voice to tell people what I did because if I really did, it would have taken a 5-minute dissertation.

It took me a long time to realize that the problem wasn't with my elevator pitch, it was actually a problem within my business. And once I realized that, then it made deciding to rebrand easy!

Why "Slow Burn"

The name has two meanings, and I love them both.

The first is about business and marketing itself. I want every woman I work with to believe deep in her bones that success isn't a switch that flips overnight. It's a slow burn. You light it, you tend it, you watch the flame grow. Some days it crackles. Some days it just glows. But it doesn't go out, it's something that, if you tend to it correctly, will keep getting bigger and stronger!

The second is for the readers in the room. Slow burn is one of my favorite book tropes. It's when the two romantic leads are flirting, into each other, feeling jealous, and the angst is just too much to bear! But then the ending is just so much more satisfying because of the work it took to get there!

That's how I feel about building a business too.

And it's how I feel about the slow living hobbies that are now part of my brand. Over the past decade I've been figuring out some things with my health and one of the biggest things that helps me stay healthy is rest and taking breaks with things that fill my soul. SO now mahjong nights, growing peonies, my significant needlepoint hobby that I've picked up. Those things aren't separate from how I work. They are how I work.

By stepping back, niching down, prioritizing smaller things in life that make me happy, and living a bit slower, I've actually realized my brand has completely resonated with others.

And the best part? My health is at an all-time high! This is the best I've felt in a decade!

What the Rebrand Actually Took

I'm going to be honest about this part, because I think people skip over it.

It took a full year to rebrand.

I'm not saying that this is what it needs to take for you too. But from the moment I started thinking about it to the launch, it was about a year.

Six months of planning, researching, journaling, writing, scrapping, rewriting. Then another six months of actually building it. The website. The brand identity. The messaging. The operational guts behind the scenes. It was a lot of work because I did the entire thing solo.

A rebrand isn't just a few fresh colors and a new logo. It's an excavation of what your business actually is and what it no longer is. If you go into it expecting a quick win, you'll be facing the same problems.

How It Feels On the Other Side

I just got back from the Mom 2.0 Summit, and I had so many conversations there that confirmed I made the right call with the rebrand. When I introduced myself as "Hi, I'm Michelle! I create beautiful websites for service-based businesses that work behind the scenes to get you found online. Oh, and I love sharing my slow living hobbies too." They lit up! They asked questions! They told me they like growing flowers too!

I know exactly what I sell and exactly who I sell it to. That clarity has already changed everything in just a few short weeks.

In fact, I have more discovery calls scheduled next week than I have had in a month!

So Should You Rebrand?

This is the question I get asked all the time, so let me give you the honest answer. Yes and no (clear as mud right?)

You probably need to rebrand if:

• You're struggling to talk about what you do or why it matters

• Your brand image no longer reflects where you're going

• You're changing your service or product structure

• You've had a big operational change (new team, new model, new offering)

You probably don't need to rebrand if:

• You're bored

• You're comparing yourself to someone else's brand on Instagram (I can't shout this one loud enough)

• Nothing else in the business has actually changed

That last one is important. If the only thing changing is the wrapping paper, you're not rebranding. You're decorating.

A Few Things to Know Before You Start

A rebrand takes time and money. If it's the right move, it's worth every dollar. But go in with your eyes open and be aware of the resources it's going to take.

Also, get clear on what you actually need. A name change is different from a full brand overhaul. A messaging refresh is different from a complete redesign. The level of work and investment varies wildly depending on which one you're really doing.

One More Thing

My rebrand was also about leaning fully into being a woman who wants to work with other women.

I'm done trying to make myself smaller or more neutral to fit into male-dominated spaces. Not that I won't work with men, I've actually had some wonderful male clients! But my target audience is other female founders.

Slow Burn is a brand that gets to be soft, slow, beautiful, smart, and unapologetically feminine all at once.

If you've been wondering whether it's time for you to rebrand, that wondering is usually the answer. If you want to talk it through with someone who has actually done it, my Calendly is open. I'd love to hop on a free call and help you figure out what your next move looks like.

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Michelle Johnson is the owner and founder of Slow Burn Marketing Co. A boutique Utah-based marketing agency that helps other female-owned and operated businesses create beautiful websites that also work behind the scenes to get you found on the internet. Schedule a complimentary consultation to learn more about Slow Burn Marketing Co.'s services.