I have a special place in my hearts for companies or organizations that need a rebrand.

From a psychological standpoint, it’s akin to finding yourself up against your growth edge, and while you know it’s needed and will be so good for you, there’s still no getting around the fact that growth is, at times, painful.

The rebranding process is complex and delicate, usually because of the human factors involved. Most people struggle with change. But as your business grows over time, its goals, operations, capacity, and output inevitably change. And therein lies the rub. Human resists, business evolves, and soon, there is friction.

But the truth of the matter is that your business would likely have rebranded before you were ready to because branding, quite simply, is in a constant state of evolution. Once you start treating your brand like the living organism it is, you’ll be able to recognize its growing pains quickly, instead of glacially. And to keep up with its fast pace of evolution, you have to be disciplined.

So that’s why I approach it like the good closet social scientist that I am…with a researcher’s mind and a healthy dose of empathy for my clients. They come to me because I can take in all the views and moving parts and help usher in something that maintains brand integrity while blossoming into something new.

I look at rebranding like archeology, gardening and permaculture all rolled into one. The more you dig, the more you understand your roots. The more you add the right mix of nutrients (good ideas, energy, resources) the richer your biodiversity becomes. The more you think about it all in a holistic, cross-pollinating way – as an ecosystem – the more you begin to understand how your branding is only as robust and healthy as your commitment to cultivate it.

When rebranding is done well, it’s a methodical process of reflection, discovery and problem-solving. Digging down through the strata of any business or organization takes time, patience and an endless curiosity to see what lies beneath the surface, but getting to those goodies sure is worth it.