Ep. 41 Are You Rebranding Out of Desperation or Abundance?
If you're an online business owner who follows any branding experts or designers on the internet, you've probably heard this promise a thousand times: just rebrand and your dream clients will come. Make your website prettier and your sales will skyrocket.
But here's the truth nobody wants to tell you: branding is not a magic bullet.
Branding is an amplifier. It takes what's already happening in your business and turns up the volume.
If your business is strong, strategic, and aligned, great branding can help you scale that. But if your business is struggling, inconsistent, or built on a shaky foundation, no amount of pretty design work is going to fix that.
I don't say this to discourage you. I say it to give you the real talk that a lot of people in my industry just won't. Because I want your investment in branding to feel exciting and empowering, not like a last-ditch attempt to save your business.
So let's talk about branding from a place of desperation versus branding from a place of abundance, what each one looks like, how to know where you fall on that spectrum, and what to focus on if you're not quite ready to invest in branding yet.
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Branding Is an Amplifier, Not a Magic Fix
Let me reiterate this because it's crucial: branding magnifies what is already happening in your business, the good and the not so good.
If your systems, your messaging, your mindset are off, all of those cracks are going to show up. They're just going to show up in a prettier-looking package.
Strategic branding, branding built on a foundation of strategy, absolutely can help you get unstuck. But it can only work when you show up with clarity and an inner sense of stability, not with what I like to call "desperation vibes."
Think of it this way: branding is like turning up the volume on your business. If the song you're playing is out of tune, turning it up louder isn't going to make it sound better. It's just going to make a bad song louder.
The Red Flags of Desperation Branding
I want you to give yourself a reality check if you're thinking about rebranding.
If you're telling yourself things like:
"This rebrand is gonna finally get people to take me seriously"
"Once I get a new website, then I'll start getting clients again"
Those are really big red flags that you might be approaching branding from a place of desperation rather than with a strategic and abundant mindset.
The energy you bring into a branding project matters just as much, if not more, than the investment itself.
What Branding from Desperation Looks Like
Branding from a place of desperation happens when you're hiring a brand designer because you need something to change fast. You're feeling stuck, burnt out, on the verge of giving up, and you're hoping that a fresh logo, some new colors, or a new website is going to magically inject new life into your business.
I've had plenty of clients come to me in that headspace. Some of them were even putting their entire investment on a credit card or using up the last of their savings. They were desperate for something to work and they so badly wanted branding to be that solution.
But that energy always (and I do mean always) seeps into the project in the form of:
Second-guessing
Frustration
Rushing
Lack of trust in the process
Lack of trust in me as an expert
It makes it really hard for me as the designer to do my best work because every decision feels like a make-or-break moment. The client is so unsure that it frankly rubs off on me, and then we're both unsure, just kind of looking at each other saying, "Well, I don't know, what do you think?"
There are these huge stakes that I don't know if I can deliver on.
Why This Doesn't Work
The reason this approach doesn't work is simple: branding does not create clarity. Brand design expresses clarity.
If you're unclear on your offers, your audience, or your business direction as a whole, a rebrand isn't going to fix that. You're still going to be just as confused, only with prettier brand colors.
That desperation energy leads to making really reactive decisions. You're chasing trends, micromanaging, overthinking everything. And I don't know about you, but for me, that's a one-way ticket to burnout town.
What to Do Instead
If you recognize yourself in this description, take a breath and step back. Focus on the things that are going to give you real traction right now:
Refining your ideal client and your offers
Reconnecting with past clients
Doing more networking and getting more visible
Taking a look at your pricing and your process
Examining the inner workings and systems of your business
You can (and maybe should) still do brand strategy work at this stage. That's probably one of the better investments you can make because it helps you work through all those things I just mentioned.
But I would absolutely not sink all of your money into visuals expecting them to magically save your business, because they will not.
Branding from a place of desperation is like building a house on sand. No matter how pretty it looks, it will not stand the test of time without a solid foundation.
What Branding from Abundance Looks Like
On the flip side, branding from a place of abundance feels entirely different.
This is when things in business are going well. You're not booked out necessarily, but you have a comfortable amount of clients. You feel like you're doing the thing. You have a baseline level of success. You've found your groove, you know your audience, you love the work you're doing, and you're ready for that next level.
A Real Example
I just recently launched a brand for a client (shout out Danielle!) who had been using her hodgepodge DIY brand for the last 10 years. And her business was still thriving. She wasn't coming to me to fix anything.
She had just finally gotten to a place where she was ready to invest in getting her visuals and her brand strategy to a place that matched how great her business already was. She finally had the time, the resources, and the mental space to really invest in and enjoy the process. That's what made her rebrand so successful.
The end result was a gorgeous brand, but more importantly, it was something that energized her to show up and start marketing again from a place of "I want more," not "I need more or I'm not going to be able to pay my bills next month."
Why This Works
Branding from a place of abundance is proactive, not reactive. It's about alignment and expansion, not trying to fix what's broken.
You're taking what's already working and amplifying it. You're showing up more confidently. You're raising your prices. You're attracting even more aligned clients.
Signs You're Ready to Rebrand from Abundance
Here are some indicators that you're approaching branding from an abundant mindset rather than desperation:
1. You Have Fairly Consistent Income and a Steady Stream of Clients
I'm not saying you need to be booked out. Most of my clients that I work with on brand strategy and design are not. But you know you're going to be able to cover your expenses and pay yourself next month. Cash flow is not a big stressor for you.
2. You're Proud of Your Offers and Clear on Who You Serve
Now, part of my job as a brand strategist is to help you really get inside the head of your ideal client. But if you don't have a clue who that is, then whose head are we getting inside of?
3. You Feel Confident in Your Expertise
You're ready to get your brand to a place that matches that confidence. I hear a lot of: "I know I'm amazing at what I do, and I just feel like my brand doesn't really reflect that."
That's what we work on: getting those two things in alignment so you have a killer level of service and expertise AND a killer-looking brand strategy and visuals.
4. You're Excited About Collaboration and Creative Exploration
You're not just in a rush to get it done so you can see results. You're genuinely interested in the process.
Branding from a place of abundance is not about fixing what's broken. It's about evolving and building upon what is already really strong in your business so it can carry you through the next two, three, four, five, or even ten years and continue to evolve with you as your business grows.
How to Tell Which Stage You're In
Hopefully, as I've talked through these two approaches, you can kind of see yourself in one camp or the other.
But here are some questions you can ask yourself:
Am I looking for my branding to save my business or to support my business?
Am I clear on my audience, my offers, and my message?
Do I have enough stability in my business (mental, operational, and financial) to invest and put the time into this without panicking or having it cause extra stress?
If any of those answers feel a little shaky, that's probably your cue to slow down. If you did invest in branding right now, it would probably be from a place of desperation.
The Most Strategic Move Might Be to Wait
Sometimes the most strategic move is not to invest more. It's to stabilize what you already have first and then figure out what your next best move is.
If you're not quite ready yet, you are not behind. It's okay.
Focus on getting your foundation solid, and your branding will be 10 times more effective when you finally are ready to invest.
It's always an option to start with the strategy piece first and then run with that. Run your business with all of that in mind for a while before you come back and work on design for that next stage.
The Bottom Line
Branding is an amplifier. It's a megaphone. It reflects and magnifies whatever energy, clarity, and confidence you bring to it.
Branding from a place of desperation is going to lead to more pressure and probably disappointment. Branding from a place of abundance is going to lead to excitement, growth, alignment, and a brand that you are so freaking proud of. And that's what I want for you.
You don't have to have everything perfect, but you do need to approach it from a grounded and stable place if you're going to see the maximum amount of success.
The best time to rebrand is not when you're desperate to make something work. It's when you're ready to grow what's already working.
🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned In The Episode:
➡️ Follow me on Instagram @spechtand.co
➡️ Grab The Stand Out Brand Foundations Workbook
➡️ Book Your Stand Out Brand Strategy Session (use code SFBPOD for $100 off)
➡️ Book A Brand Chat
🎧 Listen to episode 41 of The Six Figure Brand Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube
