Have you been questioning whether or not to change your business name or your brand? It’s a big decision and we understand that first hand. We’ve been deliberating on this one for 10 years + since the day I launched Motherhood Incorporated Canada December of 2008. I always wondered about our name. Finally, OMG is really all I can say, it’s done. It’s live and out there for all the world to see. M!NC Magic has arrived. It’s strange to talk about something all the time, concepts like brand awareness, brand engagement, brand voice and persona and the details on when and how to do that and how to transition. The last few weeks have been exactly that for us here and I am so excited to be “walking the talk”. Here’s the why behind the name change.
I help clients do this ALL THE TIME.
- change their branding, logo, (sometimes clients even change their name), website and ensure that their values are in alignment so they more fully can target the audience they wish to engage with
- work through their product or service offer, brainstorm new programs/products, streamline digital processes
- create a brand that resonates for them so that they are proud and excited to share what they are doing at large in a way that exudes the brand’s core
So why was it so hard to do it for our own brand:
- when I had a niggling feeling from the getgo
- when the name confused people and it had to be explained
- when I worried our name might eliminate 50% of the market
It was hard because timing is everything….
- when you take a shoemaker’s shoes approach to your own business to your detriment
- when you rationalize not making a change now because you are busy, uncertain, afraid, overwhelmed, etc
- when we realized that all these rationalizations existed because we weren’t ready
Over the years I did carve out strategy time, mind mapping time, branding time but never moved on the Name Change. Reasons popped up why I came to love M!NC and I had a huge connection to the need for alternative work solutions. I bonded with my team which at one point was 250 freelancers but over time my purpose became clearer and clearer as my skills grew more specialized. We did have a few slight revisions along the way but then in the last year, a few situations converged some great and some very difficult and through that period clarity surfaced. 110% clarity and excitement. It was palpable and made me catapult my own business at last. New programs were created, new processes implemented and the name change literally birthed itself. It was almost as if it had been there subconsciously and was germinating until that very moment.
Why M!NC Magic? MINC was for Motherhood Incorporated Canada and is a huge long story. A few years later we shortened it to MINC (government of Quebec issues and more). Over time the number of freelancers we worked with condensed to a more boutique agency yet we were always a group of women who are working moms, who needed flexible schedules, wanted to have a work life balance and who are organized and productive. This speaks to my personal mission in life on so many levels and why it was such a long process to make the name change and why the M!NC had to be part of it. It’s tied up to our history and our purpose.
In 2017 we played with adding an exclamation for the letter I to tie into our enthusiasm and energy. It was a great leap towards the brand’s final destination. In 2018, new programs that had been on the back burner for 8 years exploded. The beta tests were so successful the program rolled out immediately and opened the path to 2 other programs in 2019. Resistance dissipates when you are on the right path. That doesn’t mean you haven’t been bearing a machete in your hand for years before you get there. All I can say is listen, let go and enjoy the ride.
Nancy
You are magical!
Entourage Renee Blanchette
Nicely done, congrats!!