Rebrand or... Repositioning the business

The decision to rebrand is driven by many factors and a significant question relats to WHY and will the existing audiance shift with or not!

What drove the current rebrand was realignment in two ways. Firstly the willingness to paddle our own waka in Aotearoa New Zealand and secondly the alignment between the start-up and sustainability training we do (Bizezi Training) and the app we created (Bizezi).

​It is important to mention that for seven years now, this small business has supported nearly 2,000 small business owners across Aotearoa New Zealand, through 57 programmes funded by 62 funding agencies so that all of our attendees could come for FREE.

You can imagine that the transition from one brand 'Rebel' to 'Bizezi' is an involved and complicated process that involves clients, graduates, products, assets, IP, Marketing, bank accounts companies office and so much more.  Let’s unpack this a bit more.

Team
Bringing the team into the conversation early also meant the opportunity to think about where team support can aid the transition and also to be a sounding board as we not only rebranded but brought new products into the rebrand strategy.
Structure
In this section lives all the compliance strategies: Companies Office, Bank Accounts, Existing relationships, Work in Progress and more. Some activities have to happen before others. In point of fact, this part is reasonably straight forward but it does mean that there has to be some strong primary relationships (the bank as an example) that have to activate in alignment with other financial platforms (Xero for example).
Marketing and Social Media
Early in the process was the new brand identification. In this case it was alignment to an existing product (sister company) and the adoption of brand name and colours eased the timing and requirements. This supported web design, social platform transition strategies all the way to email signatures and banners.
Communications - Clients
The change has to be managed in a way that maintains confidence from the primary customers. Communications in this space are important and can be aligned to ongoing conversations. This is especially important as sales channels continue unabated, as does work in progress.
Communications - Graduates
The importance of communications to the existing graduates is also important. The Bizezi Graduates are an important part of the Bizezi story so how can we bring those stories to life for the past seven years under the new brand.
Business Growth
It is also important to pursue a policy of business growth to sustain the business, to 'keep the lights on', to stay the course for the Bizezi Vision: To change lives and communities through sustainable small business.

​This blog is just scratching the surface. We are a small business seeking to make a difference and changing brand, does not mean changing direction... too much at least.

Disclaimer: This was our approach and we suggest that if you are rebranding, please seek advice on best way forward for your business. We have had the experience of a rebrand a few years ago but it is important that for your rebrand, you look for people who can appropriately advise the best pathway relative for the outcomes you want to achieve from your business rebrand.

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