If you’re on Bloglovin’, make sure you follow the new blog!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Well, you may have noticed things are looking a little different around here! If you’ve been following for a while, you will know this site has had a name change. I’m really excited to finally share this new direction with you because it’s been in the works for quite some time. In honor of the new brand name, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss why I decided to rebrand.
Why I Decided to Rebrand
The reason I decided to rebrand my website was actually pretty simple. You see, my old site (The Haute Notes) was created back in February of 2013. When that site first launched, I was a fashion and beauty blogger. My focus was entirely different from what it is today. Eventually, I lost my passion for writing about clothes, makeup, DIYs, and decor. I had already been doing that for four years already! And some of you actually remember those days, which is incredible to me knowing that you’ve stuck around all this time.
It wasn’t until 2015 when I made the official switch to writing about blogging, business, and social media. It was a hard decision for me to make because I was so convinced that fashion and beauty blogging was the direction I was meant to go in. However, I was quickly realizing I had a passion for sharing blogging tips with people. So, I made the decision to change the focus of my blog.
What didn’t change with that new focus was the name of the website. I’m not sure it even crossed my mind to change the name back then. It may have, but at that point it hadn’t even been a year since I had logos designed. It didn’t make sense to change the name and have to spend more money on new logos. And besides, I still liked the name back then.
Fast forward to some point this year… I started feeling like something was missing from my brand. I started feeling this disconnect. And it may seem silly, but it was really because of the name of my website. I just didn’t connect with it anymore. It didn’t fit what I was doing. The fashiony name made sense years ago, but it just didn’t anymore.
I spent a lot of time stressing over whether I should change the name of my website. I asked friends for their advice and would ultimately convince myself it made more sense to just keep the name. Changing a name to me meant new logos, a new website, and a hell of a lot of work to change everything about my online presence. That’s overwhelming! And expensive.
No matter how many times I’d convince myself it wasn’t worth it to change the name of my site, I kept coming back to the idea. I kept feeling frustrated about the name. I’d go to in-person networking events and people wouldn’t understand when I said “The Haute Notes.” They wouldn’t know how to spell it. People mispronounced it all the time. It kind of drove me nuts.
But as you can see, I eventually made the decision to make the change. The truth is, this new name has reinvigorated the passion for my brand that had been missing for a little while. I finally feel like the name of my site fits with what I do online. I feel like it fits my personality and who I am outside of this internet world. And that’s why I’m so excited to finally bring this new brand to life and have you join me for the ride.
Now, I don’t want anyone to freak out! The content around here isn’t changing. It’s just a new name and a new look.
So, Why “Define Your Hustle”?
I’m sure many people might wonder why I wouldn’t just change my domain name to my personal name since I’m the face of my brand. Well, the reason for that is because I don’t really care to use my full name in everything I do online. Plus, someone actually already owns that domain and doesn’t use it. (How rude!)
“Define Your Hustle” was one of a few options that I was contemplating. The name just seemed to stick out to me and perfectly fit what I want to inspire other women to do. (Hence the reason the name was chosen for my private Facebook community!) To me, Define Your Hustle is about starting and running a business on your terms. These days, everyone is so caught up in the hustle. It seems like everyone is working 24/7 and it can cause a lot of guilt if you feel like you aren’t putting in as much time as everyone else.
But here’s the thing, you don’t have to hustle all the time. You can run your business in any way that you see fit, whether that includes those late night hustles or not. I’m all about helping you become successful and encouraging you to do work that’s fulfilling. That’s what Define Your Hustle means to me.
How to Know if You Should Rebrand
Because some of you may be feeling the same way about your rebrand, I thought it would be good to share some helpful tips so you can decide if a rebrand is right for you, too. Sometimes your brand might just need a new name or a completely new look. Or maybe your brand needs a full overhaul with a new name, new look, and a new focus. Whatever it may be, here’s how to tell if you should rebrand:
- Has your focus changed? If you’ve changed the kind of content you’re producing, it might be a good time to consider rebranding as well. (Something I wish I had done!) Sometimes when you change the type of content you’re creating, you realize the name or brand vibe you had previously just doesn’t fit anymore.
- Has your audience changed? As we grow in our businesses or shift focus, our audiences can change. If you’re going to be targeting a new audience, a revamped brand might be in order for you!
- Have you lost the passion you once had? If you’re like me, you may have lost the passion for your brand. Maybe you’ve outgrown it or things just aren’t resonating with you anymore. If that’s the case, it’s a great time to consider rebranding your business!