Some of our longtime customers who knew us as The Sharper Cut Landscapes asked us why we rebranded our company as LiveWell Outdoors. It’s been about six months since we made the change. And we’d like to tell the story of our brand evolution.
We thought that a Q and A with our company owner, Bill Banford, might be a good way to do that. After all, this is something he’s wanted to do for some time.
A: Over the years, our company evolved and grew from cutting grass and working on simple landscape projects to more elaborate outdoor living projects that included pools, patios, outdoor kitchens, decks, and more. And we felt that the previous name and logo didn’t fully reflect the work we’d been doing for years.
It became very clear to us that the time was right to make a change when a (now) client mentioned that he almost didn’t call us to design and build his patio and pavilion project — a typical project for us. Why? Because our company name didn’t convey to him that this was something we could do.
Fortunately, he did reach out to us! I guess we have him to thank. He gave us a little extra motivation to change things up a bit and give our company a makeover.
A: Selecting a new name is a very personal thing and was a core part of why we rebranded. It wasn’t easy to pick one, so we enlisted the help of a local branding company Brand3. They helped us brainstorm some general ideas and worked with us to drill down to more specific options.
One of my business coaches, Scott McKain, also encouraged me to come up with a name that was in sync with our core values and what we wanted our clients to experience. We also talked to a handful of long-term clients to get their input.
Ultimately, we selected a name that reflects what our clients often want: an extension of their indoor space that they can enjoy all year round, a luxurious outdoor living room for quiet and relaxing moments, or a fun, entertainment area to bring friends and family together.
We know our clients work hard and need a place to unwind. They deserve the best outdoor living space, a piece of paradise in their backyard. That’s what our new name is all about. LiveWell Outdoors — that’s what we want every client to experience.
A: We did a few things to let everyone know about the change. It was important for us to tell our clients before we made the official announcement. So we sent an email to all of our customers before we officially launched the new brand.
Even before we shared the news publicly, we mentioned that something new was on the horizon to longtime clients who called to talk about new projects. We were excited to tell them why we rebranded and wanted our loyal customers to share in that excitement.
We also posted the news on social media and had a message on our old website that redirected everyone to our new site. After the official launch, we added a note to our email signatures so that anyone we messaged would also know.
Q: What about your team? How did they feel about the change?
A: This was a collaborative effort. We were very fortunate to have supportive employees (production, sales, and office teams) who shared in our excitement and desire for change. They understood why we wanted to rebrand and gave feedback freely at various stages of the rebranding process.
Q: Didn’t changing the name, your logo, your website, signage, and uniforms cost a lot of money? Was it worth it?
A: This was an investment to strengthen our business. From the branding company we hired to replacing trailer and truck wraps, getting new pens, updating uniforms, and more, there was a cost for all the changes we needed to make.
This was also an investment of our time. We started this process all while building and managing client projects. That meant we had to make time to work on rebranding. When you take on a project like this, you get a good idea of all of the parts of your business that need attention. This led us to update processes and make other internal changes.
In the end, it was well worth it.
