Charge it to the way I was raised, but every time it's wintertime and I see strawberries in the produce section, I give them major side-eye. Technically, they aren't in season until April (thru June) so that means there's some real shadiness (probably a lot of preservatives and dye) to pass some off during the holiday season.
I'm not sure if a lot of us realize just how important it is to buy fruits and veggies when they are in season. Seasonal produce has less pesticides, contains more antioxidants, and they're far more affordable too. Also, when you get food that's at its peak, not only is it good for your health but it can keep you looking amazing as well.
With all of the parties to attend and family entertaining that you'll be doing this holiday season, I highly-recommend that you pick up some of the following foods—not just to serve to your guests but also because your hair, skin, and nails will love each and every one of them. And it will show!
Grapefruit
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Featured image by Getty Images
- 6 Benefits of Eating Seasonal Produce ›
- 7 Health Benefits of Citrus Fruits ›
- You Asked: Is It Bad to Eat the Same Thing Every Day? | Time ›
- What's in Season in Fall? The Top 10 Healthiest Fruits and Vegetables ›
- Benefits of different fruits and vegetables ›
- Eat the Rainbow: Health Benefits of Fruit and Veggie Variety ... ›
- The Best Winter Fruits and Winter Vegetables | Greatist ›
- Why Eat Fruits and Vegetables in Season | Ward's Supermarket ›
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While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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