In 2015, we saw Zim Ugochukwu expand the Travel Noire digital platform into a brand that offers curated travel experiences. This year will see Issa Rae expand her media imprint into the podcasting world with “Fruit." and every time we catch a new episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta, we see Kandi Burruss and her castmates launching a new product or service to build their empires beyond their hour slot on Sunday night.
These girl bosses are expanding their businesses and brands, but taking that leap is no easy feat. When you're an entrepreneur ready to take your business to the next level, how do you know when it's time to expand? How do you know when you are ready?
Ritzy Glitzy Girls Club started as an on-the-go glam spa for young girls
Venetta Carraway, founder of Ritzy Glitzy Girlz Club, says it all comes down to demand. The entrepreneur, who has thrown parties for the daughters of celebrities such as Chris Rock and Buddy "Cake Boss" Valastro, started her business from a mobile on-the-go glam spa for tweens. Her original concept offered a unique pampering salon offering spa treatments, like ice cream facials in the comfort of her client's own homes, but as word spread of her exceptional kid parties, she expanded it to a storefront operation. “I knew that it was time to expand when we couldn't keep up with the high demand of our on-the-go parties. After doing some research, I noticed that there weren't any mobile spas for kids or physical locations of the sorts in my area. That's when I realized that the market was wide open," Venetta says.
For Fracassi Lashes, founder Falicia "Fracassi" Garries, it was all a matter of being aware of what consumers were missing.
Fracassi Lashes Owner, Falicia "Fracassi" Garries
After recognizing a need in the market for luscious lashes, she launched her business out of her remodeled garage in 2009, and with the help of family opened her first storefront that same year. When a year later the lines were out the door and people were driving for miles to get the Fracassi touch, she decided to open another store, and has since grew the brand to three boutiques and a makeup line. “I started this brand by being in tune with the market. I saw that there was a need for a place that does eyelashes. There wasn't a place that was clean, sanitary, had sterilization processes and a professional who understood eye lashes and knew how to make them look natural," Falicia says.
With years of experience with growing and expanding a brand, we chatted with the two entrepreneurs to get some tips on how to go from an idea to building an empire.
Do your research before reaching in your pockets.
Venetta: "I did tons of online research on how to operate a store, salon, spa and party business. I researched anything that I could think of that would possibly benefit my endeavor. I purchased equipment little by little; storing it all in my home until I had pretty much everything I needed to open. After that I looked for a building that would work for us in price and location. Once I secured that, I was ready to go."
Stack up and then staff up.
Fracassi Lashes
Falicia: "I had to turn my business into a seven days a week operation and hire staffing. Then I had to hire a manager. My advice is to make sure you have perfected one store first. That store should be able to run completely smoothly without you being there, because once you start to expand your focus will be on the new store. You have to clone yourself, which is hard to do. You have to find someone who cares as much as you, someone who is honest just like you, someone who is observant and can be meticulous in detail."
Listen to your clients.
Falicia: "Sometimes you can learn a lot by listening to your clients. People started asking us if we offer body waxing or this type of waxing, and at the time we were just focusing on the facial waxing. It took for us to listen to our clients to start offering those services."
Venetta: "We want to continue to expand the brand into so many avenues of the business. Our spa products were not for sale and our customers kept asking to purchase them, so we decided to create our own line of bath and body products for are clients."
Have a team of experts in your corner.
Ritzy Glitzy Girls Club -- spa day party
Falicia: "Have a team that helps with checks and balances. I have a small board with whom I consult with about what I want to do when it comes to expanding services or products. They offer their suggestions like if something might not be profitable or not. The board should be experienced in business, marketing and industries related to your brand."
Build a financial safety net.
Venetta: "Make sure you have money on side. Unforeseen situations happen to the best of us, so have a savings to offset expenses that are unexpected. It's always best to be on the safe side so that you can bounce back and recover."
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Originally published January 4, 2017
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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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