We started Vermont to be precisely the kind of company we always wanted to work for. I had spent years with some of the largest firms in the industry, and with Vermont, I wanted to apply those learnings to our clients.

But as with many small business owners, we were more focused on building a client base than we were on building a brand. And as we grew, we started to see signs that we were outgrowing ourselves.

Rebranding a business is not something any business owner takes lightly – and you can imagine we were no exception. So we did some homework to make an educated decision – and since many of you are also business owners, we thought we’d share what we learned:

1. If you don’t control your brand, your brand will start speaking for itself.

Over the years, we hadn’t paid much attention to the Vermont brand. When we did our research, we discovered that most of our clients didn’t even refer to our company by our company name. The brand was so associated with me – that clients just used my name. Now, of course, that’s fine on one level – but our company is NOT a one-person band. So we needed to make sure our brand communicated that we offer a breadth of talent – especially as we bring on more team members and with Dean joining the leadership team.

2. If your brand doesn’t stand for something, it stands for nothing.

When we started our business, partnerships were made slowly after face-to-face introductions and probably a few rounds of golf. Today there are many construction management firms to choose from in a market like Toronto, and architects and designers don’t have time for golf. You only have a few seconds to position what makes you different. 

That said, the name Vermont didn’t say much. (We’re not working in Vermont, and we’re not from Vermont – we just like to ski there!) Now as Edify, we’re communicating our ability to educate our clients on how to get more value out of their office space and construction project.

3. Rebranding requires a thick skin.

Coming up with a brand that demonstrates our unique value proposition requires knowing what you do well. And that means listening to your clients about why they like working with you – and also why they don’t. We heard lots of great feedback and even some hard truths. But understanding our weaknesses has allowed us to focus on our strengths – and how best to play to those strengths.

4. Rebranding doesn’t stop when you launch.

Your business evolves, so your brand should evolve, too. We’re approaching our brand as a framework on which we will continue to build. Every blog post we publish, proposal we submit, and event we host are all opportunities to educate, inform, and evolve our brand, so it continually meets the needs of our clients.

So in that spirit – I invite you to share your questions with us. Are you curious about a new product and want a second opinion? Pick our brain. Need help preparing a spec or project estimate? Give us a call. Is there a way Edify can support you and your team to be more efficient? Just ask, and we’ll brainstorm a solution. All I ask is you follow our social media feeds and sign-up for our e-newsletter so we can keep you posted on our latest insights. We’re eager to share our lessons learned.