Our rebrand and why it can be key to growth

Since starting my bookkeeping company it’s very much been me at the forefront. I’ve met with clients, discussed Xero backlog, talked with my clients about their growth plans, explained the jargon and created custom reporting for their businesses. From training sessions, marketing, paperwork collection from client premises, admin, invoicing etc, it’s just been me. So it’s no surprise that my company has been a reflection of me.

The Lex Approach branding was pink and blue and very ‘soft and fluffy’ giving off a friendly but kind effect that represented my personality and approach to others.  I’ve had this brand for two years and whilst I still love it, I’ve started outsourcing some business admin and marketing and it’s become very clear recently that I need to start building a team, delegating tasks and creating opportunities to say ‘yes’ to clients who want to work with me.

I’ve read lots about personal branding and I truly believe that people buy from people so keeping the brand as it was would’ve suited me if I was going to build a personal brand. However, I want to help and support as many businesses as possible with their bookkeeping and accounting needs and I wanted my brand to reflect that. My belief is that behind every great business is an even better team and I want a brand that is built with a team in mind so taking my personal name out of the business name made sense.

Business name, colours & logo

It wasn’t easy deciding a name, I skirted around ‘Rise Accounting’, ‘AC Ltd’ and just ‘Click Accounting’ too. I love the word click because that’s all I do all day – click the mouse or keyboard! Then my husband Pete suggested ‘right’ because it’s the right click of the mouse and the correct click of the data. My brother, a chartered Accountant, also loved it so that was decision made. When it came to colours, I knew I wanted the black and blue in there, mainly because I work exclusively with Xero which has blue branding and I think black looks classy and professional. I’m very lucky that Pete enjoys graphic design as a hobby and jumped at the chance to create my logo, I gave him full creative input so the logo is to his credit. It’s part R with the leg of the R forming part of the C. To me it looks like the greater than and less than symbols so for an accounting practice, it fitted really well!

Rebranding Tips

Now I’ve completed the rebrand I have five tips if you’re thinking of doing the same. 

1. Firstly, when you are deciding on what to change, take your time. It’s quite a bit of work to change everything, think about email signatures, social media platforms, invoice templates, log ins to name a few. You don’t want to rush into it and realise a month later that you made the wrong choice.
2. Check domain names and social media platform name availability beforehand. You don’t want to fall in love with a name then find out that someone had the name before you and has a cast-iron proof trademark or has left a derogatory reputation behind them that could prove a headache for you later.
3. Get Companies House sign off first! If you are a limited company, this is a must do. Even if you believe the name is available on Companies House, you have to apply for the name with them, pay a small fee and await confirmation. You can do this online and my confirmation took three working days to come back via email.
4. Make a list of all the places you use your business name, legal requirements, software platforms, bank accounts, networks you’re part of, email signature, directories, log ins and don’t forget any insurances or policies too. You’ll also need to order a new bank card and update any regular payments you make with your card such as monthly subscription payments. Go through the list and give yourself plenty of time before announcing anything publicly.
5. Update your website and social media bios EVERYWHERE! It’s surprising how many places we leave our details and I’m sure I’ve missed a few so will need to check but if you have a YouTube channel, social media platforms, Linktree, google my business etc, make sure to update the bio so you don’t have broken links. It’s also worth mentioning the SEO and backlinks you may have built up with your previous brand. Speak with an SEO expert or your website host and see what they can help with so you don’t lose any valuable SEO you’ve already built.

Why rebranding can be key to growth

I now believe I have a brand I can scale with which before I didn’t. The Lex Approach brand represented me as a freelance bookkeeper and whilst I’m extremely proud of that title, it doesn’t align with my goals to support more clients. My mindset whilst using The Lex Approach branding was to serve my existing clients and serve them well but not increase my client base for fear of ‘dropping a ball’. I didn’t feel confident making training manuals for new staff with a freelancer mindset, it just didn’t connect so I didn’t take action towards my long term vision. 

However, since rebranding I have made big changes in my company. I’ve invested in more software to streamline the business, created better processes, separated functions in the team and explored more ways to add more services for our clients and all in the new business name of Right Click Bookkeeping. Here’s to the next chapter!