The Lifecycle a of Brand for Female Service Providers

There's a lot of information out there about branding: what you can DIY, when you should invest in branding, how much you should invest, what you actually need—it can be super overwhelming and even contradictory. 

Here's my take on the lifecycle of a brand for female service providers as I've seen things shake out over the past 16 of design work.

Your best bet is making considered investments in your brand as you go along. Investing in quality brand work that sets the foundations for your brand evolution is going to be a game changer for your business. Remember, this is not a one and done service, it's the visual representation of your business and it will need to evolve as your business grows and changes.

• 0-1 YEARS
  Ok you've got the concept, you know the services you'd like to offer, you know the people you'd like to start working with but you don't have a lot of practice yet. Make a considered, quality investment with a brand expert — this should be a smaller investment while you’re still getting clear on your business. 
  
  Can you DIY, use a template, use Canva? Sure, you absolutely can. I recommend investing with a brand expert from the start because we can help you set a foundation for your brand to evolve from rather than planning to scrap and restart your brand at every stage of your business. This is much better for brand recognition and loyalty assuming you continue to work with the same target market and offer similar services. 
   

• 2-4 YEARS
  You've spent time experimenting, getting to know the people that are actually your ideal client, you have really refined your services and you're passionate about them,  now is the time to make a moderate investment with a brand expert. It's time to create a brand that attracts your current ideal client and highlights your own unique expertise while setting the foundation for future growth. 
  
  Now that you have proof of concept and data from your ideal clients you can craft a brand that is specific to those ideal clients and honors the core values of your business. You should be clear on your mission, vision and values, the things that excite you most about your offers, as well as the nuances of those dream clients to get the most out of your brand work at this time. This is the time to add a professional brand to your business as you continue to grow your audience and build client loyalty.  
   

• 5-7 YEARS
  You've continued to refine your services , hone in on your ideal client and really find where you bring your own unique value and way of doing things to your space. Once you're clear on what really sets you apart it's time to make a significant investment with a brand expert. You know your ideal client, you're offering services you're passionate about with an excellent client experience and you know what you bring to the table. It's time to take things to the next level. 
  
  This is the perfect time to invest in brand work that will really build on the foundations you've created with previous work. It's time to elevate your brand because you're being recognized as a thought leader in your space, you're now ready to expand, scale or even step back as the face of your business. Your hard work is paying off and an investment now will set you up for even more success.