Rebranding Without Guts Is Just Expensive Window Dressing

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Branding must be fearless. Not tentative.

To do that, we must know what branding isn’t (and what it is).

Here’s what rebranding isn’t:

• Playing it so safe it hurts.
• Ignoring what made you you.
• Fixating on “pretty” over “purpose.”
• Chasing trends like a dog chases its tail.
• Slapping on a new logo like a bad band-aid.
• Avoiding hard truths like they’re an ex at a party.
• Pretending your customers don’t have options (they do).

Here’s what rebranding actually is:

• Listening to customers like they’re your brand’s GPS.
• Being bold enough to not look like everyone else.
• Building trust that lasts longer than trends.
• Turning your blind spots into strengths.
• Owning who you are—flaws and all.
• Crafting a story that really sticks.

Want to rebrand the right way? Embrace the hard stuff. Boldly.

The INC 5000 Company With a Vision (and the Guts to Look)

This is exactly what Fortis Business Solutions did:

For nine years, FBS helped practice owners create “Owner-Independent Practices” by implementing proven systems that increase revenue, profitability, and quality of life—and in 2024, made it onto the Inc. 5000 list.

Before that, they operated under another name.

Combining decades of consulting expertise with a hands-on approach, Fortis empowered businesses and their founders to achieve more efficient sustainable growth and streamlined performance.

Here’s the transformation.

It wasn’t just “How do we stand out and be different?”

It’s NEVER about that.

Instead, we looked at some eye-opening statistics.

The Current Solution is Not Tomorrow’s Answer

Before rebranding can be done, one must take inventory of the existing choices, whether “actual competitors or “perceived alternatives.”

Here are the key shortcomings and failures in the industry of firms assisting CEOs and founders of small-to-medium size businesses and specialty practices.

Here are 9 insights we learned:

• Small healthcare practices lose up to 50% of their patient base every five years without an active retention strategy.
• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20% of businesses fail in their first year, and 50% within five years.
• 82% of small businesses fail due to poor cash flow management, a critical issue for specialty practices with irregular income streams.
• Many healthcare professionals, including 70% of physical therapists, report feeling underprepared for the business aspects of running a practice.
• 39% of small business owners work over 60 hours per week, leading to burnout and decreased quality of life.
• The average turnover rate in veterinary practices is 23%, higher than many other industries, indicating management challenges, and lacking leadership skills.
• Only about 40% of small businesses are profitable, with many struggling to scale beyond the founder’s direct involvement.
• Less than 30% of family businesses survive into the third generation, a common issue for long-standing specialty practices.
• 60% of small business owners feel they are not very knowledgeable about accounting and finance.

Take note: we looked out there first.

Core Brand Components

The Wrong Brand is Like a Wi-Fi Signal with No Earbuds: Full Bars But No Communication

Only after we assessed the current scene “out there” did we collect further insights from clients:

• We spoke with past clients and found out what trigger made them choose Fortis.
• We asked open-ended questions. Because we’ve discovered the most powerful branding speaks like our clients, not like us.
• We found they used words we never would have come up with.
• Most importantly, we found out they identified with a role we didn’t know they identified with.
• We further discovered an actual category nobody was using to connect to this audience.

I am talking about an ocean so blue, that I thought we’d landed on some tropical island with a wide open view of an ocean with tropical drinks and rainbow-colored umbrellas. 

The Rebrand Breakthrough

The research revealed the notion that one could simply “read an article, watch a YouTube video, or listen to a podcast and burst forth as a fully-fledged CEO in shining armor.” The concept of competence as a CEO was glossed over.  

Nowhere was the idea that there was any sort of business tech or science to achieving the goal of being competent and reaping the rewards that come with that competence: more time, more income, less stress, and better talent retention. 

In short, clients felt like their businesses had become “something they didn’t sign up for.”

No matter what industry we looked at, this omission was there. This insight resulted in a new name:

The new name: The Competent CEO + the new slogan: The Science of Succeeding

The brand rolled out as follows:

How the Brand Came to Life

Rebranding in 8 Steps: How To Do It Competently

1. Audit the Noise, Then Rise Above It
   The market’s crowded with copycats and trend chasers. Spot the gaps. Find the untapped blue ocean. That’s where your brand belongs.
2. Steal From Your Customers
   Their words. Their pain points. Their dreams. Build your brand from what they care about.
3. Burn the Deadweight
   Ditch what’s tired, boring, or irrelevant. If it doesn’t spark interest, it’s holding you back.
4. Own Your Weird
   Nobody wins by being “kinda different.” Flaunt what makes you unmistakably you—even the messy parts.
5. Make Purpose Your Superpower
   Pretty design without meaning? That’s just makeup. Build your visuals around a cause that cuts deep.
6. Grow a Spine
   The world doesn’t need another vanilla brand. Be bold. Be brave. Leave the lukewarm for your competitors.
7. Walk the Talk
   Your rebrand isn’t just marketing fluff. Deliver the goods—or risk being called out.
8. Test Like a Mad Scientist
   Tweak, refine, and iterate until your brand punches people in the face (figuratively).

Need help? Schedule a discovery call.

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