Assign a Lead – and Honor It

Ever heard the phrase, “too many cooks in the kitchen?” Too many conflicting opinions can lead to a messy situation or – even worse – no progress. With generational businesses, there are often lots of players with varying roles throughout the business. Each of them feels like they have a stake in the rebranding because it is “their” family business. The best course of action is to assign family members or stakeholders key roles and responsibilities early in the process. Evaluate each member’s skills and expertise and recognize where they can contribute. You’ll want to have one primary person responsible for coordinating and consolidating the family’s feedback throughout the process. Most importantly, assign and agree to one to two key decision makers who can assure decisions get made. It’s critical to make sure everyone feels heard and valued; however, the primary decision-maker should be identified from the onset of the project.

Get Help from the Outside

We often tell our clients that it’s hard to read the label from inside the jar. When you’re too close to a situation – which is the case for many family businesses – this insider perspective is even more challenging. The brand is tied to the family, which is a personal and emotional connection that’s hard to overcome. If the brand has been closely tied to your family for generations, your family’s patriarch/matriarch may be the brand. This can make changing or evolving the brand even more emotionally difficult. This is where an outsider’s perspective can help. We work with generational businesses to identify which personality traits are true to the business and which values transcend company-wide, versus the ones that have been solely inherited from the family leaders. See how we helped one family business honor their past while looking ahead.

Respect History but Look Towards the Future

It’s important that your company has a solid brand foundation that can live on for generations, no matter who is at the helm. Change is always uncomfortable. But, when you’re asking to change grandpa’s hand-drawn logo, it isn’t always well-received. Overcoming these emotions means recognizing and respecting them. Again, an outsider’s perspective can often aid with this delicate balancing act of change vs. tradition. First, we need to identify which elements of the brand are no longer aligned with the current state. Then, we’ll work to find out exactly what components people are holding onto and what they are willing to let go. Then we can determine where we zig and where we need to zag to honor the legacy of your generational business, while setting you up for success down the road.

Position Yourself for Success When Rebranding a Family Business

Working in a family-owned business is a beautiful legacy, but it doesn’t come without its challenges. At Muse, we’ve helped dozens of family businesses recognize those challenges and overcome them by working through a proven rebranding and strategy process. We’re careful to build on the foundation set by the past while positioning your business for your vision of the future.

Our team can help you get started and help you manage every challenge along the way. Connect with one of our brand strategists to learn more.

About the Author

Megan Factor is a Content Manager at Muse and a passionate creator, both professionally and personally. She developed her content marketing skills working in a wide range of industries and pulls inspiration from her diverse experiences. Her keen eye for design, penchant for writing, and love of good storytelling work together to create meaningful content that provides value to clients.