Why I Chose to Rebrand My Small Business: Behind the Scenes of My Bold New Brand & Website Design
Pull up a chair my babe, because today’s post is basically my small business diary left wide open. I’m letting you in on the behind-the-scenes of my new brand and website, why I felt it was time for a change, and all the juicy, uncomfy bits along the way.
This rebrand is so much more than just a fresh colour palette or fancy new fonts. This rebrand has been about stepping into my next bold era with my cowgirl boots on, rebellious energy high, and my strategy finally matching my big ambitions.
If you’ve ever looked at your own brand and thought, “Is this even me?”, then I want you to know I’ve been exactly where you are. Read on to see my story from stuck and unenthusiastic to all-in with bells on.
So Why the heck did I rebrand? Even When everything was working?
If you’ve ever assumed that businesses only rebrand because they’re struggling financially I’m gonna stop you right there.
My old Howdy Naomi brand was doing pretty great. I was getting consistent enquiries from dreamy clients that were aligned with my vision through my website and social media every week.
I didn’t rebrand because I was desperate for work.
I didn’t do it because I hated the old design.
Honestly? I loved my original brand for all it enabled me to build. It was bright, playful, and it got me off the ground FAST. I’ll forever be grateful to the original Howdy Naomi branding.
So… why flip the card table and start all over again?
Because despite the fact that my business was working, it didn’t always feel right. It didn’t always feel like me.
There was this subtle disconnect between my visuals, my messaging, and me. People would meet me on a Zoom call and say things like, “Oh, you’re not what I expected!” (Always with a laugh, but still, big yikes when my vibe is 100% personality-packed authenticity).
And tbh I knew exactly why: my old brand was cute, but it wasn’t telling the full story. It didn’t have the big, bold, slightly rebellious energy that’s at the heart of who I am, how I work, and who I love working with.
So this rebrand? It’s less about restyling fonts and more about closing that gap.
It’s about making sure my brand is just as ballsy, confident, fun, and cheeky as I am so that when people rock up to those Zoom calls or meet me at networking events it all just clicks into place. I am the person they were expecting because my brand has laid that groundwork.
It’s also about embracing the cowgirl vibes more fully, because what’s more me than a bit of freedom, rebellion, and a big ol’ “screw it, let’s do it our way” energy?
The messy middle of my own business evolution
Let’s get real for a sec: while I’ve been freelancing for 7 years, this is the first time I’ve truly built a brand on my own. And oh boy, the first year of running Howdy Naomi was a real wild ride.
My client work was solid (over 15 small business rebrands in 2024 alone!) but behind the scenes? I felt like I was kinda winging it. I let clients steer my packages. I custom-built every proposal. My timelines were messy, processes clunky, and sometimes it left people confused about what they were actually getting.
And here’s the kicker: I hate that for them. I want my clients to feel clear, supported, and buzzing with excitement. Not lost in a haze of endless options and complicated steps because I’m playing loosey-goosey with my services.
My new service offerings have been designed intentionally to meet business owners where they are, at every stage of their journey, and guide them through all the steps they need to take to become unforgettable.
So this rebrand isn’t just about looking the part. It’s about building a business that serves both of us better: a more strategic, more intentional, more personality-fuelled experience that guides you from DIY disaster to unstoppable brand star.
So… what’s new at Howdy Naomi?
I’ve completely overhauled everything behind the scenes. My services are tighter, my processes are clearer, my automations are sleeker. But I’ve also upgraded a lot of the visuals to match. Here’s everything you can expect to be different from now on:
A bigger, bolder colour palette
My original purples and oranges were cute, but I constantly felt limited with only 3 or colours to play with. Whenever I sat down to design Instagram posts or work on content, I’d sigh and wish I had added more to the palette.
So I gave myself permission to go all out. Now, my palette is vibrant, expansive, and perfectly aligned with the attitude I want to put out into the world: confident, creative, and totally unmissable. Plus, I’ve kept the purples and oranges of the original brand and just built more around them. Old meets new.
Typography with more cowgirl sass
The old playful type was sweet, but it felt playful and childish and really not what Howdy Naomi had become. I needed something with more grit. With more unstoppable cowgirl energy. So I brought in typography that’s more rebellious, more Western-inspired, more me. A brand that’s truly unforgettable has to have distinctive type. No generic Canva fonts here, thank ya very much.
A total website glow up
My website is my biggest marketing asset. (Hot take: it should be yours too.) It’s where dream clients learn who I am, what I do, and why they should trust me with their business. So I didn’t cut corners. The new site is personality-packed, SEO optimised and finally doing justice to the high level of design I bring to my clients. Go peek: www.howdynaomi.co.uk
New services, rooted in real client needs
Instead of expecting my clients to figure out what they need (like I was doing before - oops, sorry gang), I’ve designed a whole suite of offers based on what I know works. Now, there’s a clear path whether you’re in the thick of your DIY era or ready for a full-scale transformation. No more confusion or unclear timelines. Just wildly colourful branding that’s unapologetically you.
And what’s staying the same?
The Name Howdy Naomi isn’t going anywhere
It’s still me. Still “Howdy Naomi.” This isn’t a pivot into something nameless or faceless, if anything, it’s doubling down on my own unique brand of cowgirl energy. I’ll always use my own name because I want you to know exactly who is behind all of the amazing design I create.
Same girl, just In shinier boots
I might have fresh fonts and a more daring colour palette, but I’m still the same caffeine-fuelled, Stardew-Valley-obsessed, 365-party-girl designer you know. The person behind the brand remains unchanged (sorry mum) I just finally built a brand that matches the real me.
A love letter to rebranding (and a pep talk if you’re in it too)
Rebranding is a beast. Even as a pro who’s done this for dozens of clients, doing it for myself has been the hardest project yet. Because when it’s your own brand, your own business, there’s no one to challenge your perfectionism or help you see the wood for the trees. Every tiny decision feels monumental (get a grip babe, you’re crying over font size) and every new idea spawns 100 more.
But it’s also been the most rewarding thing I’ve done for my business. It’s given me clarity on exactly what I want, who exactly I want to serve, and how I can build an all-out experience that feels amazing for you, my clients, at every stage.
If you’ve ever sat there thinking, “My brand just doesn’t feel like me anymore,” or found yourself stuck in a cycle of tweaking your logo and tweaking your prices and tweaking your offers without ever truly getting anywhere… I see you. I am you.
This new Howdy Naomi is proof that you can build a brand that feels exactly like you, helps you charge your worth, and brings in the kinds of clients who get it without sacrificing all of your delicious, unique you-ness.
Wanna see it all?
I poured every bit of my heart (and more hours than I care to count) into this new brand. If you want to see what a business can look like when it’s dialled in and totally aligned, go take a tour: www.howdynaomi.co.uk.
And if reading this has you thinking, “Holy shit, I need this kind of clarity for my brand,” let’s talk.
Thanks, as always, for coming along for the ride while I grow my branding and website design studio.
Here’s to your next bold, colourful chapter.
Naomi x
