Jul 31, 2019
There is a lot to think about when starting a business and one of the most important decisions small business owners face is choosing a business name and brand. But, what do you do when you realize your existing brand may not be resonating with your expanding customer base? How do you know if and when it’s appropriate to rebrand? Will existing customers will remain loyal and embrace the new brand? Will the benefits of rebranding outweigh the cost?
Host, Mary Foley speaks with Kristen Preau who is a co-owner and the face of the Jambalaya Girl food product brand. Using customer feedback and all available resources, Kristen successfully rebranded her family’s company from the indeterminate, local phrase ‘Cook Me Somethin’ Mister’ to the authentic and popular ‘Jambalaya Girl’ brand name. The brand change gave her the confidence to grow Jambalaya Girl from 100 stores in New Orleans to over 2000 stores nationwide with plans to go International.
Kristen has always been and will always be passionate about her hometown of New Orleans. So, after being evacuated from the catastrophic damage Hurricane Katrina caused she took her years of cooking experience along with her daddy’s cast iron pots on a fund-raising tour of the U.S. with all proceeds going to hurricane relief. When people at the events started requesting the recipe for her jambalaya and gumbo and she had raised 100k dollars, Kristen knew she was onto something big.
Listen and Learn:
- Things you don’t think about when you start a business
- The importance of listening to customers
- The struggle of whether or not to change a brand
- Creating a memorable brand name
- Getting a brand recognized nationally
- The keys to a powerful brand
- How an authentic brand creates loyal customers
- Recognizing the strengths and differences of your business
- The cost to change a brand
- How to create a memorable brand that evolves with your business
- Resources available to small business owners