096 | Julie Richardson, Unblushing on rebranding to a new name and fresh look

Hey Friends, it's Tuesday! Which means we're back with another episode of Proof to Product, and this week I'm sitting down for a very fun interview with former PTP guest, Julie Richardson. You may remember Julie from Episode 20, where she shared her startup story and told us how she built her Etsy shop, Julie Ann Art, into a successful wholesale enterprise. If you haven't heard her story, it's definitely worth heading back for a listen!

For some background- Julie founded Julie Ann Art shop in 2008 and quickly gained the attention of the internet with her combination of raw illustrations and irreverent wit. Her brand brought a refreshing take to stationery, and with features in People, Bored Panda, Refinery and more, her side hustle hobby grew into a national lifestyle brand.

In 2019, Julie Ann Art rebranded as Unblushing to better represent the strong-willed, unapologetic voice that is quintessential to her stationery and gift brand. On today's episode, Julie and I dive into this recent rebranding experience. We talk about how she knew she was ready for a new name and a fresh look, how she narrowed down potential names, and how she ultimately decided on Unblushing. Julie pulls the curtain back on what happens behind the scenes during a rebrand, shares her roadmap for planning the transition and tells us how she dealt with the unexpected details she never saw coming.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

• Why Julie decided to rebrand after 10 years
• How she went about selecting a new name
• Her action plan for orchestrating the transition
• Tips for other entrepreneurs planning to rebrand
• What she did to keep customers in the loop about the switch
• The benefits of hiring out specific projects
• Julie's plans to connect locally
• What's up next for Unblushing

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

"I started Julie Ann Art as a creative hobby. There was no intention. It was just for fun. That was 10 years ago, we're not a hobby anymore." - Julie Richardson

"I definitely had fear going into it, but at the same time, I just knew that I was ready to take that leap and take that risk." - Julie Richardson

"I basically started a list, went to thesaurus.com and just tried to think about what the brand had become, who our customer was, what traits they had, or how I considered them to be" - Julie Richardson

"Rebranding helped me to look at social media in a different way, because just with my brand, it's witty, short captions. It was nice to see people's response to me writing in paragraphs and telling stories." - Julie Richardson

"I tried so hard to get everything right. At the same time, I expected something to go wrong. Not everything can be perfect. You can't think of every little detail." - Julie Richardson

"it was a huge product, but it's been really rewarding to get the response, and people are as excited as we were, so that makes me feel good." - Julie Richardson

"Sometimes we're a little too close to these things, and somebody else can come in with their fresh eyes, and build something even better than we could envision." - Katie Hunt

"Make a list. Make lots of lists. That was my number one go-to." - Julie Richardson

"When you talk about something, you need to light up and love it. If you're not completely happy in what you're doing, it is time to pivot and find the next direction." - Julie Richardson

"My inspiration was coming from the brand that was already created. I was just renaming it after what it already was." - Julie Richardson

"I feel like my customer is basically living next door to me. I just need to meet them, you know?" - Julie Richardson

CONNECT WITH JULIE RICHARDSON:

Website: https://unblushing.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/unblushingco

Instagram: http://instagram.com/unblushingco

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Over the last year and a half, Proof to Product has shared almost 100 startup stories from entrepreneurs making physical products, just like you. We have talked about successes and struggles, mindset shifts, and the importance of taking action to reach your goals. We are quickly approaching our 100th episode and we want to do something special to celebrate all of you, our listeners.

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ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!