It's never too late to start branding your small business

I envy creatives who have all ducks in a row at the start of their business. Me? Not so much. I blame that on having too many creative ideas instead of focusing and building up just the one :) 

A handful of you will remember that my website used to be called Lovely Purses. Yup. I started my creative business designing and sewing bags. I even had my own stand alone website - Dunibagz. Then I discovered Etsy and the growing demand (especially in the US) for shabby chic lifestyle products. I christened my first Etsy shop Peridot by Duni. At the same time I changed my website to its current name and opened my fabric store. Later I added two more product lines Duni's Studio Designs and Priya by Duni on Etsy.

While I poured my whole heart and soul into each one I realized soon enough that it was becoming increasingly difficult to handle all of them by myself (I'm currently focusing on the two with the highest revenue). I also realized another thing. My product lines didn't have a cohesive image. They needed a brand. 

© Duni's Studio

In fact, one of my goals this year had been to start branding and streamlining my small business, because it's never too late :) Since my blog has always been and still is the core of my business I started with a redesign. And recently I added a custom logo (see above) which some of you have admired on Facebook and instagram. I kept to a minimum of colors and two fonts. The small flowers add a touch of whimsy and express femininity, which my Etsy customers can relate to. And while red is a strong, powerful color that conveys warmth and dynamic, I toned it down a bit, not to appear too agressive! I incorporated the date of establishment (trust) and added two words that desribe my business best. It ties in nicely with my blog too.

One of my instagram followers and also cherished customer surprised me with a super sweet gift yesterday! Cornelia really liked my new logo and made an embroidered version of it! I was incredibly touched. She also gifted me with a handmade pin cushion (can't have enough of those!). I decided to use the other one as wall art for my studio. So cute!!

As part of my branding project I also recently changed my Etsy shop from PeridotbyDuni to DuniStudio. You will see my new logo popping up there and on my other sites. Btw, on Etsy you are allowed to change your shop name once. Subsequent changes require a written permission.

Other changes include changing my Twitter account and adding a new instagram account just for fabric news and updates! Yay! So, if you love fabrics and sewing as much as I do you may follow me @duni_studio_stoffe or follow my personal account @duni_studio for behind-the-scenes stuff, diy, flower photos, food pics, travel pics, cats, handmade fashion...plus more stuff :) Btw, sometimes I post on IG in German language only, but there is a translation button underneath the text which is surprisingly accurate. Go ahead and try it!

Perhaps most important is that I've initiated the long and tedious not to mention costly process to make Duni's Studio become a registered trademark. For ten years at least. Then I have to renew.

I might be late to the branding game, and I know there's so much more to it than the few simple steps I've taken, but I'm getting there :)

Please share in the comments if you have any additional pointers. Would love to know!