Time for a Change
Change is hard. Whenever you take something that is established, familiar, and running fine as is, and then completely turn it on its head, what was once natural and normal is no longer going to feel comfortable. The thing about comfort is that growth cannot take place at the same time. Growth stretches you beyond where you would naturally go, demands just a little bit more than what you think you can give, and oftentimes causes you to question and doubt if what you’re doing is worth it. Change is hard, but if you can learn to lean into these seasons of life, and get comfortable with being uncomfortable, you will come out so much stronger.
Faith-Based Rebrand
When I first came up with the idea to completely rebrand my company as a faith-based agency, Rachel–a co-girl boss and my literal soul sister–was totally against it. It’s not that she wasn’t proud of her faith, because trust me, she’s one of the strongest Christians that I know. The lack of supporting the idea was more about the fact that we would be going completely against the nature of the sports industry, which if you don’t know the nature of my company, we work with professional athletes. Where do you think the ideas for Ballers and Jerry Maguire came from? We still joke to this day about Rachel’s fear that we would become known as the “Jesus freaks in the corner” at events. Despite the compelling–and comfortable–argument to continue doing things the same way we had been, we knew that change was necessary. And so that was it, we went for the full rebrand, and never looked back.
Apart from deciding to actually start LW Branding, I would mark this as the single best decision that has been made in the history of the company. Why? Because from that point on, we allowed ourselves the opportunity to just be us. The game of wearing multiple hats was over. No longer would we have to worry about being one person when we were at work, another person when we were with friends and family, a combination of the two at social events, and make a once a week appearance as “Jesus freaks” on Sundays. Before we took the leap of faith, we knew that not everyone was going to like it, and to be honest, we didn’t care. As Christians, we are called to be different.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” -1 Peter 2:9
The easy life of comfort is mediocre, and mediocrity isn’t going to bring about growth for you or others. You see, with the status quo, it is so easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing and thinking, that we often lose sight of what it is that we were put on this earth to do. I can’t speak for you, but let’s just say that I know God didn’t create Rachel and I to just go with the flow.
Our big decision to rebrand as a faith-based company was not easy; it came with consequences and challenges. We had to make tough decisions to part ways with brands and individuals that no longer aligned with our morals and values. The numbers didn’t always make sense, and there were times when the naysayers’s feedback would occupy way too much of my mental real estate. Every single day required, and still does, choosing to lead our lives and conduct business in a way that is different. No matter how committed we are to daily company devotionals, openly discussing our faith, or the numerous times we have clearly seen God at work, it is still a battle to overcome the desire to give into what’s comfortable for our human nature. I’m not going to sit here and write that since this transition, life has been smooth sailing; in fact it has been everything but that. There are days where I have been stretched so far beyond what I thought was my breaking point, that I could do nothing but cry. We fail, but we are growing, and one of the most amazing encouragement is to see the ways that the company is growing as a result of taking the initial leap of faith.
No matter what, my faith-based rebrand will always be worth the decision. There is no greater feeling than waking up knowing that I get to go through life as my authentic self, fully known and loved by the Creator. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that LW Branding ended up getting not just more business, but better business that aligned with our values and faith-based mentality. God is faithful and He does provide.
With Love,
– LW
LIFE WITH LW 