[FreshBook] Does your brand need a “#KonMarie” – Some thoughts on Marie Kondo’s life-changing magic of tidying up

what is “KonMarie”?

Marie Kondo wrote the book “the life-changing magic of tidying up” and she has shifted the way many people declutter, simplify + organise their homes. Her style of decluttering has been coined #KonMarie

In watching her series on Netflix, I was personally inspired by how her process wasn’t about “getting rid of stuff” – but that she focused more on keeping things that sparked joy!

Her process was inspiring [and got me decluttering quite a few aspects of my own home].

I started thinking about how businesses often get as caught up in “all the stuff” and how we quickly find that things become cluttered + super messy… and that there were a couple of things we could learn from Marie – that would help us create a uncluttered brand.

Rule 1: commit yourself to tidying up

When you commit to cleaning up your brand, you’re committing to take a fresh look at the things in front of you, what’s serving you… and what isn’t serving you + your business any longer.

Rule 2: imagine your ideal lifestyle.

To help you stay committed to the process, it really helps to start of by painting a very clear picture of where you want to take your business – and then keep focused on the ideal brand you want to create.

Rule 3: finish discarding first

You need to be pretty clear about the things that no longer serve you. What are the pieces of your brand that you need to let go of?

Thank them for serving you well, and then release them, because if you hang on to the things that aren’t serving you, you’ll be creating more long term damage.

Rule 4: tidy by category, not by location

Group all the ideas you have, into a clear workable plan + brand. By staying focused on brand you want to create, you’ll be able to sort through the “what to keep”.

ie want to create a feeling of calm – then loud brand elements wont work for you.

Thank them for serving you well, and then release them, because if you hang on to the things that aren’t serving you, you’ll be creating more long term damage.

Rule 5: Follow the right order

Clients often get super excited by the idea of a new logo, a new website, or a shiny new company profile / presentation that they can “put out there”.

The branding result is exciting, but without solid thinking [ie brand strategy] you’re going to end up with something pretty, but not functional [and usually, something that wont help you reach your goals!]

Rule 6: Ask yourself if it sparks joy

This is key for me! When you create a new brand, don’t settle! If a client hasn’t quite found their branding “joy” yet… we keep at it. Usually a revision or two later, and they see THE item they were hoping for.

Had they stopped earlier in the process, it would have resulted in something they didn’t love or feel confident with. It needs to really spark joy for you!