Bring your Brands under 1 Umbrella and SAVE them!*

I've updated this blog on 31/10/2024 to reflect a progression of the consolidation of my websites. The updates will have an (*).

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Hello everyone! I know it's been a while and I do apologize, but it couldn't be helped.

Have a read below and hopefully my experiences helps you out, should you find yourself in the same dilemma.

As you all know, things have been tough the past two years - for everyone! It was like a (...insert your profanity here...) storm that still keeps on blowing.

Anyway, here's a bit of business advice from my own very recent experience - consolidate where you can.

I was seriously considering dropping YBB to reduce my outgoings, specially since there wasn't much income coming in! I had to concentrate my efforts and resources on my yoga teaching business as that's my main brand. But I still held out hope, so YBB went into a kind of "suspended" situation.

Doing this also helped my mental health as I was worrying over only one brand, rather than two.

It also bought me time to figure out how I can save my Yoga Brand Building.

So, here's what I did:

1. I did a deep dive on my WHY. Why I wanted to save my YBB brand and business and all the content that are already up, the course I've been preparing and the help I know I can offer my fellow teachers.
   

2. I reviewed all the resources I had; Wix in particular. Now, you'll hear a lot of marketing "gurus" out there who vouch for this and that app for anything from content scheduling to content design/layout. My strong recommendation is to do your research, because:

   1. Integration may not be as straightforward as they market it to be, and

   2. Add-on apps to your website creator/platform usually have add-on costs as well. Now, I'm not trying to talk you into Wix, but I found that it has a robust selection of Wix-ready apps. It also has already-integrated apps that don't carry extra costs. The same is true for other platforms as well, so I do highly suggest to take the time to really figure out what you need and if your web platform can provide as much of the functionality as you will need.
      

3. I decided to CONSOLIDATE. By consolidating my websites under one main brand - it saves me hosting and domain costs. It took some compromises and creative thinking, but I got to save my YBB; that was the main thing.

Now, here are some considerations before you go ahead and bring all your business streams under one umbrella:

1. The nature of your business / brand. Will they jive together under an umbrella brand?
   

2. Ask your book keeper, accountant and even your insurance (if it applies) if this is feasible for you.
   

3. Is it worth keeping? This may be the most difficult question to answer. But remember, if something doesn't give you joy anymore (conversely, if it gives you grief and stress) then maybe it isn't worth keeping. Or, give yourself some distance and time from it, like what I did, to give you the space to think and honestly assess the situation.

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* Since I've written this blog, I've added two more websites - Cranberry Furniture Rescue and the new Site Hub, AileenDavid.com, where you accessed YBB. Further, Mad Yogi will also be under the new Site Hub, and, as you have probably already seen, all courses accross my interests will be accessible on the site hub as well.

This consolidation will save me from expensive premium plans so I can pour my resources - money, time, effort, and peace of mind - to creating even more free content for you!

That's it for now and I'll see you soon!

Your Branding Task: Review your business and assess where you are. See which aspects you can consolidate. For example, how creative can you be in streamlining your add-on apps, specially the ones that incur fees?

Tell me how you go!