When you’ve been in the biz as long as we have (over 20 years between the three of us!), you see trends come and go. You can sense a trend coming a mile away, and you can definitely sense which trends are going to last – and which ones aren’t. 

Because we’ve been around the block a time or two (or twenty), we want to call attention to a handful of business trends we’ve noticed a lot of this last year. And perhaps we have a few bones to pick, as well.

When you’re as opinionated as we three are… well, buckle up buttercup. Today, we’re laying eight of these popular business trends to rest. Keep reading, because they might not be what you’re expecting.

Leave it in 2023: “The Hands-Off CEO”

This is likely one of our biggest pet peeves collectively: Business owners expecting their team to “just figure it out.” This might look like hiring a brand designer, a copywriter, and a project manager all at once to “manage your branding project for you” — and then going MIA. They can’t get what they need from you, but you’ve hired the experts. They’ll figure it out, right?

Wrong. 

We assure you, friends: Your team cannot do their best work if you’re a hands-off CEO. We don’t want you to waste money or anyone’s time, and we also don’t want your reputation to take a hit. We’ve seen it happen over and over again: business owners step away from the business and leave their (new, untried) team in charge, and then lose engagement, trust, and sales because now the audience doesn’t know who they’re talking to.

It’s time to be a more strategically hands-off CEO — and to build a team that’s ready to thrive without you! 

Leave it in 2023: Offers without expertise

We mentioned we had a few bones to pick, and we were as serious as a heart attack! While we love to see business owners offering new things to their audience, especially when said audience needs those solutions… make sure you understand what you’re offering. As in… you’re actually qualified to be selling it. 

It seems to be happening more and more: Businesses selling courses or templates that haven’t been vetted or have proven outcomes. Others have only just learned a concept themselves before turning around and selling it as an offer. We’ve also seen much more outright plagiarism — stealing ideas from contractors and competitors alike.

Consumers and clients are paying attention. They want to invest in expert resources. Not the same regurgitated ones. Be ready to stay competitive by offering your expert edge. 

Leave it in 2023: Meeting embargoes 

Nobody loves to have too many meetings. Nobody is looking at the white space on their calendar thinking, “Gee, I wish I had more meetings to attend.” But the truth is, for your business to grow in the right direction, you might need to have meetings occasionally.

Especially if you’re kicking off a new project or launching a new brand, it helps to have a call where everyone can get on the same page. If you’re having frequent miscommunications with a contractor or client, get on a call. Avoiding calls at all costs can, well, cost you. 

Leave it in 2023: Ignoring solid feedback

Have you ever received feedback and thought, “They just don’t get it”? Maybe they don’t! Especially if you’re asking your mother, your competition, or your neighbor for feedback on something.

But when it’s your client or a member of your ideal audience? They might just get it, and you should probably listen to them. We’ve seen a lot of business owners adopt the “Steve Jobs mindset,” believing they know better than the customer. Sometimes they definitely DO, but if they’re getting feedback that something isn’t working…

Maybe take that feedback a little more seriously.

Rather than ignoring feedback from clients, saying they’re “difficult,” or ignoring requests from your audience by saying “they’re just not your ideal client,” why not take a deeper look? Use the feedback that fits to design a better process or offer that actually makes sense and informs your clients or audience on how to work with you! It also helps to positive intent with feedback; most people do mean well. This can help reframe criticism that we don’t understand at first pass.

And yes, dear reader. There will always be contrarians. There will always be trolls. There will always be “haters,” as the kids call them. There is such a thing as growing out of your audience or showing up in the wrong spaces. But if your audience is a group of people you like and want to work with and they’re telling you they don’t like what they’re seeing or experiencing… listen.

Leave it in 2023: Generic formulas + templates

ChatGPT has taken the online business world by storm and now, marketing formulas are accessible to virtually anyone with an internet connection. Templates, marketing formulas, generic step-by-step lists… these are all “open season.”

But in the age of AI, your brand has a chance to stand out and offer something truly unique. Whether it’s custom services, trainings on your expertise, or products you haven’t seen on the market, you’re being called to innovate! 

Your audience doesn’t want more of the same. We’d argue that you don’t, either! 

Leave it in 2023: Shoddy project management 

Project management is not the sexiest tool in your business owner’s toolbox. But it is one of the most vital. Without project management, you’re not going to know:

• What the deliverables entail (broken down into individual tasks)
• Who is doing each task
• When each task is due
• When the project is done and what to do next
• How your work affects others’
• How long something takes to complete
• Your or your team’s actual capacity
• And other very important details 

Project management tools like Asana, ClickUp, Trello, etc. can absolutely be used incorrectly (we’ve seen it). But more often than that, we’ve seen people ignore project management completely, and chaos ensues.

Especially if you’re hoping to grow beyond a one-woman show, invest in (or learn how to do) project management that helps you “play well with others,” and that delivers consistent results to your clients. 

On top of that, make sure you’re showing your team or clients how to use the project management system you’ve built, so everyone can do their best work. And THEN you can be a strategically hands-off CEO.

Leave it in 2023: The logo-as-a-brand investment

We’ve seen so many shout: “I need a brand!” and then just pay for a logo. Yes, this still happens in this modern day and age. We have bad news, hon: Your logo isn’t your brand. In fact, you’ll probably use your logo twice: on your Linkedin and your website. 

Then, you’ll never use it again and likely never know how to design anything else… because you didn’t hire a brand designer to walk you through visual consistency and recurring design motifs. Speaking of visual consistency…

Leave it in 2023: Investing in a visuals-only rebrand

You knew we’d bring this into the equation, right? After all, we’re a full-service branding, coaching, and messaging agency that was founded on the idea that your brand is so much more than your visuals. 

We’ve seen it so many times…

Businesses that “just need new branding” (every few months).

Brands that feel like they’re constantly “under construction.”

Business owners and CEOs who feel frustrated because what’s delivered doesn’t align with what they see in their heads.

Brands that have truly stunning ideas and offers, but no strategy to build a brand people trust.

Teams that have no idea what the true goal is — or how to reflect that in their work.

That’s why we created Rendezvous.

Rendezvous can help you avoid these trends (and other business pitfalls)

Rendezvous Creative is a holistic branding agency where your brand meets vision — and all the pieces move as one.

We’re here to end the neverending brand updates, disjointed contractor timelines, and the general sense that your brand makes ideal clients want to burn rubber (to get away from you). We also help you avoid trends that are going to die off in a matter of weeks.

Rather than “just” delivering a new brand or some graphic updates, we tailor your brand from top to bottom. 

We start with the ROOT of your brand: Your mission, vision, and values. From there, we offer coaching that digs into where your business is now, where you’re struggling, and exactly what your vision is for the future.

This is how we end the cycle of “chronic rebranding” and piecemealing your business, because you finally see exactly what needs to change in your business to make it fit like a glove. 

But we don’t stop there.

With coaching as well as execution, we’ll ensure your brand design, website, offers, website copy, funnels and products, customer experience tools, and content are aligned and on point.

And before we sign off, we ensure you have a plan for using your new brand to build the business you see in your head.

All of that, so your brand aligns with what you see in your head.

Want to work with us? If you’ve got moxie, a brand that feels in constant flux, and big ideas for what you want to do… we want to help.

Drop us a line, won’tcha? And don’t forget: Let’s let these business trends lie, shall we? R.I.P.