Two years of The Brandling: Part one
Update 2021: This article was written before our rebrand from The Brandling to Brand The Change.
Two years ago, in the summer of 2014, I packed my bags and started on my journey as The Brandling. I was convinced branding can play a crucial role in creating a paradigm shift in how we brand social businesses. To see them attract the audiences, investment, employees and press they deserve. This is the moment to ask, are we moving closer to what we set out to achieve?
It would be easy to create a vanity list of accomplishments. TED talk, check. Successful crowd funding campaign, check. Wrote a book, check. Successfully set up an office in Nairobi, check. Financially viable, check. Held workshops in 14 countries, check, check, check.
Instead, let’s look at some of the amazing people who have been with us from the start and what they have accomplished in those 24 months.
Designathon Works went from a methodology concept to a tried and tested school program, through which children design a better future using new technologies. They now host a world wide annual event and are setting up nine (!) international chapters.
Internet of Elephants has just secured its first round of investment and is building a game that can revolutionize the way we engage with animals and fund wildlife conservation. Test their prototype now!
We developed the custom Self Branding Toolkit for Alf Khair, a social venture that has built an innovative curriculum for people looking to join the workforce and/or increase their level of happiness, professionality and engagement with their careers. The Self Branding Toolkit is one of the cornerstones of the curriculum and has gone through two rigorous pilots since and twelve trainers are now licensed to train participants on using the toolkit. The trainers just conducted the first full program last week and the results are in! 80% of the participants indicate that they have a much clearer perspective on their future plans and 55% say they clearly understand the steps they need to make to realize their dreams. Very proud of the 12 trainers who managed to get such stunning results on their first workshop!
Easkey Britton, the surfer/scientist/activist we worked with on our first world trip, has set up the Surf+Social Good Summit in Bali, and the Camp Surf Social Good in Portugal, bringing together wavemakers at the intersection of social innovation and the sea.
It’s not all a bed of roses.
Over the past two years, we have seen clients grow, stumble, doubt, fly, experience growing pains, pivot and loose faith to regain it again later. Being an entrepreneur requires the mental stamina of an athlete.
We've personally experienced every single one of those emotions and stumbles ourselves. In defiance of some of these emotions, I want us to push further and go farther. So where to next? Read about it in part two coming later this week.
Follow Anne on the road on twitter or Instagram.
Do you want to know more about how a custom-designed toolkit can help your team, participants, students or fellows develop their brand thinking skills and create stronger personal profiles and more effective organizations? Mail us at info@brandthechange.org