Nov 18, 2019

Datebox, the leading monthly date subscription company, recently announced the company’s rebrand to Happily , effective May 2019. Happily, an Oklahoma City-based startup changing the way couples approach relationships, is moving away from a monthly subscription service model to become a complete relationship resource offering new technology and products. Founded by married couple Brett and Devon Kolomyjec, the startup has been helping couples have better date nights since 2015. Today, Happily has raised over $3 million in funding and has provided more than 1 million date experiences since their launch. We chatted with CEO and founder Brett Kolomyjec to learn more about their decision to shift away from a subscription only model and learn more about the rebranding process. Keep reading to find out the hardest part about rebranding a startup and what Brett wishes he had known before starting the rebranding process. 4. How did you know now was the right time for a rebrand? It was actually that our couples began asking us for other products and solutions. We started getting questions from our customers like “can we book a sitter for our date?” or “can you deliver flowers to my wife for our upcoming date night with Datebox?” It was questions like these that prompted us to think bigger than just date night. 5. How did you decide on the new name? We felt that Happily reflected what we really believe couples want, which is a life of love and happiness, and that’s what we’re excited about helping couples build together. 6. I love the new branding! Tell me more about the design process. We wanted the brand to be fun, simple, and approachable, so that’s what we focused on in the design process. Our goal is to build a lifestyle around couples being happy together, and so we wanted that to be reflected in the new brand. We went through many iterations of what the brand could look like, and ultimately the final brand we have today, is made up of many different parts, from many different design recommendations. It was a really fun process! 7. How long did the rebranding process take? From the time we first began talking about it with our executive team, to the time we launched the new brand, it was about 9 months. 8. What was the hardest part about the rebrand? Probably settling on the brand identity. Everyone has different opinions on font, colors, logo etc, and it’s the thing you really want to get right. “It’s not as easy as just changing your logo and colors. Your brand touches every part of your company.” 9. Anything you wish you knew prior to beginning the rebrand? Just how much work goes into a rebrand. It’s not as easy as just changing your logo and colors. Your brand touches every part of your company, from your product, to your website, to your team & culture   10. What advice do you have for founders and startup marketing teams who are considering a rebrand? Really understand why you’re doing it. What is the motivation behind it? What will it take to make it happen? What will the meaningful impact be for the company? What resources will be necessary for us to get there? These are all important questions to ask yourself before taking on a rebrand. 11. What is the most important thing to keep in mind when rebranding a startup? It’s a really long process, and it’s really tough. Building a startup from nothing is difficult, but turning a moving ship presents even larger challenges. You have a functioning company, with customers, and products, and software, and all that has to be re-built. It’s a very long process with many challenges along the way. Don’t take it lightly, it’s a massive under-taking, but ultimately one that is fun and rewarding. 12. How do you know if your rebrand has been successful? I think it’s all in how customers respond to it and whether or not they engage. There are certainly successes that we’ve celebrated along the way, and we are really happy with how the rebrand went, but I believe the only true measure of success is whether or not your community and customers find it valuable. 13. So, what’s next for Happily? We’re excited about continuing to expand our product offerings. We’re still really focused on providing great, at-home date nights for our couples, and we’ve now launched Love Notes as a way for couples to flirt with each other by sending fun, meaningful handwritten cards to each other, and Classes to help couples learn about how to deal with tough topics like Conflict, Money, Sex etc. We’re also excited about rolling out products and services to help couples plan great dates in their city, book travel, give each other gifts & flowers, all sorts of great things are coming for Happily couples! Pivoting or rebranding a startup isn't the result of failure in the product or a lack of interest from customers. in most cases it’s a sign of a thriving startup that is ready to keep growing! In Happily's case, they responded to their dedicated customers who were looking for even more ways to connect as couples. And as a result, they've continued to grow their company in ways they could never have imagined. If you're planning on rebranding or pivoting your startup, remember it is equally as crucial to understand the reason why you want to do it as it is to take the time to get it right. Thanks Brett for sharing a behind the scenes look into Happily’s rebrand! RELATED: