FEATURED POST OF THE WEEK

Our long-form article of the week. You can always view the current and past featured posts on Empower’s blog.

Unveiling the architecture behind Empower’s new logo

The meaning behind Empower’s logo

What’s in a logo?

For Empower, quite a bit. Today, I’m excited to reveal our new logo, a strong visual representation of our commitment to driving business success.

Upon first glance at the logo, you see the “Empower” wordmark sandwiched between three abstract interwoven “I” shapes. But, as you’ll learn, there’s more than meets the eye.

I’m going to deconstruct the elements and meaning behind the new logo so you better understand how it’s not just an image, but rather an embodiment of our philosophy and purpose.

The foundation: business design

When you arrive on Empower’s website, you immediately see the phrase, “business design for long-term growth.” Those words are intentional.

We partner with emerging business owners and founders to build (or re-build) their businesses to effectively execute their vision. We don’t just consult; we architect and co-create. We see ourselves as close collaborators, creating strong operational foundations and surfacing creative solutions to drive success. 

Business design is also an emerging strategic approach that combines business analysis, innovation and design-thinking principles to optimize business models. This concept is key to our work and, consequently, our visual identity.

Inspirations from architecture

Design and architecture became key tenets as we developed our brand identity. As we explored visual concepts in these realms, three elements stuck with us:

• Joinery: This is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood to produce more complex, appealing and long-lasting projects. There are many types of joints, but we specifically focused on the dovetail joint because of its strength and durability.

• I-beams: Structural steel shapes that serve as critical foundations for construction.

• Pillars: Essential elements for a building’s stability and longevity.

Do you see a theme emerging?

The logo construction

Now that you understand why we connected Empower’s brand with design and architecture, let’s walk through how this manifests in the logo.

As you can see, the primary logo consists of three abstract “I” shapes surrounding our wordmark. The “I”s can also stand alone as our secondary logo. This imagery evokes the concepts of structural support and building foundations like the I-beam and pillars. The style is intentionally modern because we focus on delivering innovative and tailored solutions to Empower’s partners.

Additionally, we integrate joinery by showing how those three “I”s become interconnected and locked into place, signifying to the ability to endure. Joinery is about seamless integration versus bolting things together, similar to how we build unified processes that join pieces of a business together. The shape stacking was also considered to add visual appeal and convey a sense of building upwards. 

Just as each element of our logo was carefully considered, we take the same meticulous approach to our partners’ businesses. We put thought and care into every interaction and don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. Our collaborative nature enables our ability to define a blueprint that will pave the way for long-term success. We’re not just revealing a new logo - we’re reaffirming our commitment to architecting businesses to last.

Do you have an immediate reaction to our logo and its story? We'd love to hear what it means to you!

WEEKLY DOSE OF EMPOWERMENT

The weekly dose of Empowerment is meant to provide one weekly tip that’s both practical and approachable, to help drive incremental improvement to your day-to-day. We’re always open to your contributions as well. If you would like to submit a tip to be shared with the Empower community in a future newsletter, please reach out at [email protected] with the subject line “Weekly Dose of Empowerment Submission.”

Slow down to speed up: Use rest to propel you forward

In the spirit of the holiday week in the U.S. and being in the midst of summer, this week’s topic is about rest. As entrepreneurs, we often equate hustle culture with success. But, what if taking a step back periodically was exactly what’s needed to take your business to the next level?

The concept may feel elusive to business owners, startup founders or high-octane Type A people, but let’s explore how rest may be a crucial ingredient for business leaders.

Why rest matters for entrepreneurs

• Prevent burnout: If you’re going go, go, go 24/7/365, eventually you’ll crash. Regular breaks help maintain peak performance, enhance decision-making and decrease overall stress.

• Spark innovation: A more relaxed brain can be more creative and wander in new directions to generate new ideas. You may think of your “next big thing” when you least expect it.

• Strengthen relationships: Your emotional regulation improves with rest. Periods during, or shortly following, rest are opportune times to build better ties with friends, family, colleagues, clients and other stakeholders.

• Boost health and resilience: Rest promotes physical well-being and better equips you to tackle inevitable business challenges.

Make rest more attainable

While we may agree rest is important for success, how to make the time for it might not be as clear. Here are a handful of pointers to make you feel empowered to take the time you need (and deserve):

• Schedule downtime: Proactively schedule time off and give your team ample notice. This allows time to plan and reduce people’s reliance on you while you’re gone.

• Empower your team: Provide the tools, resources and authority to enable smooth operations in your absence. Don’t forget to set clear expectations as well.

• Set boundaries: Establish and communicate clear boundaries around your availability (or lack of it). This includes your team, clients and other important stakeholders.

• Delegate: Appropriately delegate tasks to team members or via automation to reduce your workload and enable continuity when you’re away.

• Start small: If taking an extended break feels unachievable right now, start with shorter, but frequent rest intervals. Refer to Edition 004 to recall the power of even a short walk.  

Strategically working rest into your calendar isn’t a luxury. It’s the fuel to propel you forward. Your ability to recharge directly impacts your capacity to lead, innovate and grow.

This summer, challenge yourself to implement a better routine for rest. Keep track of how you feel and the impact on your productivity. Then, report back!

JESSICA’S READ, OR LISTEN, PICK OF THE WEEK

A little something that got my gears turning this week and might pique your interest as well!

From Basic Arts: One. Stupid. Thing.

TL;DR

I’ve recently enjoyed reading Basic Arts, a newsletter by Alex Smith about strategy and finding strategic clarity. He does a good job of making strategy approachable, which is often an area strategic professionals and consultants overcomplicate. He also puts forth provocative perspectives, and I find myself walking away from most of his pieces thinking about an aspect of strategy, business building or execution slightly differently.

Speaking of provocative, in this piece, One. Stupid. Thing, Alex takes the following stance: In a world of high intelligence, it’s only the “idiot” who will make divergent choices that lead to a great strategy. He argues that many of the successful strategic brands of our time are all built on a single stupid thing, with cited examples including:

• IKEA: No shop-floor staff to assist customers.

• Tony’s Chocolonely: Chocolate that’s hard to break without making a mess (a brand that also made an appearance in Edition 007).

• Ford: Discontinuing their best-selling car models.

What do you think?

After reading the complete post, how do you feel about Alex’s perspective? Is it truly a stupid thing that leads to a stroke of strategic genius?

Hit reply. I want to hear your thoughts!

JUST FOR FUN

Really, this section is just for fun. Who knows what will be in store each week?

For those in the U.S. observing tomorrow’s holiday, Empower wishes you a happy and safe 4th of July!

LOOKING FOR MORE EMPOWERMENT?

You’ve worked hard to build your business. Let’s work together to make it last. We want to be your partner in the journey to build the business that lives into your vision.

If you want to learn more about Empower’s offerings or methodology, reach out to discuss how we can support your goals. 

If you were forwarded this newsletter and enjoyed it, I encourage you to subscribe and join the Empower community.