Being in love means having tough conversations, and Serena Williams says that you and your man need to have a meeting of the minds about the way you think about money ASAP.
Finances can be a fickle topic for any couple, but Serena says that by addressing these topics head-on, you have less of a chance of ending up in a financially abusive situation in the long run; that's why Serena has teamed up with Allstate for the Purple Purse Project's "No Financial Abuse. No Domestic Violence.", a movement dedicated to helping women recognize the signs early. On a recent episode of the Yes, Girl! Podcast, Serena explained:
"Financial abuse affects 99% of most domestic violence cases. So that's a huge number, and when I first heard that number, I was like, 'How do I not know about it?' You would think with that statistic, most people would know about it. But we don't. I wanted to use my platform and my voice to let people know that financial abuse is not okay."
Abuse doesn't always mean physical violence and although it doesn't leave a scar that you can see, financial abuse can be just as damaging. When it comes to facing this type of assault, Serena says that there are a few signs to look out for:
"It's really important to know the signs and educate yourself. If you see them trying to handle your accounts, or trying to decide where you should spend money, or asking you for receipts, these are really big signs and red flags."
Being financially dependent can make it even more difficult for women to leave an already dangerous situation, but with the right tools, you can free yourself from an inevitably toxic situation:
"There's a lot that you have to think about when you're trying to leave an abusive relationship. It might take a little bit of time to get financially able to put that money aside so that you can actually leave and then be self-sufficient, so you don't feel like you need to go back."
Serena says that like physical abuse, financial abuse can be excused or overlooked at first, but by trusting your instincts, you'll already be ahead of the game:
"Don't ignore your instincts. If you feel like, 'Oh, this could be something, but I don't know,' don't ignore that. Listen to your voice."
For Serena, the "No Financial Abuse. No Domestic Violence." campaign was more than just a charitable cause, it was a chance for her to set an example for her daughter:
"I also have a daughter and I want her to know about [this]. You have to get really comfortable having uncomfortable conversations."
If you or someone you know is in a domestic violence situation, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 800-787-3224
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While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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