I Marie Kondo’d my business and home

My husband acted as owner-builder for our dream rammed earth home and the branding brilliance of Gren Design hauled the heavy furniture of my website.

I had complete faith in my ‘A team’ who were building the space and managing the transition. We rolled up the shirt sleeves and got on with the job. The presence of the queen of clean Marie Kondo wasn’t necessary.

In both instances, I enthusiastically took a ‘ditch it or donate it’ approach.

Ctrl alt delete all the way, and a little whispered love to things that were cramping my joy style.

I’m now lurking in new habitats at home and online that feel more … me, grown-up, organised and accommodating of my values and my people

It took us five years of owning our land to settle on designs, a house sale and move and manage the day to day of building a house while working / raising kids / staying sane.

I had been comfy in the old space of my website and business name too.

I was used to introducing myself and what I did under the old business name with the old convoluted elevator pitch.

In both instances, I knew where to stuff the crap when the visitors came over.

Like many moves towards change, you get to a point where everything feels squishy, ill-fitting and uncomfortable.

My business name and my website weren’t really all that reflective or relevant any more of who I worked with and what I did. I felt a great deal of affection for the 9-year legacy of my business name and branding, but it wasn’t reflecting the clients I now helped or how they could find me.

I’ve also taken a good hard look at where my energies and efforts are best spent – where I’m the most use. While I’ll still be leaving the welcome mat out for copywriting, PR mentoring and communications strategies – there’ll be a little less door knocking on the day to day media and PR management. 

I’ve turned the key in the lock of the new digs, I turned off the old branding and I’ve shifted business names.

Goodbye cute little cottage by the seaside, hello rambling contemporary casa in the sand dunes.

Goodbye Your Coastal Connection.

Hello Andrea Rowe, Communications Strategist and Copywriter.

Still me kicking around in both, but more me, and way more functional. And ready to shake my joy.

There’s been a little bit of interest in the neighbourhood designing and building a partial rammed earth house in the sand dunes. We’ve shared our story in the Herald Sun / Leader newspapers and Radio RPP.

You might stumble across us. Or we’d be happy to share the names of all the experts we called on in the journey.