In September of 2025, I was attending the Small Business Owners Community Conference when Carl Gould called me out in front of 160 other business owners and referred to me as a sales professional.
My immediate reaction?
“Nope! I’m not in sales. I’m a marketing strategist.”
At the time, I believed that. Today, I can admit I was partially wrong.
Over the last nine months, I’ve spent a lot of time evaluating my business, my clients, and the work I enjoy doing most. Along the way, I hired coaches, sought outside perspectives, asked difficult questions, and challenged assumptions I had carried for years.
What I discovered surprised me. The businesses hiring me for marketing strategy rarely had a marketing problem. It wasn’t their website, social media, or brochures; it was a challenge that went much deeper:
- They struggled to clearly communicate the value they delivered.
- They weren’t fully aligned on who their best clients were.
- Their sales conversations lacked consistency.
- Their teams didn’t always understand how their roles influenced client experience and growth.
In short, they didn’t have a marketing problem. They had a revenue problem.
And the work I loved most wasn’t creating marketing plans; it was helping organizations uncover what was preventing growth and creating alignment around what drives revenue.
That’s a very different conversation.
Which brings me to an important lesson: sometimes your branding no longer fits who you’ve become. That doesn’t mean you should rush into changing it. In fact, it’s one of the biggest decisions a business owner can make.
Before changing your name, your messaging, or your positioning, you need to understand why you started your business in the first place. You need trusted advisors who will challenge your thinking, not simply agree with it. And you need the patience to let clarity emerge before making a move.
For me, that process took nine months. On July 1, you’ll see the result.
Let’s just say Carl Gould may have been onto something before I was ready to admit it.
#RebelMindset #RevenueStrategies #Rename #Rebrand
About Lisa Raebel
Lisa Raebel is the founder of Rebel Girl Revenue and creator of the Five Revenue Opportunities™ framework. She helps established businesses uncover the revenue opportunities hiding in their marketing, sales, operations, and customer experience—before they invest in more marketing. When every role touches revenue, every opportunity counts.