How to stay current, and grounded.

Founders feel constant pressure to keep up. New tools, shifting markets, rising expectations.

It becomes easy to chase whatever looks modern and forget the flame that gives the company its identity. Growth gets messy when you update everything except the part that gives the work meaning.

Staying current works best when you build from the inside out. These steps keep the company relevant without drifting from what matters.

Name the center of your brand. Put clear language to the belief, behavior, or promise that everything else depends on. This becomes the anchor when trends pull at you.

Choose tools that sharpen your strengths. If a new system or technology makes your work more focused, adopt it. If it adds complexity or dilutes the core, skip it.

Create a rhythm for change. Updating too fast burns teams out. Updating too slowly makes you irrelevant. Pick a cadence that lets the company evolve with intention.

Check for brand drift often. Look at your product, design, and culture. Ask if they still match the center you named. Drift is easier to correct when caught early.

Let relevance come from alignment. Customers trust brands that grow in a way that still feels like them. Consistency builds recognition. Alignment builds loyalty.

Reflections to work through:

Where are we adopting tools out of fear instead of purpose?

What pace of change keeps the team steady?

Which part of the brand feels misaligned and needs correction?

— Ian Adams, Founder the little red sofa

Before founding the little red sofa, I led strategy and creative for brands like Jeep, HSBC, and Unilever at top global agencies and in-house teams across 8 countries. Now I partner with brands to do the uncomfortable work that builds resilience. That’s how they become unshakable. Impossible to ignore.