We’ve been working on something behind the scenes for the past year that we’re pleased to be able to share with you now. As of January 2, 2024 our company name has changed from “Beth Cougler Blom Facilitation” to “BCB Learning Inc.” and our business structure has changed from sole proprietorship to corporation.
What does this mean for you, our current and future clients and supporters of our work? In reality, not much! Our commitment to inclusion, curiosity, and excellence in learning design and facilitation is unchanged, and I (Beth) am still at the helm of this creative and wonderful team. But I thought you might be a little curious as to the “why” of this decision. If you are, read on for a few short explanations.
#1 – Our Team is Growing
I started this company more than 12 years ago, in 2011, and it was in late 2022 that I made the leap to adding staff to the team alongside our regular subcontractors who I’ve been working with for many years. There was something about asking employees to say they work at “Beth Cougler Blom Facilitation” that didn’t sit well with me, even though other business owners have been doing this to their staff for generations! I just wanted a different umbrella name for my team to be under, one that would feel more inclusive to us all.
To start this work, even before the company name change I’ve been very intent over the past year on taking the focus away from “I” and changing into “we”; I hope you’ve seen this reflected in the way we talk about our work, particularly on our website and in our social media posts. You’ll also see now that my photo is no longer the banner image on the website homepage. While I did start this company alone, I have not been alone in this work for a very long time. I knew our name needed to reflect that, even though it still includes my initials to maintain some brand consistency. We have been “the BCB team” for over a year now behind the scenes, and this feels good.
#2 – We Really Like Our Brand
And on the brand note … in late 2022 I rebranded the company into what you may have come to know over time (I hope!) as the “BCB” brand, and all of us on the team really love its look and feel. We wanted to keep the styles, colours, and tone of this brand while at the same time changing the name of the company. This change really just involves minor updates to some of the primary and secondary logos.
As I reference our comprehensive brand guide now I think this passage still rings true about who we are:
“The team at BCB Learning is passionate about supporting like-minded clients through the design of fun, engaging learning experiences. BCB Learning provides innovative, creative, and expert-level services that encourage inclusive, non-judgmental spaces for effective learning. Through educational resources and a person-centred approach, BCB Learning helps nurture opportunities for growth and empower clients to achieve their goals.”
And these additional descriptors of the company from our brand guide still very much describe who we are: “kind, personable, confident, playful, creative, inspiring, informal, supportive, curious, empower, inviting.” This is what you get when you work with us, and these are the types of learning experiences we create!
#3 – “Learning” is a Better Word
For a while I’ve felt that the word “Facilitation” in the former name didn’t really showcase the comprehensive work we’ve been doing in learning design since the company began. We carry out many meaningful learning design projects for clients every year; this is a huge part of our work. Yes, we still do facilitation but by its very nature it tends to be peppered throughout the year rather than ongoing over many months like our learning design projects. In the end, most of what we do – even our facilitation work – is about helping people create great learning experiences, so this is why I included “Learning” now in the company’s name instead of “Facilitation”.
#4 – It Makes Personal and Business Sense
The last reason for the name and business status change is simply one that involves me being a good entrepreneur for myself and for the longevity and strength of the company. They say that many businesses fail because some owners don’t know how to work on the business, only in the business. I think my track record over the last 12 years shows that I can do both. I freaking love the work of learning design and facilitation and I also really like all the “business back-end” work that needs to be done to keep us organized, professional, and healthy both as a company and as individuals who work in it. I’m building this business to last, supporting not only me and my family but also the employees and subcontractors who contribute to leading and driving our quality work.
So, there we have it: some of the reasons for the change while at the same time celebrating who we continue to be as a company. Everything remains the same except a website change to bcblearning.com and changes to the back end of our emails to be the same domain. Otherwise, I am proud to say we are continuing to do great work with great clients, and look forward to more of the same in 2024. Happy new year!
