Jeep has been around since 1941. Though they were not always called Jeep. They used to be Willys-Overland GP(General Purpose). They started being manufactured during the time of the Second World War. GP eventually became jeep which eventually became Jeep. Since they began being called a Jeep they have not changed their name and have become an American Icon.
Over the years I have had several businesses. One of those businesses has been the same type of business for almost 27 years. I started out as Chainmaille By Eric. Over the years I have partnered up with several other chainmaillers and changed my company name several times. Had I kept my original name I would have been much better established. Tangled Metal started 2 years ago by the looks of it, but I started the company 27 years ago.
Too many people change the name of their business over time. And by doing this they never really get established. What if eBay had decided that their name was just stupid and changed it to something like Online Auctions a year after they started. They would have lost a lot of creditably. Fortunately they kept the name and are now the largest online auction site on the web.
The point I am trying to make is that once you have a name, keep it. Don't end up with a 2 year old business that has been in business for 27 years, like me. This is branding at its best. Get a name, use the name, brand the name and don't change it.
That is all for today. I am easing back into the routine of blogging and would love some suggestions for future blog posts. Please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email to MarketMyShop@gmail.com
Can you explain the difference and purpose of Treasury vs Favorites vs Circles ? That would make a great post.
ReplyDeletePersonally it is all becoming confusing. We use circles, treasuries and favorites to make friends and promote each other. We use treasuries and favorites...to make friends and help each other. All of this as a way to help business.
Then there is the : you circle me I circle you, you favorite me I favorite you, you treasury me I treasury you (can you un-favorite somebody or is it taboo?). If you add to that facebook, pinterest, twitter etc. when do you actually make anything ?
Did you know that eBay hasn't always been eBay?!
ReplyDeleteThe site started with the name Auction Web. When I "discovered" eBay early in 1998, and tried to sign up for an account, I learned that I had signed up for an Auction Web account in the Summer of 1997!
Anywayyy, when Pierre O. went to register the name he wanted to use (Echo Bay), he discovered it was taken, so he shortened it to eBay ... and the rest is history (and disaster since Donahoe took over the helm).
I've been using Prairie Primitives since I changed my eBay ID to that in 1999. Guess it's a good name because more than a few people have copied it in some form. When I wanted to purchase the domain name, I had to add "Folk Art" to the name because "PrairiePrimitives" dot com was already taken! (Prairie Primitives dot com is an ugly cookie cutter site that's usually "under construction.") Along the way, I've learned that PrairiePrimitives is too long to use some places, such as Twitter, where I'm known as PrairiePrims. I'm PrairiePrimitives on Etsy (http://PrairiePrimitives.etsy.com)