posted
Joey brought up a great topic when he asked "Whats in a name?" Hot Lines, J & N, Big Top, Giggle Ridge, etc. All are very good names and some of the stories in which they were created are also very interesting. But, let's take that question one step further.
What's a name worth? Or better yet, what's an image worth?
I've been struggling with this question for quite a few weeks now. After all, isn't this is what we do for a living? Don't we create an image for our clients? I see many companies spending thousands, if not millions of dollars to promote their image every day... FexEx, Coca-Cola, IBM, just to name a few. So it's gotta be worth something, right? I'm not sure where this discussion will end up going, but inquiring minds want to know! Havin' fun, Checkers
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I guess ones worth what somebody else is willing to pay for it. A good original, catchy name is really hard to come by. I have always had the fear of coming up with a name that was cool and using it for a while and then getting a "cease and decist" order from somebody else using that name. I have seen it happen before especially with any r'us stuff. Toys'r Us really used to get people over it. A tire store near us Tires'r Us got a letter like that from them and had to change their name. Seems like toys r' us had someway tied up a lot of the r'us's. Might have change now since that "squatters" laws have taken effect due to the internet name squatting debacle.
-------------------- John Thompson JTT Graphics "The big guy with a little sign shop!" Royston/Hartwell Georgia jtt101@hotmail.com Posts: 626 | From: Royston Georgia | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
In my opinion...a name is worth nothing without the integrity and honor the person brings with them as they develop their niche in the market, whether it be a burger chain ...a car dealership ...or a sign shop.
I picked a name for my shop (15 years ago)thinking it was a natural... "SIGNLanguage"... everyone that has ever heard or seen it has told us what a neat name it is...but the truth is we set ourselves up for 15 years of "hang-ups" and inquiries about lessons for the deaf (American Sign Language). We get the calls every week sometimes daily.Oh and the hangups? They come from a special telephone machine for the deaf...as it trys to locate a like macchine at their calls destination, if it doesn't get a hook-up it hangs up with no explanation. It took a few years to figure this one out and like to drove us crazy til we did.
We've had the name so long thet I wouldn't change it...but if I had it to do over I'd never have chosen such a worthless name.
Now if your personal name is part of your business and your reputation is impeccable the name is priceless both to you and to the guy that wants to buy it. Mainly because no one would buy a business without someone elses name on it unless their name was well respected and no one would sell their name unless they knew the new party would uphold their reputation.
All other names are just names...until they have established a reputaion...good or bad!
Just my opinion...
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
posted
That was just one of those things wasn't it Monte. The worst name I have ever seen was a Mexican resteraunt opened up near us (Owned by americans) and they named it "Montezumas Revenge" that sortta translates into diarreha in Mexico. Needless to say they didn't last long and the Mexicans got a kick out of it.
-------------------- John Thompson JTT Graphics "The big guy with a little sign shop!" Royston/Hartwell Georgia jtt101@hotmail.com Posts: 626 | From: Royston Georgia | Registered: Feb 2002
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i played around with a few different names when i became self employeed. i was in sarastoa fl. some of the painters there had names like ALLEY ART, MAGIC BRUSH, DALLAS DIDIT, DAGGAR TOUCH. all good names, all talented .....i like to play with words...phonetically change them(cause i cant spel) so for my name i took the word "asignment"....which is to do a task givin to you by definitition....and it also starts with an A..so i wanted 1st listing in yellow pages. i canged the E to an I and the word MINT by definitition means a place that manafactures MONEY!!! iam all for that!!!! and signs are what i make...so A SIGN MINT was it. i get a few people tell me they think its a nice play on a word....as long as they remember it. the phone book listing...is great....i get calls from stranges ..cause mine is the 1st real named listing...after the AAA, AA...crowd... the mobile sign shop posed a different problem. couldnt put A SIGN MINT on the side of it...then it was nothing more then a company work truck. couldnt say MOBILE SIGN SHOP(iam 50 miles form mo-bile alabama. people her would think iam from there!!!! so i don need 1st listin in phone book with a rolling billboard...and SIGNS NOW was taken and since iam here and i do signs now....SIGNS HERE & NOW is what got painted on the step van......put a small couple lines on the front fenders..MOBILE UNIT OF A SIGN MINT!!! so far so good
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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A name and image are worth a lot! But I don't know I could ever sell my business. Unless they had a similar state of mind it would be hard. As a friend of mine says...'Dan is from the planet Pinocchio" I haven't met too many others from there over the years.
A name known for quality is a bit like famous... not worth much to sell, but it is how we get known and ultimately get more customers. Famous will also allow you to command a higher price (if the quality is there too)
As Monte states, it isn't just about catchyness but also about integrity and honor.
A name is also about the type of work you do... we want to be known for quality, and outrageousness. I don't want (and don't get either) folks calling me about a sign on coroplast or a 'typical sign' of any type for that matter. I want folks to call me about 'out there' projects. I prefer they give me a chance to think up something for them that fills their needs and challenges me too.
Like our website says... if you want ordinary don't call us, but if you want a huge dragon, or a high flying cartoon dirigible, or a submarine or anything else creative then by all means give us a call. That's what we do.
I don't have a reputation for cheap... but rather value through quality. And as I said before, I don't do ordinary.
Most of my customers don't know what they are going to get until I show them a design. Even if we discuss a project a bit in a preliminary way, I often come up with a way better idea once I get to the drawing board. Selling the final project is a breeze most times.
So our name goes along with all that... Giggle Ridge Studios is my laughing place... a place of outrageousness. And its been a fun 25 years building that experience and reputation.
-dan
[ July 11, 2002, 02:31 AM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8761 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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I think the name you choose for your own business is important...
I believe there is a "psychological" advantage in choosing a company name that has personal meaning...it will affect your commitment and enthusiasm for what you do when you show up for work every morning.
Your company name ought to say something about what you will offer your clients - and will possibly suggest what kind of clients you wish to attract. For example: Jon's Signs & Lettering is great if all I ever plan to do is signs & lettering. It has a friendly, personalized "feel" to it and small business appeal as a result. Corporate Image Graphics by Jon Aston & Associates says something very different.
Lastly -- whatever you happen to choose (or have chosen) for your company name -- the associations you want customers to make with your name and logo are extremely important. Branding and positioning are very powerful marketing tools.
For Example: Over the years I've had numerous signshop owners try to dismiss any chance that they might need to purchase 3M vinyl over less expensive alternatives -- by saying "You're just paying for the name". While this statement is an oversimplification, there is truth in it. When consumers hear the name or see the logo, they associate it with things like 3M Innovation, quality, performance, etc. 3M spend alot of money building and maintaining these associations...and people expect to pay a fair premium for them. If you buy 3M films, you are paying for this marketing service -- and you should use it to your advantage (get what you pay for).
So what do you want prospective buyers to associate your company name/logo with? Are you the lowest prices in town or are you the market leader -- offering innovation, quality and performance graphics at a fair price?
All important considerations that can be overlooked by new entrepreneurs. However, it is never to late to incorporate this type of thinking into your business, to modify your company name, or even your business model...
[ July 11, 2002, 09:23 AM: Message edited by: Jon Aston ]
-------------------- Jon Aston MARKETING PARTNERS "Strategy, Marketing and Business Development" Tel 705-719-9209 Posts: 1724 | From: Barrie, ON, CANADA | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Can I pose a question off this one? Take for an example the recent legal action against The World Wrestling Federation by the World Wildlife Fund, both claimed the acronym of WWF. If a name is registered, who holds the rights to the acronym? Integrety and clarity would prompt me to use the name of my business not just the acronym, but many others feel differently.
My own truck only says my name, with Signpainter below that, and followed with address and phone, and since 1962-----those last items in ribbon thingies. Biz cards have same layout. Strictly speaking,Signpainter isn't as accurate as in the past, since most of the work is now done with vinyl, though I haven't forgotten how to swing a brush---yet.
One thing some people catch and ask about is "why is your name in all lower-case letters?" Some years ago, there was a popular poet who signed his name ee cummings. Just thought it was kind of a neat way to do it, so I adopted it for the biz. The other thing is that I never took myself too seriously in much of anything, and this was sort of a bass-ackwards way of showing it.
FWIW
-------------------- Bill Preston Fly Creek, N.Y. USA Posts: 943 | From: Fly Creek, N.Y. USA | Registered: Jan 2000
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A few days ago I was given a business card by someone who happens to make signs, though I hesitate to call him a signpainter. It had a fancy name on it - and two spelling mistakes! If the name made any impression, it crumbled on the spot.
Don't like to be the spelling police--make enough mistakes of my own. But, it kills the bejeepers out of me every time I see "striping" with two "p"s in it. Makes me wonder if there is a side job with the Chippendales going on somewhere, assuming the "stripper" is of the male persuasion.
-------------------- Bill Preston Fly Creek, N.Y. USA Posts: 943 | From: Fly Creek, N.Y. USA | Registered: Jan 2000
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Hey Bill, I bet those real Chippendales strippers make more money than we do. Dadgummit!!! If I only had the body. All the women, all the money, ooooohhhh!!!! aaaaaaahhhh! SMACK! Dadburn if I wasn't daydreaming.
-------------------- John Thompson JTT Graphics "The big guy with a little sign shop!" Royston/Hartwell Georgia jtt101@hotmail.com Posts: 626 | From: Royston Georgia | Registered: Feb 2002
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Nah! If she had showed up, she wudda' kicked where it counts. HA!HA!
[ July 11, 2002, 04:01 PM: Message edited by: John Thompson ]
-------------------- John Thompson JTT Graphics "The big guy with a little sign shop!" Royston/Hartwell Georgia jtt101@hotmail.com Posts: 626 | From: Royston Georgia | Registered: Feb 2002
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![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I haven't met too many others from there over the years.
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
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