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Hi ladies. I am getting on my soapbox here due to the huge interest in business naming I've seen on the boards these last few days. Does it make me seem more modest if I first log the disclaimer that I am merely the MOUTHPIECE here...? I have no training or background in marketing or branding, name choosing or business development. But... and it's a bit but (and a big butt, too, but that's another thread)... when it came time for me to choose a business name and develop a brand, I had the great good fortune of best friend Andrea O'Neill of www.andreaoneill.com and www.transparency.com, whose training and occupation are entirely in the areas of design, marketing, branding, and business consulting. She was a wonderful resource and I will try to paraphrase for you what her advice was to me, at the time I was contemplating these same huge, potentially make-or-break business decisions.
The entire idea here is to create what's called a BRAND IDENTITY for yourself; a cohesive and all-encompassing concept -- a mission, even -- that centers and describes your business. It might sound silly to think about BRAND IDENTITY as applied to teddy bears, but I think you'll find that the most successful bear artists have either purposefully or accidentally created just such a BRAND IDENTITY for themselves. Doesn't something IMMEDIATELY come to mind when you think of "Luxembears?" A color scheme (blues, creams, browns, sparkles)... a "look" and feel (airbrushing, huge eyes, needle felting)... the person behind that name (kind, sweet, dancing, surrounded-by-cattle, Judi?) That's a BRAND IDENTITY. It's not just a teddy bear; it's an entire CONCEPT.
BRAND IDENTITY involves not just the product you manufacture, but the "look" and "feel" and tone of your work; your goals and values both as an individual and as a corporate entity; and the design elements (like logo, color choice, stationery and business cards) that surround your professional presentation.
One site I found explained that, "Your brand identity is more than a slick logo or a memorable catchphrase. It is the cultural, emotional and operational sum of who you are and what of value you deliver. Brand identity should drive all program development activities. It is the compass that defines your mission and keeps your initiative focused on the prize.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and you will easily find successful businesses, bearmaker or otherwise, that do not follow any particular formula or suggestion as outlined below. They will, however, likely have a very solid brand identity established.
Here goes.
CHOOSING A BUSINESS NAME
Especially if you're going to be an internet presence, there are some "rules" -- or, as they so glibly stated in Pirates of the Carribbean, more like "guidelines" -- when choosing the NAME of your business. Make it:
1) Easy to remember. -- Bears of Canyon Gorge might indeed conjure gorgeous images of deeply cut ravines and crisp, icy fingerling lakes. But when people are trying to Google your company, they might just be thinking, "Now... was that company called Canyon Gorge, or Canyon River? Was it Canyon Gorge Bears or Bears of the Gorge Canyon?"
And then, sick of trying to figure it out, they might just ... give up the search. Not good for business!
2) Easy to spell. -- I initially wanted to use the business name "ShelliBelli Bears," as Shelli Belly was a nickname of mine in my childhood. However, Andrea pointed out that my name is spelled in an unusual way, which would -- not might; WOULD -- confuse people. And that even the "typical" spelling of my name has several variations (Shelly/Shelley/Shellie.) She pointed out, too, that "Belli" isn't a REAL word; it's a clever little permutation of one. Her thought: that, in choosing this confusing, not-real-word-based name, I practically INVITE confusion and lost business!
3) Somehow related to the product you are manufacturing/selling. -- "What's a ShelliBelli, anyway?" Andrea asked. "That's not a real thing. And even if it were, it has nothing to do with bears." A potbelly, though, is a feature on many a bear, and immediately calls to mind a certain image and visual and cuddly, fat look and tone RELATED TO teddy bears. It's a much better fit.
{Brief and annoying aside: Of course, APPLEs aren't related to computers in any way, and that company does just fine -- as I said, there are always exceptions. But when you're competing in a market of a thousand bearmakers, why not do what you can to make your company name stand out in a meaningful, potent, plainly understood way, right from the outset?!?}
4) Ten letters or less. -- Plain and simple, it's just easier to type short words, and to avoid misspellings and mistakes, and it's easier to remember short and meaningful names. K.I.S.S., as my high school bio teacher used to say: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE SETTLING ON A NAME
1) Is the website available? Can I even put forth strongly enough how great it is to have a business name that precisely matches my company name? It makes finding me on the web very easy for my customers. If you can manage it, get a website to match. You might choose a great name like "Hibernation Station Bears" -- which, by the way, I believe is already taken so don't get too excited -- but if you have to use www.BearsThatHibernate.com as your website, you make extra work for your collectors.
{Brief and annoying aside: Andrea informed me that there are little spy-like thingies that "watch" domain lookups. So if you've got a great name you want to use, BE PREPARED TO REGISTER right away if you find out it's available! Otherwise, as unlikely as it is, someone MIGHT "see" the great name you've just checked out -- "Yay, it's available! I'm gonna take it!", you think to yourself -- and grab it for themselves. Or... they might grab it, and then try to sell it to you -- the interested party -- at a ridiculously huge markup. The message here: Be prepared to register ON THE SPOT before you check into the availabilty of domain names.}
2) Does anyone else use this name?/Is it trademarked or registered or whatever? I'm significantly weaker on information in this area. But what I did was search to see if any company names came up that matched my own. I got zilch. You can register or trademark certain business items (names, products, whatever; again, I'm weak here) but it costs a fortune and is probably unnecessary. After a while, you can prove, by your track record, that the name or concept was yours, if it comes to that.
3) Can you register an eBay ID to match your business name? What great good fortune it was that I nabbed eBay ID: potbellybears. Just one less thing for collectors and potential customers to figure out on their own, since it matches my business name AND my website URL. {eBay ID: potbellybears; business name POTBELLY BEARS; website www.potbellybears.com)
If you can match all three in like fashion, you're really setting yourself up to be remembered, and to be easily found.
=======================================================
I'm sure I'll think of more of Andrea's fabulous and helpful business and branding pointers but for now it's time for my tired fingers to take a wee rest. And probably your eyes, too! Hope this has been at least a little helpful...
Hugs,
Kim-Bee Bearsnow after reading your wonderfully informational book (LOL j/k) how do you go about getting a website? how much is it a month? what other fees are involved?
Good questions.
You need to visit a DOMAIN REGISTRY. There are a gajillion of them. Basically a domain registry is a service; they "lookup" and then "grab" -- if available -- the domain name of your choice. It costs you money... one time, and then on a yearly or 3-yearly or 5-yearly basis, depending on how you choose to initially sign up and pay. My domain, for example, is registered to me until 2010... whether I'm using it or not. Point is: No one ELSE can. And that protects my branding, image, and company name.
The registry I used, just because Andrea liked it and knew it, was www.domaingrabber.com. There are many others, and they cost varying prices. I just went with easy and didn't even bother to shop around for pricing options since they are more or less the same cost; something like $20/30/40/50 to register. Somebody who's done this more recently, be sure to pop in with accurate information and suggestions here!
It doesn't really matter where you go to register your domain. It's a quick and painless one step process.
It DOES matter if you want to grab a deal where your domain registry and your web hosting -- the actual server, or computer, that stores your website -- are a combined offer. Sometimes you can get price breaks this way.
Ten thousand ways to approach this, there are (<--- Yoda speak), and it's just a question of what you're after.
Anybody have a great approach to recommend?
I think Yahoo had a deal a while back where they offered a $5 domain registry and super cheap hosting for a year to boot. All in one package.
???
Posts: 1,153:Dn shelli, you are just a plethora of knowledge. Just amazing and always so generous with your knowledge.
This whole post was so interesting, you are lucky to have such friends!!
I thought about my new name...NancyAndFriends and I am hoping it will surfice to conjure up an image of what I am all about. What do you think?
I laughed at K.I.S.S...that is so cute :lol:
I had taken a course many years ago called "Dressing For Success" and it is amazing how color is such an important part of our decisions and what color will actually do to us.
For instance, banks always have green or blue logos (there may be an exception) but these colors denote security, trust.
Restaurants inside will more often than not use orange, red, yellow (hot colors, if you will)...so you will eat quickly and leave.
One of the interesting things I learned was a lady who went door to door collecting for the Cancer Society. The first year she wore a red sweater and black slacks...she collected very little. She took this class and the next year she wore a soft pink fuzzy sweater and white slacks. She collected something from every house.
Isn't it amazing how our minds are manipulated by such things as color or what a certain word will make you think of. As you used for an example, Judi's "Luxemburg Bears"...that makes me think of quality. The name has a rich, substantial feeling to me.
Thanks Shelli for an interesting post...I am sure this will go off in many directions. ;)
nanc...........
Back Road BearsOh Shelli, I love it when you get on your soap box because you always have so much to share that is SO helpful to newbies and oldies alike! Thank you so much!!!
Kim, We've talked about websites a few times here and not that it's a problem to repeat but you might want to do a search on the board here first and see if your questions are answered. I think they will be. You'll find there are a lot of companies that will register and host your website, all with different packages and fees so there is no straight answer there. Then there is the design side which we've also talked about, loads of options there too. It's not cut and dry and I wish it were but see if you can weed through so of the things we've offered. We'll answer any questions you come up with from there!! 
Or try!
Shelli Belly 
you are super!! Thanks!
Daphne
I thought about my new name...NancyAndFriends and I am hoping it will surfice to conjure up an image of what I am all about. What do you think?
it is amazing how color is such an important part of our decisions and what color will actually do to us.
Judi's "Luxemburg Bears"...that makes me think of quality. The name has a rich, substantial feeling to me.
Nancy...
I think your new name is wonderful and it actually follows those "guidelines!" As a three-part, compound-type of name, it's very easy to spell. Even my dog can spell, "Nancy," so you lucked out on the name! And I imagine you surrounded by a lot of little furry cutiepies, all cozy and warm. In fact, that's what I went for in creating your avatar; Nancy, literally surrounded by her little handcreated friends. I think it will work well for you.
Daphne's "BackRoadBears" has the same three-part, compound-word greatness about it, and she's always done a great job (I think, anyway) of creating a certain back country, green pasture and hay, feel and tone in her logos and graphics as well, which blend nicely with the styling of her bears. I really do imagine, each and every time I read her business name, a winding road leading to a tiny farmhouse in a beautiful, serene, locale with dappled sunshine streaming through the trees. Actually, that last part might have to do with the little Biblical quotations she frequently attaches to her signature, or to her avatar. They're God's bears!
You gals have got it going on!
Re: color. We probably all have heard how hospitals are painted in very cool, light tones -- that hospital green comes to mind -- because such colors are calming and promote healing. There's a real science to all of this stuff that I don't really begin to understand in depth.
And about those LUXEMBEARS... when I first heard her company name I also thought, because of the "lux-" part, "luxury" or "luxurious"... and those big, fluffy, real-fur (especially fox!) critters were just that. But "Luxem-" is a different root entirely, and I also found myself wondering whether she was from Luxemburg -- the country near Switzerland and France. All in all it got me thinking, and making associations, and it made her company name memorable, even well before I ever "met" Judi... which is precisely what you want!
Posts: 1,153Oh no, Shelli...I did what you suggested above and just googled Nancyandfriends to see if anything came up.
It sure did...it belongs to Nancy Sinatra. I don't think there is a chance she will give it up, it is her fan club.:lol::lol::lol:
Ok, so nancyand friends will have to be my ebay id and now it is back to the drawing board....bummer!
Help girls !!!
Nanc........
Looks like NanceAndFriends is available, though. Not as easy to remember and spell as NANCY, but close! And very do-able. If you can grab an eBay ID to match you're good as gold.
Apple Dumpling DesignsLike Daphne, I like it when you get on your soap box, Shelli. I even go looking for it. :) I very very much appreciate all your generosity in sharing your "lessons learned the hard way." It makes it so much easier for the rest of us.
I really don't plan on starting a bear business...for me I just wanted a name that I could use and attached to any bears I might decide to sell in the future. I still really am exploring the whole bear world...and am no where ready to sell anything. I haven't found my "brand indentity" or my "style" yet. I just love them all for different reasons. And, my health wouldn't put up with what is necessary to have a successful business...so why push it.
Again...thanks so much for your "soap box." I love it!!!
Shantell
Back Road BearsShelli - Did you know I was just having an identity crisis last night?????? Seriously.... I was thinking that my bears didn't really fit the image I'd imagine for a Back Road Bear... they should be more scruffy looking or something. So thank you for all you said about my 'identity'. Guess I'll keep it! :D
What kind of feelings or emotions does BROWN (the main color in my website) evoke? Seems to tell folks "Move on, don't buy from her!" as my website sales are almost zero! Maybe I should go for green, or autumn colors.... maybe I should just focus on getting bears made for the shows I have coming up!
Daphne
Posts: 8,574shantell
even if you do not believe now that you will be starting a business planwhat you do as though you were....I never imagined anyone would buy a golly from me....never thought of it and was just sharing the joy of making them....So I was caught off gaurd and am now playing catch up.
So I think you are wise to be thinking ahead...
dilu
Raccoon Creek BearsShelli- I just wanted to add my thank you along with the others. It is wonderful to have a place and people to turn to to get such helpful information.
Suzanne
Well, you're welcome, but actually I really AM just the mouthpiece; the wisdom and advice comes from a real professional, my friend Andrea, who's spent a lot of years learning the ins and outs of branding strategies. She's also a total fox, and one of the best friends a girl could ever want.
Daph... Your comments about your company name made me smile. They're BACK ROAD BEARS -- not "Deliverance" bears! I can just hear those duelin' banjos now... :P:lol: NOT!
Actually, the word "Backroad" has always had a particularly classy connotation for me. Growing up, we had a great, Travel-channel-predecessor-type local TV show hosted by, I believe, Doug McConnell; BAY AREA BACKROADS. About all the cool and secret places the wonderful San Francisco Bay Area had to offer, even to long-time residents. Stuff like little wineries, or the "Mystery Spot'" in Santa Cruz. Acres of woodland; secret beaches. That kind of stuff. I've never thought BackWOODS with your bears; more like a meandering country road leading to some little secret treasure. But then, maybe that's just me. Anyone else care to bag on Daphne's company name...??? :D:D:D
As for Dilu's point about being caught unawares... listen to her. By the time you're ready to sell you won't want to be thinking all this crap through. Seriously. It's a big investment, in the end, of time, effort, energy, and sometimes even cash. Just get the wheels turning, one thing in place at a time. That way, if and when you decide to make a go of this on a professional level -- even if that means one bear sold for $50 every three months -- you'll be ready to forge ahead.
Off to Thai food with hubby and stepson... back later...
Back Road BearsShell - You just made the back roads sound so, oh, I don't know, romantic in a sense. Thank you! I do tend to think back WOODS because that's exactly where we live, with a black bear who doesn't seem to get it that the feeders are gone (cause he destroyed them) so he comes around EVERY day to scope things out! I'm wishing he'd chase off the mountain lion rumored to be in the area, killing deer and taking them up in the trees. See why I'm not finding the Back Roads very glamorous????? :(
I shall think of wineries, beaches, and such while making bears.... they'll be hav...err...drinking Sex on the Beaches if I'm not careful! 
Hee Hee!
Anyway, you put things in a different light and I neede that!!
Hugs to ya!!
Daphne
Apple Dumpling DesignsDaphne, I really like your business name...backWOODS never occured to me either. I thinks it great. I'm still considering my options...it's tough to decide on one name kinda like naming your kids...what happens if you decide you don't like it later or it becomes popular a little later...which happened to me and my oldest son.
I'm still pondering Green Pasture Bears...except...how many bears to you really see in green pastures...I only see cows...horses....sheep....no bears...I guess I should be thankful :)
Shantell
P.S. Daphne, I also really like your bible verse you have also...that is my favorite chapter in the bible...I even did a needlepoint, embroidery thing and have it framed...my one and only attempt at needlepoint. I turn it often when I need to be reminded of the true meaning of the word love.
Back Road BearsShantell,
That bible verse was read at my wedding.... as it is read at many so not original but I treasure it. Glad you do too!
More ideas:
Green Acre Bears
(Well, that gets the theme song to Green Acres going through my head.... so maybe not a good thing!!)
Rolling Bears (like rolling pastures... though maybe it's flat there!?)
Greenland Bears
Bears in the Pasture (NOW there's bears there!!!)
You'll figure out something!! I just know it!
Daphne
bears by beesley TM:)Yes thank you Shelli. As always you are a wealth of information. You always know what to say and how to say it so everyone can understand. I bet you are a wonderful Mom to those children of yours!!!:)
Hugs Louise
Flying Fur StudiosDaphine, I LOVE the name back road bears.
To me, taking the back road means I'm relaxed, not fighting time. It also brings up images of my family cabin, on the back road. I guess back road bears meant that the bears are soo special, you will take them with you. Even on the back road.
Okay, cheesy I know. But it's 6am and that's how I feel!! LOL
Heather
West Palm Beach, FLDaphne,
The most enjoyable and memorable times I remember as a child in New Jersey is when we would investigate the back roads. Both my father and grandfather prided themselves on finding the most remote, less traveled roads possible from Jersey to Massachusetts. Some of them even were more like paths than roads. But we saw the most unusual and beautiful things on these back road trips. And that is what I think of when I see your business name.
Jill
Just Us BearsDaphne..my vote is leave your name as it is. I really like it and it's the kind of name that sticks in your head which is important!
Delartful BearsI like it also!
Very cute!
Danni
Back Road BearsAww, Jill, my grandpa was famous for taking 'long cuts' instead of short cuts to get some place... it was then that I was some of the most beautiful countryside and mountains as a kid. Now my dad does the same thing. I hadn't tied those memories to my business name... not consciously anyway!
Heather
I guess back road bears meant that the bears are soo special, you will take them with you. Even on the back road.
That is the sweetest interpretation of Back Road Bears. I'll always think of that now. Thank you!
Hayley & Danni, thank you also.
I'll keep it now that you've all given me a new perspective on it. I guess when I came up with the name 5 years ago I was appreciating the back roads more as I was new to living on them. Now I'm finding them a major inconvenience since buying a house even further into no where... it is beautiful and peaceful but it's 45 minutes to anyplace from here!!! I'll just have to remember to take a Back Road Bear with me! :D
Hugs to you all for giving me a happy heart!
Daphne
