Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

What do mean by "setting up an e-commerce retail website in the UK"? Hosting, order processing, fulfillment, using a ".co" domain?

Do you have a written business/marketing plan? If not, you have the cart-before-the-horse. You need to do some research and planning for your family of brands (wholesale and retail). Then develop a creative brief to guide the brand name creative process. And It might be a good idea to trademark the names you select in the appropriate counties.

[aside: nishadesign.co is available as is nishadesignUK.co]

Wow, many thanks to you both for your quick responses! I really appreciate you taking the time to help me.

Steve, I want an online retail storefront directed towards members of my target market who live in the UK. We have been selling these products for 5 years in America and I have spent much time in the UK familiarizing myself with that market. That being said, having reflected on my business plan, I agree that your process would be helpful in giving clarity to my thought process. I have written three business plans for companies I have started before in different markets, and have been jaded at how long they took to write and how little of it actually applied after we got on the ground and realized what we were working with. Nevertheless, a strategic document is important just to keep the focus on what's important, and I appreciate your words of advice. Still, in terms of the limited question I was asking above, if you had any brainstorming suggestions for names I would appreciate it.

Moriarity: Wow, these are really amazing ideas, and really in the direction I was looking for. It seems like you have a lot of experience in the European market and I appreciate your encouragement and words of wisdom. I see you are in Zurich - I lived in Geneva for four years but I never really saw Switzerland as ahead of the UK in terms of fashion. Where in your opinion are the centers in Europe that drive the industry as a whole (and not just haute couture)? Is it Paris and Milan? I agree wholeheartedly though with your distinction between the UK and Europe. Most of my continental friends tended to be more freethinking and conscious about their style and how it all fit together, whereas my British friends are far more likely to follow the large scale fashion trends - much easier to sell to! This of course is just my own non-scientific understanding of the industry, would love to hear your thoughts on it.

Thanks again to both of you for your insights, lots to think about and work on!

Business plans can seem overly onerous when written for financial backing, e.g. banks, private investors and the like. When you are writing one for yourself, then it's just the quality of the research, analysis and actions that really matter, the plan itself can be in bullet points.

As a shot in the dark for name ideas, maybe ...

1) Hot Time, Bling & Babbles
2) Trendy Time For Less
3) Prestigious Time For Less

Actually I live in Amsterdam - and intend moving to Leipzig. It was Dave who lived in Zurich ...

Your observations about Europeans are accurate. It is not something considered by people who live in countries where such freedom of action, such freedom of choice is taken for granted. Oh, and acted on. It also has the result that people are better dressed than in Britain where their standard of appearance is execrable. Perhaps this is why the Americans like marketing plans - that they actually work in their situations where people do as they are told?

Your issue with business plans is genuine. You have written enough to know how they go, so my suggestion is to use them as a thought-clarifying exercise - as the path you intend your ship to follow. When the currents turn out otherwise you can then trim your sails accordingly. Way better than heading out of harbour without any idea whatsoever. I had the same problems with having to plan lessons as a teacher - a must in our world driven by academics. They assume that because a lesson is planned, the children will do as they are told (just like their students have to). Which leads me to scientific observations, which are at the same level of understanding. "This sort of thing is not usually observed in practice" (as the economists cheerily observe).

The centres of the industry in Europe. Now there you have me stumped (as the English say). Your observations about Paris and Milan are, as you say, haute couture. Only, with the sort of free thinking you have encountered, when people do things for themselves, it usually ends up that there isn't a centre as such. An analogy I can think of is Britain's Heathrow and Germany's Berlin, Dusseldorf, Munich and four or five others. Then of course you have governmental centrism in France with all villages having their own streetsign for Paris (!).

***The way around this is to find the kind of person in Europe who likes what you make***. Which is a different question altogether. Those people are going to choose the kinds of thing you make because they like it, not because its today's fashion or anything else. You have loads of data from the US, and whilst many will be buying for the sake of modernity - some will be buying because it is what they like wearing all the time. To my mind these are the people you should be targeting in Europe.

One issue here is the quality of sterling silver (95% or so). Many people in Europe regard silver purity as higher.

Again, this brings us to the question of who wants this jewellery because it looks nice. All of which means I haven't gotten you any further ... now the kind of person in Europe that likes jewellery of this kind are students - of which we have a lot in Europe, what with free education and so on. They are going to look at the style and not be bothered about the quality so much. If this is an interesting direction to take, look into the student culture across Europe which has surprising dynamics of its own - and an element of consistency that Europe as a whole, lacks.

Thanks very much again to both of you. I have the roadmap for the way forward and many good ideas to consider. I really appreciate your time and help.