Amazon.  Regardless of how you feel about them, there's no mistaking their position as a global leader in online retail - leveraging artificial intelligence to optimize and deploy buying experiences uniquely matched to each and every customer using its platform. 

Their unmistakable "A-Z" logo'd boxes have become as commonplace as the flowers lining your front entry.

But did you know that Amazon wasn't always "Amazon"? 

In 1994, founder Jeff Bezos incorporated a company by a very different name: "Cadabra, Inc" - a reference to the magical qualities of the technology behind the business.

But after only a few months in operation (and enough people mishearing the name as "Cadaver, Inc"), Bezos opted to change its name to the one we know today.

The Point/What's in a Name?

What's in a name?  More than you might think.  Yes, your name is what people know you as, but there is great importance of a name in branding, it becomes what people associate you with.  

It's important to start talking about your business name with others as early as you can in order to gather honest (and sometimes subconscious) feedback to ensure that your brand is not only easily and correctly heard, but that its context is correct. 

After all, no one wants to have this conversation more than once: "Um, no... it's not Cadaver... it's CADABRA!"

Thank you for reading and make it a great week!