In building a brand from the ground up, I don’t believe there are any fatal decisions that should paralyze you from the beginning. Let your gut guide you toward making decisions that propel you forward. You can always rationalize later. One example is in picking a name for your company. This important symbol, although primary, can be changed if necessary or desired. Changing a name is always an opportunity for publicity. But a name, does not a brand make. It is, in the beginning, an empty vessel that must be filled with a collection of promises, experiences, packaging, friends, products and most of all feelings, before it has meaning or equity. Therefore, charge ahead! Pick a name and never look back. Start telling your story and make sure that you and everyone associated with your brand does your name proud. To get over that lump in your throat, knot in your stomach or whatever particular body part of yours gets involved, remind yourself that some of the most successful brands (Virgin, Google, Apple, Teva) have names that might easily have been tossed on the basis of logic or fear or worst of all…market research.

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