From MTV Style…

Sure, you could rock a capelet or a pencil skirt, but an easier way to wear houndstooth is on your fingernails (à la Snooki). The Jersey Shore star wore the classic black-and-white pattern on her digits while attending the 69th Washington Auto Show conference on Jan. 31. Unless you have the steadiest hand on the planet, it’s near impossible to get this funky look (which works well with a Hello Kitty ring, too) with regular old nail polish. Enter press-on lacquer strips! We love Nail Fraud’s Houndstooth Hotty ($12, NailFraud.com). Here’s how to lay ‘em down…

STEP 1: File clean nails and swipe them with a little nail polish remover to wipe away any oils.

STEP 2: Select the best fitting strip for each nail and remove the backside of the strip.

STEP 3: Gently stretch the strip for a perfect fit and to help prevent hard-to-remove air bubbles. Firmly smooth the strip over the entire nail.

STEP 4: Form a crease around the tip of the nail to remove the excess strip and use a nail file to smooth the tip of nail.

STEP 5: Apply a clear top coat to the nail and the tip. Repeat on remaining nails.

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Pow.wow is the brainchild of Dava Guthmiller. In 2004, Dava invited 14 women to her office to exchange ideas and discuss the challenges of running a small business. Pow.wow is now over 400 strong and growing.

Their goal is to support the success of its members by:

• Creating a supportive and positive learning environment
• Empowering through education and exchange of ideas
• Increasing the visibility of its members
• Giving back to the Bay Area community of women

Alexandra is pleased to be featured and proud to be involved with such an important organization.

Below is Alexandra’s Pow Wow profile & interview..

Alexandra Watkins

Alexandra is the founder of Eat My Words, creating brand names that generate buzz and revenue. She is also a Make Mine a Million $ Business Awardee. Congratulations Alexandra!

Why did you start your own biz?
I saw a huge opportunity in the marketplace to create brand names that were likeable and conceptual as opposed to the mangled, unapproachable words that old-school naming and branding firms invent using Latin and linguistics.

What did you do before you started your own business?
I was an advertising copywriter for 15+ years, where I mastered the art of creating clever headlines grab attention. Our names have the same effect. They are instantly likeable, make powerful emotional connections, and are absolutely unforgettable.

What was a challenge or obstacle to start your own business?
A few naysayers didn’t think I could sustain myself by only creating names and taglines. They said I needed to keep copywriting in the mix. I loved proving them wrong. Some people would say not having a college education would be a challenge, but I disagree. Unlike other namers who have degrees in linguistics and understand Latin, I have not been tainted by “The Curse of Knowledge.”

What is one thing that is responsible for the success of your business?
Creativity. Although I cite passion as being a key factor of my success, without my creativity, I wouldn’t have a portfolio of wildly creative names and taglines that is unmatched by any other naming firm. My creativity has also allowed me to build my business through innovative marketing approaches.

In your opinion, what makes women good business owners, and what holds them back?
The best women business owners are fearless. They are not afraid to charge what they are worth, speak their mind, or compete in a man’s world. The major downfalls of many women business owners are they have low self-esteem, don’t know how to negotiate, aren’t financially saavy, and are afraid they will hurt someone’s feelings if they ask for more money.

What are a few tips you’d give a woman starting her own business today?
1. Do not launch your business until you have professional business cards printed and a polished website up, which have been designed by a true identity designer who understands the importance of having a cohesive brand. You only have one chance to make a first impression.

2. Make sure the name of your business sounds like a brand name as opposed to your own name. When you sell your company 20 years from now, it will be much harder to sell if your name is attached to it and you won’t be there any more.

3. Don’t give up on a great brand name if the domain name is out of reach. No one expects a company to have the exact dot com any more. Just as we ran out of 800#s for toll-free calls, everyone knows the free-and-clear dot coms are a thing of the past.

What are your goals for the business?
Our long term vision is to become the most widely influential naming firm in the industry and get businesses to stop naming their companies things like Learnia, Xohm, and QualComm.

Our short-term goal is to get on the radar of more consumer package goods clients who have on-going naming needs.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
Our many naming successes include Spoon Me frozen yogurt, Neato home cleaning robots, Monkey Dunks dips for kids, Cake Financial, Bloom energy drink, Frigid ice cream, an iPod clock radio named Moondance, a luxury-on-installment website named Venue, Stuff a Sock In It laundromat, Mixin’ Vixens bartenders, and Wavelength, a forum for the world’s most progressive companies and social entrepreneurs.

We are the only naming firm who monetizes names. For instance, Spoon Me is making a fortune selling Spoon Me t-shirts, sportswear, pajamas and booty shorts.

Our adoring clients include Del Monte, Frito Lay, Altec Lansing, Guthy Renker, SIGG water bottles and Intercontinental Hotels Group.

Our SMILE & SCRATCH name evaluation test has been featured in the Wall Street Journal.

Our wildly colorful loft office has been featured on TV, design books, and magazines.

I didn’t go to college and am an inspiration to women everywhere that you CAN be successful without a college education.

How To Create Brand Names That Stick

Posted by Guest Author on Nov 5, 2008 at 4:06 pm

Today’s guest entry is written by Alexandra Watkins, CIO of Eat My Words . After writing advertising copy for 20+ years, including five years at Ogilvy and Mather -where she flogged everything from Microsoft to Mighty Dog- Alexandra got hooked on naming when Gap hired her to create cheeky names for their first line of body care products. Since then she’s generated thousands of names for snacks, software, sunscreen, social networking sites, sportswear, shoes, sugar scrubs, serums, and seafood -and that’s just the S’s!

Click here for full post.

All in the Name

Does your business moniker have people smiling or scratching their heads?
By Kevin Manahan
Entrepreneur’s StartUps – September 2008

After creating catchy names for everything from energy drinks to sportswear, Alexandra Watkins knows what goes into a good business name. In 2005, the former advertising copywriter founded Eat My Words, a boutique naming firm in San Francisco with 2008 sales projected in the six figures. The firm’s Smile & Scratch Test, available at eatmywords.com, evaluates names “based on our philosophy that a name should make you smile instead of scratch your head,” says Watkins. Here are some tips to ensure your name gets people grinning:

• Make an emotional connection. Eat My Words creates company names that entertain and engage the consumer, including Spoon Me for a frozen yogurt chain and Neato for a home cleaning robot. “If you have a name like Spoon Me, and you’re making that [emotional] connection, you’re instantly building an affinity for your brand, because people like it,” says Watkins, 44.
• Stand out. With Pinkberry’s success came a wave of name imitators. But jumping on the bandwagon is the wrong way to go. “People try to be copycats,” says Watkins, “but the only way you’re ever going to get noticed and stand out is if you do something unexpected and different.”
• Don’t ask others for ideas. Try to test your name against an objective set of criteria rather than asking for opinions. “People make the mistake of asking their friends and family what they think,” says Watkins. “That’s the worst possible thing you can do; it really waters down your name.”
• Keep it clear. Names like Flickr and Xobni might be unique, but they can be confusing and hard to pronounce for consumers. Names in different languages or that hide the meaning from the consumer should also be avoided.

Spoon Me a healthy, green yogurt shop
By Lesley Mitchell
The Salt Lake Tribune09/16/2008
SANDY, UTAH – You won’t find the typical vanilla, chocolate or strawberry flavors at the Spoon Me frozen yogurt shop.

In their places are more mysterious flavors – acai (berry from Brazil), green tea or “natural.”
The Utah-based chain, with locations in Sandy, downtown Salt Lake City, Provo and St. George, is among a number of companies popping up nationwide that aim to provide a hip alternative to the frozen yogurt-shop concept that soared in the ’80s, only to fizzle somewhat in recent years.
“There’s definitely a growing trend toward a healthier dessert product,” said Spoon Me co-founder Ryan Combe.
Aside from Spoon Me, there are other stores with trendy frozen yogurt concepts opening up, including Red Mango, which has three Utah locations. Spoon Me, founded by Utah natives Combe and David Jaynes, is trying to set itself apart from competitors in a number of ways.
“I wanted to create something more marketable” than the other offerings, Combe said. “And I wanted something more responsible” in terms of the environment and community.
The chain uses as many environmentally friendly products as possible in its stores, from spoons made out of corn starch to highly biodegradable cups to hold the yogurt. Virtually everything that goes into the stores, from the paint and light fixtures to the toilets in the restrooms, are designed to be easy on theenvironment.

Although Combe, 26, said he hasn’t spent a lot of time working in the restaurant industry, he does have the pedigree: He said his uncle was involved in the Arctic Circle hamburger chain and his cousins run the Warrens and Dylan’s fast-food chains in Utah.
But he’s also trying something vastly different, especially for conservative Utah. Marketing phrases such as “Go on, Spoon Me. You know you want it,” and “If you love me, spoon me,” say it all.
Combe said he was living in California “surfing a lot” when he and Jaynes, 32, then a vice president for Lehman Brothers in California, decided to become entrepreneurs.
The pair, with a third partner, Utah orthopedic surgeon Wayne Mortensen, opened the first Spoon Me in downtown Salt Lake City in October. The Sandy location, the first franchise and one owned by Combe’s aunt, Carolee Millet, opened in June.
The Provo location, which is corporate owned, opened its doors in July, with a store owned by another franchisee opening in St. George at the end of August. Spoon Me’s yogurt product is different enough to put off some fans of the traditional sugar-laden varieties of the past. Its three varieties are a bit tart and for the uninitiated may seem a bit more like sorbet than frozen yogurt.
But there is apparently plenty of demand for the concept. Existing stores are doing well, Combe said, and franchisees are planning several additional locations.
The next location, this one also company owned, is scheduled to open at the end of the month on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe. Additional locations, all franchises, are planned for Ogden, Orem and American Fork, as well as Austin, Texas, and Las Vegas.
Spoon Me stocks the three flavors of frozen yogurt and numerous toppings of fruit or nuts for health-conscious customers, and Fruit Pebbles, Nilla Wafers and Oreo toppings for those who want more sinful alternatives.
Prices range from $2.50 for the smallest size of “Natural” yogurt without a topping to $6.75 for the largest Green Tea or Acai-flavored cup with three toppings.
On a recent weekday afternoon, south valley resident Angie Davidson brought her mother, in town from Seattle, in for her first taste of Spoon Me.
Davidson said she has been in the shop a few times since it’s opened.
“I told her she just had to come taste this,” Angie Davidson said.
Her mother, Bobbie Zavala, gave it a thumbs up. “It’s a totally different taste. It’s very, very good.”

What’s the Name of That Store?

by Tina Manzer

The names of your store, website, special services and exclusive product are very important pieces of equipment in your marketing toolbox. Nowhere is that more evident than in the specialty toy industry, where names have to convey so much in so few words. To characterize your successful toy business or product accurately (and memorably), you must relate – in just a few words – that it’s fun, safe, whimsical, educational, colorful, skill-building, open-ended, trustworthy, high quality, favorite … you get the idea.

To get some advice on what makes a good name, we talked to Alexandra Watkins, founder of the naming company Eat My Words in San Francisco. She gave us her insight on the naming process, what makes a good name, and ways to test the name you come up with.

edplay: What are the components of a good company name in general? How about names for small independently owned toy stores?

Alexandra: The same basic principles of naming apply to everything. You want to be distinct from your competitors, be memorable, and make an emotional connection with your customers. An emotional connection that a toy store might want to make is to entertain, engage and make people smile. Speaking of smiling, we filter all of our names through the Eat My Words SMILE & SCRATCH Test, which is based on our philosophy that a name should make you smile, instead of scratch your head. Anyone can use this to evaluate her store name.

SMILE – qualities of a powerful name

Simple – one easy-to-understand concept
Meaningful – your customers instantly “get it”
Imagery – visually evocative, creates a mental picture
Legs – carries the brand, lends itself to wordplay
Emotional – empowers, entertains, engages, enlightens

SCRATCH it off the list if it has any of these deal-breakers:

Spelling-challenged – you have to tell people how to spell it
Copycat – similar to competitor’s names
Random – disconnected from the brand
Annoying – hidden meaning, forced
Tame – flat, uninspired, boring, non-emotional
Curse of Knowledge – only insiders get it
Hard-to-pronounce – not obvious, relies on punctuation

edplay: How should their toy stores’ names fit in with their branding, marketing, advertising and promotional efforts?

Alexandra: A great store name can drive all of these marketing functions. For instance, we named a chain of frozen yogurt stores Spoon Me. Before the store even opened, the sign outside said “Spooning Soon” instead of “Coming Soon.” On the front door, the sign says, “No shirt. No shoes. No spoon.” And since they are in Utah, their “Hours” sign says, “No spooning on Sunday.” Spoon Me has promotions like spooning contests and letting customers come up with new slogans for their bathroom wall, based on famous movie quotes (for instance, “Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to spoon me.”). Spoon Me doesn’t need to do advertising because the name gets so much attention.

edplay: Could a business name make or break the business? Do you have any examples of a business that couldn’t get off the ground because of its name? Or one that was so good that the name on its own sold the product?

Alexandra: A great name can make a business and even make money for a store. Spoon Me is a classic example of how a store can monetize their name through merchandising. They have a steady revenue stream from merchandise with the Spoon Me name on it, including t-shirts, pajamas, baby clothes, bumper stickers and buttons. If Spoon Me had gone with their original name, Zenyo, it might not have “broken” the business, but the company would not be cashing in on the name through merchandise sales. I know that two frozen yogurt stores I saw this weekend, Yogurt Cup and SoGreen, don’t have a powerful enough name to sell even a t-shirt, let alone drive a marketing or promotional campaign. People do stop in Spoon Me stores just to buy the merchandise. That’s a powerful name.

edplay: Could changing the existing name of a store give it a shot in the arm by creat

ing more interest, generating sales, being more conducive to marketing? What if the name was inherited when the business was bought?

Alexandra: Unless your toy store name has a long legacy behind it, you can certainly change it. Business owners often have an inflated perspective of the equity in their name. A name change is a great excuse to do promotions and generate media attention. It’s like having an extreme makeover, and can definitely give any business additional marketing opportunities. There is a gourmet popcorn store called Popcorn 479. It’s totally flat. We would love to re-name it Pop Psychology. We would really play up the therapy theme and have gift tins like “Bi-Polar,” which would be half caramel/half cheese popcorn. And “Munchausen Syndrome” would be a fun name for a gift tin for anyone with a serious case of the munchies. I can’t think of anything you could do with a non-emotional and bland name like Popcorn 479. I guarantee that a name change for them would be an overnight success.

edplay: Do you have any advice for small independent businesses that are looking to come up with a name, change their name or make their identities stronger?

Alexandra: Take our SMILE & SCRATCH Test to see how your name does. If it doesn’t pass, try to come up with a name that lends itself to wordplay and has a rich vocabulary around it so you can extend the brand through marketing, merchandising and promotions.

edplay: What are some good ways to “test” a name?

Alexandra: Saying it out loud is a great test. Also make sure that if you have a website, your name doesn’t spell anything bad, like Cardiff Art Supply could be www.cardiffartsupply.com. Yikes!

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To see some of some fun kid-friendly names like Dizzywood and Monkey Dunks, check out our portfolio.

Asked & Answered: Marketing Multiple Businesses
June 24, 2008

By Colleen DeBaise

QUESTION: Your Oct. 30, 2007, article described people who run multiple businesses. My problem is a little different. I am a freelance writer offering business- and career-writing services. Last year, I also started a direct-sales business (selling health and wellness products). How do I incorporate the range of services I offer under one umbrella and market it in a way that is cost-effective, but not confusing to the client? What business name should I consider? —Gloria Brown, Menifee, Calif.

ANSWER: Essentially, you want to be a one-woman conglomerate, tying together seemingly unrelated businesses into one neat package. Even big-name companies with lots of marketing muscle (think Altria (MO), Time Warner (TWX) and Tyco (TYC)) have run into trouble doing this successfully at times.

As a small-business owner with limited resources, you’ll face even more challenges. The biggest hurdle? Explaining to potential customers what it is, exactly, that you’re selling. “To get momentum, you really have to narrow your message, so someone says ‘Oh, I get that, you’re talking to me,’” says John Jantsch, a marketing coach and founder of Duct Tape Marketing in Kansas City, Mo. “When you start adding things on, it starts getting hard to explain to people what you do.”

Of course, many entrepreneurs tack on a new line of products or services to complement an existing business — and, in some cases, that works well. For instance, a popular restaurant might open up a kitchen store that sells appliances, cookbooks and food items that would logically appeal to its customer base. But when the two businesses are dissimilar, it’s the “classic sushi bar and bait shop” scenario, Jantsch says. “That’s always going to be a challenge.”

Some entrepreneurs dig deep to find a link. When Cindy Light wanted to combine her two services — she’s a fashion consultant, plus an expert on Chinese business etiquette — she turned to a business-name expert for help. Alexandra Watkins, founder of Eat My Words, a San Francisco firm that specializes in memorable names, reasoned that both services help make Light’s clients look like superstars, both personally and professionally. So she suggested that Light use her evocative last name to tie the services together. Light has since named the business Cindy Light and plans to use the tagline “Making you shine” in her marketing materials.

Unfortunately, in your case, there appear to be too few links between your professional-writing services and your direct-sales business. “I can’t imagine a way to combine these two together, and for it not to be confusing,” Watkins says. As many conglomerates have found, trying to operate unrelated businesses under one big heading can lead to customer confusion — and make it difficult to focus resources and manage the company effectively. For the time being, you might try building both businesses separately, and if it’s too draining on your time, energy and bottom line to do both, “then just make a determination which one you really think has the best potential,” Jantsch advises.

Got a question? Send us an email at Editors@smSmallBiz.com. Due to the volume of questions we receive, we are not able to answer all questions. Questions that are selected for publication may be edited for length and clarity.