Monday, August 20, 2012

Got an opinion? I want it.


Imagine I'm playing "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"
And a question pops up and I can't answer it.
So I decide to phone a friend.
That's basically what I'm about to do... except I'm phoning all of you. Yes you.

My business (The Organic Bird) continues to grow and expand and I'm so excited about the future of where we're headed. Originally, back in 2008 when I was carrying a child and planning a future, I started the road to starting a business in Denton, TX. I dreamed of being the go-to girl for cloth diapers, organic baby and child products, clothing, toys, etc. I even spotted out some store fronts along the college town square. But instead of jumping the shark, I thought I'd make a place for myself online. A place to write about this stuff. To talk and maybe start the ball rolling. 

I was going to call that store The Organic Bird.

And then ...well, life happened and changed. By the time I completely tossed that whole business idea in the trash, I had already established a decent following on this blog. So I kept it. And then in 2010, when I launched out on my own for design, I figured it was easiest to go with the online identity people already knew me through — The Organic Bird Designs.

Now, two (plus) years later, I'm considered rebranding. I'm considering separating my personal blog from my business entirely, and drawing a stronger line between the two. And honestly, decisions aren't my forte. This one is literally like a see saw, and I cannot decide. So, I'm phoning friends. FRIENDS. Help me out here, please??

1. Don't change anything. I can keep it as is. Maybe I'm just overthinking it and assuming that no one will get or appreciate the business name. 

2. Keep the personal blog. Rebrand the business. This option leaves The Organic Bird blog alone. And moves my design business to a new name. My fear is that I'll lose followers though through Facebook, Twitter, and such, and that the move will be too confusing for people who still know me as The Organic Bird. However, maybe I'm mixing too much personal with business. The Godfather would be disappointed. 

3. Change it all. Ditch the name. Start over fresh. Separate the personal blog somewhere else. Rename the business. Slowly phase out TOB completely until it's just a blog that I used to know. 

Ok — so would you be ohsokind and click through and take this anonymous one-question survey? Please? Pretty pretty please? I'm settling this decision soon and I'd like a little crowd-sourcing of opinions to hear what you think as the people who read my blog, check out my designs, follow me on twitter, like TOB on facebook, etc. (Or leave a comment here on the blog for me to read...)

Thanks friends, readers and designers alike!

Click here to take survey

2 comments:

  1. Hi Andrea, I'm new to your blog. I have seen some of your work and LOVE it, but I don't know anything about your history beyond what you've put in this post.

    Here's what I think when I hear the name "The Organic Bird Designs."

    I think it sounds pretty. I don't hear "green living" or cloth diapers or earthy-crunchy. I think of someone who is in sync with nature and who uses it for inspiration. The name tells me about your style. I like it.

    My two cents. :) Best wishes to you!

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  2. My opinion..... possibly start all over but on your blog, have your title and underneath put (formerly the organic bird) you can write a post about how the organic bird flew the coop.

    OR

    Keep the personal blog the same. But for design, I think it's great to have a design blog. so it would probably be good if it were all cohesive. ?!?!
    <3 xo

    ReplyDelete