Home-Grown and Nationally Known
(4 votes, average: 5 out of 5)April 15, 2009 by Sarah Blaskovich
Come up with a great name, and stick to it.
O’Brien still questions whether OlovesM was the right name for her brand. But, she was in a crunch when representatives for Aretha Franklin asked to showcase her bags at an upcoming benefit. O’Brien hadn’t yet named the company, but she knew that if the bags were a hit, she needed a name—quickly.
“On the way home, I was playing with the letters,” she says. “Om is an important word in yoga, and my name is Merle O’Brien—that’s an O and an M again. And my husband goes by the name OB, and he loves me. OlovesM.”
She admits that some people “didn’t get it,” but she stuck with it and attached a simple logo to her bags. “At the time, I thought, Oh god, I’m never going to keep this name,” she says. “But it starts a conversation. I can get into the story [if someone asks].” She says the first idea often turns into the best idea.
Loading ...
Merle Jablin O’Brien, owner of OlovesM, has a great story to tell. I liked reading this article. Her bags are sold in 33 states and she gets 100,000 or more hits to her website monthly, which is incredible. I think what she is quoted as saying in the article is correct, when she says it’s all about the product. I wish her continued success.