Crap & Junk

A couple weeks ago, I returned from one of our industry's major trade shows around dinner time on a Sunday night. I sat at the table, somewhat wiped out, but still a bit exhilarated by the events of the previous three days. As I started to relate the events of trade show '09, I noticed that my oldest daughter (soon to be nine), was truly interested. She kept asking questions about different employees, different clients, the overall tenor of the show, etc. I was really impressed, and with a small tear in my eye, asked, "Would you like to run Daddy's business someday?"

"Oh, no," she said. It could have easily been "Shit! No!" After a short beat for emphasis, she said, "I'm gonna open a store called Crap & Junk."

My wife and I laughed like hell. Who would expect a nine-year-old kid to come up with that in such short order? But the unfunny part of this interlude is that she was serious. "So what are you going to sell at Crap & Junk?" I asked. "What difference does it make," she answered. "It's a really good name...I'll think of something."

And she was right. It really doesn't matter what you sell anymore; it only matters how you market it. When I returned to work the following day, I told this story to every employee in my company (that's the great thing about owning a business, you can indulge yourself that way.)

To a person, everybody said that they not only agreed with my daughter's choice (Crap & Junk vs. Dad's Company), they said they'd be very willing customers. "But she doesn't even know what she's going to sell," I protested. "So what," they collectively replied. "It's a great name and she'll probably come up with some swell crap and junk."

Which brings me to a Carrie Bradshawesque question: Does it matter what you sell as long as your marketing and branding is really good? Or is it really just about branding and marketing anyway?