Higher Orbits: What's in a name?

By Monica W. Wamsley

I’m sure that if you asked your parents you’d learn the details of your name — something meaningful, maybe evoking a family memory; something distinct, but not so cumbersome that your given name doesn’t stick; something that grows with you.

The same kind of care and thought that goes into naming a child is used in naming a nonprofit organization and getting it off the ground.

“It’s not rocket science.” Well, this time, it is.

Higher Orbits (@HigherOrbits) is the brainchild of Michelle Ham (@spacechelle), former Mission Control and astronaut instructor.

“My nonprofit’s mission is to promote science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects along with leadership through the use of space flight. Mankind’s journey into space serves as an ideal launchpad to excite students of all ages about STEM, leadership, and working to fulfill their dreams and ambitions,” says Ham.

Over the course of a few days in July (including brainstorming with Ham, white papers from Dr. Witzig, and feedback from her Millennial associates), Higher Orbits emerged with its meaningful, distinctive, positive, future-oriented name.

Ideen associates were particularly big on the name’s combination of higher education and space, its conveyance of the mission, and its gravitational pull, as it were — but the name had to appeal to the target audience and their parents, too.

But lest I lead you to believe Ideen had to just come up with something catchy, consider this: There can be several Michaels on your street, but that’s not so with nonprofits. Is the name available? Are there trademark issues? Is the domain name taken? Are there organizations with similar names? Are there organizations with similar missions? How do we condense the mission statement and make it a great tagline?

You can read Ham’s account of her decision and her next steps here on her blog.

Bookmark higherorbits.org and follow Ham on Twitter to watch this rising star.

Code of the West, Small Business & Branding

We recently had the pleasure of traveling to Wyoming for Cheyenne Frontier Days.  While the event is best known for its rodeo – branded as the “Daddy of ‘em All” – we were there to immerse ourselves in the spirit of entrepreneurialism and individualism. 

We were not disappointed.

Major sponsors such as Coors, Coca-Cola, and Bank of the West are important for the financial health of CFD, but the small mom-and-pop businesses fascinate the crowd with their creativity, clever products, and down-to-earth approach to marketing.  We started examining this spirit, and in doing so, rediscovered the Code of the West or Cowboy Ethics (ala Jim Owen). 

The Code of the West isn’t complicated or complex, but in an age of hyper-branding and misleading marketing, it is particularly relevant:

• Live each day with courage
• Take pride in your work
• Always finish what you start
• Do what has to be done
• Be tough, but fair
• When you make a promise, keep it
• Ride for the brand
• Talk less and say more
• Remember -- some things aren't for sale
• Know where to draw the line

We saw many small businesses exemplifying the elements of the Code. Individuals and families invested not only their money, but also their love for their products and hours of hard work.  They took time to talk with their customers, customize their products to customer needs, and deliver value.  This wasn’t about the hype created by social media or “uber” brands that tend to dominate the landscape.  This was about integrity. 

The concept of “brand” is about making a promise and delivering on it.  At CFD, craftsmanship abounded, business was brisk, and entrepreneurs were building a personal brand. 

Lest this appear overly simple in our puffery-filled world, we’re not alone in seeing the connection between the Code and the value to business. The Wall Street Journal asked, “Where have all the cowboys gone?” in an article last September that examined cheating scandals across the country and how the Cowboy Code could be used to counter the trend.  We would suggest that the Code is thriving among the small businesses in Wyoming and provides a marketing lesson for us all.