What now?

Recently, a good friend and client started a new business under the unusual name, What Now?. She is a talented designer with many successful ventures under her belt. It was not as though she was just starting out on her own for the first time. But the name struck me, at first, to be quite strange. As a branding professional, I immediately went into analysis mode. I asked myself, “What is she trying to say and to who is she trying to say it to.” It seemed a bit defeatist. Maybe too dark. But clearly, it was a response to the surreal business environment we all find ourselves in today. 

But then it occurred to me, what if  “What Now?” did not have a question mark at the end. Suddenly, the name  presented a totally new set of options for its potential meaning. It was hopeful and innovative, while at the same time, acknowledging this reality of economic uncertainty. 

The more I thought about it, the more I liked what it meant. And how I could use it as a way to re-think my own business and WHAT  I was going to do  NOW.