Aldain Reid
Contributor

The recent rebranding of Cable and Wireless to LIME has seen heightened interest in marketing circles, and the merits of this bold move have sparked much debate.

Sharp focus has once again been placed on identifying the value of building a brand in the Jamaican business environment and the question is often asked by aspiring entrepreneurs. What is in a brand anyway? And what does it mean for my business?

NOT JUST A NAME
From the micro-trader to the large corporation, most businesses have a trading name. But only a very small number of these companies possess names that can be considered as brands in their own right.

By definition, branding is a representation of the image of your company or product. Most persons tend to associate brands with large corporations, but small companies are increasingly building strong brands with great success.

BRANDING SUCCESS STORY
One company that understands the value of a strong brand is Stanley & Empress, a brainchild of Nadia Stanley and Empress Mullings. So what is unique about them, you may want to ask?

Nestled in a quaint uptown location in Kingston, Stanley & Empress allows password-only access to its clients.

"Our boutique serves a very exclusive clientele, many of whom are intensely private and demand this exclusivity in their shopping experience," Stanley said.

They are upbeat on the demand for special and unique products and the exclusivity of their store. "Demand has been overwhelming, due to the mystique surrounding the limited access to our boutique," Stanley added.

"At times we carry those one-off pieces that cannot be found nowhere else, and they love that" she said.

IT'S A LIFESTYLE
Mullings describes Stanley & Empress as a lifestyle brand that transcends fashion.

"Although fashion is second-nature to us, we are both involved in a number of other projects which help to leverage the strength of our brand" Mullings explained. "Stanley does video production and, of course, I'm in front of the camera quite a bit."

GOING PLACES
These entrepreneurs are fiercely protective of their brand and demonstrate a clear understanding of where they intend to take it.

"We're all about longevity and the quality of our work must be the embodiment of our brand" added Mullings.

These young entrepreneurs are firm believers in the talent and abilities of the Jamaican people and as such, they source most of the boutique's unique pieces from local emerging designers.

This is one example of how proper positioning and fresh new ideas can come together and make a successful brand.

Aldain Reid is a serial entrepreneur and is currently serving as the president of the Young Entrepreneurs' Association of Jamaica. He may be contacted via his entrepreneurship blog at www.aldainreid.com.