Behind the Brand

PremiumBrands is where I offer selected names I would be willing to build on myself. I founded it because the company name deserves a real decision before the packaging is printed, the first partnership is proposed or the first guest arrives. Meranta interests me as a name for a founder who wants to give useful things and thoughtful places a consistent identity, beginning with the first launch.

The morning a change became real

In 2007, I acquired the press release distribution business running on i-Newswire.com. I secured iNewswire.com in 2013, then spent more than a year negotiating for Newswire.com. Before moving the business, I consulted SEO professionals. In February 2015, the business made the switch to Newswire.com. Those were decisions about the company I was building and the name I wanted the team to be able to say.

The morning of that switch, a prospect told one of the sales agents, “Oh yeah, Newswire.com. I've heard of you guys.” That was impossible. We had only just started using the name. That exchange stayed with me because the team could now introduce the business with the exact name I had worked to secure. The team still had to deliver the service, answer questions and earn the next conversation. But there was now a clear name to put in front of that work.

The business was acquired by Issuer Direct in 2022 for about $44 million. That was a price for a business and the team's work, not a valuation of the domain. The acquisition filing records that business transaction. My interest in a strong name comes from building around one, alongside the people and decisions that make an operating company worthwhile.

Choosing before there is a complete plan

I bought PremiumBrands.com before I had a plan for it. Premium names matter to me, and waiting would probably have cost me that chance. By now, someone else could be building a company on it, with no interest in selling. Having the name gave me a place to develop the idea properly. It was a decision to secure the identity I wanted to use, then do the work of making it useful.

That is also my test when I consider a name for the collection: would I build on this? The names I have not built on yet are the ones I am open to selling. OnlineBusiness.com is the supporting strategy and development studio in my work. PremiumBrands is the place for the name decision and the acquisition conversation, with a clear distinction between choosing an identity and building the business it represents.

What I see in Meranta

Meranta lets a founder introduce a company without tying that introduction to one object or one location. I can see it above a range organized around practical standards: how an object feels in use, how a guest finds their room, how a bag is repaired after many journeys. The details would make the brand particular. The name gives those details somewhere to accumulate, with one address the founder can keep using.

A coined name also asks its founder to establish a spelling and a voice. I would start with a plain spoken introduction and the complete address on the first materials. Then I would keep that introduction consistent. I like the continuity of finishing a supplier meeting, sending the sample follow-up and putting the same company name on the finished product.

AI has made it easier for more people to create products and publish working businesses. My view is that a recognizable name is one of the few pieces another builder cannot reproduce at the same address. That makes the fix-it-later mindset worth questioning. A later rename reaches the packaging, the email addresses, the signs and the name people already know. I prefer deciding what I want to build on while the choice is still available.

A great name won't save a bad business. The founder still has to choose the right offer, keep promises and look after the details. If Meranta fits the company you want to introduce, tell PremiumBrands what you have in mind. If your preferred name is elsewhere, the same conversation can begin with help acquiring that name. A premium .com is a trust shortcut.