A Response from Nyoombl

Oladayo Olagunju, the founder of Nyoombl (which wants to be pronounced “Nimble”), read my critique of his company’s name and sent me a response via email. He has kindly allowed me to share that response with you.

Thank you for your write-up. I honestly think it’s a very well-written post; very engaging.

Of course, the name (or its pronunciation) comes with its issues and upsides -- like does anything else. You are right...today it doesn’t easily roll off the tongue like do nimble or noomble or even NY, and that could be very disturbing. Nevertheless, being faced with the possibility to turn a weakness into a strength is a sobering privilege rare enough to keep us focused on how to seize any such opportunity. It’s an interesting prospect.

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” - Albert Einstein

And, you may be one of those God-sent opportunities. Again...terrific blog. Now bookmarked :-)

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond to my post, Mr. Olagunju.*

__

* In a follow-up email, he asked that I call him “Dayo,” so I guess he’s moved on from that “Double O” nickname. Can we expect that he’ll be equally as flexible about changing Nyoombl?

Comments

[pam]

That's an odd way to rationalize a decision. Sure, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. But why invent a difficulty for yourself? There are enough difficulties you can't control inherent in creating a start-up.

[Namer X]

It's a name with a License to Kill!

[Randall Hull]

As I recall the folk at quokka.com said something similar about "opportunity".

[John Russell]

I scream inwardly when people compliment me by telling me my work is 'professional': well what did you expect from a professional -- something amateur?