Background
Vassilis (V for short) and I have been friends for years. We worked closely while leading the digital transformation of retail at FGL Sports and since then have remained friends who still love to talk shop about all things related to business and marketing. In January 2022, we decided to pull the trigger and start recording our own show called which we called the Sleeping Barber.
Originally, I'd chosen the name for a brand strategy business I started in 2012. As V and I were debating names for this podcast, we both agreed the name still had some appeal.
What makes a good brand name?
For V and I, a good brand name for our podcast had to meet these criteria.
Easy to say. Its not much fun correcting everyone that tries to pronounce a name.
Easy to spell. If people can't spell the name, it's harder to find the company.
Memorable. Names that are easy to remember are more likely to be shared.
Creates a mental image. The visual inside your brain helps to reinforce memory.
Has some deeper meaning. This allows us to tell the backstory about why we started the company.
The Meaning Behind The Sleeping Barber Name
The Sleeping Barber is a case study in computer science. The challenge for students is to connect disparate systems with code to create efficiency and effective information flows. In this scenario, there are a number of chairs in the waiting area and a barber that can cut hair when customers are present or sleep when there are none.
From a business perspective, I really like the analogy between the barber cutting hair and an organization creating value for customers. With proper communication between silos (waiting room + barber chairs), we can design optimal customer experiences whereby our customers have a chair to wait on and only have to wait for as long as they need to. When information isn't passed from one silo to the next, customers have a sub-optimal experience waiting for the barber to wake up. In general, we believe that businesses can create a competitive advantage by having the employees within a business collaborate to make it easier for customers to work with us.
So there you have it.
I've had a lot of fun explaining the name of the podcast over the last few years and look forward to sharing the story again!
If you'd like to listen to the podcast, check out the links in the footer below.