I get asked this at least three times a day, sometimes more. It has been almost 4 months since the name change, and we have not revealed what the name means… YET. I am overwhelmed with the number of people who want to know. Quite honestly, it has been a whole lot of fun listening to everyone’s guesses. My favorite guess so far… He Didn’t Matter! The reason we had not revealed what it stands for is because that name is another business we will be embarking on. Originally, we had hoped to start it at the first of the year. However, with the pandemic continuing and supply being so scarce, I chose to wait it out a bit. There is no rush with this one.
When we were throwing around the idea of changing the name, I kept getting asked why do you want to change the name? It is established. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows your colors. Customers will get confused. While every bit of that could be true, I also knew that if I did it correctly, it would work out. I had to trust this journey, just like all the rest. So far, every decision has. I knew this was big! I also knew this was going to be very freeing. Just like during my divorce, I took my maiden name back. I was ME again and my past had no hold. So, when I took sole ownership of my businesses, I knew I was going to rebrand this one – another very freeing decision from my past. I promised myself I would wait a year to make sure it was not an emotional decision.
Every month that went by I knew it was the right thing to do. We had so much fun (well, most of the time) shooting out ideas. My son did not like most of mine. I did not like most of his. We would bounce ideas off the team here and there and see their reactions to the ideas we had. Then Heavy Duty Mafia came out of one of our mouths and I was beyond excited – that was it! I have always been a fan of gangster/mafia movies and that time period. I wanted something that represented who we are. It’s always felt like a family here. We specialize in Heavy Duty Towing and Heavy Duty Repair. I was looking to change the colors to black, chrome, and blue like I had in my other company. It just fits. I was not sure about having Mafia in the name for a legitimate business though, so how do you make it work?
There was some fear with this new name, but we had so many ideas of what we could do with it! One of my favorite parts was naming the trucks! I knew that my first truck was going to be The OG. I also knew that my medium-duty truck was going to be The Prospect. The rest of the trucks are being sold and replaced and getting new names. There were other ideas that I am not willing to share yet that made us want to keep that name! Even though it is just a name, the illegal enterprise meaning was tugging away at me. We chose to go with the initials of the name. HDM. I knew my vision for this rebrand. When I presented the logo idea to my marketing team, Cream City Marketing, it took only a few tries and we had it! I was in love with it. I was freed from my past and the confusion it brought along with it. I had autonomy. I was thrilled to have my son’s support, as he is a huge reason I chose to stay in this business.
The transition to HDM has been much easier than I have anticipated. I am guessing social media plays a huge role in that. It sure was easier to get all the information out to people faster. I took my time in changing Google to make sure people had remembered HDM and that we were still easy to find. I have not changed the website yet, just in case people are still looking for us under our old name. The fear of change was unsubstantiated by all the support during the rebrand. Customers were loving it. They supported it and me. They understood without having to explain it. I only met a few people who thought it was the wrong thing to do. I am so glad I trusted my gut and did not listen to the naysayers. They were so wrong!
As we move forward as HDM, I am so appreciative of everyone who was a part of this transition. I am thankful for the support. I am blessed with continued encouragement. I have the best team out there, and I’m so proud to be a part of it.
Keep Living Your Best Life!
Michelle