Hey guys, welcome to Shama.TV. Today’s episode is rather interesting and kind of personal, but I wanted to share it with you. I recently had a big Indian wedding, hence you can the henna on my hands, it’s going to take two weeks to fade, it’s not permanent, but it is traditional. So I came across a situation that I think a lot of women have to face, and it’s interesting because I’ve gotten a lot of mixed feedback about it, and that is changing my last name. I’ve gone from being Shama Hyder to being Shama Kabani – to Mrs. Shama Kabani, and it’s really interesting because I got such a big response. I had a lot of people say “you’re going to kill your brand” and someone said “this is such a step back for women everywhere” and I’ve totally been shocked, I really wasn’t expecting this. It seems like the bottom line is that most of you know me as just Shama, and I;ve even heard a lot of people say “we don’t even know your last name.” So I’m really interested to hear what your take is on this. It seems like my brand to most of you guys is just “Shama” so I’d love to get your comments. What do you think? And women especially, did you change your name? Did you keep it? I know a lot of people suggested hyphenating it, but I thought Shama Hyder-Kabani might be a little too long, so Shama Kabani it is. So I’m really looking forward to reading your comments and hearing what you guys think, and to hear your stories.
6 Responses to “Shama Hyder is now Shama Kabani – Changing Maiden Name”
Congrats on getting married. I don’t think it can create any problem for you. changing your name after wedding is common and as you said most people know you as shama so it doesn’t make much difference.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of building a company’s brand around a single person’s name – because that brand will struggle to survive once that person leaves. Since branding speaks to consumer values, if the brand is the person then the consumer is really aligning their values with that person, not the company. Click-to-Client is a great company, and consumers need to know that if Shama ever leaves it will continue being a great company because you have other superstars there, such as Stephanie Cross.
I think if you want to change your last name, do it. If your brand suffers because of it, then the brand wasn’t built properly to begin with – and now’s the time to fix it.
I agree. That is why there are 2 brands. : ) I have my Shama brand and bring in a lot of income based just on that brand (speaking, training, author, etc.). Then, there is my company – Click To Client – which is an awesome brand in itself. And yes, we have lots of superstars there like Stephanie Cross.
Shama Kabani (formerly Shama Hyder) has been dubbed "an online marketing shaman" and "a millennial master of the universe" by Fast Company. She is the President of The Marketing Zen Group, a full service web marketing firm. When not working directly with clients, Shama travels the world speaking on social media marketing.
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July 6th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Hey Shama,
Congrats on getting married. I don’t think it can create any problem for you. changing your name after wedding is common and as you said most people know you as shama so it doesn’t make much difference.
July 7th, 2009 at 12:47 am
Congrats – happy for you!
Think its totally up to you what you do with your name. If you are good the ‘brand’ will survive.
July 7th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of building a company’s brand around a single person’s name – because that brand will struggle to survive once that person leaves. Since branding speaks to consumer values, if the brand is the person then the consumer is really aligning their values with that person, not the company. Click-to-Client is a great company, and consumers need to know that if Shama ever leaves it will continue being a great company because you have other superstars there, such as Stephanie Cross.
I think if you want to change your last name, do it. If your brand suffers because of it, then the brand wasn’t built properly to begin with – and now’s the time to fix it.
July 7th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Hi Stephen,
I agree. That is why there are 2 brands. : ) I have my Shama brand and bring in a lot of income based just on that brand (speaking, training, author, etc.). Then, there is my company – Click To Client – which is an awesome brand in itself. And yes, we have lots of superstars there like Stephanie Cross.
July 9th, 2009 at 7:39 am
Congratulations! I dont think your brand will suffer at all. your brand id more your first name which i think was pretty smart.
Thanks you for teaching me alot. im using everything i learn from you to help my clients.
July 13th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Funny, all this time, I thought your name was Shama.TV
Great to see you holding up traditions that are important to you. That’s admirable. Look forward to your Blog/Vlog/?log
jmev