Choosing a company name is tough. When I talk to buyers, either face-to-face or online, one of the questions I get most often is “What does DHgate mean?” Or, “Why did you name the company DHgate?”

I suppose it would have been easy to go out and hire a branding consultant who would have come back to me with a name that was entirely made up, like “Gatria,” or a name that would have made us sound like a stuffed animal. But if I have learned one thing in my business career, it is that you should follow your instincts – and I wanted my company name to mean something.

I wanted a name for the company that was more than just a brand – I wanted something that spoke to our mission and our approach, even if you had to dig a little bit to understand.

Because I founded the company with the idea that we were building a highway to China that anyone could travel, I reached back into history for the city that formed the central hub of China’s ancient Silk Road, history’s best-known trade route. That city is called “Dun Huang” (pronounced as “dune hwong”). Knowing that the tongues of many non-Chinese-speakers would stumble on that, I shortened it to a simple “DH”.

But being on a pathway is not enough. I wanted to give people the feeling that when they land on our site, they have arrived and need go no further. Thus, DHgate, the destination at the heart of the Silk Road. When you come to the site, you’re in China and ready to buy.

Many designers take me to task for melding two different fonts in our logo, but there is important meaning here as well. “DH” is represented in the logo by a strong, bold font, underscoring stability, strength, reliability, trustworthiness, and permanence. It would have been easy to come up with something gimmicky, and I saw several logos that did. For me it was more important that our logo remind our sellers, our buyers, and ourselves that our mission is to be the pillar upon with others could build their business.

The word “gate” is in gold not only to represent the wealth at the end of the Silk Road, but to hint at the Han Dynasty tradition that only the Emperors could own golden gates. It is our way of building into our logo what we have built into our business – the conviction that the buyer is and should remain our emperor, the person both we and the sellers serve. I decided to put gate in a serif font both to add emphasis and to balance our stability with a dash of creativity.

 There is a reason for that, too. What I am doing with DHgate is taking a global trading system designed by and for huge, specialist companies who wanted to limit competition, and turning it into a system where the small business enjoys a competitive advantage. Bringing about that kind of change demands creativity, the ability to look at challenges from a new angle.

I’ll admit, not all of this is obvious at first glance. But that’s a good thing. Because when people ask us why I came up with this name and why we keep it, it gives me a chance not only to talk about what we call ourselves, but also to show that everything we do is done with deliberation, care, and a focus on how we can make you successful.

So when people see the DHgate.com logo, they aren’t just looking at our name – they’re looking at our values. And to me, that’s the whole reason for a brand in the first place.

I’d love to hear the reason behind your company names – Please share!

Stay in touch, Diane