How to accidentally ruin your business with one terrible sign

Hey you--

I'm gonna show you a picture that will make you cringe so hard...

You'll double-check every piece of client work for the rest of your career.

Now, you've probably seen this floating around the internet before...

But it's worth seeing again.

Because the lesson never gets old.

Yes, that's a real business.

With a real sign.

That someone actually PAID for.

And approved.

And hung up in public.

Without ANYONE in the entire process thinking...

"Hey, maybe we should say this out loud first?"

Because "Kids Exchange" becomes "KIDSEXCHANGE" becomes...

Well, you see the problem.

Every time this photo resurfaces...

I watch agency owners and designers share it with that same horrified fascination.

Because we ALL know this could happen to us.

This isn't just a typo or a design glitch.

This is what happens when nobody in the room has the balls to state the obvious.

And it's happening to agencies EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Here's the thing about branding disasters...

They're never accidents.

They're failures of process.

Someone designed this sign.

Someone approved this sign.

Someone manufactured this sign.

Someone installed this sign.

And at EVERY step of that process...

Not one person said "Hold up."

Sound familiar?

How many times have you watched a client fall in love with a terrible name...

Or a confusing tagline...

Or a logo that looks like something completely different?

And instead of speaking up...

You just... delivered what they asked for.

Because "the client is always right."

Except when they're spectacularly wrong.

Like the business owner who named their store after what appears to be child trafficking.

This is why your job as an agency isn't just execution.

It's PROTECTION.

Protecting your clients from their own terrible ideas.

Even when it's uncomfortable.

Even when they push back.

Even when they say "that's not what we meant."

Because here's what I guarantee happened with Kids Exchange:

The owner had to explain this sign THOUSANDS of times.

"No no, it's Kids Exchange... like trading kids' clothes and toys."

Every. Single. Customer.

For the entire life of the business.

That's exhausting.

That's expensive.

That's easily preventable.

Want to know how?

THE FRESH EYES TEST

Before you approve ANY brand name, tagline, or visual...

Show it to someone who has zero context.

Not your team.

Not the client's team.

Someone completely outside the project.

And ask them: "What's the first thing you think when you see this?"

If they hesitate...

If they laugh...

If they say "Are you sure about this?"

STOP.

Fix it before you print it.

THE SAY-IT-OUT-LOUD TEST

Read everything aloud.

In different contexts.

"Welcome to Kids Exchange!"

"I shop at Kids Exchange!"

"Have you been to Kids Exchange?"

If ANY of those sound wrong...

They ARE wrong.

THE GOOGLE TEST

Before you finalize anything...

Google it.

See what comes up.

See if there are OTHER meanings you missed.

Because the internet never forgets.

And it LOVES to make fun of terrible business names.

Here's the brutal truth:

Your clients hire you because you're supposed to know better.

They're experts at THEIR thing.

You're the expert at MARKETING their thing.

Part of that expertise is saying "no" when they're about to make a expensive mistake.

Even if it means an awkward conversation.

Even if it means pushing back on their "vision."

Because trust me...

The awkward conversation you avoid today...

Becomes the disaster they live with forever.

Just ask the owner of Kids Exchange.

If you can find them.

They're probably still explaining their sign to confused customers.

Don't let your clients become the next viral marketing fail.

Save them from themselves.

It's literally what they pay you for.

THE AGENCY DISASTER-PREVENTION SOP

Here's the exact process we use to catch these disasters before they become expensive mistakes:

STEP 1: THE STRANGER TEST
Find 3 people who know NOTHING about the project.
Show them the name/logo/tagline with zero context.
Record their FIRST reaction.
If even ONE person misreads it... back to the drawing board.

STEP 2: THE CONTEXT AUDIT
Test the name in different scenarios:

• Business cards

• Email signatures

• Phone conversations ("I work at...")

• Social media handles

• Domain names (with and without spaces)

• ALL CAPS versions

STEP 3: THE FAMILY-FRIENDLY FILTER
Ask yourself: "Would I be comfortable saying this name..."

• At a PTA meeting?

• To my grandmother?

• In a job interview?

• On live TV?

If the answer is "maybe not"... that's your red flag.

STEP 4: THE COMPETITOR CHECK
Research similar businesses in the space.
Make sure you're not accidentally copying someone...
Or worse, accidentally insulting an entire industry.

STEP 5: THE FUTURE-PROOF TEST
Imagine this business in 10 years.
Will this name still make sense?
Will it age well?
Or will it become a liability?

STEP 6: DOCUMENT EVERYTHING
Keep notes on what you tested and why.
When clients push back on your concerns...
You have evidence that you did your due diligence.

Print this out.
Laminate it.
Make it part of your standard process.

Because the 10 minutes you spend catching these problems...

Saves your clients years of embarrassment.

And saves YOU from becoming the agency that approved "KIDSEXCHANGE."

Till Next Week,

Laura

P.S. While everyone's obsessing over the latest AI drama and shiny objects, I've been quietly working on something that tackles the REAL problems agency owners deal with every day. The sales headaches. The delivery disasters. The slow loss of sanity. Can't spill the details yet, but if you want early intel... hit reply.