The idea for a project called “Wishmay” came to me several years ago while out on a 7 mile run. My mind often starts to ponder different things while running — what else is there to do on a 7 mile run?? On that day, I began wondering if I had ever seen a website where nothing is for sale, only things people are looking for. And then the sellers could approach the buyers with those items the buyers wanted. It was intriguing and eventually I came up with the name Wishmay, from “Wish I may, wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.” It seemed like a great name and the best one after pondering different ones and checking domain names. This name seemed to capture the essence of what the site would be.
So I started building the site using Python/Django with the help of others as well, and we launched the site in November 2020. The next step, I thought, would be to trademark the name “Wishmay” so that I would not run into issues later, and it would prevent others from using the name. The application was approved without any issues and the examining attorney did not seem to think the name was infringing on any other trademarks, nor would it cause brand confusion. The trademark was then published for opposition in November 2021, and several weeks later, I received a letter from an attorney representing a well known e-commerce company that many readers would know. Let’s just say they have a totally different business plan and millions of downloads of their mobile app. With the help of an attorney, we responded to the attorney’s letter. After that, this company then filed opposition to our trademark, which meant it would be heading to a court hearing if we didn’t respond.
Wishmay had been in business for one year at that point and facing the challenge of driving traffic to the site. We had a low amount of traffic, and we are still working on building traffic, but that’s another topic entirely. The point is that we were not in a position to pay attorney fees in order to keep our name, a court hearing that I believe we would have won. We tried to settle with an agreement without needing to go to court, but the opposition would not budge.
Then I began to think about it from a different perspective. There were other factors regarding this other company that made me realize maybe we should change our name so that viewers wouldn’t think we were somehow related to them. After more research, I was even more convinced that we should change our name and distance ourselves, so I decided to change the name to “Dande.” Why Dande? It is short for “dandelion”; the logo we that we use is a dandelion seed.
By the way, in the fall of 2021, we launched a new offering for people that need jobs or services and want to service providers to contact them. This is in “beta” right now, so anyone (those seeking a service or those providing services) can use the site for free during this time period. Here are some examples of services needed by some of the categories: accounting , home improvement, auto repairs, tutoring, dog walkers, web designers , logo designers, mobile app developers, plumbers, advertisers, office assistants, and much more. The basic concept of this section is the same as the items wanted. Seeking items (or services) is a time consuming process, so instead, let the seller (or service provider) come to you. I know this will work, in time, once we increase the traffic to our site. I’m excited to see where this goes.
Please take a moment to visit Dande and see if you have any of the wanted items/services listed or would like to post your own. https://www.godande.com. DM me with any comments or questions.
EJW
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Twitter: @ejameswhite1