Anyone who has been through the trademark process knows that it is a lengthy and expensive process.  I began the process two years prior and things were going smoothly. We had just gotten a large order of candles hand-poured and completed when I received a notification from our trademark Attorney that we could not use “Soultry Aura” as, specifically the word “Aura”,  in their mind, had the same meaning as another word that was in the another companies brand and therefore the brands could be confused.  I’m here to tell you that it does NOT mean what they said it meant, and we fought it, but the USPTO did not side with us.  And, the other brand started their trademark process about one month prior to when I did, so they get first option.

So here we were, A LOT of candles branded with Soultry Aura, and I mean A LOT. Packaging, website, social media handles, you name it, we had it…and now we have to start again.

I was sick to my stomach to have to call Terrell and explain to him that everything we had worked on for the last year would now have to be redone…again.   His ability to see the positive in every situation is one of the reasons that I respect him so much.  He said to me, “Carolin, it happens. God doesn’t make mistakes.”  Needless to say, the sigh of relief couldn’t have been bigger. 

EVERY SETBACK IS AN OPPORTUNITY

As we discussed how to move forward, Terrell reminded me that every setback is an opportunity. So here we were, we had to rename, begin the process of rebranding, reestablishing business licenses and more, so the journey begins yet again.

Part 4 coming soon!