What’s in a Name?

A lot of people have asked about our name and if it has any significance.  I mean, let’s be honest, the internet is home to a bunch of names that are more a matter of playing the “let’s make up a word that doesn’t have a claimed domain so we can get it for $9 on GoDaddy” – game.  AirCheese is a little bit different.

At the age of eleven I worked as a newspaper boy not only delivering papers, but also selling subscriptions every Tuesday and Thursday night.  The route manager used to get a few of us cheeky (my preferred euphemism for pudgy) kids together and deploy this arsenal of innocent and cute on some unsuspecting neighborhood.  I learned two things: (1) that I was a born sales person, and (2) that I could quickly make a name for myself as a newspaper salesman complete with business cards. 

There were two ways to buy a subscription.  Pre-paid, or billing monthly.  Of course we preferred pre-paid, because we got paid faster.  So when I would come running with a completed sales card to my route manager, he would say “did you get it with Cheese?” Meaning of course prepaid.

When I rang and someone wasn’t interested in subscribing to the paper, I used to make sure that they understood the benefits of the Times and kindly handed them my business card in case they decided to change their mind.  Then (location permitting), I made sure to deliver the paper to their house for a week for free with a note attached each day about a benefit of the paper.  At 11, I sold more newspaper subscriptions than every other sales person (young or old) combined. 

They started calling my sales “Air Cheese” because the always seemed to “come out of thin air” and were always prepaid.  Instead of logging sales on Tuesday and Thursday nights, I will calling them in everyday of the week, thanks to my little trial offers going on in a neighborhood near you. 

When thinking about what we wanted to accomplish with this company, I thought long and hard about a name and how it would impact the meaning of the company.  “Air Cheese” floated right to the top as it was my reputation for honest dealings, courteous service, and relentless persistence that ultimately made me a good sales person.  There is a lot in a reputation and a lot to be said for the integrity of those that manage it.  So AirCheese (one word) was born.