Why Redskink?

The name 'Redskink' has a very simple origin, and one where full credit goes to my dear wife - Katrina.

I needed a business name. I had been kicking around with ideas as to something that was unusual - something that would push people to take a mental shift sideways and go "What?!?".

This epitomises what I was trying to achieve in getting businesses to think outside the square; to see themselves with different eyes so that positive change can be made possible, but I didn't want to it to sound like some cheesy piece of marketing bling.

To understand the next bit, you need to understand where we live. The house we were living in was pretty old and drafty and as such, had nooks and crannies everywhere - great for lots of creepy-crawlies, and a veritable feast for a number of resident skinks.

On the fateful day, I was particularly frustrated and came out and flopped on the lounge next to Kate and said something along the lines of "I can't think of something different, something memorable for the business name". At this exact moment a large skink was chasing lord knows what under the lounge and I happened to be twirling a red pipe-cleaner 'man' between my fingers (the latter had been proudly presented to me by my 5 year-old the night before).

By one of those flukes of free-association, Kate just looked at me and said 'red skink'.

To this day Kate has no idea where it came from - it was fantastically spontaneous and one of those moments of serendipity we always remember.

So why do we think it's a good name for a business?

Well my dominant pragmatic side answers immediately that it is instantly recognisable and no-one forgets it - so it is good marketing.

But on a deeper level, I have always been a bit of a reptile fan - drove my mother to distraction as a kid as I brought every thing that slithers or crawls home from the bush and collected insects and spiders to feed said slithery and crawly things.

As a family, skinks are survivors. They are one of the oldest and most diverse families of reptiles. They are resourceful, sleek, efficient and leave a very small footprint on their natural environment - all the things that we believe a good business should be.

So that's the origin of Redskink - a simple free-association that just happened to represent a lot of what we are trying to achieve.

And if you were wondering - the skink is a she and her name is Liz.