In this interview with Phillip Akhzar, Founder & CEO at Arka.com, we discuss the origin of the brand name Arka, his choice of the domain name, and what does your product packaging says about your brand.

What was the original source of inspiration for you to start Arka in 2015?

Just didn’t seem like anyone much cared to improve the process. Service and process go hand in hand for packaging. If your process is a pain, no matter how nice you are, it’s going to be a less than exciting experience, resulting in bad service. We make it easy. Easy as designing a t-shirt online. Couple our platform with a great support team that consists of dedicated designers, and you have the solution that I wish I had when I was in the customers’ shoes.

Why did you originally decide to brand your company under the name “Arka”, what’s the story behind the name?

Haha, that depends on the language you’re using to translate! It can mean face as in the face of your company or Ark, as in the vessel from Noah’s Ark used to ensure the survival of life from the flood. The main definition is Latin for “a chest or strongbox used in ancient times as a receptacle for money or valuables”. Sounds just like what we provide!

Your business is run on a short and memorable domain name. Was this your first choice of the domain name at the time or it was an upgrade from the previous one?

Well, both! It was our first choice, and it was an upgrade from Arka.io, which still exists.

Why did you decide to change arka.io? Have you seen a rise in web traffic and sales that can be attributed to a domain upgrade?

.com sees much more traffic than a .io! It was a no brainer to buy the domain, especially since we got a great deal on it.

Startups often compromise on their company domain name since premium names are often taken and cost more. You clearly didn’t, how do you justify investing in a good domain name? Would you advise others to do it?

Get a good domain broker. And spend your time worrying about SEO instead of your actual domain.

How important is the presence of your brand online? What plays the most important role in people finding you on the web?

Our mission is to be an authority in this space. Packaging 101 isn’t as common as an elective as let’s say ECON 101 or some other subject you could pick up on the side throughout your life. We ease that stress by being your VP of Ops! Plus, we always post cool photos on our Instagram.

Who is your go-to person for business advice, for domain names, and in branding general?

My network and my team. 🙂

What kind of tips can you give other startups and founders considering acquiring a premium domain name?

Worry about everything else first.

So is that to say you should only invest in a premium name after you have your concept proven?

Absolutely. Don’t invest in a premium anything until you have your concept proven.

What’s the most important part of your brand — mission, core values or vision?

They’re all necessary. Your core values will help you navigate through the mission to fulfill your vision.

What branding project has challenged you the most so far in your career? Are there any valuable lessons learned that you could share?

Presenting Arka in a way that makes it easy for ecomm businesses to feel confident that they can succeed with us. “If my grandfather can’t use this, we’re not building the right tool”. That’s an adage we use internally to describe how we build things.

What do you envision for the future of Arka?

Simply put, every physical product you buy needs packaging. We want to be your champion. The cost of customer acquisition is going up in ecomm, so we encourage businesses to invest in the first form of user interface with your product- the packaging.

We hope this will be of use to you in the process of getting your perfect domain name. If you have any questions, need any help, or just want to chat with someone about the process, book a free consultation at MarkUpgrade.We are always happy to hear from you.

Find out more about Arka