What happens when you have a business that has spun off a related entity of its own, only to see that separate entity become its own viable business? Do you keep this new project with a direct connection to the original company or do you keep it separate?

I’m a big fan of the DigitalRevTVYouTube channel hosted by Kai. He looks at all kinds of interesting cameras, lenses, camera accessories, and photography related questions. It wasn’t until recently, however, that I discovered that DigitalRev is actually a camera store.

You see, while the YouTube channel has steadily increased in popularity, the uploaded videos never make an explicit mention of its connection to a camera store. There’s significant DigitalRev branding, to be sure, but that branding is never linked back to the core business of selling cameras and camera-related equipment.

Is this the best configuration? On the one hand, the YouTube channel can generate its own source of income by way of advertisements. On the other hand, the YouTube channel can also serve as a gateway to retail sales, though that runs the risk of alienating some of the audience. If you were running DigitalRev, what would you do?