The idea of exactly what your business is going to be usually comes first. Secondly, most often, is giving a title to your idea. What exactly is going to be the name of your business? Some people turn to their childhood for inspiration or a beloved family pet. It could be a made up word you dream of one night and feel it has the right ring to it. Even still there are some people who study foreign words for the perfect meaning behind their chosen business. Whatever the inspiration or relation may be, the naming of your business is one of the most important parts of becoming a CEO. Having a brand behind a strong title can make all the difference in the world.
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#1 – Simple, Easy to Remember
When I returned to Nigeria from Germany looking to create a dedicated (online) hotel booking agency for Nigerians, I wanted my company to communicate in the simplest terms possible what our value proposition was. ‘Hotels.ng' is simple, easy to remember and captures the essence of what we serve to online hotel searchers. We are committed to delivering affordable and convenient bookings to our customers anywhere in Nigeria. When we say we are hotels.ng, we mean we are the premium hotels booking service in Nigeria. Since then we have grown our business to become the number one hotel booking service in the country, in line with our name.”
Thanks to Mark Essien, Hotels.ng!
#2 – Great Thought
Self Lender helps consumers establish credit history through a small, secured installment loan to demonstrate ability to pay back debt. Initially, I thought ‘how great would it be if you could loan yourself money in order to establish credit history?' and hence the name ‘Self Lender.' We've pivoted a bit from the initial concept, but the name is catchy.”
Thanks to James Garvey, Self Lender!
#3 – Several Reasons
We came up with the name LIV for our niche Swiss watch brand for several reasons. It doesn’t sound like the typical Swiss watch brand name and thereby expresses our mission of bringing a uniquely designed Swiss made watch that is affordable to market. Our motto is “Dare to LIV,” and we cater to men who do just that, and who are looking for small, independent boutique style brands that represent people like themselves. Many of our fans own other big designer brands like Rolex etc., but prefer our watch because it’s more niche – not the same old. This concept is encapsulated in one three letter word, and that’s LIV.
Thanks to Esti Chazanow, LIV – Swiss Watches!
#4 – Southern Heritage
Our business name Sugar Nest reflects our southern heritage (and my great aunt's nickname) and making your home a wonderful spot where you want to spend time. This was actually a rename after many years as Paper Fancy. We wanted a name that truly reflected the brand and what we're all about.
Thanks to Karen Bullard, SugarNest!
#5 – Back to My Greek Roots
With a baby on the way, my wife and I bought our first home in 2010. The process of applying for a mortgage was long and tedious, with a few expensive surprises along the way. When I decided to leave my mobile data start-up in 2013, I remembered my mortgage experience from 2010, and found that nothing had changed – the model was broken, antiquated and inefficient. There was no trusted marketplace where people could plan, shop, qualify for and close their loan, and no place where people could get expert, unbiased service along the way. There was also an opportunity to use technology to build a much more efficient business – one that could pass savings from those efficiencies onto borrowers. A mutual friend connected me in San Francisco with Ori Zohar in New York. Ori had been working in advertising for 7 years but had been waiting to find the right start-up opportunity. In the summer of 2013, we decided to found Sindeo. Turning to my Greek roots, we named the business Sindeo. In Greek, Sindeo (pronounced sin-dee-oh) means to connect, which is our goal: to create a simple, fast way to connect borrowers with the right loan for their home.
Thanks to Nick Stamos, Sindeo!
#6 – Asked A Few Questions
It's always tough to come up with a business name. For DocChat, we asked, “What will stick in people's minds, indicate what we do, and most importantly, has a .com domain not in use?” If there's someone else out there with the same company name, it's going to affect your ability to gain name recognition unless they're a mom & pop shop. We toyed around with SwiftDoc, Salubrity (apparently nobody knows what it means), and DoctorNow before settling on DocChat.
Thanks to Mike Okhravi, DocChat!
#7 – Great Introductions
Internet businesses are harder and harder to name since the dot com is still the leading TLD. We started as a way to help us monetize our networks since we found ourselves making great introductions to people and we would find in our inbox, “hey thanks for the introduction to so and so, they wrote me a check for a million dollars! I owe you a coffee!” And therefore, we are Cooperatize.com which is ProductIZE + COOPERATion = Cooperatize!
Thanks to Roger Wu, Cooperatize!
#8 – Basis of Family
Maclendon is a multi-family office wealth management practice. We manage money for entrepreneurially minded families. What better way to name the firm, than with the basis of family. At its heart, Maclendon is about family (it's even in the name of our firm, which is derived from the names of my three children: MACie, LENnox, and JaeDON). We see you not as just a client, but as a “member” of our family.
Thanks to Jeremy S. Office, Maclendon Wealth Management!
#9 – Making Up a Name & Defining It
As a marketing company we knew we need a unique name that would stand out from the others in this crowded industry. We also needed a business name that had a URL available. At first we thought of going a traditional route of using a person's name OR a play on a marketing term, BUT we ultimately decided on making up a name and defining it. After all, we are a marketing agency, so creating our own unique name and then defining it would be proof that we were creative and knew how to define a brand from the ground up. The name we ended up choosing was nuphoriq, pronounced noo-for-ick. While people may not always know how to pronounce the name, they never forget it! The name is representative of our team and company goals. Nu – meaning new – stands for the new company we were starting and our team of young professionals. Phor – comes from the word euphoric – also known as that state of happiness and excitement. Our team becomes euphoric when working together and with our clients on projects. IQ – meaning smart – is again representative of our highly educated team that values (and never stops) learning.
Thanks to Jamie Pritscher, nuphoriq!
#10 – Purpose & Meaning
The Levatas name, and our Trilight logo, were crafted with purpose and meaning. Together, they represent the Levatas family, our array of services, our philosophy as a company, and even the diversity of our clients. The word levity means light-hearted, fun, and uplifting. The word gravitas is a latin word that means serious, weighty, and important. Levatas is a created word, the hybrid between levity and gravitas. The Levatas Trilight symbol, our logo, tells our story. It's hand-drawn, and as such, is not perfect. This is because we are not a factory- we are a team of thinkers, artists, and scientists. The Trilight's three points represent Levatas' three core focus areas; Strategy, Communications, and Platforms. The Trilight is colored by every color found in the rainbow spectrum, speaking to the diversity and variety of our team, our capabilities, and our clients. The symbol is made up of many lines that each have unique qualities, yet fall in beautiful agreement with each other on direction and flow. Though it's not perfect in shape- it has a distinct and recognizable form. It has purpose.
Thanks to Zlata Faerman, Levatas!
#11 – Communications
When I started my firm I thought “Strategic Communications” was a perfect name in that it summed up my communication philosophy and clearly conveyed what we deliver — the use of the broader term “communications” also allows us to focus on the broad range of communications that might include internal (employee communication), advertising, PR, media relations, shareholder communications, content marketing, etc.
Thanks to Linda Pophal, Strategic Communications, LLC!
#12 – A Friend Helped
I am the owner of NiteSpa in Venice Beach and have had my company for 11 years. When I first started talking about the idea of opening a spa that included late night hours it had a more basic name (Salon Faire). When I would describe the concept to people I would say it's sort of like a day spa, but it's a night spa. A friend convinced me that the name “night spa or nitespa” had way more branding potential. She said to picture the name on a bottle of water, a gift bag or skincare packaging. I have gotten more compliments, press and curiosity from choosing this name than I could have ever imagined! Nitespa has had over 18,000 visitors, guests and clients in the last decade. “What an amazing idea!” is something I hear weekly. NiteSpa offers day spa services with a twist. With late-night appointments and a mix of traditional and eclectic services (including an “After Party” detox facial, palm and tarot card readings, and budget-luxury) membership options — plus friendly staff and clients, wine on offer, local artisanal product lines, and great music –niteSpa leaves average spas behind in the daylight.
Thanks to Julia Lolita Martin-Wrobel, niteSpa!
#13 – Reinvention
As a doctor of psychology and clinical hypnotist, I specialize in reinvention. I transitioned from stand-up comic to shrink at age 44. Yes, the road from comedy to mental health is very short indeed. I went on to write, and brand my services, YOU-TURN. I came up with this title through the self-realization that you turn your life around. No one else.
Thanks to Dr. Nancy B. Irwin!
#14 – Asked Ourselves Questions
When we were deciding what to call our new PR agency we started by writing down a bunch of words that describe what we do, that we felt passionate about. On the first go round all of the words and names we came up with ended up being taken already. Since that wasn't going so well we switched tactics and asked ourselves: “what is our product? What is it that we'll be offering our clients that we want them to be able to grasp immediately when they see our name?” The answer was that we create an uproar for our clients' news. Luckily for us this one was available, so we began creating a logo that would suit it. While we were working on the logo it dawned on us that PR was actually uPRoar's middle name. It turned out to be a fantastic hook for our company name and has become something that people can immediately identify us by.
Thanks to Michael Harris, Uproar PR!
#15 – Action
When my co-founder Mohan Balachandran and I initially considered names for our company, which offers HIPAA compliant hosting and integration tools for healthcare technology teams, we wanted our company name to represent action, so we chose the verb to catalyze rather than the noun catalyst. As the company has grown, we've realized how much more it reflects our own ideas about healthcare innovation.
Thanks to Travis Good, MD, Catalyze!
#16 – Hobby Turned Career
My business name came about after my hobby turned into a career. I started selling pro audio speakers and audio parts on eBay while going to college. I gave everything generic labels using “SA” to start each model number. The SA was from my name, Steve Acree. After about six months I realized that things were taking off. I had all these products with SA on the packaging and needed to come up with a name. I didn't want to call them Steve Acree speakers. At the time, 15 years ago, I had a roommate who was going to school for geology. He suggested I should do something on the lines of earthquakes since Pro Audio equipment makes a “rumble”. He came up with Seismic Activity and I changed it to Seismic Audio. This is how the name Seismic Audio came in to being and it has been the same for 15 years.
Thanks to Steve Acree, Seismic Audio Speakers!
#17 – Stolen Password
When we were in the beginning stages of producing SleeperHero, we know we needed to start a business with all of the logistics. It dawned on us that we would need a business name for many reasons. We threw out a few ideas, but happened to like Purple Pancakes LLC the best. “Purple Pancakes” was a password that my 7 year old daughter used to open her voice activated password journal. I always thought it was cute, partly because I'm not sure how she came up with it, and also because she was so secretive about it. My sister loved it too. So, we stole her password from her and decided to name our business Purple Pancakes LLC. It's fun to hear her tell people that we stole her journal password.
Thanks to Anna Richardson, Purple Pancakes, LLC!
#18 – Japanese Root Word
Taikun (pronounced Tycoon) is the Japanese root word for the English Tycoon. It was used as an honorific for the Tokugawa Shogun. In the Meiji era in Japan, massive conglomerates known as Zaibatsu were built around a central bank were huge players in the economy, and they are companies we recognize today like Mitsubishi which is a bank, makes ships, cars, TVs, and owns a number of food and beverage companies. My goal with Taikun is to create a modern Zaibatsu with a digital marketing agency at its hub as the most important part to building successful businesses in the 21st century will be digital capabilities.
Thanks to Collin J. Slattery, Taikun Inc.!
#19 – A True Measure
We had been developing the company’s product for a while, but we needed to find a name in 1995 to incorporate the company. We were bootstrapping the company’s funding, so we could not afford to hire a firm to help us come up with a company name. “First, we searched for the names of companies that were in a business similar to ours to get an idea of what our name should be like. We wanted a name that sounded studious and statistical, and was one or two short words — and, the name should reflect our business, which was mainly reporting on the performance of apartment properties, submarkets, markets and portfolios. “We went through the dictionary looking for words to use. Obviously, as we got to the end of the ‘a’ words, we found the word ‘axiom,’ which is defined as a rule or principle that many people hold as true. That really fit what we were looking for. But, we felt the word alone was not sufficient. What could we add to the word before or after to improve it? “After looking at many extensions, we came up with the word ‘metrics.’ Metrics are defined as a standard of measurement. We now had one word that described a truism and another that was represented a standard of measurement. Together, the words meant ‘a true measure.’ That was exactly what we wanted to be: a true measure of performance. We initially had the full words joined, ‘axiommetrics,’ but decided to shorten it by taking out one of the m’s. The result was our company name: Axiometrics.
Thanks to Ron Johnsey, Axiometrics!
#20 – What I Stood For
When I chose Love Publicity, I was looking for a name that represented what I stood for (without using my name), that was universal (appeal to all audiences), and also catchy (you could play on words). Since Love was a universal language I decided to incorporate that and everyone will love for their business to be publicize. As a pr firm I thought it would be fitting. Love Publicity was birthed and branded.
Thanks to Teia Harris, Love Publicity!
#21 – How We Work & Our Approach
“Integrate” is part of the company name, but is also meaningful to how the agency works and approaches all client campaigns. Integrate goes beyond the traditional public relations scope to look at a client’s entire communications efforts including: public perception, competitive edge, community involvement, website copy and design, social media presence and strategy, search engine optimization strategy, crisis communication planning, and achieving an integrated look and feel for the overall brand.
Thanks to Allie Danziger, Integrate!
#22 – Works Phonetically
Pinta, meaning “paint” in Spanish, tells the story of the creative flair that we bring to our everyday tasks. We looked for a name that worked phonetically in both English and Spanish to ensure easy pronunciation for our Anglo clients, as well as Hispanic target audiences. We practice the art of cross-cultural marketing, and help big brands like Facebook, NFL and T-Mobile connect authentically with the booming U.S. Hispanic demographic. We consider our executives a team of cultural artists creating masterpieces on behalf of our clients.
Thanks to Mike Valdés-Fauli, PintaUSA!
#23 – Two Objectives
First, the objective of the business is to show that women can be both strong and feminine at the same time, thus the two words together. Second, the term warrior princess is starting to become a bit more mainstream term so that a person might say “hey, I know a warrior princess and she really could use a shirt like that”
Thanks to Margo Schlossberg, Warrior Princess Clothing!
#24 – Systematic & No Emotion
Our name used to be Neuhaus Design and we rebranded to Honest Agency in 2010. We rebranded for a number of reasons that I could get into if you’d like but for the sake of keeping it brief, I’ll leave it alone for now. We chose Honest Agency by putting ourselves through the same branding and strategic planning process we put our clients through. It was very systematic and we tried to remove all emotion out of the equation (I was nostalgic about Neuhaus and had a hard time letting it go). We based the name on a set of brand values and traits we believed we wanted our company to embody. We initially had a long list of 50-100 names and then short listed it to a handful. After doing some due diligence, we decided to go with Honest Agency and we haven’t looked back since.
Thanks to Callum Beattie, Honest Agency!
#25 – What We Do & Where We Are
Colorado Aromatics is a farm based cosmetics company and we use herbs from our farm in all of our products for their antioxidant capacity. Because we grow many aromatic herbs such as lavender, mints, and lemon balm and distill those herbs for aromatic waters, we wanted ‘aromatics' in the farm name. We make our skin care to meet the challenges of the Colorado climate and so wanted to have Colorado in the name as well. So Colorado Aromatics Cultivated Skin Care was born as a farm and as a skin care company.
Thanks to Dr. Cindy Jones, Colorado Aromatics!
#26 – Represents Who we Serve, What We Do & Its Benefits
In 2007 our agency started to service the Medicare market. This means that nearly all of our clients are Baby Boomers as they age into Medicare at 65, or sometimes baby boomers who are helping their parents (seniors). While we sell insurance, what we REALLY do is explain Medicare to people. It's amazing that we've been able to provide careers for over 20 people in explaining a government benefit. We tossed around names until we came up with Boomer Benefits, which represents who we service and what service we offer, which is benefits explanations. The alliteration is catchy, and this generation is proud of their common name. It's bee a huge hit with our clients, many of whom have told us that it was our agency's name that made them decide to talk to us over our competitors.
Thanks to Danielle Kunkle, Boomer Benefit!
#27 – Meditation
My company name literally flew into my mind during a meditation. Maybe sounds very “woowoo” but is true. Company name is Peacecock Bakery (vegan, hempseed biz). A peacock with all the worlds major religions/philosophies on its wings. Radically different from anything else in the natural market industry.
Thanks to Diana Blue, Peacock Bakery!
#28 – Several Key Aspects
Coming up with a real estate business name had to cover several key aspects. It had to be highly adaptable to recognized branding, both as a business and also personal perception. Because real estate is tied to the individual agent, choosing to brand the business with my first name seemed like a logical move. Adding the “real estate” portion gives clear definition as to what this business does. By answering all key questions pertaining to who and what within just the business name helps craft instant recognition. Since the focus here is on the luxury market, most buyers and sellers identify with an individual. Being able to brand an entire business, team and other facets after the name allows for that level of recognition that is displayed by many others who have followed this principle, namely fashion designers, exotic car makers and other haute market businesses.
Thanks to Ivan Ciraj, Ivan Real Estate!
#29 – Started with the Logo
Unlike most people, I started the logo before I even had the business name or knew that I'd be starting Epilepsy Education Everywhere. My brother, Sean, is a graphic designer and one day I mentioned that I wanted to pursue more of a business with epilepsy advocacy and would need a logo. He was the one who came up with the idea of the 3 E's in our logo based on answers to his questions. While working with him on the logo, I attended a workshop with Brad and Kerry Moore from 3:17 Consulting Services. They could tell I had a bad day and Brad offered to meet me for coffee. A couple weeks later, I took him up on the offer. I told him what had transpired before their workshop and we discussed my options. That afternoon in Starbucks, I decided it was time for me to start a nonprofit for people with epilepsy. I told Brad about the 3 E's and we sat there brainstorming names–one of which was Epilepsy Education Everywhere. I was so excited about that name that as soon as I got home I did a Google Search and not a single hit came up for that phrase. I was shocked! Of course, I made sure to check www.uspto.gov as well. I knew then that it was time to go forth with Epilepsy Education Everywhere
Thanks to Meghan Kennedy, Epilepsy Education Everywhere!
#30 – About Conversations
The name of my business is Simon Says Social Media. Originally I had used RebeccaSimonSays for some of my personal social media profiles and I received a lot of positive feedback so when I was deciding what to name my company, I kept Simon Says and added Social Media to be clear about what you do. I also thought Simon Says was a good tie-in with social media since social media is about conversations. I get a lot of compliments on the name so I know I made the right choice.
Thanks to Rebecca Simon, Simon Says Social Media!
#31 – Went to Bed and Had a Dream
I went out to dinner in Santa Monica , CA with my friends as I wanted trusted input about what I should call my business. We had many ideas. I took them all in. When I went to bed, I had a dream and woke up with the logo and the name. I recently updated the logo but the name is spot on! YogaForce
Thanks to Anne E. Appleby, YogaForce LLC!
#32 – Grandfather's Traditions
Like my grandfather Robert Zink, the award-winning weaver of Nantucket baskets and namesake of the company, I embrace the world's grand wonders while treasuring every ethereal detail of an artist's touch. ZINK is a vision that honors my grandfather's traditions while celebrating the extraordinary journey of life.
Thanks to Ben Freedland, ZINK!
#33 – Other Businesses
The name from my business actually come from one of my other businesses which is a digital marketing agency called GMR Web Team. GMR stands for “Global Marketing Resources.” I chose this because I serve marketing clients globally and provide a variety of digital marketing resources to help them get a measurable return on investment. I added “Web Team” at the end because we serve all digital needs and have a team of experts for every service that we offer. When starting GMR Transcription, I wanted to carry a piece of my other company, GMR Web Team, so I kept the “GMR.” This would allow people to know that they are sister companies. Because GMR Transcription is a transcription company, it's obvious that I included transcription in the name.
Thanks to Ajay Prasad, GMR Transcription!
#34 – It Takes Two
Our name “Deux Mains Designs” came from the idea that it takes two hands (deux mains means two hands in French) to make our unique handmade sandals by our Haitian artisans. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, I went to Haiti as part of a relief team. I found that giving away donations were not enough and the people of Haiti wanted jobs and to get their lives back to their previous state. After 4 years, the sandals had grown by leaps and bounds and it was time to brand the sandals. Me and a marketing team took several names and landed on this one. It was perfect. Not only does it take two hands to make the product but it takes two hands for a consumer to purchase them. These sandals are not just a sandal, they are a solution to end poverty by offering jobs at dignified wages in the communities that need it most.
Thank you to Julie Colombino, Deux Mains Designs !
#35 – First Name with a .com
My current company, Ignite the Drive, was the first name that I had come up with and the .com was available. I'll be honest, I wanted a name that was somewhat straightforward, 4 syllables or less, and easy to remember. Besides that, I had already created the content for myself because I was feeling burnt out / unmotivated and was needed to reignite my entrepreneurial drive. So it fell in from there.
Thanks to Garrett Dunham, Ignite the Drive!
#36 – 3-Day Deadline
I gave myself a 3-day deadline to come up with my company name, ScribeSpace. I didn't want to extend the deadline too much and waste precious time devising 100 different names, so I picked one that was concise, easy-to-remember, catchy, unique, and described what we do. ScribeSpace is an online writing business, so I looked up various versions of “writer” and “writer” in different languages. “Scribe” worked well as if describes a person who, “writes by hand.” It had that mix of familiarity, so people would know what it was about, but the additional flair of being an old-school term. I stuck “Space” at the end of it, which I liked for the alliteration and punchiness. And thus, ScribeSpace was born!
Thanks to Abbey Finch, ScribeSpace, LLC!
#37 – Fairly Easy
Picking our name was fairly easy, since we were reacting to the state of the fortune cookie at the time—namely they were all beige and tasted liked cardboard! So we invented flavored, colored and GIANT fortune cookies and called ourselves: FancyFortuneCookies.com We’ve gone on to add many other delicious variations: chocolate dipped, caramel covered, custom flavors and colors to match anything and everything—vodka cookie anyone? Our most recent product is a beer-flavored fortune cookie made with craft beer from the micro-brewery next door. Also, we pride ourselves in baking truly gourmet cookies using the best ingredients, so yes, we continue to live up to our name.
Thanks to Erin Fry, Fancy Fortune Cookies!
#38 – What Clients Will Say to Another
We sell tour packages. Following one of the famous quotes of Leo Burnett, we put ourself into our clients shoes and thought what a client will say to another when they get back from a trip or when they are with a friend and recognize a place (for example in the TV) they visited : “Look, I was there!”. So that become our company name: LookIwasThere.
Thanks to David Trallero, LookIwasThere!
#39 – Modern Version of Ancient Greek Mythology
The Name Talaria (tuh-LAH-ree-uh) is the name of the winged sandal worn by Hermes, the messenger god of Ancient Greek mythology. It was made of impenetrable gold and had wings, that allowed him to travel safely and quickly. And Talaria Flats are the modern day version of this story – shoes that allow a woman to continue on her journey through the day or night. Talaria Flats are currently available online and at top wedding retailer Kleinfeld Bridal.
Thanks to Ingrid Miskinis, Talaria Flats!
#40 – Simple w/ a Great Meaning
Spector Group is simple, but with great meaning. Though it's a family-owned business (Spector) of three generations, almost four, the goal was to include our extended family (Group) being our team members . They are a group of dedicated professionals, some of whom have been with us for over 30 years to whom we owe our great success.
Thank you Marc Spector, Spector Group!
#41 – Name & Job Description
This might sound stupid, but I simply named my company a combination of my name and my job description: “Micah Fraim, CPA”. I think this is a very effective strategy for someone who wants to make themselves the brand, not the company. Every area has a realtor or other business owner who becomes almost a minor celebrity because they are so well known. For certain professions, you would much rather brand yourself rather than a company.
Thanks to Micah Fraim!
#42 – Creative, Valuable & Delivered a Promise
I started my company in the middle of law school and I really wanted a name that was creative, embodied my values, and gave a promise to my customers. I am a Christian who believes in purpose and always felt that my company would be a way to help guide others to create businesses or non-profits that helped them execute the reason they were put on this Earth. When I thought about how I could best serve people, I realized my direct/attorney sensibilities would not match being a life coach, so I decided I wanted to become a business coach. I needed a name that was clear yet inspirational. The name needed to be unique yet purposeful. Something that told people about my company but gave me room to grow. One of my favorite no-nonsense guides in the Bible that cared about people but wasn't afraid to speak the truth to power was John the Baptist. So I took my name from a verse about him. Luke 3:4 says “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'” I hope my company can call those who have been waiting to start the business or non-profit of their dreams and that I may guide them step-by-clear-step towards that goal through my coaching programs, consulting projects, or speaking engagements.
Thanks to Markita Samuel, Making Straight Paths!
#43 – Sophisticated Edit
The sanskrit word ‘Raaga' means colour, beauty, melody and harmony. Through our sophisticated edit of handcrafted pieces, we hope to bring ‘Raaga' into peoples homes and their lives.
Thanks to Nandita Narayan, DesignRaaga!
#44 – 2 Concepts
When we started brainstorming on the name of our company: Kids’ Candor, there were two concepts we definitely wanted to cover: 1. Children and 2. Bilingual communication. Our first step was to make a list of words that were the same in English and Spanish. For example, idea or humor. Candor made it to the list and we were automatically drawn to it. The definition of candor is: the quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness. And children are just like that: open, honest, they tell you exactly what is in their minds. They are pure. They learn from us adults, they have no prejudices, they are a blank canvas, and a dry sponge that will absorb what you provide. Candor was a winner. Not necessarily a word you use everyday, but one that perfectly captured our company’s values: (1) Respect for children, their intelligence and abilities. (2) Human interaction. (3) Global point of view and the value of diversity and difference.
Thanks to Lourdes Ramón, Kids Candor!
#45 – Necessity
My business name came out of necessity. I primarily wanted to capitalize on the uniqueness of my name to really stand out (which has proven very successful for SEO and other purposes). Also, when I switched from an independent contractor to a company, using my first name was easier to deposit checks if they were made out to me personally and not to the company.
Thanks to Durée Ross of Durée & Company!
#46 – Our Purpose as a Business
We chose The Search Party because it resonated with our purpose as a business. When you've lost something important you send a search party, a term that transcends international boundaries. Since we're all about finding the perfect employee, with the right skills and fit, at the right time, it was a fitting name. Moreover, our entire ecosystem (employers, recruiters, job seekers) is dependent on search technologies and being able to find (and recommend) matching companies / candidates / jobs / services for each of our constituents all around the world. Search Party fit perfectly on this level as well.
Thanks to Ben Hutt, The Search Party!
#47 – My 2 Dogs
KOTAW, the name of my Los Angeles content marketing agency was inspired by the love story of two dogs, Dakota and Woofie. Dakota, a Great Dane, rarely strayed from my side until he spotted Woofie, a golden retriever-chow mix that was homeless and injured. Dakota know from first sighting that Woofie was the dog of his dreams. Woofie wasn't so sure about Dakota — or me. For 23 midnight outings, Dakota made me walk him until he confirmed that Woofie was OK. Sometimes he spotted her nose sticking out of a bush; sometimes she remained entirely hidden, but responded to his cries with a gentle “woof.” But Woofie refused all offers of food or affection. On the 24th night, Woofie followed us home and lived with us for 15 years. Her romance with Dakota was made for the silver screen. Her resistance to wooing taught me a lot about potential marketing clients. For every business owner who falls in love with KOTAW at first sight, 99 need to establish a relationship with our company first. Like Dakota, we work hard to earn the trust of potential clients. Sometimes it takes days, sometimes years to build a relationship. Like Dakota, we believe the best clients are worth the effort — and the wait. So that's why the company is named KOTAW. It's a blend of Dakota and Woofie's names: Da(KOTAW)oofie.
Thanks to Katherine Kotaw, Kotaw!
#48 – Two-Fold
The name Vispronet has a two-fold purpose. It explains our products and what we do, as it's the shortened version of Visual Promotions Network. Additionally, it helps with brand recognition, which, as readers know, is what's important for companies to succeed in the Internet marketplace. The name came about during a brainstorming session, and our team came up with the Visual Promotions Network name. We realized the name was probably too long for a brand and website domain, so we shortened it to Vispronet, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Thanks to Susanne Prax, Vispronet.com!
#49 – Love Letters
Me and my wife met in high school and she still keeps a binder full of letters that I wrote to her in the first few years that we met. Fast forward ten years, and we started a wedding bakery in Manhattan. The name of the bakery is “Loveletter Cakeshop” because the best love letters are romantic and personal–everything we think a wedding cake should be.
Thanks to Brandon Baker, Loveletter Cakeshop!
#50 – My Name. My Brand
I was a big fish in a small pond as a journalist in a small town. The 14 hour days were preventing me from spending time with my growing family. Taking advantage of what I learned as a journalist I looked to capitalize on it. I made my name my brand. It worked instantly, when one of the businesses I has done a story on knew I was aware how the media worked. He explained that since I did the story about him people were thinking of him and his business as experts in their field. He hired my new firm to get more media attention. I have gone on from there and expanded over the last 20 years.
Thanks to Ron Wood, Ron Wood Public Relations, Ltd.