How Did You Come Up With Your Business Name? – Part 1

It's the first thing that entrepreneurs mention. It brands the business and tells the story of the business before the business owner utters another word. It is the business name. It's selection determines the trajectory of the of the business and how people will perceive the business and its goods and services. With all this in mind, the business owner has a lot of pressure to select the “perfect” business name.

Hearpreneur asked business owners why they selected their business name:

1) I Used Letters Which Would Be More Prosperous

I went to a numerologist in Los Angeles who used to help famous bands come up with the names for their album covers. She suggested using certain letters that would be more prosperous. The actual name, Express Success, came through inspiration, which I had her check using numerology and said I would do well with it. She also said I would have a multiple businesses under the umbrella, which became true. Why did you start your business? Many people called to network with me when I was working in television publicity asking me how I got my job at Paramount. I realized I had much less of a challenge than they seemed to be experiencing. It caused me to figure out what set me apart from those who struggled to get their ideal job. I then started Express Success to help others succeed quicker and easier.

Thanks to Joy Pedersen, Founder and CEO at Express Success!

2) We Accomodated Omega in the Name

We wanted to call it Argyro Toumazou International Ltd, but the Registrar did not give this name. The next  was AT Global, but this was very commonly used, so we moved to AT Glocal. In the meantime we had my name starting with A and anding with Ω. Ω is resembled by the Quail bird, but there was no room forit on the stamp, as we could not accommodate both letters Eagle and Quail, so we accomodated  omega in the name with the letter w which is similar to the lower case omega. Why did you start your business? I could not find a job when I retired; I also could not get used to practicing. In my former job, I had all the data in the file, I knew how to do the research and come up with answers. In the meantime there is such a great demand in the sector of my book that I thought everybody in the relevant occupation would welcome my book as it offers something badly needed.

Thanks to Argyro Toumazou, Author at AT GLOWCAL LTD!

3) Because We All Have Bills to Pay

We all have them to pay, so with a budgeting business in mind it made sense to create a direct link to what people struggle with every day.  In addition to this, we noticed it was a well common tag line people use in society.  “I have no money and have so many bills to pay”. Why did you start your business? Because I constantly worked with colleagues who had difficulty managing their money.

Thanks to Kris Bondin, Bills to Pay!

4) It Was Clear

I came up with the name “It's In The Stars” for my astrology gift website because I have been studying astrology since I was 12 years old and felt the name made it very clear it was involved in astrology. But it is also broad enough to give me flexibility to add different astrology products to my business. I now have email reports, luxury hardcover reports as keepsakes, gift-boxed gift certificates, luxury gift baskets containing gift-boxed gift certificates, DIY Kits to let you make you own hardcover reports, phone consultations and personal consultations. Why did you start your business? I started my business because I had been hand-making beautiful astrology reports as gifts for friends getting married and for those having children to understand their relationships and children better and I wanted to create a company which would create those as luxury gifts.

Thanks to Elizabeth Ball, It's In The Stars!

5) Because It Felt Good

I was about to start my coaching business and had problem selecting a name. My name is Kathy Condon and when a certain architect called me he would say, “Hi KC.” He was so upbeat, that I got to thinking KC Solutions feels really good to me and if I added solutions with it, that made a great company name. Never looked back.

Thanks to Kathy Condon, KC Solutions!

6) Because It Encapsulated My Business

I chose my name as my business name because it's meaning encapsulates the vision for my business.  My name means ‘Happiness' and ‘In Good Health'.  I want every product, speaking event or service to encapsulate both of those elemments – good health and happiness.  Also, using your name to brand your business branding can help to build trust and good relationships with the clients because they know who is on the other end of the product and service.  Knowing ‘the real person' is why social media will continue to grow.

Thanks to Kushla Chadwick!

7) Because I Wanted to Run My Own Business

Better Business Better Life came about through a desire to run my own business and to help others through sharing my knowledge and experiences. I enjoy teaching and consulting is a effectively a form of teaching. My business name took a while to come up with. I'd mulled over it for a couple of weeks wanting something that encapsulated growing/improving your business with the aim to improve lifestyle. I wasn't happy with my ideas. One Friday night when harassing my partner for ideas we decided to head to McCafe for a coffee. Needless to say the coffee must have sparked my partner's brain and he came up with Better Business Better Life. We decided there and then it said everything it needed to while keeping things simple. Better Business Better Life was born.

Thanks to Caylie Price, Better Business Better Life!

8) I Used A Quote

My business is named after this quote: “There are two ways to spread the light: be the candle or be the mirror that reflects it” – Edith Wharton. As a trainer, I consider myself to be a mirror, helping others to achieve their own greatness. So my business is called Mirror Professional Development. Why did you start your business? I started my own business because I wanted to have the freedom to provide training that would really make a difference to people, not just ‘tick the boxes'.

Thanks to Heidi Gorell-Hay, Mirror Professional Development!

9) Because We Wanted Something Creative

When coming up with a name, Kieran and I wanted something creative that suggested we were a flexible, forward-thinking agency that could work at both extremes of the creative spectrum (and every point between). Upon deciding that our brand personality would be fun and quirky – like our approach to work – we began tossing around binary opposites such as ‘hard and soft', ‘dark and light' and then finally… “harsh and mellow”. The minute the pair was out of my mouth, we both new that we'd found a winner and “Harshmellow Media + Design” was born. Almost 2 years later, just about every business contact we meet asks ‘where did you get that name from?' We find that taking a little bit  of time to explain the name with people is a fantastic ice-breaker and helps to keep us top of mind long after an initial meeting. Why did you start your business? Harshmellow Media + Design is a boutique PR and graphic design house that designer Kieran Thomas and I started as a way to escape the hustle and bustle of Sydney and fill a gaping hole in the market of Townsville in sunny North Queensland.

Thanks to Sarah Mathiesen, Harshmellow Media + Design!

10) Because It Reflecs the Distributed Aspects of Our Efforts

Business/Company name is TeamWorx, Ltd. It reflects the distributed aspect of our efforts, with 2 Team members in the USA, one in New Zealand, one in Thailand and others scattered around the world. I chose TeamWorx because Teams do work, do provide value and do solve problems for other teams and individuals. Why did you start your business? ‘Work done in a spirit of service is… worship.'When the Lord of Hosts revealed that, all humans were allowed and encouraged to earn an honest living by trades and professions…. I started my business to SERVE, and serve profitably.

Thanks to Kerry Dean Hooper, CEO of TeamWorx, Ltd.!

11) Because It's What I Do

My business name is Missing Inc.. I am a private investigator and I find missing persons in respect to reconnections and missing items. Inc stands for incorporated. Why did you start your business? I was in the middle of my second degree and I was dismissed by three investigators in one year who all promised that they would have enough business to support both of us and they didn't. I thought if they could do it then I could to and thirty years later I am still in business.

Thanks to Mike Kiger, Private Investigator for Missing Inc.!

12) Because Our Words Matched Up

My business partner and I sat down in 1996, and I drew two columns on a blank piece of paper. We wrote down words that came into our head (like the association game), I think we had action words on one side, descriptors/adjectives on the other. Then we started matching up words from each column, to see how they sounded together.We clicked with Kamikaze Karate, particularly because Kamikaze means “divine wind”, and many people thought we were committing “business suicide” by opening this type of store. (A retail martial arts store, quite an anomaly even today in the industry). We thought it was a perfect fit, and people continue to remark about it today. It's very memorable, so my customers tell me. Why did you start your business? At the start, it was to show that you didn't have to mark up products 300-400% above retail to make a profit and, we wanted to supply all the martial arts weapons/equipment that most schools were not carrying. So we didn't set out to compete with martial arts schools, we intentionally did not do that. We also wanted to promote small martial arts schools, as well as events, tournaments and training going on locally, regionally, and nationally. We believe very strongly in the positive impact of martial arts training on a person's life, particularly for children.

Thanks to Theresa Ortega, Owner Kamikaze Karate Martial Arts & MMA Supply!

13) I Listened

Well, I didn't! Here is what happened: One day after being so overwhelmed by the internet info overload, I aggressively closed the computer lid and said: ‘I have nothing to offer'. Yes, it was one of those moments. Then, I heard a very clear voice that said (no, it demanded): Offer nothing. I was like, what did you say? The voice repeated: Offer nothing. I stared at a book I had on my desk, a face of one of my spiritual teachers was staring at me and I swear I almost saw his lips move. After the third time asking ‘What?' I still heard the same answer: ‘Offer nothing. Go for a hike and come up with a name.' So I did. And my business, The Daily Nothing was born. I clearly could not have come up with this on my own. Deep bow and gratitude to my guidance. Why did you start your business? In addition to the reason what I explained above, I feel like people have forgotten how to be, do nothing, listen. How to leave some blank space to their days. Watch the world go by. Even just 5 minutes a day can shift your perspective, allow room for more peace and ease. ‘It is the space between the notes that create the music.'

Thanks to Riikka Rajamaki, The Daily Nothing!

14) Because My Mom Had A Red Cup

My mother was a sculptor.  Every time she started a new project, she had coffee from a red cup. When I was starting my business, Red Cup was the natural name. Why did you start your business? I am arecovering television producer. When the TV market changed dramatically in 2010 I knew I had to migrate my experience and deploy my skill set online.

Thanks to Lee Schneider, Red Cup Consulting!

15) Because I Had to Start Over

A few years ago my life hit rock bottom. My ex wife and the mother of my children said she no longer wanted to be with me. I wanted to start over so I moved from Alabama to Georgia. Mind you, I had limited money, no job, and no place to stay. A childhood friend said I could sleep on his floor until I could get back on my feet. It was my first Friday night in a new city and my friend ask me to go out and dance. I refused at first but I later realized I needed to get out for some air. I asked an attractive young lady name Kim to dance and we grooved until the lights came on for us to go. We exchanged numbers. I never expected to meet someone so nice so quickly. Even crazier thing is that she lived 90 miles away. I was thinking about how my life had changed and I said woe. I looked into the bible and I saw the word woe. I also wanted to see how the dictionary defined woe. Woe meant trials or tribulations. In life a woe to you might be a job loss and to another it might be a broken relationship. One day I was thinking how I could reinvent my life so I wrote down the word woe on a piece of paper. As the document spoke to me it revealed that woe now meant WOE as in Word of Encouragement. From there I received this slogan. “Before you leave work or go to sleep tonight, give someone a WOE, a Word Of Encouragement.” I shared my concept of WOE with Kim and we decided that before we end our conversation each night someone had to give a WOE. Since we first danced we have been together for six years.

Thanks to Derrick Hayes!

16) Because I Wanted A Trademark Specific to My Product

I  wanted a specific design to trademark and make it specific to my product, StickeeBunns, “sticky' keeping clients in their seat. While trademarking, I ran into complications with that name.  My design logo with SB was already in place and market ready so I had to keep the SB in place and renamed my business SafetyBunns, since the purpose of the pants were to keep clients safe.  This name change ended up being a wonderful thing.  Each time I would contact a vendor, they thought I was talking about a roll and non-stick pans!

Thanks to Barb Przybylowicz, President of SafetyBunns LLC!

17) Because It Was Something I Was Good At

Since I'd been very successful at doing financial aid consulting since 1979, the title wasn't difficult to come up with. Why did you start your business? I started it as an adjunct to financial consulting I had been doing since 1977.  It was a natural to help families qualify for maximum financial aid and at the same time maximize on their financial programs.

Thanks to Reecy Aresty, College Admissions, Financial Aid Expert & Author for Payless For College, Inc.!

18) Because It's A Metaphor

Empowered Walking Enterprise and Ministries LLC Walking is metaphor for life of optimal wellness – body,mind & spirit. Name reflects business goals and wholistic nature of the business. Why did you start your business?

Thanks to Maxine Cunningham, CEO of Empowered Walking Ministries!

19) Because I Wanted to be Slightly Different

I wanted to be slightly different and not just be ‘mynamellc', which i thought was limiting and stuffy. So I began thinking about what I wanted to do for my clients, and the answer was to elevate their business results with better marketing strategies, plans and execution. Working backwards, I realized I also love to cook (when I have time) and that lemon has become one of my favorite ingredients because it elevates the dish and really highlights the flavor assets. So, Lemon Zest Marketing was born and the url was available, which was also a key point for me.

Thanks to Joan Muschamp, CEO/Owner of Lemon Zest Marketing!

20) Because You Either Remember A Name or A Face

They say you either remember a name or a face so I decided to cover all bases and named my business after myself – Melissa Park Events, and use an image of myself as my logo. Why did you start your business? I started my business out of sheer passion and the desire to stand up and make a difference doing what I love. I was working in the industry for large event management companies for 8 years and when I turned 26, I decided it was time to take the leap of faith and launch my own company. I have since been awarded the Australian Event Awards Young Achiever of the Year and my business continues to grow rapidly year after year.

Thanks to Melissa Park, Managing Director of Melissa Park Events!